A C I 



fibly from a, and xf'K*"". '« ^« lu'mtry, er tempefiuous, mean- 

 ing that the plants in quelUon are not calculated to endure 

 rough weather. He tells us they thrive beil in the cooler 

 parts of Jamaica. When cultivated in Europe, they require 

 great heat. This genus is founded on two fpecies only, and 

 thofe as generically different as two plants of the fame natu- 

 ral order can well be. See Browne's Jamaica, 270. t. 30. 

 f. I, and Juff. Gen. 119. The latter writer, following 

 Browne, did not diftinguilli thefe plants. One of them iS 

 Columnea hlr/uta, the other our Cyrilla ; fee that 

 article. 



ACHOR, laft. line, r. Pokrigo luilead of 1 inea 



Capitis. 

 ACHROCORDES. Add, See Serpentes. 

 ACHTIL, AcHTELiEG, or Marlcl, a corn-meafure in 

 Germany, which contains 4 limmers, 8 metiiers, i6 fech- 

 ters, or 64 gefcheides. See Malter. 



ACIANTHUS.in Botany, from ».xi:, a point, and avSoj,. 

 a fatver, becaufe of the brilUy tips of the calyx-leaves, 



unufual in this family Brown Prodr. Nov. Holl. v. I. 



^21. — Clafs and order, Gynandria Monandria. Nut. Ord. 

 Orchiden. 



Gen. Ch. Cal. Perianth three-leaved, fomewliat rir.ger.t, 

 awned ; its two fide-leaves placed under the lip ; upper o:'.e 

 broadeft, vaulted, ereft. Cor. Petals two, linear -lanceolate, 

 much fmaller than the calyx. Neftary a prominent undi- 

 vided lip, (horter than the petals, with two fwellings at the 

 bafe, but no appendage to the dilk. Stam. Anther termi- 

 nal, permanent, of two celts clofe to each other ; mafles of 

 pollen in each cell four, or two divided ones. Pifl. Ger- 

 man inferior, oblong, angular ; (lyle ereft, femi -cylindrical, 

 without any auricles or wings at the fummit ; lligma in 

 front. Peric. Capfule of one cell. Seeds numerous, 

 minute. 



Eir. Ch. Calyx fomewhat ringent ; its fide-leaves under 

 the lip. Lip without a fpur, fhorter than the petals, undi- 

 vided, with two prominences at the bafe. Anther termi- 

 nal, without appendages, permanent. Pollen powdery. 

 Column femi-cylindrical. 



This genus is next akin to Microtis of the fame author 

 (fee that article) ; to whofe effential charafter fhould be 

 added, " Anther with two auricles. Column funnel- 

 fiiaped." — Acianthus confifts of httle fmooth herbs, with foli- 

 tary, undivided, naked, downy bulbs, or tubers, throwing 

 out a few fibres, along with a downy fhoot, at whofe extre- 

 mity the young bulb is fituated, on a partial ftalk. Stem 

 very (hort, its bafe enclofe'd in a fhort, tubular, pointed 

 fheatli. Leaf folitary, deeply heart-fhaped, acute, with 

 three ribs, and many reticulated veins ; its under fide red or 

 purple. Flaiuers fmall, reddifh, either cluftered or fohtary, 

 their common ftalk without bradeas, except beneath each 

 flower. 



I. A. fornicatus. Vaulted Acianthus. Br. n. 1. — 

 Flowers racemofe. Awns four times fhorter than the 

 perianth. Petals nearly ereft. Lip bearing longitudinal 

 glands. Column concealed. — Native of the neighbourhood 

 of Port Jackfon, New South Wales, from whence we, long 

 ago, received fpecimens in fpirits, as well as dried, by 

 favour of Dr. White, and where Mr. Brown has alfo 

 gathered this curious little plant. The leaf is about an 

 inch in diameter. Common Jloiver-Jlalk from three to fix 

 inches high, bearing from two to ^VAjloivers, about the fize 

 and afpeft of the Corallorrhiza, each with an ovate bradea 

 at its bafe. Lower leaves of the calyx linear-lanceolate, 

 very narrow in comparifon of the upper one. Petals linear- 

 lenceolate, very delicate. Lip fomewhat flefiiy, having 

 a longitudinal furrow, the ridges bearded horizontally 



A C I 



with papillary glands. This is the only fpecies we have 

 feen. 



2. A. exfertus. Prominent Acianthus. Br. n. 2.— . 

 " Flowers racemofe. Awns very (hort. Upper calyx-leaf 

 tapering at the bafe. Petals horizontally reflexed. Lip 

 glandular at the extremity. Column prominent." — Ga- 

 thered by Mr. Brown, near Port Jackfon. 



3. A. caudaiu:. Long-awned Acianthus. Br. n. 3. — 

 " Stalk with one or two flowers. Awns very long. Leaf 

 wavy at the margin." — Gathered by Mr. Ferdinand Bauer^ 

 in the neighbourhood of Port Jackfon. 



4. A.? bifolius. Two-leaved doubtful Acianthus. Br. 

 n. 4. (Epipaftis reflexa ; Labill. Nov. Holl. v. 2. 6o» 

 t. 211. f. I.) — " Stalk fingle-flowered. Leaves two, radi- 

 cal, hooded. Perianth without awns, its three leaves uni- 

 form ; the lateral ones reflexed. Petals? linear, narrow." 

 — G:»thered by Labillardiere, at Cape Van Diemen. Mr. 

 Brown doubts whether this fpecies, which he appears not 

 to have examined, is moil akin to Acianthus, or to another 

 genus of his, hereafter to be noticed, named Chiloglottis. It 

 agrees with the former in having four mafles of pollen, a 

 column deftitute of a joint, and a hp without any appen- 

 dage : with the latter in bearing two radical leaves, a 

 perianth without awns, and very narrow petals. Thefe lail 

 are reprefented in the plate, sxjig. 2, as if fituated on the 

 outfide of the calyx, wliich the defcription, and, if we mif- 

 take not, the other figures, fiiew to be an error of the 

 draughtfraan or engraver. 



ACICARPHA, fo named by the celebrated Juffieu, 

 from am.-, a point, and xa»«:>i, a chaffy fate, becaufe the 

 Icales of the receptacle, as he thought, become armed with 

 a fpinous point, when the feeds, which they leparately 

 envelop, approach towards maturity. — JuflT. in Annal. du 

 Muf. d'Hift. Nat. v. 2. 347. Willd. Sp. PI. V. 3. 2327.— 

 Clafs and order, Syngenefia Polygamia-neceffaria? Nat. Ord. 

 CompoJiiK capitatie, or rather Aggregate', Linn. Corymbi- 

 ferx, fa. 5. JufT. 



Gen. Ch. Common Calyx of one leaf, in five deep, linear, 

 fpreading fegments, permanent. Cor. compound, diicoid. 

 Florets all uniform, tubular, funnel-lhaped ; their limbs 

 fomewhat bell-fiiaped, five-cleft, obtufe ; the central ones 

 male, lead numerous ; thofe of the circumference more 

 abundant, each furnifhed with ftamens and piftil, but not 

 all fertile. Stam. Filaments five, very fhort ; anthers ob- 

 long, united, fhorter than the limb of the floret, P'Jl- 

 Gennen oblong ; ilyle thread-fhaped, longer than the 

 corolla ; ftigma club-fhaped, notched. Peric. none, except 

 the hardened fcales of the receptacle. Seeds folitary ; 

 oblong, deftitute of crown or wing, each enclofed in a 

 greatly enlarged, hardened, concave, fpinous-pointed fcale* 

 of the lower part of the cylindrical chaffy receptacle. 



EfT. Ch. Receptacle chaffy. Seed-down none. Calyx 

 in five deep fegments. Florets uniform, tubular. Seeds 

 feparately encloied in the fpinous fcales of the receptacle. 



I. A. tribuloides. Caltrop Acicarpha. Juff. as above, 

 348. t. 58. f. I. Willd. n. I. — Leaves oblong, deeply 

 toothed — Gathered by Commerfon, on the fea-fhore at 

 Monte Video. Root tapering, annual. Stems one or more, 

 herbaceous, afcending or decumbent, a fpan long, fome- 

 what branched, leafy, fmooth. Leaves alternate, felfile-, 

 oblong, obtufe, flefhy, fmooth, an inch and a half to three 

 inches long, deeply and coarfely toothed ; tapering at the 

 bafe. Flower-Jialks terminal and lateral, oppofite to the 

 leaves, and about as long, fimple, fingle-flowered, ereiff. 

 Floivers white, hemifpherical, one-third of an inch in diame- 

 ter. Fruit a globular head, armed with unequal, rigid, 

 fliarp, pale, divaricated, or recurved fpines, and crowned 



with 



