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the joints, reniform entire leaves, and soli- 

 tary axillary flowers on very short pedun- 

 cles. In habit and structure it is very 

 near to Dichondra repens, from which, how- 

 ever, it differs in having a one-celled ovary 

 with two ovules, a single style, and a fruit 

 composed of a single utricle. [W. C] 



NEPHROSTA. The spore-case of lyco- 

 gods. 



NBPTITNTA. A genus of Leguminosce- of 

 the suborder Mimosece, consist ing of under- 

 shrubs or stiff but slender herbs with bi- 

 pinnate leaves, flowers in globular heads, 

 the lower ones barren with elongated pe- 

 tals, the upper ones fertile with definite 

 stamens as in Desmanthus, but differing 

 from that genus chiefly in its broad flat 

 short pods. There are not many species, 

 all natives of hot climates in America or in 

 the Old World. X. oleracea, which is com- 

 mon in many parts of tropical Asia, Africa, 

 and America, is remarkable for its short 

 stems frequently floating by means of hol- 

 low swellings, and brandling and rooting 

 so as to cover shallow waters or liquid 

 swamps to a considerable extent. N. -plena, 

 a terrestrial species without these infla- 

 tions, is also common to America, Asia, 

 and Africa. 



XERAUDIA. A genus of Urticacece, con- 

 sisting of two Sandwich Island shrubs 

 remarkable for their milky juice, as in Ar- 

 tocarpere, whilst the floral characters are 

 those of the true Urticacece. The leaves 

 are entire, the flowers dioecious, small and 

 green, clustered in the axils of the leaves. 



NEREOCYSTIS. One of the most extra- 

 ordinary seaweeds among the Laminaria- 

 cece. which occurs on the north-east coast of 

 America, and the opposite shores of Asia. 

 The stem is filiform and many fathoms in 

 length, attached below by branched root- 

 lise processes. This swells above into a 

 swollen hollow turnip-shaped or retort- 

 like cylinder a fathom in length, and con- 

 taining a quantity of fluid, which gives off 

 from the centre a bunch of leaf-like pro- 

 cesses many feet in length. The stems 

 become entangled below, and then the 

 plants form large floating islands, which 

 are the favourite seat of the sea-otter, 

 who rocks with the waves and sleeps on 

 the bladders. The plant, though so enor- 

 mous, appears to be only of annual growth. 

 The stem is employed by the Aleutians for 

 fishing-lines, of whom Mertens informs 

 us that he purchased one, and that they 

 sometimes attain a length of forty-five 

 fathoms. He also saw the bladders used, 

 like the stems of Ecklonia {.Fucus) bucci- 

 nalis, as a siphon. [M. J. B.] 



NERIANDRA. A genus of dogbanes, 

 having the calyx five-parted and without 

 glands ; the corolla nearly salver-shaped, 

 hairy internally, and somewhat inflated 

 above ; five hairy glands between the sta- 

 mens; and two spindle-shaped smooth 

 ovaries. The species are shrubs, natives 

 of Central America, having entire leaves 

 with giands at their base. The name is a 



compound of that of the genus Nerium 

 and the Greek for stamens, on account of 

 the resemblance between them in the cha- 

 racters of these organs. [G. D.] 



NERINE. A small genus of Amarylli- 

 dacecp, consisting of bulbous plants from 

 South Africa, distinguished by having a 

 regular six-parted perianth without tube, 

 six stamens having the filaments united 

 by a gibbous junction at the base, and a 

 suberect style with trifid stigma. The 

 plants produce umbellate flower-scapes be- 

 fore the bifarious leaves appear, and their 

 scarlet or rose-colour or pale pink blossoms 

 are very ornamental. The Guernsey Lily, 

 Jv". sarniensis, is one of the most popular 

 species. [T. M.] 



NERINE DE GUERNESEY. (Fr.) Ne- 

 rine sarniensis. 



NERIUM. A genus of dogbanes, charac- 

 terised by having a salver-shaped corolla 

 which has a crown of torn appendages in 

 the throat, and a border of twisted unequal 

 segments; five stamens attached to the 

 i middle of the tube of the corolla 



Nerium Oleander. 



cylindrical seed-vessels. The species are 

 erect glabrous shrubs, natives of India, the 

 leaves coriaceous with parallel veins. The 

 name is from the Greek word signifying 

 fmmid,to indicate the localities where some 

 of the species grow. [G. D.] 



NEROLI. An essential oil obtained by 

 distilling orange-blossoms. 

 NERPRUN. (Fr.) Rhamnus catharticus. 



NERTERA. The name applied to a creep- 

 ing herbaceous plant, constituting a genus 

 of Cinchona cece, native of the southeyi part 

 of South America. Its leaves are oval and 

 fleshy ; its flowers solitary, sessile, white, 

 with a calyx whose limb is divided into four 

 minute teeth, a funnel-shaped four-lobed 

 corolla, and four stamens slightly pro- 

 jecting from the tube; the fruit is berry- 

 like, red, containing two or four stones, 

 each with a single seed. The plant is men- 

 tioned by Lindley as the most southern 



