ALP 



Knear, emarginate, marked with a furrow on tlie inner fide, 

 iu length and breadth equal to the fegment of the corolla. 

 Pift. Germen inferior, oblong, obfcurely triangular, fmooth. 

 Style thread-fhaped, very fmooth, ereft ; the length of 

 the corolla. Stigma peltate, a little flat head, abrupt on 

 the fide towards the neclary, an orifice running into the 

 ftyle. Perk. Berry oblong, round, with three furrows, 

 fmooth, flefhy, with an umbilicated termination ; three- 

 celled in the centre ; the cells foft and membranous. Seedt 

 numerous, oblong, abrupt, quadrangular, very fmooth. 



P. 79. R. exaltata. Clujler with alternate, lanceolate, 

 channelled, fmooth, ribbed, deciduous braHeas. Flovier- 

 Jlalks in the bofoms of the brafteas, fohtary, incurved, de- 

 prefTed, downy, fhort, each terminating in a JJjeath of one 

 leaf, which burfts at the top, like the calyx, into two or 

 three fegments, to allow the flowers to protrude. Within 

 this (heath is zjlotver, as well as another fuo-fionveredjbeath, 

 fo that each ftalk bears three flowers. The calyx is exaftly 

 fimilar to thefe (heaths, infomuch that it would be a (heath, 

 if not feated on the top of the germen. Scarcely any 

 other of the ScUamlneit has an anther fo unconnefted, and 

 with fo much of the common appearance of that organ. 

 The fruit forms a compound pendulous clufter, refembling 

 the fruit of Momordica Elaterium in fize and figure ; its 

 cortical part thick and flefhy, hot, reddi(h ; the triangular 

 central cell has foft, juicy, membranous partitions. Seeds 

 fmall, very fmooth, black, very like tliofe of Amomvm 

 Cardamomum. The preferved fruit is efteemed by the inha- 

 bitants of Surinam. 



The following three fpecies are lately added to /llpinla 

 by Mr. Rofcoe, from the infpeftion of fome Chinefe draw- 

 ings, in the poiTeflion of the right honourable lord Stanley, 

 V.P.L.S. 



I J. A. pennlcellata. Pencilled Alpinla. Rofc. Tr. of 

 Linn. Soc. v. 11. 280. — Clufter terminal, pendulous. Seg- 

 ments of the outer limb (hort, pointed. Lip emarginate. 

 Leaves lanceolate, fimple at the margin. — Native of China. 

 The lip or nedary is broad, fimple, emarginate, bright yel- 

 low regularly ftreaked with crimfon. Leaves regularly 

 nerved. The unfolded blojfoms have, like_fome other fpe- 

 cies, the appearance of fine China ware. 



16. A. diffijfa. Cloven Alpinia. Rofc. ibid — Clufter 

 inclining. Segments of the outer limb ovate. Lip flat, 

 panduriform. Leaves lanceolate, glaucous beneath. Stamen 



deeply cloven to the bafe Native of China. The margin 



of the leaves is flrongly nerved. Lip broad, bright yellow, 

 with a central rib, from which diverge crimfon ftreaks. 

 "W^ filament is deeply cloven, each portion bearing its pro- 

 per anther, (or rather we fhould fay, one lobe of the an- 

 ther,) between which rifes the Jlyle, perfeftly free, and not 

 inclofed in a double anther, as in the reil of the proper 

 Sciiaminee. This circumftance is fo pecuhar, that Mr. 

 Rofcoe thinks it may poffibly entitle the plant to rank as a 

 new genus ; but being in other refpefts truly an Alpinia, he 

 prefers retaining it here. 



17. A. hraasata. Brafteated Alpinia. Rofc. ibid. 281. 

 — Panicle loofe. Leaves downy. Lip in three, nearly 

 equal, lobes ; fpurred at the bafe — From the fame coun- 

 try. The Jlem is jointed, rather fpiral. Footjialks of the 

 upper leaves uniting with the braSeas. Calyx concave, 

 OTate. NeSary broad, flat, nearly circular, deeply in- 

 dented at each fide, yellow, with purple rays diverging 

 from Its bafe. Anther ovate. «' Habit rather of a Cojlui 

 than an Alpinia, but the inflorefcence is a loofe panicle, not 

 a brafteated /pike, and the whole conftruftion of the corolla 

 feems deciCve of the genus." Rofeae. 



A. Cardamomum, Roxb. n. 7, the valuable Cardamom 



A L S 



of die (hops ; Amomum repens of Sonnerat and other attthofg 

 Willd. Sp. PI. v. I. 9 ; is now properly, we belie%e, removed 

 from Alpinia^ and propofed by Dr. Maton, Tr. of Linn. 

 Soc. V. 10. 249, as a new genus, diftingi:i(hed by two 

 tranfverfe proceffes at the top of the filament, and called 

 by him Elettaria, under which name we propofe here- 

 after to treat of this plant. 



ALQUIER. Add— The fanega, which is the 15th 

 part of the moyo, is = 4 alquiers = 8 moyos =16 quartfrt 

 = 32 outavas = 64 mequias. The alquier meafures 675 

 French, or 8 1 7 Englifh cubic inches ; fo that 2 1 alquiers 

 are nearly = i Engli(h quarter ; or, more corre6Uy, 50 

 alquiers = 19 Engli(h bu(hels. 



ALSOPHILA, in Botany, fo named, we prefuine, 

 from a?.^o,-, a grove, or forejl, and ^.Xii-, to love; alluding to 

 the favourite ftation of the beautiful tribe of Tree Ferns, to 

 which this belongs — Brown Prodr. Nov. Holl. v. I. 158. — 

 This genus is founded on our Cyathea afpera, C. extenfa of 

 Swartz, Polypodium lunulatum of Forfter, and fome other 

 allied fpecies ; but we fcarcely think the deeper fegment* 

 of the burfting involucrum, or the fituation of theyori at the 

 divifion, inftead of the fide, of a vein, can authorize a repa- 

 ration of thefe from Cyathea. See that article. 



ALSTEAD, in Geography, a town of America, in 

 New Hampfliire, and county of Chelhire, having 1694 

 inhabitants. 



ALSTONIA, in Botany, received that name from Mr. 

 Brown, in memory of Dr. Charles Alston, formerly 

 ProfelTor of Botany at Edinburgh. (See that article.) 

 The genus originally dedicated to this gentleman, in the 

 Supplement of Linmus, is now funk in Svmplocos. (See 

 that article, and Alstonia.) — Brown Tr. of the Werner. 



Soc. v. I. 75 Clafs and order, Pentandria Monogynia. 



Nat. Ord. Contorts, Linn. Apocineet, Juff. Brown. 



Gen. Ch. Cal. Perianth inferior, of one leaf, fmalF, in 

 five deep, rather blunt, fegments, permanent. Cor. of one 

 petal, falver-(haped ; tube cyUndrical, many times longer 

 than the calyx, fomewhat tumid near the top, pervioue, 

 deftitute of fcales in the throat or mouth ; limb horizontal, 

 in five deep fegments, folding over each other at the bafe, 

 moftly fliorter than the tube. Neflary none. Stam. Filaments 

 five, ihort, inferted into the tube, and not reaching to it« 

 fummit ; anthers lanceolate, unconneifted with the ftigma, 

 burfting longitudinally, enclofed within the tube. Pijl. 

 Germens two, fimple ; ftyle folitary, central, thread-fhaped, 

 fwelhng at the top ; ftigma nearly conical. Peric. Follicles 

 two, cyhndrical, long, each of one cell and one valve. Seeds 

 oblong, peltate, "fringed, bearded with long hairs at each 

 end. 



EiT. Ch. Corolla falver-lhaped, pervious ; limb in five 

 deep oblique fegments. Neftaries none. Anthers lanceo- 

 late, within the tube, burfting lengthwife, unconnefted 

 with the ftigma. FoUicles two, cylindrical. Seeds fringed, 

 bearded at each end. 



This genusconfiftsof /r«j, oftenof great height, with milky 

 juice. Leaves either whorled or oppoCte, ribbed, fmooth. 

 Cyfnes terminal, panicled. Flowers for the mofl part white. 

 Follicles generally very long. They grow in the Eail 

 Indies, the Malay Archipelago, and the Society iflands. 

 Alftonia has little affinity to Echites, (fee that article,) 

 with which Linnius v/ould probably not have confounded 

 it, had he examined the fruit, or attended to the figure m 

 the Hort. Malab., of which work indeed he had not a 

 copy. Brown. ,t~ x ■ 



I. A. fcholaris. Tablet Alftonia. Br. n. I. (Echites 



fcholaris; Linn. Mant. 5?. WiUd. Sp. PI. v. 1. 1241. 



Liraum fcholare ; Ruc^ph. Ambom. v. 2. 246. t. 82. 



° Fak; 



