park] 



Cljc Crea-Surg of 23atang. 



84-8 



to fifteen feet high, and has sweet-smell- 

 ing flowers, and leaves with winged 

 stalks and blunt leaflets, by which it is 

 distinguished from the Cape of Good Hope 

 species, which has round unwiuged stalks 

 and sharp-pointed leaflets. [A. S.J 



PARK-LEAVES. Hypericum Androsce- 

 mum. 



PARLATORTA. A genus of Cruciferce, 

 comprising a few annuals from the Levant, 

 with the habit of Cochlearia or Alliaria, 

 and with white flowers on peduncles which 

 are deflexed after flowering. The pod is 

 articulated to the thickened pedicel, two- 

 valved, with the valves keeled and veined, 

 the partition disappearing. [J. T. S.J 



PARMELTACE.3E. An important natu- 

 ral order of lichens with an orbicular or 

 kidney-shaped persistent not deliquescent 

 disk, bordered by the thallus. It contains 

 three very distinct groups :— 



1. Peltigeri, in which the thallus is hori- 



zontal, and the disk at first veiled, as in 

 Peltidea. 



2. Euparmeltacei, with the disk at first 



closed and a horizontal thallus, as in 

 Lecanora and Parmeiia. 



3. Usxeacei, with the disk open from the 



first, and the thallus mostly centripetal, 

 as in Roccella, Ramalina, and Usnea. 

 The species of the second division are 

 extremely numerous, and constitute a 

 great portion of the foliaceous lichens 

 which abound everywhere on rocks and 

 trees ; while the third supplies the branch- 

 ed or braid-like lichens which hang down 

 from their branches. This order contains 

 almost all the lichens which are useful, 

 either as esculents, medicines, or dye- 

 weeds. [M. J. B.] 



PARMELIA. The typical genus of Par- 

 mcliacecE, containing an immense number 

 of foliaceous lichens, some of which, as the 

 yellow P. parietina and the grey P. saxa- 

 tilis, occur on almost every tree. Many 

 of the species are almost cosmopolites, 

 though others are confined to temperate 

 or tropical districts. Some afford excel- 

 lent dyeweeds. P. perlata, for example, is 

 estimated sometimes at from 19011. to 225?. 

 a ton. £M. J. B.] 



PARMENTIERA. A genus of Crescen- 

 tiacece, consisting of two American species, 

 and named in honour of the French bota- 

 nist Aug. Parmentier, who did much for 

 economic botany. Parmentiera has a spa- 

 thuceous, deciduous calyx ; an almost bell- 

 shaped corolla, of a white or greenish 

 colour; and a fleshy cylindrical fruit 

 (which may be compared either to a cu- 

 cumber or a wax-candle), with lentil-like 

 seeds. Indeed, in the Isthmus of Panama, 

 P. cereifera is termed the Candle-tree, 

 or Palo de Velas, because its fruits, often 

 four feet long, have quite the appearance 

 of yellow wax-candles, and a person enter- 

 ing the forests which are composed of this 

 tree almost fancies himself in a chandler's 

 shop, for from all the stems and older 

 branches these fruits are suspended. They 



have a peculiar apple-like smell, which 

 communicates itself in some degree to the 

 cattle fattened with them, but which dis- 

 appears if, a few days previous to killing, 

 the food is changed. The fruit of P. edulis 

 is eaten by the Mexicans, under the name 

 of Quankhichotl or Cuajilote. Its surface, 

 unlike that of P. cereifera, is rough. Both 

 species are middle-sized trees, with either 

 simple or trifoliated leaves, and serrated 

 leaflets. [B. S.] 



PARMENTIERE. (Fr.) Solanum tubero- 

 sum. 



PARNASSIA. Herbaceous perennials 

 forming a group of Droseracece, distin- 

 guished by having arranged intermediately 

 with the stamens the same number of fan- 

 like nectaries fringed with globular-headed 

 filaments. P. palustris, Grass of Parnassus, 

 common in bogs, especially among the 

 mountains in the North of Britain, is a sin- 

 gularly beautiful plant. It bears from the 

 root several bright-green smooth roundish 

 leaves cordate at the base, among which 

 rises to the height of about a foot a simple 

 angular stem bearing below the middle a 

 solitary small leaf, and at the summit a 

 single large flower of a creamy-white colour 

 delicately veined, and opposite each of the 

 five petals a nectary of the same colour. 

 Several species of similar habit are found 

 in North America. The genus takes its 

 name from Mount Parnassus, where, owing 

 to the elegance of its form, it is fabled 

 to have been produced. French, Fleur du 

 Parnassus ; German, Einblatt. [C. A. J.] 



PAROLINIA. A genus of Cruciferce, com- 

 prising a rigid undershrub from the Cana- 

 ries, with lanceolate-linear entire leaves, 

 pink flowers, and a cylindrical pod with 

 keeled valves produced into a long bifid 

 horn ; seeds margined. [J. T. S.J 



PARONYCHIACEiE. The same as Ille- 

 cebrace^ : which see. 



PARONYCHIA. A large genus of Ille- 

 cebracece, inhabiting the warmer parts of 

 the temperate zone of both hemispheres. 

 They are small perennials (rarely annuals) 

 often cffispitose, with opposite or whorled 

 leaves.whitescariousinterpetiolar stipules, 

 and cymose heads or fascicles of small flow- 

 ers, of ten hidden by the large Avhite scarious 

 bracts. The calyx is five-cleft, with a short 

 funnel-shaped or cup-shaped tube; petals 

 five, filiform, sometimes absent ; stamens 

 five (or fewer by abortion) with very short 

 filaments; styles two; utricle indehiscent 

 or opening by five slits at the base, one- 

 seeded. [J- T. S.J 



PAROPSIA. The name of a shrub of 

 Madagascar, constituting a genus of Passi- 

 floracea;. It attains a height of five to six 

 feet, has alternate leaves, without stipules, 

 and is likewise destitute of tendrils. The 

 flowers are stalked, in axillary tufts, and 

 have each a ten-parted perianth in two 

 rows; within the inner row is a ring of 

 thread like processes, aggregated together 

 into five bundles, placed opposite the inner 

 segments. The stamens are five, opposite 



