BAL 



44 



BAR 



ointment that soothes: balsam, 

 n., bdl'-sam, a soothing ointment 

 of an oily nature. 



Balsaminacese, n . plu., bal'sam- 

 wi-a-se-e(Gr. balsamon, ii.balsam- 

 um, balsam), the Balsam family, 

 an Order of plants consisting of 

 lofty trees abounding in balsamic 

 juices: Balsamina, n., bal'sam- 

 In'-Gb (balassan, the name given by 

 the Arabs), a genus of above 

 Order: balsam, n., btittstimi, a 

 beautiful and popular annual 

 of our gardens, with its white, 

 red, pink, purple, lilac, and 

 finely variegated carnation-like 

 flowers ; the juice with alum used 

 by the Japanese to dye their nails 

 red. 



Balsamodendron, n., bal'sam-d- 

 den'dron (Gr. balsamon, balsam; 

 dendron, a tree), a genus of plants, 

 Ord. Burseracese, which yield a 

 fragrant balsamic and resinous 

 juice, often used as frankincense 

 and in medicine ; Elimi is pro- 

 duced by one species : Balsamo- 

 dendron myrrha, mir^rd (L. 

 myrrha, Gr. murrha, myrrh), a 

 shrub of Abyssinia, the source 

 of the officinal myrrh, a bitter 

 aromatic gum resin, anciently 

 used as frankincense : B. Afric- 

 anum, df-rik-an'-um (L. Afrk- 

 anus, belonging to Africa), pro- 

 duces the resin bdellium : B. 

 Gileadense, gil'-e-ad-ens'-Z (L. 

 Gileadensis, belonging to Gilead), 

 the celebrated balsam called Balm 

 of Gilead. 



Bambusa, n., bam-buz'-a (bambos, 

 the Indian name; Malay, bambu), 

 a genus of plants, Ord. Graminese, 

 including the bamboo- cane : Bam- 

 busa arundinacea, ar-und'-in-af- 

 se-a (L. arundinaceus, pert, to 

 or like a reed from arundo, the 

 reed-cane), the bamboo; a siliceous 

 matter which accumulates in the 

 joints of the stalks is called 

 Tabasheer. 



banana, n., ban-dn'd (Spanish 

 name), a herbaceous plant and its 



fruit, differing from the plantain 

 in having its stalks marked with 

 dark purple stripes and spots, and 

 the fruit shorter and rounder ; 

 the systematic name is Musa 

 sapientum, Ord. Musacese. 



bangue, n., bang ; see 'bhang.' 



Banisteria, n., ban'is-ter'-i-a (after 

 the botanist Rev. J. Banister], a 

 genus of plants of beautiful foli- 

 age, Ord. Malpighiacese. 



Banksia, n., bank'-si-a (in honour 

 of Sir Joseph Banks), a genus of 

 plants, Ord. Proteaceae, so called 

 because they present great di- 

 versity of appearance, the clustered 

 cone-like heads of the flowers 

 having a remarkable appearance. 



banyan, n., ban'yan (Sans, punya, 

 holy, sacred), the Indian fig tree, 

 Ficus Indicus, which attains to 

 an immense size. 



baobab, n., bd'-db-ab (probably 

 from a native name), a tree of 

 Senegal, Monkey-bread, one of 

 the largest known trees the 

 Adansonia digitata. 



Baphia, n., baf-i-d (Gr. baphike, 

 the art of colouring or dyeing), a 

 genus of plants, Ord. Leguminosse, 

 Sub-ord. Csesalpiniese, which 

 yield ringwood : Baphia nitida, 

 nit^d'd (L. nitidus, shining, 

 glittering), camwood. 



Baptisia, n., bap-tizh'-i-a (Gr. 

 baptizo, I dip or immerse from 

 bapto, I dye)j a genus of orna- 

 mental border plants, Ord. Legum- 

 inosse, Sub-ord. Papilionacese : 

 Baptisia tinctoria, tink-tor'-i-d 

 (L. linctorius, of or belonging to 

 dyeing), a plant that gives a blue 

 dye; the wild indigo of the 

 United States. 



Barbadoes, a., bdrb-dd'-oz, of or 

 from Barbadoes, one of the West 

 India islands : Barbadoes tar, a 

 mineral tar, a species of naphtha, 

 found naturally in Barbadoes : 

 Barbadoes aloes, the inspissated 

 juice of the Aloe vulgaris, the 

 most active form of that drug, im- 

 ported in gourds from Barbadoes. 



