LIQ 



tavy. There are twenty-five species. The 

 several species of flax are mostly herba- 

 ceous, some are fniticose, or woody at 

 bottom ; two are shrubby, and one arbo- 

 reous ; leaves generally alternate ; flow- 

 ers solitary and axillary ; corolla com- 

 monly blue, sometimes fading 1 to white, 

 and in some yellow. Flax is found wild 

 in many parts of Europe, in corn fields ; 

 in Eng'land it is, perhaps, doubtful whe- 

 ther it be aboriginal. It is common in 

 the western counties, not only in corn- 

 fields, but in pastures and on downs. 



LIONf. See FJOLIS. 



LIONCELLES, in heraldry, a term used 

 for several lions borne in the same coat 

 of arms. 



LIP, liare> a disorder in which the up- 

 per lip is in a manner slit or divided, so 

 as to resemble the upper lip of a hare, 

 whence the name. 



L1PARIA, in botany, a genus of the 

 Diadelphia Decandria class and order. 

 Natural order of Papilionacex, or Legu- 

 minosce. Essential character : calyx five- 

 cleft, with the lowest segment elongated ; 

 corolla wings two-lobed below ; stamina 

 the larger, with three shorter teeth ; 

 legume ovate. There are five species, 

 natives of the Cape of Good Hope. 



LIPPIA, in botany, so named from Au- 

 gustine Lippi, a genus of the Didynamia 

 Gymnospermia class and order. Natural 

 order of Stellatae. Vitices, Jussieu. Es- 

 sential character : calyx four-toothed, 

 voundish, upright, compressed, membra- 

 riaceous ; capsule one-celled, two-valved, 

 two-seeded, straight ; seed one, two- 

 celled. There are five species. 



LIQUID. Fluids have been divided 

 into two classes ; viz. those which are 

 elastic, and the non-elastic, or those which 

 do not sensibly diminish in bulk when 

 subjected to pressure. The first class are 

 airs or gases, the second liquids : hence 

 we may define a liquid to be a fluid not 

 sensibly elastic, the parts of which yield 

 to the smallest impression, and move on 

 each other. When liquid bodies are 

 mixed together, they act in various ways, 

 according to the nature of the substances 

 employed. Some dissolve each other in 

 any proportion, as in the case with most 

 gases when mixed ; some unite in deter- 

 minate proportion ; some do not act sen- 

 sibly upon each other, separating again, 

 though mixed ever so carefully ; *" and 

 some decompose each other. 



LIQUIUAMBER, in botany, a genus of 

 the Monoecia Polyandria class and order. 

 Natural order of Conifene. Amentacese, 

 Jussieu. Essential character : male, calyx 

 common, four-leaved ; corolla none ; fila- 



ments numerous : female : calyx in a, 

 globe, four-leaved ; corolla none ; styler. 

 two: capsules many in a globe, two- 

 vulvecl, many-seeded. There are two 

 species, viz. L. styraciflua, maple-leaved 

 hquidamber, or sweet gum; and L. im- 

 Lerbe, oriental liqujdamber; the trunk 

 of the former is usually two feet in diame- 

 ter, straight, and free from branches, to 

 the height of fifteen feet ; whence the 

 branches spread and rise in a conic form 

 forty feet from the ground. The leaves 

 are shaped like those of the lesser maple, 

 of a dark green colour, their upper sur- 

 faces shining; a sweet glutinous substance 

 exudes through their pores in warm 

 weather, which renders them clammy to 

 the touch ; in February, before the leaver. 

 are formed, the blossoms break forth from 

 the tops of the branches into spikes of 

 yellowish red pappose globular flowers, 

 which swell gradually, retaining their 

 round form to the full maturity of their 

 seed vessels, which are thick set with 

 pointed hollow protuberances, and split- 

 ting open discharge their seeds. The 

 wood of this tree is good timber, and is 

 used in wainscotting, &c. ; the grain is 

 fine, some of it is beautifully variegated. 

 When wrought too green it is apt to 

 shrink. From between the wood and the 

 bark issues a fragrant gum, which trickles 

 from the wounded trees, and by the heat 

 of the sun congeals into transparent drops, 

 which the Indians chew as a preservative 

 to their teeth ; it smells very much like 

 Balsam of Tola, so that it is difficult to 

 distinguish them. The bark is of singular 

 use to the Indians for covering their huts, 

 Native of North America. 



LIQUOR of Jlints. Alkalies have a 

 powerful action on silica : they combine 

 in different proportions ; two or three 

 parts of potash, with one of silica, give a 

 compound, which is deliquescent in the 

 air, and soluble in water : this was for- 

 merly distinguished by the name of liquor 

 of flints, but it is now denominated sili- 

 cated alkali. 



LIQUORICE. The glycirrhiza, or 

 common liquorice shrub, has a long, 

 thick, creeping root, striking several feet 

 deep into the ground ; an upright, firm, 

 herbaceous, annual stalk, three or four 

 feet high, garnished with winged leaves, 

 of four or five pair of oval lobes, termi- 

 nated by an odd one : and from the axil- 

 las, erect spikes of pale blue flowers in 

 July, succeeded by short smooth pods. The 

 root of this plant is the useful part, being 

 replete with a sweet, balsamic, pectoral 

 juice, which is either extracted, or the 

 wood sold in substance. It is much used 



