PYRO] 



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941 



a dozen genera, and about a score of spe- 

 cies. Examples : Pyrola, Moneses. [J. H. B.] 



PTROLA. The typical genus of the 

 order of Wintergreens, chiefly distinguish- 

 ed from its allies by having the margins of 

 the valves of the capsule connected by a 

 web. The species are small plants, natives 

 of Northern Europe and of North America, 

 of very graceful aspect •when in flower. 

 The name is a diminutive of pyrus, a 'pear- 

 tree,' from the resemblance of the leaves 

 to those of the Pear. [G. D.] 



PYROLIRION. A genus of Amaryllida- 

 cece, consisting of a few Peruvian bulbous 

 plants, with linear leaves, and fistular 

 scapes, bearing a solitary erect orange-co- 

 loured flower, similar to Zephyranthes. 

 The perianth is campanulately funnel- 

 shaped from a short tube, with a six-parted 

 regular limb,bearing six scalesin the throat; 

 stamens six subequal, inserted below the 

 scales in the throat of the perianth ; style 

 declinate,with a trifid stigma ; ovary three- 

 celled, with many ovules. It differs from 

 Zephyranthes in the cochleariform apices 

 of the lobes of the stigma. [T. M.] 



PYRRHOSA. Under this name a genus 

 of Myristicacece has been designated, but 

 Drs. Hooker and Thomson consider it to 

 form rather a subdivision of the genus 

 Myristica, including those species with 

 flowers arranged in axillary panicles, whose 

 perianth is two to four-lobed, smooth, con- 

 cealing the column of stamens, which is 

 somewhat globular, concave at the top, 

 and covered with anthers. The mace of 

 one species, M. {Pyrrhosa) tingens, is stated 

 by Blume to stain the fingers of a reddish 

 colour. The natives of Amboyna make a 

 pigment of it with the addition of lime, for 

 the purpose of staining their teeth red. 

 The name is probably derived from the 

 fiery-red colour of the mace. [M. T. M.] 



PYRROCOMA. A name given by De- 

 candolle to a genus of Compositce which 

 has since been reduced to Aplopappus. 



PYRROS. In Greek compounds = flame- 

 coloured or fiery. 



PYRULARIA. A genus of sandalworts, 

 having the stamens on one plant, and the 

 pistils on another; the former are sur- 

 rounded by five deep revolute divisions, 

 five glands alternate with them, and five 

 stamens opposite to them ; the fertile 

 flowers have the calyx adherent to the 

 seed-vessel, and its border five-cleft. The 

 species are North American shrubs, with the 

 leaves and branches alternate, the former 

 oblong ovate and hairy ; and the flowers 

 very small, arranged in spikes. [G. D.] 



PYRTTS. A genus of Pomaceo?, consist- 

 ing of trees or shrubs with entire or pin- 

 nately-divided leaves, and showy flowers, 

 either proceeding with a few leaves from 

 buds or spurs on a former year's wood, or 

 in simple or branched corymbs at the ends 

 of the year's shoots. The calyx-tube ad- 

 heres to the ovary, and the five small 

 divisions generally persist on the top of 



the fruit. There are five petals, numerous 

 stamens, and five or fewer ovaries and 

 styles, which at the time of flowering are 

 often distinct from each other, although 

 enclosed within the calyx-tube; but as the 

 fruit enlarges the ovaries become com- 

 pletely united, and, with the thickened 

 calyx-tube, form a fleshy mass divided in 

 the centre into five or fewer cells of a 

 leathery or cartilaginous consistence,called 

 the core— each cell containing one or two 

 seeds or pips. It is the consistence of 

 this core alone that separates Pyrus, as a 

 genus, from Crataegus and others which 

 have the cells hard and bony. 



There are a considerable number of 

 species, natives of the temperate or 

 mountainous regions of the northern 

 hemisphere, chiefly in Europe and Central 

 Asia ; and several are in very extensive 

 cultivation. Amongst those with undi- 

 vided; leaves, P. communis, the Pear, and 

 P.Malus, the Apple, the badge of the La- 

 monts, have been in cultivation since the 

 times of the ancient Greeks and Romans. 

 The Siberian Crab, P. prunifolia, is planted 

 sometimes in our shrubberies. 



Amongst the cut-leaved species the most 

 important are theWhite Beam-tree, P. Aria; 

 the Wild Service-tree, P. torminalis; the 

 Mountain Ash or Rowan-tree, the badge 

 of the M'Lachlans, P. Aucuparia ; and the 

 cultivated Service-tree, P. Sorbus— all na- 

 tives of Europe and temperate Asia, and, 

 except the last, indigenous to Britain. 



The above trees mostly supply a hard 

 wood, although few of them attain a suffi- 

 cient size to be considered as timber-trees. 

 One species, P. Chamcemespilus, not unfre- 

 quent in the mountains of Central Europe, 

 is never more than a bush, and sometimes 

 flowers and fruits when not above six 

 inches or a foot from the ground. 



The Apple, P. Malus, is called in its wild 

 state the Crab, and from this the vast 

 number of cultivated varieties have origi- 

 nated. The leaves are acutely serrated or 

 crenated, more or less downy beneath ; 

 and the flowers grow in corymbs, and have 

 glabrous styles. The fruit, generally con- 

 cave at the base, is well known; in some 

 varieties it is sweet, in others acid ; and 

 some of the cider-apples are a mixture of 

 bitter and sweet, or, as termed by the 

 French, amer-doux. The tree is deciduous, 

 and attains the height of from twenty to 

 forty or fifty feet. The Apple was called 

 by the Greeks Mela, by the Romans Ma- 

 lum : the latter, it may be observed, ap- 

 plied the term Pomum to any round fleshy 

 fruit. Decandolle states {Geographic Bo- 

 tanique, p. 890) that the root of nearly 

 all the names of the apple is Ao, Ap, Al, 

 Aff: for example, the Tartars, Hungarians, 

 and Turks call the fruit Alma (a memora- 

 ble name), the Bretons Aval or Avelen, the 

 "Welsh Afalen, the Germans Apfel ; and 

 analogous to this is our English name, 

 and those of other nations in the north of 

 Europe— as Saxon, Appl or Appil ; Dutch, 

 Appel ; Danish, Aeble ; Swedish, Aple. 



The Apple in its wild state exists in most 

 countries of Europe, and also in the region 



