810 



WIN 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



W IT 



numerous, shorter than the corolla, dilated upwards ; anther 

 terminal, of two lateral ovate cells, separate at the base, 

 converging at their points. Pistil: germina four to eight, 

 crowded, obovate; styles none; stigmas depressed, flat. 

 Pericarp : berries four to eight, ovate, somewhat triangular. 

 Seeds : several, disposed in two rows. ESSENTIAL CHA- 

 RACTER. Calix : splitting unequally. Petals : numerous. 

 Stamina : club-shaped, with terminal two-lobed antherse. 

 Styles : none. Berries : superior, aggregate. Seeds : several, 

 in a double row. The species are, 



1. Wintera Aromatica; Officinal Winter' s-bark. Leaves 

 elliptical, obtuse, coriaceous, alternate, crowded at the ends 

 of the branches, evergreen, two or three inches long, and one 

 and a half wide, thick and rigid, entire, somewhat revolute, 

 with a -stout midrib, and scarcely visible veins, very smooth 

 on both sides, somewhat glaucous beneath, but not inva- 

 riably or permanently so ; footstalks broad'and thick, smooth, 

 half or three quarters of an inch long; stipulas none; 

 flowering-stalks aggregate, at the ends of the branches, 

 simple, or three-cleft, smooth, not half the length of the 

 leaves, accompanied at their base by several ovate, pale, deci- 

 duous bractes ; flowers smaller than a Hawthorn blossom, 

 white; calix reddish, unequally three-lobed; berries from three 

 to six, each with four triangular seeds. It is a tree of con- 

 siderable size, often fifty feet high, with twisted knotty 

 branches, and a thick rugged bark, of an aromatic smell, 

 and permanent pungent flavour. The bark is little used at 

 present in medicine. Native of the country on both sides 

 the straits of Magellan. 



2. Wintera Granadensis ; New Granada Winter' s-bark. 

 Leaves elliptic-lanceolate, obtuse, four or five inches long, 

 and nearly one and a half broad, scarcely revolute, perfectly 

 smooth, very glaucous beneath ; footstalks smooth, an inch 

 long; flowerstalks axillary, solitary, sometimes nearly the 

 length of the leaves, always half as long, simple, divided, or 

 three-cleft ; flowers with about twelve petals, and a deeply 

 three-cleft calix ; berries six or eight, obovate, sometimes 

 confluent, each with from four to six seeds ; pistilla eight. 

 The bark is aromatic, like the first species. This tree is 

 eighteen or twenty feet high, with round branches, more 

 straight, and less rugged, than in the preceding species. 

 Native of New Granada, on lofty mountains. 



3. Wintera Chilensis ; Chili Winter' s-bark. Leaves oblong, 

 obovate, glaucous beneath, coriaceous, very smooth, taper- 

 ing at the base, on short stalks ; flowerstalks axillary, some- 

 times very short, bearing an umbel of four or five elongated 

 simple stalks; sometimes four or five simple ones all together, 

 each an inch long at most, single-flowered ; calix in two or 

 three ovate blunt divisions, not soon deciduous, and perhaps 

 lasting till the fruit ripens ; petals six to nine, oblong, bluntish, 

 twice the length of the calix ; pistilla five or six ; stamina 

 very short ; germina five or six, ovate, crowded on a small 

 globose receptacle ; berries oval, rather compressed. This 

 is a tall shrub, with a very aromatic bark, and round branches. 

 Found in marshy situations in Chili. 



4. Wintera Mexicana ; Mexican Winter's bark. Leaves 

 oblong-lanceolate, pointed at each end ; flowerstalks elon- 

 gated, umbellate, four-flowered ; calix divided, permanent, 

 concave ; petals twenty to twenty-four, acute, white, spread- 

 ing, oblong, in a double row ; stamina very short. A shrub, 

 with round branches, terminating in a sharp bud. Native of 

 Mexico. 



5. Wintera Axillaris; Small-flowered Winters-bark. 

 Leaves obovate, pointed, reticulated with veins, on stalks 

 rather above half an inch long ; they are three or four inches 

 long, and two broad, and are glaucous ^underneath when 



young; flowerstalks simple, aggregate, thread-shaped; calix 

 orbicular, lobed, reflexed ; petals six, oblong, flat, equal, (our 

 times the length of the calix; stamina about sixteen ; germina 

 four, turbinate, all perfectly distinct; stigmas dilated, pel- 

 tate, terminal ; berries four, globose, black, with a tawny 

 pulp lodging four ovate, acute, somewhat triangular, gibbous 

 seeds. A tree, with round branches, rough to the touch, but 

 not warty. The flavour of the whole plant, and especially 

 of the bark, is extremely acrid and pungent. Native of New 

 Zealand. 



Winter Aconite. See Helleborus. 



Winter Berry. See Prinos. 



Winter Cherry. See Physalis. 



Winter Cress. See Erysinum. 



Winter Green. See Pyrola. 



Witch Hazel. See Ulmus. 



Witheringia; a genus of the class Tetrandria, order Mo- 

 nogynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth infe- 

 rior, of one leaf, very short, obscurely four-toothed, per- 

 manent. Corolla: of one petal, wheel-shaped; tube very 

 short, nearly globular; border in four deep, lanceolate, acute, 

 recurved segments ; nectary four slightly-bordered cavities, 

 in the tube of the petal. Stamina: filamenta four, erect, 

 downy, inserted into the base of the corolla ; antheree con- 

 verging, ovate, two-lobed, bursting at the sides. Pistil: 

 germen superior, ovate ; style thread-shaped, rather longer 

 than the stamina ; stigma capitate. Pericarp : berry round- 

 ish, of two cells. Seeds: numerous, inserted into the divided 

 receptacle. ESSENTIAL CHARACTEH. Corolla: deeply 

 four-cleft, reflexed ; its tube with four external prominences, 

 internally concave. Calix: obscurely four-toothed. An- 

 therte : converging, bursting laterally. Berry : with two 

 cells and many seeds. The only known species is, 



1. Witheringia Solanacea; Yellow-flowered Witheringia. 

 Root perennial ; s'tem herbaceous, hardly a foot high, round, 

 downy, reddish, rendered slightly angular by the decurrent 

 footstalks; leaves in alternate pairs, stalked, ovate-oblong, 

 acute, wavy, entire, rather downy, four or five inches long ; 

 flowers about the size and shape of Solatium Nigrum, except 

 being only four-cleft, pale yellow, drooping, in many-flowered, 

 axillary, sessile umbels, their stalks round, smooth, half an 

 inch or more in length ; stamina whitish, internally hairy. 

 The mode of bursting of the antheree distinguishes this genus 

 from Solanum. It flowers in our stoves during most of the 

 year; but having little beauty, is not likely to be much cul- 

 tivated for ornament. Native of South America. 



Witsenia; a genus of the class Triandria, order Monogy- 

 nia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: none, unless the 

 upper pair of bractes receive that name. Corolla: of one 

 petal, tubular, erect; tube cylindrical, slender at the base, 

 gradually dilated at the top ; border spreading, regular, 

 in six deep, equal, obovate segments. Stamina : fila- 

 menta three, very short, inserted into the mouth of 

 the tube, at the base of three alternate segments of the 

 border ; antherte oblong, erect. Pistil : germen superior, 

 roundish, small ; style thread-shaped, erect, longer than the 

 tube of the corolla, slightly curved at the extremity ; stigma 

 in three short, equal, rather spreading segments. Peri- 

 carp : capsule membranous, of three cells and three valves. 

 Seeds: several, angular. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: 

 none. Corolla: with a cylindrical tube; border in six deep, 

 equal, obtuse segments. Stigma : slightly three-cleft. Cap- 

 sule : of three cells, with several angular seeds. The 



species are, 



1. Witsenia Maura; Downy-flowered Witsenia. Flowers 

 terminal, in pairs at the extremities of the short branches, 



