P3EN 



Zty Creatfurp nf aSotanj), 



928 



cew, limited to the tropical and subtro- 

 pical regions of the Old World, extend- 

 ing to Northern Australia and the Pacific 

 Islands. They are shrubs or trees, with 

 small flowers in terminal trichotomous 

 panicles, or in opposite cymes or clusters 

 forming a spike-like thyrse. The calyx is 

 truncate or sinuately toothed ; the corolla 

 tube is short, and the limb spreading, with 

 four or rarely five lobes which are nearly 

 equal or slightly two-lipped : there are four 

 stamens, usually shorter than the corolla ; 

 and the ovary is four-celled, with pendu- 

 lous or laterally attached ovules, the style 

 having two acute stigrnatic lobes. The 

 fruit is a drupe. [W. C] 



PRENANTHES. A genus of Composilce 

 of the suborder Cich iracea, nearly allied to 

 Crepis, and with a similar sessile pappus , 

 but the slender cylindrical involucre has 

 onlyfourto six nearly equal bracts orscales 

 surrounded by a few small ones at their 

 base, and containsonly three to five florets. 

 The genus is now restricted to a very few 

 European or Asiatic herbs. Amongst them 

 P. purpurea, common in mountainous or 

 hilly woods in Central and Southern Eu- 

 rope, is a tall erect herb with oblong-lan- 

 ceolate stem-clasping leaves; and a large 

 loose terminal panicle of elegantly droop- 

 ing purple flower-heads. 



PREPUSA. A genus of the family Gen- 

 ticmacece, represented by a Brazilian shrub, 

 with handsome flowers arranged in ter- 

 minal leafy clusters. The calyx is bell- 

 shaped, coloured, six-cleft, and winged ; 

 the corolla bell-shaped, with a short tube, 

 deciduous ; stamens six, inserted into the 

 throat of the corolla; ovary one-celled, 

 surrounded at the base by a fleshy disk ; 

 fruit two-valved. P. Hookeriana bears fine 

 crimson and whitish flowers. The generic 

 name is derived from the Greek word prepo, 

 ' I am handsome.' [M. T. MJ 



PRESCOTTIA. A small tropical Ame- 

 rican and West Indian genus of the 

 Neottece tribe of orchids, the species of 

 which are terrestrial, and have tufted 

 roots, rosulate or single leaves, and a ter- 

 minal sheathed scape bearing a dense cy- 

 lindrical spike of green flowers, which 

 have the lateral sepals connate with the 

 lip into a sac, the lip being fleshy cucul- 

 late and entire, with a couple of ears at its 

 base. [A. S.] 



PRESLIA. A genus of LaMatce, having 

 the calyx ovate equal and four-toothed, 

 and the border of the corolla of four 

 entire and equal lobes. The only species 

 is a prostrate herbaceous plant, growing 

 in marshy places in the southern parts of 

 Europe, having sessile narrow leaves, and 

 whorls of pale-purple flowers. The genus 

 was named after C. B. and J. S. Presl, 

 botanists of Prague. [G. DJ 



PRETREA. A genus of Pedaliacere, con- 

 sisting of only one species, P. zanzibarica, 

 inhabiting the sandy shores of Eastern 

 Africa. It is a procumbent herb, with 

 opposite sinuato-pinnatifid leaves, the 



lobes of which terminate in spines, and 

 axillary peduncles producing one flower of 

 a pink colour; a five-cleft calyx, a nearly 

 campanulate corolla, four stamens, and a 

 nut-like fruit with two horns, and one or 

 two seeds. [B. s.] 



PRIAPEE. (Pr.) Nicotiana rustica. 



PRICKET, or PRICK-MADAM. Sedum 

 acre, album, and reflexum. 



PRICKLES. Hard conical sharp eleva- 

 tions of the epidermis or epiphloeum : 

 hence prickly, furnished with prickles, as 

 the stem of a rose. 



PRICKLE-YELLOW. The Xantlwxylon 

 Clava Herculis. 



PRICKLY-PEAR. Opuntia Tuna, and 



vulgaris. 



PRICKLY-POLE. A West Indian name 

 for Bactris Plumieriana. 



PRICKLY-WITHE. Cereus triangularis. 

 PRICK-TIMBER, or PRICKWOOD. The 

 wood of Euonymus europceus. 

 PRIDE OP INDIA. Helia Azedarach. 



PRIESTLEYA. A genus of Leguminosce 

 of the suborder Papilionacea>. and tribe Ge- ! 

 nistea;, consisting of South African shrubs, 

 with alternate simple and entire leaves i 

 without stipules, and yellow flowers in ter- \ 

 minal heads or racemes, or rarely scattered 

 in the axils of the leaves. They have a ; 

 five-lobed calyx ; a rounded vexillum and 

 curved carina; the stamens are diadelph- 

 ous, the upper one free, the others united in I 

 a sheath ; and the pod is flat, with several 

 seeds. There are fifteen species known, ' 

 none of them of any special interest, al- | 

 though some are rather showy. 



PRIESTLEY'S GREEN MATTER. A I 

 name given to the green organised crust ! 

 which occurs at the base of walls or shaded 

 trees and leaves, or in other situations 

 where the direct sunlight does not pene- 

 trate. It consists either of the infant con- 

 dition of certain lichens and alga?, or of 

 minute species of Palmellece. It has been 

 considered by the advocates of spontaneous 

 generation as mere organisable gelatine, 

 waiting for conditions favourable to its de- 

 velopment into plants or animals, or into 

 germs capable of mutations from one king- 

 dom, genus, or species into another. Such 

 notions, however, depend for the most part 

 eiiher on imperfect observations or on im- 

 perfect knowledge. [M. J. B.j 



PRIESTS-CROWN. 

 leonis. 



Taraxacum Dens- 



PRIEST'S-PINTLE. Arum maculatum. 

 PRIMARIUS. The first part developed ; 

 or the principal division of any organ. 



PRIMEROLE, or PRIMET. Primula 

 vulgaris 



PRIMEROLLE. (Fr.) Primula vulgaris. 



PRIMEVERE. (Fr.) Primula. —CAN- 



