Efje enrnt£tirji of 38otanii. 



[lin 



LIMETTE. (Fr.) Citrus Limetta. 



LTMETJM. A genus of Phytolaccacece, 

 differing from most of the order in having 

 a membranous seed-coat, and by the pre- 

 sence of petals, which, however, are often 

 suppressed. They are African annuals or 

 undershrubs, with branched procumbent 

 stems, alternate fleshy entire leaves, and 

 flowers in compact cymes, having a five- 

 parted calyx, often coloured within, five 

 petals when present, usually seven sta- 

 mens, two styles, and a subglobose inde- 

 i hiscent fruit. [J. T. S.J 



LIMNA29THEMUM. This name, Marsh- 

 I flower, is applied to a genus of Gentianacece, 

 \ consisting of aquatic plants, with roundish 

 floating leaves, and yellow flowers. The 

 I calyx is five-cleft ; the corolla rotate, or 

 >, funnel-shaped, fringed with hairs in the 

 interior ; and the capsule bursts irregularly 

 \ when ripe, by which latter circumstance 

 the genus is distinguished from Villarsia, 

 to which otherwise it is very closely allied. 

 L. nymphceoides is one of our most beauti- 

 ful water plants, having leaves like those 

 of a waterlily, but smaller, and large fun- 

 nel-shaped yellow fringed flowers. It is 

 found in the Thames near Oxford, and in 

 1 various places near London, but is supposed 

 to have been introduced. [if. T. M.] 



LIMNANTHES. A sweet-scented orna- 

 i mental annual, introduced from California 

 in 1833 by Mr. Douglas. It belongs to the 

 Tropcsolacece, and is distinguished from 

 Tropceolum by having the flowers regular. 

 The stems are prostrate; the leaves pin- 

 nated, with an odd three-cleft leaflet ; the 

 peduncles one-flowered, and the petals five, 

 yellow and white, emarginate. The whole 

 plant partakes of the pungent properties of 

 the Indian cresses, or, as they are often 

 popularly called, nasturtiums. [C. A. J.] 



LIMNOBIUM. A genus of American 

 Hydrocharidacece, of which L. spongiosum, 

 the :North American Frogbit, and L. Sin- 

 clairii, from Guatemala, are the only known 

 species. They very closely resemble our 

 English frogbit in appearance, so much so 

 indeed that without flowers it is difficult 

 to distinguish them ; and like it, they are 

 aquatic plants, floating in stagnant water 

 and propagating themselves freely by 

 means of runners. Generically they are 

 distinguished .by the spatb.es of the male 

 plants being one-leaved, and producing 

 about three long-stalked flowers, which 

 have the stamens completely united into 

 a central column, bearing from six to 

 twelve narrow anthers at unequal heights. 

 In the female plants the spathes are two- 

 leaved, and produce a single short-stalked 

 flower. [A. S.] 



LIMXOCHARIS. A perennial herbace- 

 ous aquatic, belonging to the Hydrocha- 

 ridocecp. The leaves are broadly heart- 

 shaped, oblong ; and the flowers on long 

 stalks, with three sepals, and as many 

 delicate yellow caducous petals, shaded 

 with orange near the claw. Two species are 



| cultivated, L. Plumieri and L. Humboldtii, 

 ! both South American. [C. A. J.] 



I LIMNONESIS. A genus of Pistiacece, 

 consisting, as the name implies, of plants 

 growing in wet marshy places, chiefly in 

 tropical America. The genus is closely 

 allied to Pistia, but is distinguished by the 

 stalked leaves, and by the spadix, which 

 does not extend beyond the attachment of 

 the anthers, which latter are two or three 

 in number. The fruits contain two seeds 

 only. [M.' T.M.J 



LIMODORUM abortivurn is a leafless 

 erect terrestrial orchid, forming a genus 

 of the tribe Neotteo?. It is found in dry 

 i shrubby places and woods, in Central and 

 especially Southern Europe, and is be- 

 lieved to be parasitical on the roots of 

 shrubs. It grows to the height of one or 

 even two feet, and assumes more or less of 

 a purple colour ; the stem bears a few 

 : sheathing scales or bracts ; the flowers are 

 ! rather large of a dingy purple in a simple 

 loose spike ; the sepals and petals are 

 nearly alike and erect ; the lip, also erect, 

 is prolonged into a spur at the base ; the 

 column is elongated, with an oblong erect 

 anther on the summit. 



LIMON. (Fr.) Citrus acida. — DOUX. 

 Citrus Limetta. 



LIMONELLIER. (Fr.) Limonia. 



LIMONTA. A small genus of Aurantiacece, 



two species of which are natives of India 

 and Ceylon, one of Mauritius, and another 

 of Madagascar. They are shrubs with tri- 

 foliate or pinnate leaves, and the flowers 

 with a four or flve-lobed calyx, a similar 

 number of whitish petals, twice as many 

 free stamens, and afour or five-celled ovary. 

 The fruit is pulpy. 



L. acidissima is a spiny shrub, native of 

 the East Indies, growing eight or ten feet 

 high, and having pinnate leaves with wing- 

 I ed stalks, and racemes of white flowers, 

 producing round fruits about the size of 

 damson plums, and of a yellowish colour, 

 changing to a reddish or purplish tint. 

 The Javanese employ the extremely acid 

 flesh-coloured pulp of these fruits as a 

 substitute for soap ; and on the coast of 

 Malabar they are used medicinally. [A. S.J 



! LIMOO. A name used in some of the 

 Pacific Islands for Seaweed. 



LIMOSELLA. Mudwort, a genus of hum- 

 ble aquatic annuals belonging to the Scro- 

 phulariacece, among which they are dis- 

 tinguished by their campanulate regular 

 corolla, and one-celled capsule. L. aguatica, 

 the only British representative of the ge- 

 nus, is a minute plant, growing in muddy 

 places and the banks of ponds, sending up 

 from the creeping roots clusters of narrow 

 smooth leaves, and inconspicuous pale 

 I pinkish flowers. [C. A. J.] 



LIX. (Fr.1 Linum usitatissimum. — 

 I DE LA NOUVELLE Z^LANDE. Pfior- 

 \ mium tenax. — VIVACE. Linum sibiri- 

 ■ cum. 



