L Y G 



L Y G 



than the C'lroUa, flattidi, very narrow, anthers vertical, linear, 

 cloven at each end. /"///• Germen fuperior, oblong, convex 

 at the outl'ide, flat at the inner; llyle finiple, compreded, 

 the length of the llarncns ; ftigma finiple, taper-poinied, in- 

 curved. Peric. mne> except the iiardened hairy bale of the 

 corolla of each floret, united longitudinally to tlie other. 

 Seeds folitiry, linear-oblong, convex at the otitlide, flattidi, 

 with a longitndinal fn row, at the infide. 



EfT. Ch. Glume of one valve, convjlulcd, two-flowered. 

 Corolla of two valves, the innernioft. twice as lonj;; as tli2 

 outer, awnlcfs. Seed folitary, enclofed in the hardened 

 combined b.ife of each floret. 



I. L. Sparliim- Ballard Mat-weed. Linn. Sp. PI. 7S. 

 (Sparta hcrba alternm ; Chif. Hill. v. 2 220. Spartnm al- 

 teriim Phnii ; Ger. em. 41 ) — Tke only known fpecies ob- 

 ferved by Loefling to be very abundant in the fouth of Spain, 

 always growing in low place.<i, on h cUy foil, where the 

 ■water Hands after much rain. The Spaniards call it ylibar- 

 din, or /Ihardin, a name probably retained from tlie Moors. 

 The root is creeping and perennial. Stems about a fpan high, 

 ereft, rufliy, round, llender, imooth, nearly naked, with one 

 joint, above which they are much extended after flowering. 

 Leaves feveral, flieathing tl\e lower part of the ileni, and 

 about equal to it in height, narrow, convoluted, taper- 

 pointed, rufhy, fniooth ; the upper or floral one fliorter, 

 with a longer fliealh. Slipula tliin, membranous, oblong, 

 cloven, decurrent. Fluwer large, terminal, fclitary, at tirll 

 ereft, inclining as the feeds ripen, with a knot at the bafe. 

 Calyx fmi.oth, delicately ilriped with gieen, at length open- 

 ing and expofing the long denfe hairs which clothe the bafe 

 of the permanent coroila, inverting the feed. 



The error of Linnoens and Loefling, who fuppofed the 

 germen to be inferior, and common to two florets, is pro- 

 perly corrected by Richard, who fliews the fuppofed two- 

 celled nut to be formed merely of the hardened combined 

 bafes of the corollas of the two florets. This is analogous 

 to many other true grafles, (as this is,) vihofe hardened 

 corolla becomes a huflc or fliell to the feed. In other points 

 the defcription of Richard is Icarcely, if at all, fuperior to 

 that of Loeflmg. 



This plant, being far inferior in tenacity, as well as length, 

 to the true Sparlum or Mai -weed, St'ij>a tenac'ilfima of Lin- 

 risus, ferves chiefly in Spain for lUifFiag mattrafles. It 

 flowers in May and .Tune, ripening feed in autumn, and often 

 retaining its empty flieath or calyx till the following fummer. 

 The parts of fruftificati n are, oi: the whole, perhaps larger 

 than thofe of any uther grafs. 



LYGINI.A, from AD)ivo.-, tiviggy, alluding to its hard 

 tough rulhy habit. Br.nvn Prodr. Nov. HoU. v. 1. 248. 

 (Sclioenodum ; Labiliard. Nov. Holl. v. 2. 79.) — Clafs and 

 order, Dioecla R.'onadelphia. Nat. Ord. Trlpeialoidea, Linn. 

 JuHci, .lull. Rcfiiaceit, Brown. 



EfT. Ch. Male, Spatha of one valve. Petals fix. Fila- 

 ments united lengthwiic. Anthers three, didymous, cloven 

 at each end. 



Female, Spatha of one valve. Petals fix. Style in three 

 deep divifions. Capfule three-lobed, tiiree-celled, bnrfling 

 at the prominent angles. Seeds folitary. 



The root is fcaly, creeping, with thick downy fibres. 

 Stems fimple, rour.d, leaflefs, with feveral fhcathing fcales, 

 eafily breaking at the joints. Spike terminal, of feveral 

 crowded tufts of flowers, each accompanied by a common 

 Ihcathing braflca, the female flowers fometimes folitary. 



1. L. imbcrh'ts. Braiteas and fpathas beardlefs. Male 

 nnd female tufts many-flowered.— Native of the fouth part 

 of New Holland. — This is Schoenodum tenax, the male plant, 

 of LabiUardiere, t. 229. f. i. Mr. Brown obfcrves, that 



this fuppofed fpecies of the French author is msde up of 

 two diiferent. genera ; he therefore thinks it fafer to rejeft 

 the generic name entirely, than to retain it for either the ' 

 male or female plant, which might lead to error. To this 

 deter.Tiinatuin we gladly afi'cnt, efpecially as the faid name, 

 being compofed of another eftabliflied one, Schocr.us, is ablo- 

 lutely inadmidiblc, and its termination bejng altered for the 

 worfe from Scbcnwides, (which ti;e author gives as his mean- 

 ing) nnf in any manner removing the objection. 



2. L. harbata. Bra&eas and fpath.ts bearded. Male 

 tnft^ of few flowers ; female ones flngle-flowercd, nearly 

 folitary. From the fame country. Thefe plants have 

 much of the habit of /\'f/7/». Eleg'ia, &c. See Lepyuodia. t 



LYGISMOS, from /.-j-ji^M, to dijlort, in Surgery, a dillor- 

 tion of the limbs ; fometimes a luxation. 



LYGMOS. See Hkkup. 



LYGODIUM, in Botany, from XijyaJ=.:, pliat\t, tough, 

 and Jlendvr, expreflive of the habit of this elegant genus, 

 which confills of ferns with twining Hems. Swartz Syii. 

 Fil. 152. Sim's and Konig'a Annals, v. 2 305. t. 10. f. 2. 

 Sprengel Crypt. 176. t. 5. f. 39. Brown Prodr. Nov. 

 Holl. v. I. 162. Bernhardi in Schrad. New Journ. v. i. 

 fafc. 2 39 t. 3. (Ugena; Cavan. I.,eccioii. 551. Hy- 

 droglofl'uin ; Wilid. Abhandl. 20. t. i, 2. Odontopteris ; 

 Berhardi in Schrad. .lourn. for iHco. 127. t. 2. f. 4. Gi- 

 fopteris ; ibid. 129. t. 2. f. I. Ramondia ; Mirbel Bull, 

 des Sciences an 9. 179.') — Clafs and order, Cryplogamia 

 Filkes. Nat. Ord. Fi/ices, Linn. .Tufi. Filues Ofmundaceg, 

 Brov.'n. 



Gen. Ch. Capfules without a ring, ovate, reticulated 

 with veins, pellucid, radiated >vith furrows at the top, burll- 

 ing lengthwife, feffile, reverfed, attached by their middle, 

 in two rows, on narrow procefles of the frond at its back, 

 forming little, fimple or forked, fpikes. Jtivolucruin con- 

 filling of feparate fcales, alternate with tjie capiules, ori- 

 ginating from the veins of the frond, unconnedled at their 

 upper part. 



Efl". Ch. Capfules feffile, ovate, attached by their middle, 

 reverfed, radiated at the top, in two rows on the back of 

 narrow proeelfes of the frond. Involucrum of folitary 

 fcales, feparating the capfules. 



Obf. Mr. Brown has firfl; remarked the great peculiarity 

 of til.' infertion of the capfules, they being attached by their 

 middle, not by their bafe. The Hem is long, twining, and 

 climbing. Leaves in pairs, on one common cloven foot- 

 ftalk, each of them either divided or compound. Fruftiff- 

 cation either fringing their lobes in the form of minute, pale, 

 chain-like fpikes, or rarely compofing the whole of certain 

 leaves, transformed as it were into a compound forked af- 

 femblage of fpikes. See Willd. t. I. f. 2. 



Swartz defines eleven fpecies, to which Mr. Brown adds 

 a twelfth, found in the tropica! region of New Holland, 

 which he calls ],. Jht:ikipimiatum. 



Beautiful fpecimens are 



L,.famdiiis. Sw. n.i. (OphioglolTum fcandens ; I.,inn. 

 Sp. Pi. 151S. Ugena femibaltata; Cav. Ic. v. 6. 74. t. 594. 

 f. T. Adiantum volubile minus ; Rumph. Amb. v. 6. 75. 

 t. 32. f. 2, 3. Filix ; Petiv. Gazopii. t. 64. f. II.) — Stem 

 round. Fronds pinnate. Leaflets fl:alked, oblong; heart- 

 {haped or lobed at the bafe : the barren on. s finely ferrated. — 

 Native of the Eaft Indies, and of Brazil. This rifes to the 

 height of feveral feet. — The fronds or branches fpring in 

 pairs from a woolly-topped knob, and are each a ipan lorfg,. 

 of about eight or ten alternate, flalhed, oblong leaflets, with 

 an odd terminal one of larger fize. Each is frii:ged with 

 numerous (hort, rather hairy, fpikes. 



h. cirdnnaium. Sw. n. 6. (OphioglolTum circinnatum ; 

 i Burm^ 



