QTJAS] 



Wqz Crca^itrg of 28ntan». 



948 



putation among the natives as to be almost 

 ■worshipped by some, and suspected of 

 magic by others. The tree now forms a 

 genus of Simarubacece. Its distinguishing 

 characteristics reside in the presence of 

 hermaphrodite five-parted flowers, of ten 

 stamens longer than the petals, and of five 

 fleshy drupes in the fruit. 



Q. amara is a lofty tree, described as 

 similar in appearance to the common ash. 

 The leaves are unequally pinnate, the com- 

 mon stalk being winged and jointed ; and 

 the flowers are large, red in colour, and 

 arranged in terminal clusters. It is cul- 

 tivated in the West Indies, &c, and may 

 occasionally be seen in the hothouses of the 

 curious. The wood of this plant was at one 

 time employed in this country, under the 

 name of Surinam Quassia; but it appears 

 to be no longer imported for medicinal 

 purposes, the Quassia in use being furnished 

 by the allied Picrcena excelsa. The wood 

 is destitute of smell, but has an intensely 

 bitter taste, on which account it was used 

 as a tonic. The root has been considered 

 a valuable remedy in dysentery, as also 

 the bark. The flowers too are stated to 

 have been employed as stomachics in Suri- 

 nam. It is probable that many of the uses 

 and virtues ascribed to this plant are more 

 properly to be referred to the Jamaica 

 Quassia, Picr^na, or to the Simaruba : 

 which see. [M. T. M.] 



QUASSIA-CHIPS. The wood of Picrcena. 

 excelsa. 



QUATELE. (Pr.) Lecijthis. 



QTJATEENI, QUATERNATE. Growing 

 t in fours. 



QUATRE-EPICES. (Fr.) Nigella sativa ; 

 also Calycanthus. 



QUEEN-OF-THE-MEADOWS. Spircea 

 Ulmaria. 



QUEEN-OF-THE-PRAIRIE. Spircea lo- 

 bata. 



QUEEN'S-CUSHION. A provincial name 

 for Saxifraga hypnoides. 



I QUEEN'S-DELIGHT, or QUEEN'S-ROOT. 

 , A North American name for Stillingia svl- 

 | vatica. 



j QUEKETTIA. A vandeous genus of 

 orchids related to lonopsis, but with the 



! habit of a Pleurotliallis. It consists of a 



j single species, Q. microscopica, a little Bra- 

 zilian epiphyte with terete leaves, and a 

 terminal panicle of minute flowers, which 

 have thin erect equal sepals and petals, the 

 lateral sepals slightly joined and gibbous 

 at the base; an undivided lip convolute 

 round the column, and furnished with a 

 couple of callosities in its excavated base ; 

 a long narrow column with two long mem- 

 branous recurved ears hanging down from 

 its apex ; and a one-celled anther contain- 

 ing two spherical pollen-masses, hollowed 

 out behind, and attached by a narrow cau- 

 dicle to a minute gland. Its flowers abound 

 in raphides, and are beautiful objects 



j under the microscope ; whence the specific 



name of the plant, and whence, also, the 

 genus has been named after Mr. Quekett, 

 the eminent microscopist. [A. S.] 



QUELTIA. A subgenus of Narcissi, of 

 which Narcissus monionus may betaken as 

 the type. They are distinguished by their 

 subcylindrical perianth-tube and their 

 short coronet ; by their filaments being un- 

 equally adnate to the upper part of the 

 tube ; and by their attenuated style. They 

 are called Mock Narcissi. [T. M.] 



QUENNERON. (Fr.) Anthemis Cotula. 

 QUENOT. (Fr.) Cerasus Mahaleb. 

 QUENOUILLE. (Fr.) Typlia latifolia. 



— DES PRES. Cirsium oleraceum. 

 QUENOUILLETTE. (Fr.) Atractylis. 



— LAINEUSE. Kentrophyllum lanatum. 

 QUERCITRON. Quercus tinctoria. 



QUERCUS. The technical name of the 

 Oak, derived it is said from the Celtic qiter 

 ' fine,' and cuez 'tree.' The genus belongs 

 to the order Corylacece, and consists of 

 trees and shrubs which bear monoecious 

 flowers, the males in long slender pendu- 

 lous catkins, with five to twelve stamens 

 surrounded by narrow scales, sometimes 

 united into an irregular perianth ; and the 

 females solitary or clustered, each placed 

 within an involucre, or capsule, which is 

 covered with small overlapping scales on 

 the outside, which involucre forms the 

 « cup ' of the ripe fruit or acorn. The peri- 

 anth of the female flower is adherent to the 

 ovary, and is more or less six-lobed. The 

 ovary itself has three cells or compart- 

 ments, each containing two pendulous 

 ovules, and is surmounted by athree-lobed 

 style. As the ovary ripens into the fruit, 

 two of the three compartments and five 

 of the six ovules become obliterated, so 

 that in the ripe fruit or acorn there is but 

 one cavity containing a single seed. 



The genus comprises numerous species, 

 distributed widely over the northern he- 

 misphere, and found also in Java and the 

 mountains of Mexico and South America. 

 Although much variety exists in the out- 

 ward appearance of these trees, yet the 

 acorns and their cups are sufficient to dis- 

 tinguish the genus from its allies. One 

 species from Guatemala, however, Q. Skin- 

 neri, is remarkable for presenting a resem- 

 blance to the Walnut (Juglans) in itslobed 

 and wrinkled seed-leaves or cotyledons. 



As these trees vary extremely not only 

 in the form of their leaves and general 

 appearance, but also in the shape of their 

 fruits, there is great difficulty in discrimi- 

 nating the species, and a like discrepancy 

 between the opinions of various botanists 

 as to their limits. The chief points relied 

 on as furnishing distinctive characters are 

 the following : viz., the time required for 

 the maturation of the acorns, one or two 

 years as the case may be ; the nature of 

 the cup and its investing scales; and the 

 shape and colour of the acorns. The leaves 

 also furnish important characters: for in- 

 stance, they may be deciduous or ever- 



