653 



Oje ErsaSurp at ^Sotang. 



[lach 



periaynous Exogens. Herbs or under- 

 shrubs with square stems, opposite and 

 exstipulate leaves, and flowers in verticil- 

 lasters. Calyx tubular, persistent, five to 

 ten-toothed or bilabiate ; corolla bilabiate ; 

 stamens four didynamous, or by abortion 

 two : anthers two-celled, or one-celled by 

 abortion ; ovary deeply four-lobed on a 

 disk ; style basilar ; stigma bifid. Fruit 

 one to four achenes enclosed by the calyx ; 

 seeds erect with little or no albumen. 

 Natives of temperate climates. Many of 

 them are carminative, and yield volatile 

 oils. Mint, sage, lavender, rosemary, 

 hyssop, patchouly, marjoram, horehound, 

 thyme, basil, savory, belong to the order. 

 There are upwards of one hundred genera, 

 and about 2,500 species. [J. H. B.] 



LABIATE. A term applied to a mono- 

 petalous calyx or corolla which is separated 

 into two unequal divisions, the one ante- 

 rior, and the other posterior, with respect 

 to the axis. 



LABIATIFLOROTJS. A term applied to 

 composites whose corolla is labiate. 



LABICHEA. A genus of Leguminosw of 

 the suborder Ccesalpiniece, allied to Cassia, 

 but the sepals and petals are occasionally 

 reduced to four, and the stamens are 

 usually two only, unequal and dissimilar, 

 or rarely three and equal. The pod is also 

 | short, and has only two seeds. There are 

 ! three or four species, all from Western 

 J Australia, and two at least have been in- 

 troduced into our gardens. They are 

 glabrous shrubs, with pinnate leaves con- 

 I sistingof one conspicuous terminal usually 

 ' lanceolate and sharply pointed leaflet, and 

 I two or more small ones at its base. The 

 1 flowers are yellow, in short axillary ra- 

 i cemes, and rather showy. 



LABIOSE. A polypetalous corolla hav- 

 ing the appearance of being labiate. 



LABISIA pothoina is the name given by 

 Lindley to the Ardisia pumila, a native 

 of the Eastern Archipelago, which differs 

 from the rest of the genus in the more 

 induplicate aestivation of the corolla, in 

 the almost spicate inflorescence, and in 

 the shape and venation of the leaves, 

 which are almost those of some monoco- 

 tyledonnus plants. It was thus mistaken 

 for a Pothos in the garden of the Horti- 

 cultural Society until it flowered ; and for 

 the same reason it was proposed by A. De 

 Candolle as a section of Ardisia under the 

 name of 2Iarantoides. 



LABIUM. The lower lip of a labiate 

 corolla. 



LABLAB. A genus of tropical pulse 

 formerly included in Dolichos. The two 

 recognised species are natives of India, 

 but they have been so widely spread by 

 cultivation that they are now found natu- 

 ralised in most tropical countries. They 

 are twining herbaceous plants, with tri- 

 foliolate leaves, and long-stalked racemes 

 composed of alternate clusters of short- 

 stalked flowers seated upon glandular 



I knobs. The calyx is tubular or bell-shaped, 

 I cut into four segments, the upper one 

 broad and blunt ; the corolla has the spread- 

 ing upper petal channeled, with four callo- 

 sities or swellings at its base, the two lower 

 ones being bent inwards at a right angle, 

 but not twisted as in Phaseolus ; and nine 

 of the stamens are united. The pods are 

 flat, marked along the edges with rough 

 tubercles or warts, and containing usually 

 four oval seeds. L. vulgaris and L. cultratus 

 are greatly cultivated in tropical countries, 

 the young pods taking the place of our 

 kidneybeans, while the seeds or pulse, on ac- 

 count of their nitrogenous qualities, afford 

 nutritive and wholesome food. There are 

 several varieties, some of which yield 

 better-flavoured pulse than others. [A. S.] 



LABORDIA. An evergreen shrub from 

 the Sandwich Islands, described and 

 figured by Gaudichaud as a genus of Loga- 

 niacece, but the specimens were very im- i 

 perfect, and the plant has not been again j 

 found, so that its affinities are as yet 

 doubtful. 



LABOUCHERIA. A name given by 

 Br. Mueller to a North Australian tree of 

 the tribe Mimosece of Leguminosw, but 

 which is probably scarcely sufficiently dis- 

 tinct as a genus from the African Erythro- 

 pMceum. 



LABURNUM. Cytisus Laburnum. —, 

 SCOTCH. Cytisus alpinus. 



LABYRINTHIFORM. Marked by sinu- 

 ous intricate lines : the same as Dsedaleus. 



LAC. A fluid having an opaque appear- 

 ance, and either white, orange, or some 

 such colour, occurring in many plants. 

 Also the name of a gummy substance pro- 

 duced by JErythrina monosperma, Aleurites 

 laccifera, &c. 



LAOENA. A genus of epiphytal orchids 

 with the habit of Acineta, and approaching 

 very nearly to it in structure, but differing 

 in having the lip articulated with the 

 column as well as in the middle, and in 

 having but two pollen-masses instead of 

 four, these being attached to a long slender 

 caudicle. L. Ucolor, the original species, is 

 a native of Guatemala, and has long pen- 

 dulous racemes of flowers of a greenish- 

 yellow colour, the three-lobed lip marked 

 with purple about the centre. [T. M.] 



LACAUSSADEA. Polybotrya. 



LACE-BARK. The inner bark of Lagetta 

 lintearixi. 



LACEPEDEA. A Mexican shrub, de- 

 scribed by Kunth as a distinct genus, but 

 which has since proved to be a species of 

 Turpima. 



LACE- LEAF PLANT. Ouvirandra. 



LACERATE, LACERUS. Irregularly 

 divided by deep incisions. 



LACHENALIA. A genus of lilywort, 

 of which several beautiful species are cul- 

 tivated in our gardens. They are natives 

 of the Cape of Good Hope, and consist of 



