54 DICTIONARY OF POPULAR NAMES BLAEBERRY 



liata, a native of North America; shrubs 3 to 4 feet high, 

 grown in shrubberies, conspicuous in autumn by their bladder- 

 like fruit, enclosing a nut, which is oily and purgative. 



Blaeberry. {See Bilberry.) 



Blewits, a name in the West and other parts of England for 

 Agai'icus personatus, a wholesome and delicious Agaric of the 

 mushroom group of fungi, known by the blue colour on the 

 upper part of the stem, from which it takes its name. There 

 are, however, some doubts as to its wholesomeness when 

 gathered under certain conditions, as to its age, etc. 



Blight. (See Smut.) 



Blimbing, the name in India for the fruit of AverrJioa 

 Bilimbi, a small tree of the Oxalis family (Oxalidacese). It 

 attains the height of from 20 to 30 feet, having winged leaves, 

 which are slightly sensitive on being shaken. It is cultivated 

 in India and other countries for its fruit, which is oblong and 

 pulpy, about 2 J inches long and 1 inch across, and of a 

 yellowish colour. The Carambola(^. Cara7)ihola)is a very similar 

 tree to the above ; its fruit is about the size of a hen's egg, 

 with three prominent ridges or angles, the flesh is soft, like a 

 plum, exceedingly juicy and refreshing. The fruits of both 

 species are used raw, preserved, or pickled, and the flowers are 

 made into a conserve. 



Bloodberry (Eivina humilis), a small shrub of the family 

 Phytolaccacese, with soft leaves, native of the West Indies. It 

 is an old inhabitant in the hothouses of this country. It has 

 spikes of white flowers, which are followed by a bunch of small 

 red berries, the juice of which is like blood, and is used by the 

 ladies of South America as rousfe. 



Blood Flower {Hcemanthus), an extensive genus of the 

 Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae), natives principally of South 

 Africa, and cultivated in this country as showy garden plants. 

 H. toxicaria is poisonous, and is used by the natives to poison 

 their arrows. H. mnltiflorus and H. pitnicea have showy red 

 flowers, closely packed, the stamens forming a flat surface 

 resembling a painter's dusting brush. 



