PAL 



PAN 



tributed by Liimxus in his "Philosophia 

 Botanica."" They are defined to be 

 plants with simple stems, which, at their 

 summit, bear leaves resembling 1 those of 

 the ferns, being a composition of a leaf 

 and a branch ; and whose flowers and 

 fruit are produced on that particular re- 

 ceptacle, or seat, called a spadix, pro- 

 truded from a common calyx in form of 

 a sheath or scabbard, termed by Linnaeus 

 " spatha." 



PAMIJB, is likewise the name of the 

 first order in Linneeus's " Fragments, of 

 a Natural Method," consisting 1 of the fol- 

 lowing genera ; the three last of which, 

 although not ranged with the palms in 

 the appendix to his " Artificial System," 

 are placed with them, on account of their 

 alleged conformity in point of habit, in 

 his " Natural Method." The plants of 

 this order are perennial, and mostly of 

 the shrub and tree kind. The stem is in 

 height from two to a hundred feet, and 

 upwards. The roots form a mass of fi- 

 bres, which are commonly simple, that 

 is, without any ramifications. In irog's- 

 bit the roots are terminated by a small 

 cup, of a conic form, which covers them 

 like an extinguisher, as in duck's-meat. 

 The stem is generally simple, cylindrical, 

 and composed of strong longitudinal fi- 

 bres ; the leaves, which are a composi- 

 tion of a leaf and a branch, termed by 

 Linnaeus frondes, are of different forms, 

 being sometimes shaped like an umbrella 

 or fan, sometimes singly or double-wing'- 

 ed; the small or partial leaves, which 

 are often three feet in length, being rang- 

 ed alternately ; the branches, or princi- 

 pal leaves, are six, eight, ten, and twelve 

 feet long, the length varying according 

 to the age and size of the plant ; the flow- 

 ers are male and female upon the same 

 or different roots, except in the water- 

 soldier, which bears hermaphrodite flow- 

 ers only ; and the palmetto, in which 

 the flowers are hermaphrodite and male 

 upon distinct -roots. In vallisneria and 

 frog's-bit, too, the flowers are not so pro- 

 perly male and female upon different 

 roots, as barren hermaphrodites ; a small 

 seed-bud being discovered in those called 

 the male flowers, and the remains of sta- 

 mina in the female. Abortive flowers of 

 the same kind are frequently observed 

 in vallisneria upon the same root. The 

 common calyx in this order is that sort 

 termed a spatha, or sheath, and has either 

 one valve or opening, as in date-tree and 

 cocoa-nut; or two, as in faufel-nut, and 

 wild Malabar-palm. The spadex. or head 



VOL. V. 



of flowers protruded from the sheath, is 

 generally branched. Each flower is com- 

 monly furnished with a perianthium, of 

 proper flower-cup, consisting of three 

 leaves or divisions, that are small and 

 permanent ; the petals are three in num- 

 ber, of a substance like leather, and per- 

 manent like the leaves of the calyx. The 

 flowers of zamiu have no petals ; the sta- 

 mina are in number from two to twenty, and 

 upwards, and cohere slightly at the base. 

 In frog's-bit they appear like apillar in the 

 centre of the flower; the seed-buds are 

 from one to three in number, placed in the 

 middle of the flower, and support alike 

 number of styles, which are very short. 

 In frog's-bit, vallisneria, and water-sol- 

 dier, the seed-bud is placed under the 

 receptacle of the flower ; the seed ves- 

 sel is generally a pulpy fruit of the berry 

 or cherry kind, containing one cell, filled 

 with fibrous flesh, and covered with a 

 skin, which is of a substance like lea- 

 ther ; the seeds are in number from one 

 to three in each pulpy fruit, of a hard 

 bony substance, round or oval, and at- 

 tached by their base to the bottom of the 

 fruit. 



PALMATED, something resembling 

 the shape of the hand : thus we say pal- 

 mated leaves, roots, stones, feet of birds, 

 &c. 



PALSY, in medicine, a disease where- 

 in the body, or some of its members, lose 

 the power of motion, and sometimes their 

 sensation of feeling. 



PALY, or PALE, in heraldry, is when 

 the shield is divided into four or more 

 equal parts by perpendicular lines falling 

 from the top to the bottom. Palybendy 

 is when the escutcheon is divided by per- 

 pendicular lines, which is paly ; and also 

 by diagonals, which is called bendy. See 

 BENDY 



PANACEA, among physicians, denotes 

 an universal medicine, or a remedy for 

 all diseases. 



PANAX, in botany, a genus of the 

 Polygamia Dioecia class and order. Na- 

 timd order of Hederucex.' Araliae, Jus- 

 sieu. Essential character : umbellatex ; 

 corolla five-petalled ; stamina five : her- 

 maphrodite, calyx five -toothed, supe- 

 rior ; styles two ; berry two-seeded : 

 male, calyx entire. There are nine spe- 

 cies. 



PANACRATIUM, in botany, a genus 

 of the Hexandria Monogynia class and 

 order. Natural order of Spathacese. Nar- 

 cissi, Jussieu. Essential character : petals 

 six ; nectary twelve-cleft ; stamina placed 



O 



