SPA 



SPA 



is that of an oblique parallelepiped, contained within fix pa- 

 rallelogrammic fides, and eight folid angles. Each of the 

 obtufe angles of the parallelograms is I0I°52'; and each 

 of the acute angles is 78' 8'. Thefe calcareous fpars may 

 be diilinguifhed from others by effervefcing with acids. 



The gypfeous, or felenitic fpars, are gypfeous earth, 

 dillinttly cryilallized. The form of the cryftals is rhom- 

 boidal. They are alfo called felenites and glacies Mariae. 

 Thele fpars fometimes aflume other forms, and are very 



'leavy. 



Mr. Margraaf has fliewn, that under this clafs are to be 

 comprehended thofe white opaque fpars, which by calcina- 

 tion with inflammable matters are capable of receiving a 

 phofphoric quality, fimilar to uiat of the Bolognian ilone, 

 which he alfo (hews is a gypfeous fpar. For the fpars called 

 fluors, fee Fluou. 



The feltfpar, or fpatiim fc'tniUlans, differs from all the 

 preceding, in being fo hard as to be capable of ftriking 

 ignited Iparks from Iteel. For which reafon it is referred 

 by Croniledt to the filiceous clafs of earths, and by him 

 called rhombic quartz, becaufe the particles of which it con- 

 iill feem to be parallelepipeds, each of which is contained 

 \vithin fix rhomboidal fides. Its colours are various, white, 

 i^rey, and red. 



Several other foflile fubftances confift of large plates, and 

 are, therefore, faid to have a fparry texture. Such are fome 

 kinds of talcs, of hornblende, of quartz, of amianthus, and 

 fome calciform ores of metals. 



Spars, in Medicine, have from the earliefl; times been 

 recommended in nephritic complaints. Some have ufed one 

 kind, fome another, as the lapis judaicus, the fparry in- 

 crultations of caverns, petrified oyiter-fhells, and water in 

 which large quantities of fpar are fuilained. After all, 

 the nephritic virtues of fpar want fufficient proof; fome 

 even fufpeft its ufe to be more hurtful than beneficial. See 

 Crystal. 



SPARADRAP, Spauaduapom, in Pharmacy, &c. an 

 ancient name for a kind of lear.cloth ; or a linen-cloth 

 fmeared on both fides with fome kind of plafter, or un- 

 guent. 



The fparadrap is fometimes alfo called tela Gualteriana, or 

 tela Gualterl ; fometimes lela emplajl'tca. 



It is prepared by melting a lufficient quantity of fome 

 plafter or unguent, and dipping a linen-cloth therein, till 

 fuch time as it hath imbibed its fill. It is then taken out, 

 cooled, and polifhed on a marble. 



SPARAGUS, or Asparagus, ^/i^z-iTf?, in Botany. See 



AsPAK.'VGUS. 



SPARAXIS, fo named by Mr. Gawler, now Ker Bel- 

 lenden, from i77rotf x|i , a tearing, or plucking, in allufion to 

 the torn appearance of the (heath, which makes a principal 

 part of the generic charaftcr. — Ker in Sims and Kon. Ann. 

 of Bot. V. I. 225. Ait. Hort. Kew. v. i. 85. — Clafs and 

 order, Triandria Monogynia. Nat. Ord. Knfatic, Linn. 

 Irides, .lulT. 



Gen. Ch. Cut. Sheath inferior, of two membranout, 

 dry, unequal, clalping valve?, torn and (hrivelled at the ex- 

 tremity. Cor. of one pet.il, fuperior ; tube funnel-(haped, 

 (lender at the bale ; limb dilated, in fix fegments, either 

 regular or irregular, fpreading or partly ercft. Slam. Fila- 

 ments three, inferted into the upper part of the tube, thread- 

 fliaped, ftraight, a little incliniHg, rarely afcending, much 

 (horter than the limb ; anthers oblong, incumbent. Pijl. 

 Germen triangular; (lyle thread-(hapcd ; (ligmas three, 

 fpreading, recurved, oblong, downy. Peric. Capfuleroundifli- 

 oblong, full of unequal Iwcllings, thin, of three ceils and 

 three valvc3. Seeds numerous, globofc. 



E(r. Ch. Sheath of two valves, membranous, dry,, 

 jagged. Corolla tubular. Stigmas three, oblong, recurved. 

 Capfule roundilh-oblong, tumid. 



Obf. The charafter of this genus chiefly depends on its 



/heath, which is large, and exhibits its dillinftive marks, as 

 above defcribed, fufficiently clearly. The limb of the corolla 

 is cither regular and fpreading, or converging downwards, 

 or two-lipped, with an eredl nood ; in which lalt cafe the 



Jlamens z.nAJlyle are upright, otherwife fpreading, or inclin- 

 ing. The tulb is folid, ovate, pointed, clothed with reticu- 

 lated fcales. The_y?fmmoft frequently bears axillary bulbous 

 buds. Leaves from fix to ten, fword-fhaped, with fine pa- 

 rallel ribs. Flowers rather large, and fomewhat diftant 

 from each other ; never crowded or numerous. Ker. 



1. S. anemonijlora. Large White Sparaxis. Ker n. i. 

 (Ixia amemoniHora; Willd. Sp. PI. v. i. 200. Jacq. Ic. 

 Rar. t. 273.) — Stem lingle-flowered, as tall as the leaves. 

 Corolla regular ; its fegments obovate, four times as long 

 as the tube. — Native of the Cape of Good Hope. Culti- 

 vated by Jacquin. Tlie^y^i-m is about a foot high, fimple, 

 oblique, with five or fix leaves at the bottom only, which 

 are linear and glaucous, the longed of them nearly equal to 

 the ftem. Flower two inches in diameter, pure white, with 

 yellow anthers ; its tube equal to ihejheath, which meafuret 

 about a quarter of an inch. 



2. S. .fragrans. Sweet Yellow Sparaxis. Ker n. 2. 

 (Ixia fragrans; Willd. Sp. PI. v. I. 197. Jacq. Ic. Rar. 

 t. 274.) — Stem ufually two-flowered, Ihorter than the re- 

 curved leaves. Corolla regular ; its fegments elliptic-lanceo- 

 late, thrice as long as the tube. — Native of the Cape. Cul- 

 tivated by Jacquin. Stem a fpan high, leafy. Leaves linear, 

 narrow, green, about twice the length of the ftem, all more 

 or lefs recurved. Flowers about half the fize of the fore- 

 going, yellow, with white trany-c\ehjheaths. 



3. S. tricolor. Three-coloured Sparaxis. Ker n. 3. Ait. 

 n. I. (Ixia tricolor; Curt. Mag. t. 381. Schneevogt. Ic. 

 t. 39. Redout. Lihac. t. 129.) — Stem two or three- 

 flowered, taller than the ereft lanceolate leaves. Corolla 

 regular ; its fegments obovate, twice the length of the tube. 



Sheath corrugated, (potted Native of the Cape, from 



whence it was introduced into the Dutch gardens, and 

 thence into ours. It flowers, like the reft of its family, in 

 the frame or greenhoufe, about May. The foliage is green. 

 Flowers peculiarly fplendid, as large as the firft fpecies ; 

 their tube and bafe of the limb yellow ; middle of the limb 

 marked with an angular, or arrow. fliaped, dark purple, or 

 chocolate-coloured, fpot ; all beyond it of an orange Icarlet. 

 The Jheaths arc wrinkled, furrowed, brown, copioully dotted 

 with a darker tint. 



4. S. guleala. Hooded Fle(h -coloured Sparaxis. Ker 

 n. 4. (Gladiolus galeatus ; Jacq. Coll. v. 4.. 167. Ic. Rar. 

 t. 258. Willd. Sp. PI. v. 1. 212, excluding moft of the 

 fynonyms.) — Corolla irregular; its upper fegment fpread- 

 ing. Leaves elliptic-oblong. — Native of the Cape : culti- 

 vated by Jacquin. Thcjhm is leafy, a fpan high. Leaves 

 equitant, vertical, broad, many-ribbed, and obtufe. Flowers 

 about three, flefll-colourcd or pale purphdi ; the lower lip 

 yellow : the upper legmeiit, or hood, is remarkably divari- 

 cated. Perhaps the irregularity of the corolla would rather 

 authorize the referring this and the following, as moft au- 

 thors have done, to Gladiolus, near our fourth fpecies of 

 that genus. See Gladioi.ls. 



5. S. iicolor. Purple and Yellow Sparaxis. Ker n. J. 

 Alt. n. 2. (Ixia biculor; Ker in Curt. Mag. t. 348. Gladio- 

 lus bicolor ; Thunb. Did. n. 16. t. 2. i. i. Willd. Sp. PI. 

 V. I. 216. Jacq. Ic. Rar. t. 240.) — Corolla irregular; its 

 fegmente converging. Leaves lanceolate, — From the fame 



country. 



