XAN 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



XAN 



817 



smooth, nearly two inches long; petals white; stamina and 

 pistil green ; nectaries and antheroe yellow ; fruit globular, 

 drooping, somewhat pointed, orange-coloured, smooth, two 

 inches or more in diameter; seeds about the size and shape 

 of almonds. It is a native of moist valleys, among the Cir- 

 car mountains of Hindoostan, flowering in the hot season, 

 and ripening fruit in November, December, and January. 

 The fruit is very inviting to the eye, and in taste little inferior 

 to many of our apples. When green, but full grown, it yields 

 a large quantity of gum, very like gamboge. The best way 

 to obtain it is by cutting the apples across, and to scrape off 

 the juice as it rapidly issues. When recent, it is of the con- 

 sistence of very rich cream, bright yellow, considerably acrid, 

 and somewhat nauceous to the taste: in a few days it hard- 

 ens, and becomes less acrid. It makes a pretty good water 

 colour, either by itself as a yellow, or mixed with other 

 colours to form green. 



Xanthorrhiza ; a genus of the class Pentandria, order 

 Polygynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : none. Co- 

 rolla: petals five, ovate, acute, spreading, deciduous; nec- 

 taries five, abrupt, two-lobed, spreading, inserted into the 

 receptacle, alternate with ihe petals, and about half as long. 

 Stamina : filamenta five to ten, awl-shaped, very short ; 

 antherse roundish. Pistil: germina several, seven to eleven, 

 superior, oblong; styles awl-shaped, incurved; stigmas acute. 

 Pericarp: capsules as many, inflated, ovate-oblong, bluntish 

 and compressed at the top, where they burst, terminated 

 obliquely by the styles, each of one cell and two valves. 

 S'ea/s: solitary, oblong, compressed, small, pendulous from 

 the top of the capsule. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: 

 none. Petals : five. Nectaries : five, abrupt, stalked. Cap- 

 sules : five or more. Seed: solitary, pendulous. The only 



known species is, 



1. Xanthorrhiza Apiifolia; Parsley-leaved Yellow-root. 

 Stem shrubby, bushy, about a yard high, each branch 

 crowned with a tuft of dark green, smooth, shining, long- 

 stalked, pinnated leaves; the leaflets of which are an inch or 

 an inch and half long, acute, rhomboid-lanceolate, sharply 

 and unequally serrated in their fore-part; flowers in long 

 panicled clusters, from the same bud as the leaves, of a dark 

 copper-coloured purple, and though not brilliant, not inele- 

 gant, when contrasted with the foliage. The root and stem 

 .are internally of a bright lemon-colour. American physi- 

 cians have used this plant successfully as a tonic or stimulant. 

 It makes a yellow tincture, like that of Gentian in flavour 

 and medical virtues. Found on the shady banks of rivers, 

 from Virginia to Georgia, flowering in May. 



Xantliorrhasa ; a genus of the class Hexandria, order 

 Monogynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: none. Co- 

 rolla : inferior, of one petal, in six deep, nearly equal, oblong, 

 permanent segments; the three inner ones concave, converg- 

 ing at the base. Stamina : filameuta six, inserted into the 

 lower part of the corolla, linear, flat, smooth, and naked, 

 longer than the segments ; antherae versatile. Pistil : germen 

 superior, ovate, with the rudiments of many seeds in each cell ; 

 tyle cylindrical, with three furrows ; stigma simple. Pericarp: 

 capsule projecting beyond the closed permanent corolla, ovate, 

 with three blunt angles, woody, almost horny, polished, acute, 

 of three cells and three valves ; the partitions from the mid- 

 dle of each valve. Seeds: one or two in each cell, bordered, 

 compressed, with a hard black shell, the scar at the base 

 naked; embryo transverse ; albumen soft and fleshy. ESSEN- 

 TIAL CHARACTER. Corolla: inferior, in six deep segments, 

 permanent. Filamenta: flat, linear, naked. Capsule: trian- 

 gular, polished. Seeds: one or two, compressed, bordered. 

 The species are, 



1. Xanthorrhcoa Arborea ; Arboreous Yellow-gum. Stem 

 arborescent ; leaves two-edged, triangular beyond the mid- 

 dle, striated in front; stalk scarcely the length of the very 

 long spike ; bractes and corolla beardless. Each division of 

 the thick stem is crowned with a large tuft of innumerable 

 long slender drooping leaves, in the centre of which the 

 flowerstalks stand solitary. Native of New South Wales. ' 



2. Xanthorrhosa Australia ; Southern Yellow-yum. Stem 

 arborescent; leaves compressed longitudinally; stalk shorter 

 than the elongated spike ; bractes subtending the tufts of 

 flowers, elongated. Native of the island of Van Diemen. 



2. Xanthorrhoea Hastile ; Spear Yellow-gum. Stem very 

 short; leaves compressed longitudinally; stalk many times 

 longer than the eighteen-inch spike ; bractes and outer seg- 

 ments of the corolla, downy at the point. This plant pro- 

 duces its yellow resin by spontaneous exudation from the 

 trunk. It is at first fluid, but soon hardens in the sun into 

 a concrete brittle form, of a dull orange colour. If burnt 

 upon hot coals, it emits a fragrant smoke, like a mixture of 

 Balsam of Tolu and Benzoin, approaching in some degree 

 to Storax. This resin is perfectly soluble in spirits of wine, 

 but not in water, nor even in essential oil of turpentine, unless 

 digested in a strong heat. The varnish it makes is weak, 

 and of little utility : but it has been found a good pectoral 

 medicine. Native of New South Wales. 



4. Xanthorrhoea Media; Intermediate Yellow-gum. Stem 

 rather, short ; leaves compressed ; stalk very long, many times 

 exceeding the eighteen-inch spike ; bractes and corolla beard- 

 less. This is suspected to be a variety of the preceding 

 species. Found near Port Jackson. 



5. Xanthorrhoea Minor ; Lesser Yellow-gum. Stem none; 

 leaves triangular, flat in front, rather concave beyond the 

 middle ; stalk many times longer than the spike ; bractes 

 scarcely longer than the tufts of flowers, all like the corolla, 

 beardless. The spike measures from five to eight inches. 

 Native of New South Wales. 



6. Xanthorrhcea Bracteata; Long-bracteated Yelloiv-gum. 

 Stem none ; leaves triangular, below the middle somewhat 

 elevated in front, beyond it rather concave; stalk many times 

 longer than the spike, which is only from three to six inches 

 in length ; bractes subtending the tufts twice or th-ice the 

 length of the flowers, lanceolate, and divaricated, all, like the 

 corolla, beardless. -Native of New South Wales. 



7. Xanthorroea^ Pumilio ; Dwarf Yellow-gum. Stem 

 none; leaves below the middle flattish, with a slightly ele- 

 vated ridge on both sides, beyond it triangular and chan- 

 nelled ; stalk many times longer than the ovate spike; bractes 

 nearly equal, beardless, as well as the corolla. The flower- 

 stalk is only a foot high. Native of the tropical parts of 

 New Holland. 



Xanthosia ; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Digy- 

 nia. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Petals : five, ovate. Fruit: 

 ovate, striated, separable into two parts. Involucrum : of two 

 leaves, single-flowered. The only known species is, 



1. Xanthosiri Pilosa; Hairy Xanthosia. Leaves alternate, 

 stalked, oblong, obtuse, sinuated, hairy beneath ; flowers 

 axillary, solitary, on short stalks; bractes two, awl-shaped, 

 bristly at the base of each flower-stalk; involucnim of two 

 obovute ribbed leaves halfway up the stalk; stem shrubby, 

 branched, hairy. Native of Port Jackson. 



Xanthoxylum ; a genus of the class Diaecia, order Pent- 

 andria.- GENERIC CHARACTER. Male. Calix: perianth 

 very small, in three or five deep, concave, rather acute seg- 

 ments. Corolla : petals three or five, oval, erect, concave, 

 thrice the length of the calix. Stamina: filamenta three or five, 

 awl-shaped, erect, longer than the petals ; anthera? roundish, 



