CHENOLOBIA CHENOPODE^. 



19 



which might enter, and getting into the nest, destroy 

 the young larva?, is first closed in the same manner 

 as the bottom one, to which is added a layer of much 

 larger grains of sand, glued together in a similar 

 manner, each being tixed in the most convenient 

 place by the assistance of the mandibles. Notwith- 

 standing all her care, however, various parasitic 

 insects contrive to deposit their own eggs in the 

 cells in the absence of the parent bee, the progeny 

 of which, of course destroys that of their fosterer, 

 amongst which the Chrysis ci/nnea, the Ichneumon 

 manifestator, and the Ftenus jaculator, have been 

 observed by various authors. The insect whose 

 proceedings we have here described, varies in length 

 from one-third to half an inch. It is not uncommon, 

 and is of a black colour, with ashy hairs; the female, 

 which is the Apis maxillosa of Linnaeus, has the seg- 

 ments of the abdomen margined with white. 



CHENOLOBIA (Leach). A genus united to 

 that of Coronuln. 



CHENOPODE^E Goosefoot family. A natural 

 order of dicotyledonous plants, containing nearly 

 thirty genera, and upwards of two hundred species. 

 It is so closely allied to Amarantacece that, although 

 the orders are quite different in general habit and 

 appearance, still, it is not easy to get any constant 

 distinguishing characters. Professor Lindley justly 

 declares, that though he is unable to give any good 

 artificial distinctions, he at the same time cannot 

 hesitate to keep asunder orders which nature has 

 obviously divided. This order, which was denomi- 

 nated by Jussieu Atripliccs, has also an affinity to 

 Phytolacece, from which it is separated by the 

 stamens never exceeding the segments of the calyx, 

 and being opposite to them. 



The essential characters of the order are : perianth 

 monophyllous, deeply divided, sometimes tubular at 

 the base, persistent, with an imbricated aestivation ; 

 stamens inserted into the bottom of the perianth, and 

 opposite to its segments, equal to them in number or 

 fewer ; ovary single, free, rarely cohering to the tube 

 of the perianth ; one ovule fixed to the bottom of the 

 cavity of the ovary ; style two to four cleft, rarely 

 simple ; stigmas undivided ; fruit membranous, some- 

 times berried ; embryo curved round a mealy albumen, 

 or spiral, or doubled together, without albumen ; 

 radicle next the hilum. 



The plants belonging to the order are herbs or low 

 shrubs, with alternate, sometimes opposite, leaves, with- 

 out stipules, and small, occasionally polygamous 

 flowers. They are generally distributed over the 

 globe, more particularly in extra-tropical temperate 

 regions, and are found abundantly in the northern 

 parts of Europe and Asia. 



In general they are weeds which are not remark- 

 able for their beauty, and are not esteemed as orna- 

 mental plants ; several of them are avoided on 

 account of the disagreeable odour which they emit. 

 Nevertheless, many of the species are highly useful 

 to man, some being cultivated as pot-herbs and 

 articles of food, others being used medicinally on 

 account of their tonic properties, and others again 

 being valuable in a commercial point of view, on 

 account of the alkaline substance which they furnish. 

 They are propagated by cuttings, divisions and seeds. 

 Some of the chief genera of the order are, Ckenopo- 

 dium, Atriplex, Basella, Beta, Salsola, Salicomia, 

 Blitum, Spinacea, and Camphorosma. 



The genus Chenopodium, goosefoot, whence the 



name of the order is derived, furnishes nearly sixty 

 species, thirteen of which are natives of Britain. 

 They are succulent weeds, the leaves of which are 

 usually covered with powdery granules. Chenopodium 

 Bonus Henricus, good King Henry, wild spinach, 

 mercury goosefoot, grows abundantly in waste places 

 and by way sides all over Britain. It is a hardy 

 plant, of early growth, flowering in August, and is 

 cultivated in some parts of England, more particularly 

 in Lincolnshire, instead of spinach. The young 

 shoots, after being peeled and boiled, are eaten as 

 asparagus, and possess laxative qualities. The leaves 

 are sometimes applied to wounds, and are used for 

 cleansing old ulcers. Chenopodium album, white 

 goosefoot, is perhaps the most common British species 

 of the genus. The whole plant is covered with a 

 white, mealy, unctuous substances which, by age, 

 becomes dry and chaffy. In a young state, it is 

 sometimes boiled in place of greens, and is known by 

 the name of fat ken in some parts of Norfolk. Cheno- 

 podium rubrum, red goosefoot, is another British 

 species, which is found in waste ground, and often in 

 low muddy situations. A considerable quantity of 

 saline matter exists in the juice of this plant, which 

 sometimes crystallizes on the surface of the stem. 

 In exposed situations, the whole plant assumes a red 

 colour. The plant is said to be poisonous to swine. 

 Chenopodium maritimum, annual sea-side goosefoot, 

 has been used as a pot-herb, and is burned in order 

 to yield carbonate of soda. Chenopodium olidum, or 

 valvaria, stinking goosefoot, is found in waste places, 

 and under walls, especially near the sea in many 

 parts of Britain. The whole plant exhales ammonia, 

 or hartshorn, and when recent it has a nauseous 

 taste and a strong offensive smell, resembling putrid 

 salt fish. The odour remains long on the hands after 

 the plant has been touched, in consequence of the 

 greasy pulverulent substance found on the leaves 

 adhering to them. The medical properties of this 

 plant are to be attributed to its fetor. It was formerly 

 used as a powerful antispasmodic, more especially in 

 hysterical affections. It loses its properties by drying, 

 and consequently must always be employed in a 

 recent state. The presence of ammonia, a com- 

 pound of hydrogen and nitrogen, in this and a 

 few other individuals of the vegetable kingdom, is 

 a circumstance well deserving of attention. Cheno- 

 podium botrys, or Jerusalem oak, a native of the 

 south of Europe, is filled with a resinous viscous 

 juice, which stains the hands. The leaves when 

 bruised emit a strong odour, and were formerly pre- 

 scribed in the form of a decoction in some pectoral 

 complaints, such as asthma and catarrh. This species, 

 as well as Chenopodium ambrosioides, yield an essential 

 oil, possessing stimulant, tonic, and antispasmodic 

 qualities. The latter species, which is a native of 

 Mexico, has sometimes been called the Mexican tea 

 plant, in consequence of an infusion of it having been 

 formerly used in place of the Chinese beverage. A 

 decoction of the plant has been recommended in palsy. 

 Chenopodium quinoa, a native of Chili, is very generally 

 cultivated in Peru, its leaves being eaten as spinach 

 or sorrel, and its seeds as rice. It is also used in the 

 preparation of a kind of beer. Dombey, on his return 

 from Peru, endeavoured to introduce the plant as a 

 culinary vegetable into France, but his attempts were 

 not followed with success. Chenopodium anthelminti- 

 cum yields an essential oil, known in North America 

 by the name of worm-seed oil, which possesses 

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