HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS. 



271 



AMP 



Amphisarca. A many-seeded, many-celled, 

 superior, indehiscent fruit ; woody on 

 the outside, pulpy within. 



Amplexicaul. Stem-clasping; as when the 

 base of the leaf surrounds the stem, as in 

 Oestrum auriculatum, Lonicera, etc. 



Ampulla. The metamorphosed, flask-like 

 leaves found on certain aquatics, such as 

 Utricularia ; not different from Ascidium. 

 A flower, etc., that is swollen in the mid- 

 dle like an ampulla or flask. 



AmpuUaceous. Having some part, as the 

 monopetalous corolla of certain Heaths, 

 (Erica, ) swollen out like a flask. 



Amylaceous. Having the properties of 

 starch. 



Amylaceous Granules. Grains of starch. 



Amylidece. Cells in Algals or Algce, secret- 

 ing starch. 



Amyloid. A substance analogous to starch, 

 but becoming yellow in water, after hav- 

 ing been colored blue by iodine. 



Amylum. Starch; that organized, granular 

 matter of plants which iodine stains vio- 

 let or blue. 



AmyridaceoB, (Terebintacese, Burseraceae, 

 Amy rids.) With the appearance of 

 Oranges, and sometimes with the dotted 

 leaves of that order, these plants differ in 

 their fruit, forming a shell whose husk 

 eventually splits into valve-like'segments. 

 The genera collected under the name 

 of Amyridacece are by no means per- 

 fectly known, and demand a scrupulous 

 revision. The tropics of India, Africa, 

 and America exclusively produce the spe- 

 cies. Their resinous juice is of great im- 

 portance, forming an ingredient of frank- 

 incense and other preparations demand- 

 ing a fragrant combustible matter. See 

 Amyris, Bursera, Boswellia, Bahamoden- 

 dron, Idea, and Canarium. 



Anacanthous. Spineless. 



ANA 



Anacardiacece, (Terebintacese, Cassuvieae, 

 Spondiacese, Anacards, Terebinths. ) 

 When trees or bushes have a resinous, 

 milky, often caustic juice, dotless leaves, 

 and small, inconspicuous flowers, with an 

 ovary containing a single ovule, suspend- 

 ed at the end of an erect cord, it is pret- 

 ty certain that they belong to this order, 

 of which more than 400 species are de- 

 scribed, inhabiting the tropics both north 

 and south of the equator, but not known 

 to occur in Australia. Pistacia and some 

 kinds ofEhus inhabit temperate latitudes. 

 Among the products of the order are the 

 Mango fruit, and that called in the West 

 Indies the Hog Plum; the nuts named 

 Pistachios and Cashews, the Black Var- 

 nish of Burmah and elsewhere, Mastic, 

 Fustic, etc. These varnishes are ex- 

 tremely acrid, and produce dangerous 

 consequences to persons who use them 

 incautiously. See Melanorrhcea, Spondias, 

 Rhus, Anacardium, Schinus, etc. 



Analogy. Resemblance to. a thing in form, 

 but not in function, or in function, but 

 not in form. Corresponding with a thing 

 in many points, but differing in more, or 

 in points of more importance. Thus the 

 flowers of PotentUla and Ranunculus are 

 analogous. 



Anandrce. A name sometimes given to 

 Cryptogamia on the supposition that they 

 have no male organs. See Asexual 

 Plants. 



Ananthus. Flowerless. 



Anasarca. A condition of plants analo- 

 gous to dropsy, though not always at- 

 tended by extravasation. In extreme- 

 ly wet weather the tissues get gorged 

 with fluid, and as the vegetative powers 

 are generally lowered by the decrease of 

 temperature, the contents of the cells are 

 badly supplied, and, in consequence, 



