RED 



liaccous tribe, including Come other beautiful plants allied 

 thereto, whicii lia? ah-eady extended to the feveuth volume ; 

 and it is to hij pencil that the peffeftion of moH botanical 

 works that have apj)cared in France, for near tiiirty years 

 pad, particularly the publications of L'Heritier and Ven- 

 tenat, is owing. — Venten. Jard. de Cels, 1 1. Poiret in La- 

 marck Didl. V. 4. 87 Clals and order, MonadeJfhta Poly 



andria. Nat. Ord. Columnifera; I-inn. Mahace,e, Jull. 



Gen. Ch. Cal. Perianth inferior, double, permanent: 

 the outer of many minute leaflet? : inner much larger, of 

 one leaf, in five very deep fegments. Cor. Petals five, 

 roundilh kidncy-rtiaped, imbricated obliquely, united at the 

 bafe to each other, and to the column of the Itamens. Stam. 

 Filaments numerous, united below into a conical tube, lub- 

 divided and branched above ; anthers kidney-lhaped. Pijh 

 Germen fuperior, ovate, Ample ; ftyle thread-lhaped, fwell- 

 ing upwards, about as long as the llamens ; iligmas three, 

 obtufe. Peru. Capfule ovale, of three cells and three valves, 

 the partitions from the middle of each valve. Receptacles of 

 the feeds three, infertcd into the bafe of the caplnle, alter- 

 nate with the valves, and nearly equal to tiiem in length, 

 linear, bearing feeds on each edge. Seeds fix or eight in 

 each cell, obovate, minutely (talked, inferted in two rows 

 on the receptacle, each clothed with denfe wool. 



Eff. Ch. Calyx double ; the outer of many minute 

 leaves; inner in five deep fegments. Stigmas three. Caplule 

 of three cells and three valves. Seeds enveloped in wool. 

 Receptacles three, linear, unconnedled with the valves. 



Obf. Ventenat confiders the three dillindl receptacles, as 

 affording the moft eflential diftinftion, between this and 

 every other malvaceous genus. The woolly feeds, moreover, 

 diflinguifh it from all except Gojfypium, whofe large three- 

 leaved outer calyx is abundantly different from Redutea. 



The only known fpecies is 



I. R. hetei-ophylla. Various-leaved Redutea. Vent. Jard. 

 de Cels, t. II. — Difcovered by Riedle in the ifland of St. 

 Thomas, and raifed in M. Cels's garden at Paris. The 

 plant is herbaceous and annual, and M. Ventenat feemed to 

 think it might ferve to decorate our flower-borders, like 

 other annuals of very hot climates, in the open air, being, 

 we prefume, raifed on a hot-bed in the fpring. Every part 

 of the herbage is befprinklcd with fmall, whitifh, fringed 

 fcales, readily feen with a magnifying glafs. The root is 

 ipiiidle-fhaped, yellowifh. Stem eredt, twelve or fifteen 

 inches high, about the fize of a goofe-quill, angular, pithy, 

 branched, leafy, dark green, many-flowered. Leaves alter- 

 nate, on longiih ftalks, fpreading widely, ovate, undivided 

 or three-lobed, entire, an inch or inch and half long ; paler 

 beneath. St'tpulas minute, awl-fhaped, deciduous. Floivers 

 large, handfome, fulphur-coloured, with a dark purple ra- 

 diating fpot at the bafe of each petal, folitary, ^-ect, on 

 long, fimple, axillary ilalks. Segments of the inner calyx 

 nearly linear, half as long as the petals. Style hairy. Cap- 

 fule the fize of a filberd. Wool of \.\\z feeds of a dirty grey. 

 — We have not heard of this plant in any Engliih colledtion. 



REDUVI A, in Surgery, a word ufed by feme for a whit- 

 low, and by others for a painful crack, or other diforder 

 about the nails, either of the fingers or toes. 



REDUX, in Chemijlry. See Reduct. 



REDWAETH Bay, or Traeth Cocb, in Geography, a 

 bay on the N. coalt of the ifland of Anglefey. N. lat. 53° 

 17'. W. long. 4° 25'. 



REDWITZ, a town of Bavaria, in the bifliopric of 

 Bamberg ; 4 miles N.N.W. of Kuniladt. 



Redwitz, a town of Germany, in the principality of 

 Culmbach ; 4 miles N. of Bayreuth. 



II E E 



REDWOOD RivLii, a river of America, which runs 

 into the Wabatli, N. lat. 40" 16'. W. long. 87'= 5', 



REE, or Rk, in Commerce. See Rees. 



Ree, Lough, in Geograjthy, an expanfion of the waters 

 of the river Shannon, in Ireland, between the county of Rof- 

 common and the counties of Longford and Weflmeath, 

 reaching from Lancfborough nearly to Athlone, with feve- 

 ral illands, and in fome places three miles broad. 



REED, \n Botany. SeeAltLNDO. 



The root of the arundo donax of Diofcorides, attraifs 

 any matter lodged in wounds, if powdered and applied to 

 them with wine ; or if it is taken frefh and reduced to 

 powder with an onion, or mixed with honey. (Oribas de 

 Morb. Cur. lib. iii. cap. 32.) It alfo removes pains arifing 

 from diflocation of limbs, and carries off pains in the hips. 

 The green leaves cut and apphed, are faid to cure the ery- 

 fipelas. Poor people boil the flowers in water or in beer, 

 which they mix with honey, and drink, after being filtrated, 

 to cure coughs, opprcflions of the breaft, and confump- 

 tions. The ancients made flutes and otjier mufical inllru- 

 ments of the reed. James's Med. Dicl. 



Reed, Barr. See Spaucamum. 



Reed, Indian foimcrlng. See Cakna. 



Reed Mace. See Typha. 



Reed, in Agriculture, the name of an aquatic plant, 

 infefling boggy lowlands or meadows on the fides of 

 rivers. 



The beil method of deltroying reeds, is by draining the 

 land ; for if the drains be cut deeper than their roots it will 

 take away their nourifhmeiit, and, cosfequently, deftroy 

 them. Afhes, or foot, will likewife fometimes kill them ; 

 and fo will ploughing up the land, and laying it in high 

 ridges. They always indicate a deep good moill foil, as a 

 bad one will not nourifh or fupport them. There are many 

 different forts of reeds, but thofe of the more flrong and 

 tall kinds are often of much ufe in thatching the different 

 forts of farm buildings, where other better kinds of cover- 

 ings are fcarce, and thefe abundant. There is alfo a fort 

 of reed found in Huntingdonfhire, and fom.e of the adjoin- 

 ing counties, that is very valuable for the purpofe of laying 

 plafler floors with. In other fituations, reeds of the other 

 kinds may be met with, that may be found ufeful for dif- 

 ferent purpofes either of the farmer or in the arts. In fuch 

 fituations they may be cultivated with advantage as an article 

 of profit : and it may often be more beneficial than to have 

 them deilroyed, efpecially where they are of a valuable nature, 

 and where the land is of too moiil and boggy a quality to be 

 ever fully reclaimed and brought into either the ftate of good 

 arable or meadow ground. Slips on the fides of large rivers 

 or brooks are likewife, frequently, the moil advantageoufly, 

 conveniently, and profitably kept under reed crops, as the 

 overflow of the waters prevent their being ufefully managed 

 in any other manner. There are other fituations, as thofe 

 about the borders of large ponds, lakes, and other waters, 

 where they may be" preferved with far greater propriety than 

 having them deflroyed, provided even rhat can be accom- 

 plifhed without difficulty, as not any thing more valuable 

 can in general be raifed in futh places. They are, however, 

 by no means to be continued wlierever any better crop will 

 grow and fucceed. 



Reed is alfo a term applied to fuch flraw of the wheat 

 or rye kinds as has not been bruifed by threfhing or in any- 

 other way. 



Reed Hedge, in Gardening, tliat fort of hedge fence which 

 is formed from reeds. They are a fort of temporary internal 

 fences made with thefe dried materials which may be had 

 cheap, and be expeditioufly formed into hedges by the affift- 



7 anee 



