632 



BRONTES BROSMIUS. 



times been denominated air plants. See article AIR 

 PLANTS. 



The species of Pitcairnia, another genus of the 

 order, are readily cultivated in almost any soil in a 

 good stove. They thrive best when plunged in a 

 tan-pit, and allowed to root through their pots into 

 the tan. Tillandsia and Pitcairnia differ from bro- 

 melia, in not having the gennen completely inferior. 



The genus Agave belongs also to this order. Agave 

 Americana, or American aloe, is a popular succulent 

 plant throughout Europe, which is acclimatised in 

 Sicily, the south of Spain, and Italy. Proper culti- 

 vation is required in order to make it flower freely 

 and speedily. It is used for various purposes, as for 

 making ropes, fences, soap, &c. From the Agave 

 Mcxicana a spirituous liquor is obtained, similar to 

 Scotch whiskey. For a full account of the genus, see 

 article AGAVE. 



Several bromelias are now included under the ge- 

 nus Billbergia, Billbergia iridifolia, drooping Billbergia, 

 is found parasitic on trees at Rio Janeiro. Its seeds 

 take root both on branches of trees, and on stones 

 covered with decomposed vegetable matters. 



In general the pine apple tribe are found in situa- 

 tions where the atmosphere is humid, and where at 

 the same time the temperature varies from 70 to 90 

 Fahrenheit. Hence, in cultivating them in this 

 country we ought particularly to attend to these 

 requisites, if we wish our attempts to be crowned 

 with success. 



Among the other genera belonging to this order 

 we may enumerate, Buonapartea, Lit/cea, Guzmannia, 

 Pourretia and Caraguata. 



BRONTES (Fabricius, ULEOIOTA, Latreille). A 

 genus of coleopterous insects, placed by Latreille 

 amongst the Tclramera, and belonging to the family 

 Cucnjidce; the antenna; are long and cylindric, with 

 the third and following joints of equal length ; the 

 palpi are slender at the tips. The type of the genus 

 is the Brontes Jlavipcs, an European species, of which 

 the male is remarkable for a large pair of horns, with 

 which the back of the mandibles are armed. It is 

 found beneath the bark of trees. 



BROOK LIME is the Veronica leccabunga of 

 Linnams. The specific name is derived from the 

 German backbunge, because it is found in brooks. 

 The plant is frequently seen growing along with 

 water-cresses ; and, like them, is used as an ingre- 

 dient in salads. 



BROOK WEED is the Samolus (pig's meat, 

 Celtic) of Linnscus ; a genus of three species of her- 

 baceous perennials, one of which is the brook-weed 

 of Britain. It is a pentandrious plant, and belongs 

 to the natural order PrimulacccB. The S. valcreandi 

 has white flowers in clusters, and found in clear 

 watery places where the soil is gravelly. 



BROOM is the Spartium (cordage, its use in early 

 ages) of Linnaeus, and in his time was a very exten- 

 sive genus, but is now very much divided by modern 

 botanists, and distributed among the neighbouring 

 genera of Genista and Cytisus, so that there is only 

 one species of broom left, viz. Spartium junceum, the 

 rush-stemmed or Spanish broom. The old common 

 broom of our wastes, one of the most ornamental of 

 British plants, formerly so much used for domestic 

 purposes, as for besoms, thatch binders, and as a sub- 

 stitute for hops as well as medicine, is now no longer 

 a SjHirlium, but the Cytisus scoparius of Lamarck. 



! BROOM RAPE is the Orobanche (strange vetch) 

 i of Linnaeus, a very curious genus of plants, and na- 

 tives of Britain. They are didynamous, and form a 

 natural order of themselves, viz. Orobanchece. The 

 generic character : calyx of two-lobed lateral leaflets ; 

 ; corolla gaping ; capsule one-celled, two-valved, many- 

 seeded; a gland at the base of the ovary. There 

 are six species of this genus, all of which are said to 

 be parasites, that is, living on the roots of other 

 plants, chiefly on those of the order Legumi?ioste. 

 The O. major is met with in great plenty on the roots 

 of the common red clover, in light sandy or gravelly 

 soils, making its appearance along with the second 

 crop. Its roots spread themselves on those of the 

 clover, forming a kind of bulb, and sending up a 

 leafless stem resembling the shoots of asparagus, 

 when they first emerge from the ground. The stem 

 rises to the height of from eight to fourteen inches, 

 having alternate, bracteous scales along its whole 

 length, and also among the flowers, which arc borne 

 in a spike at the top. The plant has always a brown 

 withered appearance ; the stem and flowers showing 

 only a slight tinge of red or purple. From it so 

 uniformly accompanying the clover, it has long ago 

 occurred to the writer whether it be sown with it. 

 The second crop of clover is usually saved for seed, 

 and with this the broom-rape appears. There is no 

 sign of it attacking the plant during the first twelve 

 months of its existence, nor indeed till it is fifteen pr 

 sixteen months old. In other words, the clover is 

 sowed in the month of April; it remains till the 

 month of June in the following year, before it is cut 

 the first time: the second crop is reu'li about 

 Michaelmas in the second year, and in this the 

 broom-rape appears. Clover seed is always, as al- 

 ready observed, saved from the second crop : the 

 plant which we are noticing is cut and carried to the 

 barn therewith : the whole is thrashed together, and 

 as the seeds are nearly of a size, they may be sacked 

 up, and of course sowed together. This idea is the 

 more reasonable, because the plant is never seen on 

 arable land, but among clover : and there is no ac- 

 counting for its presence, but by saying that the 

 seeds lie inert in the soil from one clover crop to 

 another, that is, for four or five years, or supposing 

 that they are sowed together. The same plant is 

 met with on commons or on borders of fields, among 

 broom or furze ; but is never seen in such quantity 

 as among clover. Other species are found on the 

 roots of other plants, but which will be adverted to 

 under the article Orobanchece. 



BROSCUS (Panzer). A genus of coleopterous 

 insects, separated from the Linnaean genus Carabus, 

 and comprising a single British species, the Carabus 

 cephalotcs of Linnaeus. The thorax is very much 

 narrowed behind, and remote from the elytra, which 

 are narrow and oblong ; the head is large and nearly 

 orbicular, and the anterior tarsi of the males have the 

 three basal joints dilated ; the mentum is deeply 

 notched, with an obtuse central tooth. The typical 

 species above mentioned is nearly an inch long, of a 

 black colour, and is found beneath marine rejecta- 

 menta on several parts of our coasts. 



BROSMIUS (Tusk), a genus of soft-finncd fishes, 

 with the abdominal fins under the pectorals, and 

 belonging to the exceedingly numerous and valuable 

 family of COD (Gado'idece). The tusk is a fish of the 

 northern seas, being rare on the coasts of the main- 



