raph] 



(Eljs <£reatfurg at 2iJfltauj). 



960 



the third, R. Ruffia, is only known as a 

 cultivated plant in Madagascar and the 

 neighbouring islands. All three inhabit 

 low swampy lands in the vicinity of the 

 sea, or river-banks within the influence of 

 the tides. They have stout unarmed 

 ringed trunks of no great height, and 

 bear gigantic pinnate spiny leaves, often 

 fifty or more feet in length, and erect, so 

 that the entire trees are sometimes sixty 

 or seventy feet high. The flower-spikes 

 are also of large size and much-branched, 

 hanging down from amongst the leaves, 

 and measuring as much as six feet in 

 length; the branches being arranged in 

 two opposite rows, and the ultimate ones 

 bearing the flowers resembling flattened 

 catkins. Both sexes are borne on the 

 same spike. The fruit-spikes sometimes 

 weigh as much as 200 lbs. or 300 lbs., and 

 bear a large number of one-seeded fruits 

 rather larger than eggs, covered with 

 shining bony overlapping scales. 



The Jupati Palm, R. tcedigera, has cylin- 

 drical leafstalks, which measure from 

 twelve to fifteen feet in length, and are 

 used by the natives of the Amazon for 



MONTAGUES, or DES MOINES. Rumex 

 alpinus. — VULGAIRE. Centaurea Jacea. 



RAPPADURA. 

 made in Mexico. 



A coarse kind of sugar 



RAPUNCULUS. Campanula Rapunculus- 



RAPUNTIBM. Lobelia. 



RAQUETTE. (Fr.) Opuntia vulgaris. 



RARAK. The Malayan name for the 

 Soap-berry, Sapindus emarginatus. 



RARE, RARF/S. Thinly placed; the 

 reverse of such terms as dense, approxi- 

 mated, &c. 



RASAMALA. An Eastern name for Lir 

 quidambar Altingia. 



RASPAILIA. A genus of Bruniacece, 

 distinguished by the calyx being free, its 

 tube bell-shaped, and its border having 

 five acute segments with hard ends. The 

 corolla consists of five petals, which are 

 obovate and erect ; the ovary is free and 

 two-celled. The only species is a small 

 shrub, a native of the Cape. The genus 



variety of purposes ; the walls and parti- was named after Raspail, a French writer 



tions of their houses being often con 

 structed of them, while baskets, boxes, 

 &c, are made of strips of the smooth 

 outer portion. R. vinifera, the Bamboo 

 Palm, is employed for similar purposes by 

 the Africans, who also make very pliable 

 cloth and neat baskets of the undeveloped 

 leaves. Palm-wine is obtained from it/ 

 whence its Latin specific name. [A. S.] 



RAPHIDA, RAPHIDES. Crystals of 

 various salts formed in the interior of 

 plants by the combination of vegetable 

 acids with alkaline bases. They derive 

 their name from being in many cases aci- 

 cular, or needle-shaped. 



RAPHIOSTYLIS. A name proposed by 

 Planchon for a tropical African tree of 

 the order Olacacece, which has since been 

 united with Apodytes, differing from the 

 other species of the latter genus only in 

 its axillary inflorescence. 



RAPHISTEMMA. A genus of Asclepia- 

 daceos, consisting of two species from 

 Eastern India and Java. They are both 

 tall climbers, with large opposite cordate 

 leaves, and rather showy white campanu- 

 late flowers in axillary corymbs. The 

 genus is chiefly characterised by the sta- 

 minal corona, consisting of five distinct 

 ligulate petal-like scales, inflected at the 

 top, and as long as the tube of the corolla. 



RAPISTRUM. A genus of Cruciferce in- 

 habiting Southern Europe and CentralAsia; 

 annuals or perennials, with a more rigid 

 habit, and much shorter pods in larger 

 racemes, than Raphanus. The pods are two- 

 jointed with one-celled joints, the lower 

 stalk-like obconic one-seeded or empty; 

 the upper subglobose one-seeded, termi- 

 nated by the filiform style. [J. T. S.] 



RAFONCULE. (Fr.) Phyteuma. 



RAPONTIQUE. (Fr.) Rheum. — DES 



on Botany, &c. 



[G. DJ 



RASPBERRY. The fragrant subacid 

 fruit of Rubus Idceus. 



RASPBERRY-JAM TREE. The Stink- 

 ing Acacia of Central and Western Ame- 

 rica, from which is obtained a hard heavy 

 wood, with an odour resembling raspberry 

 jam. 



RATA. A New Zealand name for one of 

 the hardwooded species of Metrosideros.- 



RATANHIA. A Peruvian name for the 

 drug called Rhatany-root, the root of Kra- 

 meria triandra. 



RATIBIDA. A synonym of Obeliscaria, 

 sometimes used in gardens. 



RATMARA. An Indian name for one of 

 the dyeing lichens. 



RATONIA. A genus of Sapindacew, con- 

 sisting of a few pinnate-leaved trees of 

 East Tropical Australia, the Philippines, 

 and the West Indies. Some of the species 

 were formerly placed in Cupania, from 

 which, as now defined by Dr. Hooker, they 

 differ in the calyx-segments being valvate 

 in the bud, instead of overlapping each 

 other. The leaves are smooth, formed of two 

 to seven pairs of oblong-lanceolate leaflets ; 

 and the minute greenish flowers, disposed 

 in axillary or terminal panicles, have five 

 calyx-segments, five scale-like petals. (or 

 none), eight to ten stamens, and a tritid 

 style surmounting a three-celled ovary, 

 which becomesatwo or three-lobed leathery 

 capsule, each cell with a single black seed 

 having a yellow aril at its base. R. apetala, 

 a common West Indian plant, forms a tree 

 of about twenty feet high, and is known in 

 Jamaica as Bastard Locust. [A. A. B.] 



RATOON. 

 Sugar Cane. 



The young shoots of the 



Jr /"7 iiyiJ'njJu^. 



