fiUS 



RUS, a mountain of Arabia, in Yemen ; 8 miles S. of 

 Sana. 



RUSAZUS, in /Indent Geography, a town of Africa, 

 on the coall of Mauritania Caelarienlis, between Rufubirlis 

 and Vabar, according to Ptolemy. Pliny gives to this 

 town the appellation of Colonia Augufta ; and in the 

 Itinerary of Antoninus it is named Rufazis Municipium, 

 and placed between Iomnium Municipium and Saldis Co- 

 lonia. 



RUS BACH, in Geography, a river of Aultria, which 

 runs into the Danube, 2 miles above Hamburg. 



Rusbach, Hohen, a town of Auflria ; 9 miles N. of 

 Korn Neuburg. 



RUSCEK, a town of European Turkey, in Bulgaria, 

 on the Danube ; in which are 20 mofques, 3 churches, and 

 a Jews' fynagogue. It is defended bv a caftle, with a gar- 

 rifon ; 50 miles E. of Nicopoli. N. lat. 53 52'. E. long. 

 2f l S '. 



RUSCINO, in Ancient Geography, a town of Gallia 

 Narbonnenfis, the capital of the people called Confuarani. 

 It was in this town that the people of the country af- 

 fembled, to deliberate on the paflage demanded by Han- 

 nibal, according to Livy, lib. xxi. cap. 24. It was a 

 Roman colony, according to Mela ; and Pliny fays, that it 

 enjoyed the jus Latinum. It was ruined by the Normans, 

 and its name is preferved in Rouflillon. In the Itinerary of 

 Antonine, this town was marked on the route from Narbonne 

 to Caltulo, between Combufta and Ad Centuriones. — 

 Alfo, a river of Gallia Narbonnenfis, according to Strabo, 

 who fays that it had its fource in the Pyrenees, and wa- 

 tered a town of the fame name. Ptolemy calls it Rufcio, 

 and places its mouth between thofe of the Illiberis and 

 Atages. 



RUSCINONA, a port of Africa, whither, according 

 to Dr. Shaw, the Carthaginian fleet retired, the night be- 

 fore it engaged with Scipio near Utica. This name is faid to 

 be of Phoenician origin ; the firit part of it, Rus or Ras, de- 

 noting cape ; and the latter, annona, exprefling the great 

 quantity of corn and provitions that were (hipped off from 

 this place. Thefe circumltances lead Shaw to conclude, 

 that Rulcinona is the prefent " Porto Farina," on the coafl 

 of Tunis, called by the inhabitants, from an ancient falt- 

 work mar it, " Gar-el-Mailah," ;'. e. the cave of fait. 

 This port, efpecially the Cothon, or inward part of it, is 

 lafe in all accidents of weather, and opens into a large na- 

 vigable pond, formed by the Majerdah or ancient Bagrada, 

 which at prelent difcharges itfelf through it, in its way to 

 the fea. The town belonging to this port was formerly 

 very confiderable. 



RUSCIUD, in Geography, a river of Perfia, which runs 

 into the Perfian gulf, 48 miles W. of Ormus. 



RUSCUNIjE COLONIA, Temendfuft, in Ancient Geo- 

 graphy, a promontory and colony of the ealtem part of 

 Mauritania Caefarienfis, according to Ptolemy, Pliny, Mela, 

 and the Itinerary of Antonine. Antonine places it 1^ miles 

 E. of Icolium. The ruins are (till vifible. 



RUSCUR1UM, KiMridBi: of Ptolemy, and the 

 Rufuccuro of the Peutmgcrian Tables, now Dellys, formerly 

 an ancient city, but at prefent a (mail town, of Africa, on 

 the coalt of Algiers, lituated partly at the toot and partly 

 upon the declivity of a high mountain. In a wall, jult over 

 the harbour, is a (mail niche, with an image, 111 the atti- 

 tude of a Madonna; but the features and drapery, lays \)w 

 Shaw, are defaced. 



RUSCUS, in Botany, an ancient name, whole deriva- 

 tion has been given up bv moll authors, as hopch fa. De 

 Thcis jullly obferves, that it was originally Bru/cus, and 

 Vol. XXX. 



RUS 



this leads him to the Celtic name of the plant in queftion, 

 Beujhelen, equivalent to Box-holly, which is certainly the 



belt explanation that has ever fallen in our way. Linn. 



Gen. 534. Schreb. 709. Willd. Sp. PI. v. 4. 874] 

 Mart. Mill. Dift. v. 4. Ait. Hort. Kew. v. 5. 420. 

 Sm. Fl. Brit. 1073. JulT. 42. Lamarck Illuftr. t. 835. 

 Gairtn. t. 16. — Clafs and order, Dioccia Triandria. (D. 

 enefia, Linn. D. Monadelphia, Willd.) Nat. Ord. 

 Sarmentace,?, Linn. Afparagi, Juff. 



Gen. Ch. Male, Cal. Perianth of fix ovate-oblong, 

 rather fpreading, convex leaves, reflexed at the fides. Cor. 

 Petals none, except three alternate leaves of the calyx be 

 taken for fuch. Nedtary central, ovate or cylindrical, the 

 fi/.e of the calyx, hollow, eredt, coloured, perforated at 

 the fummit. Stain. Filaments none ; anthers three, fpread- 

 ing, feated on the extremity of the neftary, connected at 

 the bafe. Pijl. obfolete. 



Female, Cal. as in the male. Cor. Petals as in the 

 male. Nedtary the fame. Pijl. Germen fuperior, oblong- 

 ovate, concealed within the nedtary ; ftyle cylindrical, the 

 length of the nedtary ; (ligma obtufe, projecting out of 

 the orifice. Perk. Berry globofe, of three cells. Seeds 

 two in each cell, globofe. 



Obf. There is one fpecies, R. racemofus, with united 

 flowers, whofe calyx is globofe, with fix fegments at the 

 mouth only. It is feldom that in this genus and its allies, 

 Smilax, Tamus, Convallaria, Sec, the feeds all come to ma- 

 turity. One of them commonly fuffocates the reft. 



Eff. Ch. Male, Calyx of fix leaves. Petals none. 

 Nectary ovate, tubular, bearing the ltamens on its margin 

 within. 



Female, Calyx and Nedtary like the male. Stamens none. 

 Style one. Berry fuperior, of three cells, feeds originally 

 two in each cell. 



The fpecies of this genus are not in general truly fhrubby, 

 but biennial evergreens, with perennial roots. Their young 

 {hoots relemble aiparagus. 



The lubltance of the herbage is peculiarly hard and 

 rigid. The green colour either dark and opaque, or 

 bright and polifhed. Flowers in molt inltanccs borne by 

 the leaves. 



I. R. aculeatus. Prickly Butcher's-broom. Linn. Sp. 

 PI. 1474. Willd. n. 1. Ait. n. 1. Fl. Brit. n. 1. Engl. 

 Bot. t. 560. Woodv. Med. Bot. fuppl. t. 237. Mill, 

 lllultr. t. 96. (Rufcus; Ger. Em. 907. Matth. Valgr. 

 v. 2. 555. Camer. Epit. 935.) 



B. R. laxus ; Sm. Tr. of Linn. Soc. v. 3. 334. (R. 

 flexuofus; Mill. Did. ed. 8. n. 6.) 



Leaves fliarply pointed, flowering on the upper fide, 

 without a leaflet. — Native of bufliy woody places, through- 

 out the middle and louthern countries of Europe, efpe- 

 cially on a gravelly or barren foil, flowering early in 

 fpring. Not uncommon in England. The variety $ was 

 oblerved at Stoke, near Gofport, by Mr. G. Caley, grow- 

 ing plentifully. This is an old inhabitant of Chclfea 

 garden, and we have no hesitation in adopting profellor 

 Martyn's opinion, as to Miller's fynonym. The root of 

 this fpecies is branched, and rather creeping. Plant truly 

 herbaceous, though lo firm and rigid. After living one year 

 without flowering, and remaining in leal all the u inter, it 

 dies down to the root, after ripening fruit, in the following 

 autumn. Every part is devoid oi pubefcence. Sums about 

 two feet high, round, filiated, branched, rather fpreading. 

 Leaver alternate, fpreading every way, not quite leilile, 

 twilled, hard, ovate, entire, tipped with a lharp thorn, 

 and bearing a folitary palejfourr about the middle of their 

 upper fide, Nefiary purplifh. Barry fcarlet, the fize of 

 4 7 a black 



