are astringent. There are thirty-one 

 known genera, and about one hundred and 

 twenty-five species. Examples : Illecebrum, 

 Paronychia, Spergula. [J. H. B.] 



ILLECEBRUM. A genus of Ulecebracece 

 containing a single species, J. verticillatum, 

 found over the greater part of Europe, 

 though very rare in Britain, and only oc- 



I curring in the extreme south-west. It is 

 a small branched prostrate smooth annual, 

 with ascending branches, crowded with 



' pairs of obovate leaves, and bearing axil- 

 lary clusters of flowers forming false 

 whorls; these are small, white, and shin- 

 ing, from the dry white thickened calyx 

 segments. [J. T. S.] 



I ILLICIUM. A limited genus of Magno- 



liacece, found in the south-eastern parts of 



the United States, Japan, Southern China, 



and the Khasia mountains. They are ever- 



j green shrubs or low trees, with smooth 



I entire leaves, exhaling when bruised a 



strong odour of aniseed, owing to the 



! volatile oil contained in minute .pellucid 



! dots, which may be seen by means of a 



• lens. Their flowers are borne singly or in 



threes from the sides of the branches, 



usually of a yellowish colour, except in 



I one species where they are dark purple; 



they have a calyx of three or six sepals, 



I coloured in the same manner as, and 



! scarcely distinguishable from, the petals, 



■ which vary in number from nine to thirty, 



! and are arranged in several series, the 



j innermost ones being the smallest; 'the 



1 stamens are numerous, and the ovaries, 



varying from six to eighteen, are crowded 



1 together in a circle. The fruit resembles 



a star, consisting of a variable number of 



I one-seeded flattened cells arranged round 



a central axis. 



am'atum. 



I. anisatum, the Star or Chinese Anise, 

 the Badiane of the French, is a shrub 

 growing eight or ten feet high. It is 

 found in China, and derives its name of 

 Star Anise from the stellate form and 

 odour of its fruit, which is about an inch 

 in diameter. This fruit forms a consider- 

 able article of commerce amongst Asiatic 



nations, and is likewise sent to Europe, 

 though not in very large quantities. In 

 China, Japan, India, and elsewhere in Asia, 

 it is commonly used by cooks as a condi- 

 ment in the preparation of food, and it is 

 also chewed in small quantities after each 

 meal, both for the purpose of sweetening 

 the breath and as a promoter of digestion, 

 while the native physicians prescribe it as 

 a stomachic and carminative. In France 

 it is reputed to be employed as the flavour- 

 ing ingredient of Anisette de Bordeaux. 

 Its pungent aromatic flavour and odour, 

 which bear a strong resemblance to those 

 of the common anise but rather sweeter j 

 and softer, is due to the presence of a j 

 volatile oil, which is obtained from it by | 

 distillation, and is said to be substituted j 

 for genuine oil of anise. 



T. religiosum. a Japanese species, was 

 formerly confounded with the Chinese. 

 It is a small tree about the size of a cherry | 

 tree, and is held sacred by the Japanese, 

 who form wreaths of it with which to 

 decorate the tombs of their deceased 

 friends, and they also burn the fragrant 

 bark as incense before their deities. Their 

 watchmen likewise use the powdered bark 

 for burning in graduated tubes in order to 

 mark the time, the bark consuming slowly 

 and uniformly. The leaves are said to 

 possess poisonous properties ; while in 

 Alabama those of 7". ftoridanum have the 

 same reputation, and the plant has hence 

 acquired the name of Poison-bay. [A. S.] 



ILLIGERA. An apetalous genus of 

 Exogens, regarding the station of which 

 much difference of opinion has been en- 

 tertained. It consists of climbing shrubs, 

 natives of Java, having alternate coria- 

 ceous leaves which are ternate. The 

 flowers are hermaphrodite in axillary pani- 

 cles ; the calyx superior, coloured, ten- 

 lobed, the lobes being disposed in two 

 rows; the stamens five, opposite the outer 

 row, having glands at their bases ; the 

 anthers open by valves which turn up- 

 wards ; and the ovary is one-celled. The 

 fruit is four-sided with four unequal 

 wings at the angles, and the single pen- 

 dulous seed has the cotyledons spirally 

 twisted together. The nearest affinity of 

 this genus is with Gyrocarpus, from which 

 it differs in its climbing stem, and in hav- 

 ing wings on the sides of its fruit. These 

 two genera have been considered as the 

 type of a distinct family under the name 

 of Uligerece or Gyrocarpece, but are very 

 near both Combretacece and Lauracece, with 

 the former of which they have been com- 

 bined. [B. CJ 



ILLIGEREjE. A suborder of Combreta- 

 cece, from which the plants referred to it- 

 are distinguished mainly by their recurved 

 anther valves, in which respect they re- 

 semble laurels. The group also receives 

 the name of Gyrocarpece. [J. H. B.j 



ILLUPIE TREE. Bassia longifolia. 



IMANTOPHYLLUM. This name, under 

 the form of Imatophyllum, subsequently 

 changed by Sprengel to Himantophyllum, 



