PLEXJ 



€f)e GTrratfurg at SSotaug. 



906 



coffee marc at Naples, allied to A. lignatilis, 

 which is said to be excellent. A. ostreatus 

 must be distinguished with care from the 

 tarragon-scented A. euosmus, which has 

 pale-pink spores, and is sometimes dan- 

 gerous. [M. J. B.] 



PLEXAURE limenophylax. A very small 

 terrestrial orchid, with about six narrow 

 lanceolate equitant broad-based striped 

 fleshy leaves, and a dense spike of extreme- 

 ly minute inconspicuous flowers, hardly so 

 large as grains of millet. It was described 

 as a new genus by Endlicher in his Flora 

 of Norfolk Island, where alone it is found, 

 but it has since been shown to belong to 

 the older genus Phreatia. [A. S.] 



PLEXEOBLASTUS. An embryo whose 

 cotyledons are not developed in the form 

 of true leaves, although they rise above 

 the earth and become green. 



PLICA. An excessive multiplication of 

 small twigs, instead of branches. 



PLICAE. The lamellae of certain f ungals. 



PLICATE, PLICATIVE. Plaited length- 

 wise like a lady's fan.' The term plicate is 

 usually employed in speaking of sestivation. 



PLICATILIS. Capable of being plaited. 



PLINTHUS. A genus of Tetragonacew, 

 consisting of a small prostrate Cape of 

 Good Hope shrub, with adpressed silky 

 down, small imbricated ovate triquetrous 

 leaves, and very small axillary sessile 

 flowers. The calyx is tubular, five-cleft, 

 with erect unequal lobes, coloured within; 

 petals none; stamens five, with capillary 

 filaments; style three-parted; capsule ovoid, 

 membranous at the base, rounded and 

 woody at the apex, papillose, three-celled, 

 three-valved ; seeds solitary in each cell, 

 pear-shaped and shining. [J. T. S.] 



PLOCAMIUM. A beautiful genus of 

 rose-spored Alga, belonging to the Bhody- 

 meniacece, distinguished by its linear com- 

 pressed fronds, which are pinnate with 

 comb-like teeth, the branchlets being dis- 

 posed alternately on either side in threes 

 or fours. The nucleus of spores is com- 

 pound, and formed of several more or 

 less confluent nucleoli, the spore-bearing 

 threads radiating in several tufts from a 

 basal placenta; and the tetraspores are 

 divided transversely, and contained in cer- 

 tain of the marginal divisions of the frond. 

 The genus is widely diffused, as is the spe- 

 cies P. coccineum, which is one of the best- 

 known rose-coloured Algce on our coasts, 

 and collected by every seaside wanderer, 

 attracting attention by its brilliant co- 

 lour and curious ramification. Though 

 common on the Atlantic shores of Europe, 

 and distributed freely in the Southern 

 Ocean, it is a very rare inhabitant of the 

 Atlantic coast of America. [M. J. B.] 



PLOCOSTEMMA. A genus of Asclepia- 

 dacea?, allied to Hoya, and inhabiting the 

 forests of Borneo and Java. There are 

 only two species, both twiners, with oppo- 

 site coriaceous glabrous leaves, oblong or 



ovate in shape, and umbellate flowers 

 The calyx and corolla are five-cleft, the co- 

 rona five-leaved, and the stigma apiculate. ' 

 The fruit is unknown. [B. S.] 



PLOSSLEA. A Nubian tree described by 

 Endlicher as a new genus of Sapindacece, 

 but which on further examination has 

 proved to be a species of Bursera. 



PLUKENETIA. A genus of Buphorbia- 

 cece, consisting of woody climbers with al- 

 ternate cordate leaves, and small green 

 flowers in axillary racemes, the lowest one 

 of each raceme female, the others male. The 

 perianth is four-cleft, with eight to sixteen 

 stamens in the males ; and in the females 

 a four-celled ovary with a simple style 

 and a four-lobed stigma, and one ovule in 

 each cell of the ovary. There are very few 

 species, all tropical, both in the New and 

 the Old "World. The leaves of P. cornicu- 

 lata, from tropical Asia, are said to be aro- 

 matic and to be used as a potherb. 



PLUM. The well-known Primus domes- 

 tica and its varieties. — , BLACK, of Illa- 

 warra. Cargillia australis. — , BLOOD, of 

 Sierra Leone. Hcematostaphis Barteri. — , 

 BULLACE. Primus insititia. — , CHICA- 

 SAW. Cerasus Chicasa. — , COCOA. Chry- 

 sobalanus Icaco. — , DATE. Biospyrus 

 Lotus, and D. virginiana. —, GINGER- 

 BREAD. Parinarium macropliyllum. —, 

 GREY. Cargillia arbor -ea ; also Parinarium 

 excelsum. —.GUINEA. Parinarium excel- 

 sum. — , HOG. The fruits of several spe- 

 cies of Spondias, as S. purpurea, S.Mombin, 

 S. lutea, &c. — , JAMAICA. Spondias httea. 

 — , JAVA. Calyptranthes Jambolana^—, 

 MAIDEN. Comocladia integrifolia. —, 

 — , MALABAR. Eugenia Jambos. —, 

 ORLEANS. A cultivated variety of 

 Primus domestica. — , QUEENSLAND. 

 Oicenia venosa. — , PORT ARTHUR. Gen- 

 harrhcne nitida. — , ROUGH-SKINNED, of 

 Sierra Leone. Parinarium excelsum. —, 

 SAPODILLA. Achras Sapota and allied 

 species. — , SEBESTEN. The dried pulpy 

 fruit of two species of Cordia, employed as 

 pectoral medicines in India. — , SPANISH. 

 Spondias Mombin. — , SUGAR. A Sierra 

 Leone name for Malpighia saccharina. — , 

 SWEET. Oicenia cerasifera. — , TAMA- 

 RIND. Bialium indicum. — , WILD, of 

 New South Wales. Achras australis. 



PLUMBAGELLA. A genus of Plumba- 

 ginacece, containing a single species, a 

 native of Siberia. It is an annual herb, 

 with small flowers arranged in subcapitate 

 spikes. The ovate calyx is five-ribbed and 

 five-parted,with lanceolate acute segments, 

 scarcely membranaceous at the margins, 

 and increasing very little around the fruit ; 

 corolla tubular divided into five lanceolate 

 lobes ; stamens five included, the filaments 

 dilated and united at the base ; ovary ob- 

 long with a slender style, and five filiform 

 stigmas. The utricle is oblong ; the lower 

 part, included in the calyx, is membrana- 

 ceous, and the upper exposed part coria- 

 ceous and falling off like a calyptra in dehis- 

 cence. The capsule contains a single ovate 

 acute seed. This genus differs from Plum 



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