BRO 



BRO 



BROMUS, in botany, a genus of the 

 Triandna Digvnia class and order. Na- 

 tural order of Gramina or Grasses Es- 

 sential character: calyx two-vahed; 

 spike let oblong, columnar, distich ; a*Mi 

 below the top. There are 25 species. 



The several species of this genus of 

 grasses are numerous, and have not yet 

 be"en well distinguished. Thev have a 

 loose panicle like the oat, hence they 

 have been called the oat grasses ; the 

 a\vn or heard proceeds from the buck of 

 the glume or chaff', or is an elongation of 

 the keel or mid-rib, as in the genus 

 A\ena ; but in that the awn is commonly 

 twisted, whereas in this it is straight; 

 rnoih rn writers, therefore, distinguish 

 them by the name brome-grasses. The 

 fc stuca is scarcely different from bromus 

 as a natural genus; in that, however, the 

 ch:tii is either very much pointed, or ter- 

 minates in an awn ; but that of bromus 

 always comes to the tip. The genus tri- 

 ticum, or wheat, agrees with it in this re- 

 spect : and, therefore, some have tin v!g!u 

 there is no mark of distinction between 

 them ; it is, however, distinct in the inflo- 

 rescence or manner of flowering in a 

 spike ; whereas bromus, fe stuca, and 

 avena, bear their flowers in a panicle. 



BRONCHIA, in anatomy, the ramifica- 

 tions of the trachea. See ANATOMY. 



BRONZE, in the arts, a compound me- 

 tal, composed of from 8 to 12 parts of tin 

 combined with 100 parts of copper. It is 

 of a greyish yellow colour, harder than 

 copper, less liable to rust, and more fusi- 

 ble, so as to run thin, and be easily cast 

 in a mould. Hence its use in casting 

 statues. The metal of which the artil- 

 lery is cast is of a similar composition, 

 containing rather less tin. An alloy simi- 

 lar to bronze was much in use among the 

 ancients, as well for warlike weapons as 

 for medals, coins, &c. 



BROOM. See GKHISTA. 

 BROS1MUM, in botany, a genus of the 

 Uioecia Monandria class and order. Es- 

 senual character : male, arnent globular, 

 covered all round with orbiculate, pel- 

 tate scales ; corolla none ; filament solita- 

 ry, between the scales : female, ament as 

 in the male; corolla none; style bifid; 

 berry one-sc-eded. There are but two 

 species. B alicustrum is a tree frequent 

 in the island of Jamaica. It is computed 

 to make up about a third part of the 

 woods in the parishes of St. Elizabeth 

 and St. James. The timber is not much 

 esteemed ; but the leaves and young 

 branches are more useful, being fatten- 

 ing fodder for all sorts of cattle. The 

 fruit, boiled with salt-fish, pork, beef, or 



pickle, is frequently the support of the 

 ii' irroes, and poorer sort of white people 

 in times of scarcity, and is a wholesome 

 and not unpleasant food : when roasted, 

 it eats something like our chesnuts, and 

 is called bread-nut. 13. spunuim, is called 

 milk wood, and is common in St. Mary's 

 parish, Jamaica. It rises to a considera- 

 ble height in the woods, is reckoned 

 among the timber trees, and is sometimes 

 used as such, though not much valued. 



BROSSJEA., in botany, so named from 

 Guy de la Brosse, a genus of the Pentan- 

 dria Monogynia class and order. Natural 

 order of Bicornes. Ericae, Jussieu. Es- 

 sential character: calyx fleshy; corolla 

 truncate ; capsule five-celled, many seed- 

 ed. There is but one species : viz. B. coc- 

 cinea. An obscure plant, ami the charac- 

 ter doubtful, except what Piumier has 

 said of it. In stature it is something like 

 the codon. Branches alternate ; leaves al- 

 ternate, ovule, serrate, petiolate ; flowers 

 few, tern: nating the branches, alternate. 

 Ii is a native of South America. 



BROTERA, in botany, a genus of the 

 Didynamia Gymnospermia. Calyx five- 

 awned ; middle segment of the lower lip 

 of the corolla hooded, involving the sta- 

 mina and style, ami protruding them with 

 a jerk. One species, B. persica, found in 

 Persia. 



BROWALLIA, in botany, given by 

 Linnaeus in honour of Job. Browallius, 

 Bishop of Aboa, a genus of the Didyna- 

 mia Angiospermia class and order. Na- 

 tural order of Luridae. Scrophulariae, 

 Jussieu. Essential character : calyx five- 

 toothed ; corolla border five-cleft, equal, 

 spreading, with the navel closed ; anthers 

 two larger ; capsule one-celled. There 

 are two species : B. demissa, spreading 

 Browallia ; and B. eluta, upright Browal- 

 lia. These are herbaceous annual plants, 

 with alternate leaves. The flowers are 

 either axillary or terminating. They 

 have the habit of the solanaceous plants, 

 and like them have the peduncle inserted 

 either over against or at the side of the 

 petioles. The former is a native of Pana- 

 ma, the latter of Peru. They both flower 

 from July to September. 



BRO \VNEA, in botany, from Dr. Pa- 

 trick Browne, a genus of the Monad el- 

 phia Decandria. Natural order of Lo- 

 mentacese. Leguminosae, Jussieu. Essen- 

 tial character : calyx unequally bifid: co- 

 rolla double ; outer five-cleft ; inner five- 

 petalled ; legume two-celled. There are 

 two species : B. coccinea is a small tree, 

 growing to the height of eighteen feet. 

 When in flower it has a beautiful appear- 

 ance. The flowers grow about ten toge- 



