^syyoj'si.s. xi 



trec^;, ;iU nf tlicm mruiopetiil'iiis exogenous plants, with bell-sliapetl liowers. 

 openiug or cinihacting lienoaili the iuHueuce of light, a plaiteil Lestivatiou of 

 the ooroUa. tivr ^t;tmeus, and a fruit with two or three cells, iu which one or 

 two ovuk's stand erect. Tlie embryo is crumph'd up iu the midst of ver}" 

 tinii all.auuen. Tlic common bindweeds of the hcd,<:^es, the Ipoiiura a.tid ('uii- 

 rulniVi ..if the garden, offer illustrations of the ordinary stntc of tliis ordur, 

 the species of which have jiurgative roots ; and in tlie case of scamiuony, 

 yielded by i\iitn\lnihis Si-aiiniionia^ and of jalap, produi'cd by various species 

 of //""-"'f-/, are of great medicinal importance. Occasionally tlie ll^rg;lti^"c 

 principle is so much diifused among the fa^.cula of the root as to bo uhimst in- 

 a}iiireciable. as is the case in the Convolruhis Tiatadis, or sweet i>otato i>f 

 America, which was the forerunner of the common potato, and gave it its 

 name, and which is still cultivated in the south of Spain and France, p. (il. 



OLEANDER., or WERIUM. By the term Oh.nnlry we are to 

 understand a flowering olive. Nerium is from /zeros, humid, in reference ti< 

 the marshy and riverside habitats of the plants. N.i»., ^■l/"'i\///>//ro'\ Lix- 

 N.^EAN : 5, FciddiiilriK ; 1, 3[onogijnia. — This order comprehends a series of 

 trees and shrubs wliicli have leaves oj^posite or in threes, regular Hfiwers with 

 calyx and corolla five-cleft and five stamens ; fruit sometimes a doulile berry. 

 The3- are mostly found in tropical and warm temperate clima,tes, but are in 

 this country represented by the humble periwinkle ( V'luni). Manj' of them 

 possess an acrid, milky juice, which is virulently poisonous ; the oleander is 

 an especial example of this. In this order occur the beautiful alla.manda, 

 the caranda plum, the deadl}" ordeal tree of Madagascar, the celeln-ated cow- 

 tree of Deraerara, and the Indian hemp. p. 65. 



SNOWY CROWFOOT is a ranunculus all over, and agrees, 

 without any exception, with the essential features of tlie Ixini/inr/danwr, 

 which have been made note of iu a fonner synopsis. p. Gl». 



HYACINTH is named from the beautiful youtli wlio Avas killed by 

 Zephyrus, and by Apollo was changed into a llowcr, in -which his curling 

 hair is still traceable. N.O., LiVuura-, p- 7^. 



HELIOTROPIUM, from /;.//<;.■, tin; sun, and trope, turning. 

 X.O.. FJnrf'-nrn . I.inx.t: \n : 3. TrnniJyhi : 1 . J/>v;^n////;^/-/.- This is a small 

 order, comprising herbs, trees, and shrubs, with a. harsh pul^escence : the 

 leaves simple, the flowers gyrate, the corolla in oue piece. The nearest 

 alliance is with the T)orageworts, and therefore the resemblani;^' of the 

 flowers of the heliotrope to those of the myosotis is not an accident, but lias 

 a, scientific significance. Most of the ehrctiads are tropical, and occur in 

 both hemispheres. ;'. 77. 



LYCHNIS, from hjrln>ns, a la]up, iu allusion to the colour of the 

 flowers. X.O., C(irii<>ph}ilh'cr<c. Linn->]an : 10, IJcaa/drui ; 4, l\nl"yijma. 



