705 



i£I)C CreaSurg of SSotami. 



[mach 



LYSURUS. A genus of phalloid Fungi, 

 in which the receptacle of the fruit is split 

 into a few free lacinia?. In other respects it 

 resembles Phallus. The ashes of L. Mokusm 

 areappliedin Chinaas a remedy to ulcerous 

 sores. It is also sometimes eaten, hut often 

 proves poisonous. [M. J. B.J 



LYTHRACE^E. (Salicariw, Calycanthe- 

 mee, Lythrads, Loosestrifes.) A natural or- 

 der of dicotyledonous plants, belonging 

 to Lindley's saxifragal alliance of perigy- 

 nous Exogens. Herbs, rarely shrubs, often 

 with square branches, and usually opposite 

 entire exstipulate leaves. Among the 

 allied perigynous exalbuminous orders, it 

 is distinguished by its tubular calyx, en- 

 closing a two to six-celled ovary which is 

 free from it : its united styles ; its mem- 

 branous capsular fruit ; and its stamens 

 inserted in the calycine tube below the 

 petals. The plants are chiefly tropical, but 

 some are found in Europe and North Ame- 

 rica. They have astringent qualities. Ex- 

 amples : Lythrum, Cuphea, Lagerstriimia. 

 Lawsonia alba yields the henna of the 

 Arabs. There are forty genera, and upwards 

 of three hundred species. [J. H. B.] 



LYTHRUM. A genus of herbaceous 

 plants, mostly perennials, giving name to 

 the Lythracece. In these plants the tubu- 

 lar calyx has eight to twelve teeth, the 

 alternate ones awl-shaped ; the petals are 

 four to six, and the capsule is two-celled. 

 The genus is well represented in Britain 

 by L. Salicaria, the Purple Loosestrife, a 

 tall and very handsome plant, three to four 

 feet high, with opposite lanceolate leaves, 

 and long terminal leafy spikes of densely 

 whorled purple flowers, common in most 

 parts of Britain, often occupying a large 

 space in marshy meadows, or lining a 

 watercourse for a considerable extent, 

 and thus to be classed among the few 

 plants which, by breadth of colour, tend to 

 characterise a landscape. There are many 

 foreign species, of which L. virgatum, a 

 native of Austria, sometimes cultivated, 

 resembles L. Salicariain habit, but is more 

 branched above, and bears its flowers, 

 which are large, in whorls of three or four. 

 French, Salicaire ; German, Braune weide- 

 rich. [C. A. J.] 



MABA. A genus of Ebenacem, differing 

 from Diospyros in the calyx and corolla 

 having each only three lobes, instead of 

 four or more. It consists of nearly twenty 

 species, dispersed over tropical Africa and 

 Asia, the Pacific islands, and North Aus- 

 tralia, all shrubs or trees with alternate 

 entire leaves, and small flowers, almost 

 sessile, in their axils. The Ebony wood of 

 Cochin China is believed to be the produce 

 of a tree of this genus. 



MABEA. A genus of Euplwrbiacece of 

 the tribe Crotonece, consisting of tropical 

 American shrubs, sometimes climbing, 

 with alternate usually oblong entire or 

 toothed leaves, and flowers in terminal 

 racemes or panicles, the majority usually 

 males, with a few females at the base. 

 The perianth is valvate, without petals ; 



. the males have numerous stamens, and the 

 females a long three-cleft style with one 

 : ovule in each cell of the ovary. There are 

 ! nine or ten species known, all of which 

 ; yield a copious acrid milky juice. The bark 

 of one of them is, according to Martins, 

 | considered in the diamond district of Bra- 

 zil as a febrifuge, and the straight hollow 

 young shoots of several species are used 

 | for tobacco-pipes in Guiana and North 

 Brazil under the name of Tacuari. 



MACAHUBA. A Brazilian name for 



Acrocomia sclerocarpa. 



MACARTHURIA. A genus of South- 

 west Australian herbs or undershrubs with 

 erect rush-like stems, few small alternate 

 leaves either linear or reduced to minute 

 ! scales, and small flowers in lateral or ter- 

 | minal compact cymes. Its precise affinities 

 are not very clear, but it is probably most 

 ! nearly allied to the Mollugineaz, next to 

 i which it has been recently proposed to 

 j place it. There are only three species 

 known, and none are deserving of culti- 

 | vation. 



MACARY-BITTER. A West Indian name 

 for Picramnia Antidesma. 



MACAW-BUSH. Solanum mammosum. 

 MACAW-FAT. A West Indian name for 

 the Oil Palm, Elceis guineensis. 



MACAW-TR.EE. Acrocomia fusiformis 

 and sclerocarpa. —, GREAT. Acrocomia 

 lasiospatha. 



MACE. The aril of the nutmeg, Myris- 

 tica moschata; also an Indian name for the 

 gall-nuts formed on Tamarix indica. — , 

 RED. The aril of Pi/rrhosa tingens. —, 

 WHITE. The aril of Myristica Otoba. 



MACE RON. (Fr.) Smyrnium. 



MACFADYENA. A genus of Bignonia- 

 cece, named after Dr. Macfadyen, author of 

 a Flora of Jamaica. The genus has a spa- 

 thaceous calyx, funnel-shaped corolla, four 

 fertile stamens of unequal length with 

 glabrous divergent anthers, an elongated 

 flat and smooth capsule, divided into two 

 cells by a partition running parallel with 

 the direction of the valves, and nume- 

 rous winged seeds arranged in single rows. 

 There are about a dozen species, all in- 

 habitants of the West Indies and the tro- 

 pical parts of South America. They are 

 climbing shrubs, with trifoliate and con- 

 jugate leaves, in the latter instance fur- 

 nished with tendrils, and large bright yel- 

 low or more or less purplish flowers, ap- 

 pearing in the axils of the leaves, or in 

 corymbs at the end of the branches. M. 

 uncata has for many years been an inmate 

 of our hot-houses. Many of the species, 

 from being imperfectly known, had until 

 lately been classed with Spathodea. [B. SJ 



MACH<ERANTHERA. A generic name 

 proposed by Nees for the Aster tanacetifo- 

 lius, described from specimens grown in the 

 Botanic Garden of Mexico, and differing 

 in some slight points from the majority of 

 the species of the great genus Aster. 



