913 



€f)£ CrcaSurg at aSatanj}. 



[poly 



POLY. Teuerium Polium. — , MOUN- 

 TAIN. Bartsia alpina. 



POLY. In Greek compounds — nume- 

 rous. 



POLYACTIS. A genus of filamentous 

 moulds characterised by their threads be- 

 ing partially of a dark hue as if scorched, 

 and by their naked hyaline spores situated 

 at the tops of the ramifications which are 

 confined to the upper part of the plant. 

 P. vulgaris with one or two others are 

 amongst the commonest moulds on all 

 sorts of decaying pnamogains, and recog- 

 nisable by their sparkling white spores 

 and dark grey-brown threads. [M. J. B.] 



POLYADELPHOUS. Having many par- 

 cels of stamens. 



i POLYANTHUS. An umbellate-flowered 

 variety of Primula vulgaris, cultivated as 

 a garden flower. 



POLYBOTRYA. A genus of tropical 

 ferns of the tribe Acrostichece, occurring 

 both in the eastern and western hemi- 

 spheres. It is known by the dimorphous 

 pinnate or bi-tripinnate fronds, the fertile 

 ones having linear contracted segments, 

 with one or both surfaces covered by spore- 

 cases ; the veins are simple or forked, or 

 pinnate from a central costa. Bhipidopteris 

 ; differs in its flabellately-forked veins, and 

 ' Elaplwglossum and Lomariopsis in the pa- 

 rallel forked veins : these with Polybotrya 

 being the only free-veined genera of the 

 tribe Acrostichece. [T. MJ 



POLYCAE.PON. A small genus of Ille- 

 I cebracece found in the warmer parts of the 

 temperate zone in both hemispheres. They 

 are small plants (usually annual), with op- 

 posite or verticillate oblong ovalor obovate 

 leaves, and extremely numerous minute 

 flowers in dense corymbose very compound 

 cymes : the stipules and bracts small and 

 scarious. P.tetrapliyllum, which has three 

 stamens, and the lower leaves four in a 

 whorl, occurs in the south-western coun- 

 ties of England. [J. T. S.] 



POLYCAPlPOUS. Having the power of 

 bearing fruit many times without perish- 

 ing ; also, and more properly, bearing 

 many distinct fruits or carpels in each 

 flower. 



POLYCHOPtlON. A polycarpous fruit 

 like that of Banunculus. 



POLYCHB.OA. A name given by Lou- 

 reiro to a procumbent herb found wild in 

 China and Cochin China, and also cultivated 

 there for its dense variegated spikes of 

 flowers. From Loureiro's imperfect de- 

 scription it has been supposed by some 

 botanists to be a species of Amaranthus, 

 which others consider as very doubtful. 



POLYCLADIA. The same as Plica. 



POLYCNEMUM. A small genus of Ama- 



ranihacece, found in Europe and temperate 



Asia. They are procumbent branched pu- 



; berulent annuals, with sessile somewhat 



imbricated awl-shaped mucronate leaves, 



scarious at the margin ; and axillary nearly 

 | sessile flowers, with two bracts at the base, - 

 ! calyx of five sepals ; stamens three (rarely 

 one to five) ; styles two ; ovary one-celled ; 

 capsule oval-compressed, indehiscent, one- 

 seeded. [J. T. S.] 



POLYCOTYLEDONOUS. Having more 

 cotyledons than two. 



POLYFLOPtOUS. A barbarism for Mul- 

 tiflorous. 



POLYGALACE.E. (Polygalece, Krameria- 

 cece, Soulamea?, Trigoniacece, Milkicorts.) 

 A natural order of thalamifloral dicotyle- 

 dons belonging to Lindley's sapindal alli- 

 ance of hypogynous Exogens. Shrubs or 

 herbs with alternate or opposite exstinu- 

 late leaves; sepals five, very irregular, 

 three exterior of which one is superior, 

 two interior usually petaloid, lateral ; pe- 

 tals unequal, usually three, of which one 

 is anterior and larger, and two alternate 

 with the upper and lateral sepals, the an- 

 terior petal, called the keel, is often crest- 

 ed ; stamens eight, monadelphous or dia- 

 delphous ; anthers clavate, usually one- 

 celled, opening by pores ; ovary mostly 

 two-celled, the ovules solitary, rarely two ; 

 seeds pendulous, strophiolate at thehilum. 

 They are found in all quarters of the globe. 

 The flowers have a resemblance to Papilio- 

 nacew ; they are distinguished, however, 

 by the odd petal being inferior, and the 

 sepal superior. They are generally bitter, 

 and their roots yield a milky juice. There 

 are about a score of genera, and over 500 

 species. Examples: Polygala, Securidaca, 

 Trigonia : see also Krameria. [J. H. B.] 



POLYGALA. A well-known and exten- 

 sive genus of plants constituting the type 

 of the Polygalaceee. The technical name, 

 signifying 'much milk,' was applied from 

 thefact that the lacteal secretion of animals 

 that feed on these plants is increased there- 

 by. Some of the Milkworts, moreover, pos- 

 sess milky juice in their roots. The species 

 are distributed widely over most parts of 

 the globe, and occur as herbaceous plants 

 or shrubs, with entire leaves, and very ir- 

 regular flowers arranged in racemes. Se- 

 pals five, persistent, the two lateral ones 

 (sometimes called wings) larger than the 

 others, and frequently petal-like ; petals 

 three to five, the lowest keel-shaped, all 

 united below to the tube of the stamens; 

 stamens eight.united below, dividingabove 

 into two parcels, each bearing four anthers 

 opening by pores ; ovary and capsule flat, 

 two-celled, with a single seed in each com- 

 partment. The seeds are downy, and have 

 a small wart-like process at one end. 



Many of the species have medicinal pro- 

 perties. Thus P. vulgaris, P. amara, P. glan- 

 dulosa, P. Poaya, P. sanguinea, and many 

 others, are mentioned as having more or 

 less powerful emeticproperties. P. rubella 

 is esteemed as an excellent bitter tonic 

 and diaphoretic. P. amara and P. vulgaris 

 have been used in cases of long-standing 

 catarrh. P. Chamcebuxus is stimulant, 

 tonic, and expectorant. P. tinctoria is so 

 called from its yielding a purple dye like 



