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and its pods scarcely one inch long, con- 

 stricted between the seeds, and covered 

 with glandular hairs. It is a native of 

 Mexico and Panama, [A. SJ 



RHYXCHOSPERMUM verticillatum is 

 a Javanese composite plant related to 

 Erigeron, from which it differs in the 

 shortly-beaked achenes, as well as in the 

 pappus-hairs being twisted or inflexed at 

 the apex. It is described as being a smooth 

 perennial, the ultimate branches whorled, 

 the leaves shortly stalked and lanceolate, 

 and the stalked terminal flower-heads al- 

 most the size of peas, with strap-shaped 

 and fertile outer florets in two or three 

 series, and tubular perfect inner florets. 

 Only one species is known. For the well- 

 known Rhynchospermum jasminoides of 

 gardens, see Parechites. [A. A. B.] 



RHYXCHOSPORA. A genus of Cype- 

 racece belonging to the tribe Bhyncho- 

 sporece. The inflorescence is generally in 

 clustered spikelets forming terminal or 

 axillary heads. Each spikelet contains 

 from one to nine flowers; glumes imbri- 

 cated round the axis, the lower or outer 

 empty, the upper containing flowers ; 

 stamens three, rarely two or one ; styles 

 j cleft flattened and thickened at the base. 

 Steudel describes 121 species, which are 

 distributed over North and South America. 

 Australia, &c. The European representa- 

 tives, R. alba and R. fasca, grow on wet 

 spongy bogs, the former frequent but the 

 latter rare in Britain, and hitherto only 

 observed in a few places. [D. M.] 



RHYXCHOSTEMOX. A name given to 

 two small West Australian bushes belong- 

 ing to the Byttneriacece, differing from 

 Thomasia only in the anthers being pro- 

 longed into a short beak— whence the name, 

 signifying ' beaked stamen.' They have 

 alternate stalked leaves with spear-shaped 

 blades, clothed, like the young twigs, with 

 glandular hairs ; and their pretty pink 

 flowers are disposed in racemes towards 

 the ends of the twigs, and greatly re- 

 semble those of Tlwmasia. [A. A. B.] 



RHYXCHOTHECA. A genus of Oxali- 

 daceai peculiar to the Ancles of South 

 America, and consisting of two species, 

 both spiny shrubs, with square branches, 

 oblong leaves, and pedunculate flowers 

 crowded towards the apex of the branches. 

 The calyx is composed of Ave sepals, the 

 corolla is entirely wanting, the stamens 

 eighteen, the style very short, and the 

 carpels five, each containing two ovules. 

 R. diversifolia grows in hedges. ["B. S.] 



RHYTACHXE. A genus of grasses be- 

 longing to the tribe of Rottboellea?, and 

 having the inflorescence in solitary termi- 

 nal spikes ; spikelets two-flowered, inserted 

 in notches on the rachis— the lower flower 

 hermaphrodite, the upper male; glume 

 one, thick, transversely wrinkled and 

 awned ; stamens three. Only one species 

 is described, R. rottboeUioides, which is a 

 native of the West Indies. [D. M.J 



RBYTLDOMA. A formation of plates of 



cellular tissue within the liber or meso- 

 phlceum. 



RHYTIDOPHYLLT7M. A small genus 

 of shrubby West Indian Gesneraceai, with 

 sparse leaves, hairy beneath and bullate 

 above, and long axillary flower-stalks bear- 

 ing a corymbose inflorescence. The calyx 

 has the tube adnate to the ovary, and a five- 

 parted limb ; the corolla is obliquely cam- 

 pan ulate, broad at its mouth and somewhat 

 constricted at its middle, and has a five- 

 lobed limb; the stamens are inserted high 

 up on the corolla, and are two short and 

 two long, with the rudiment of a fifth ; 

 and the disk upon the top of the ovary is 

 thick annular and sinuose. The capsule 

 is concrete with the calyx, and splits into 

 two valves at its top. [A. S.] 



RHYTIGLOSSA. A very large genus of 

 herbaceous or shrubby plants belonging 

 to the Acanthaceai, widely dispersed 

 through the tropical and warm countries 

 of the Western Hemisphere, and found 

 also at the Cape of Good Hope. Most of 

 the species have terminal flower-spikes 

 and reddish flowers, usually with narrow 

 bracts resembling but shorter than the 

 divisions of the calyx, or rarely with 

 broad overlapping bracts. The calyx is 

 four or five-parted ; the corolla two-lipped ; 

 the stamens two; and the stigma simple 

 and sharp-pointed. R. pectoralis is one of 

 the commonest of the American species, 

 being found in most of the West India 

 Islands, and in various parts of tropical 

 America, from Southern Mexico to Brazil. 

 In some of these countries an infusion or 

 tea made of the leaves is drunk to relieve 

 chest affections, or a stomachic syrup is 

 prepared by boiling them with sugar. In j 

 Martinique the French call it Herbe au 

 Charpentier. [A. S.J I 



RHYTISMA. A genus of phacidiaceous 

 Fungi, with a thin stroma, and superficial 

 irregular wrinkle-like more or less con- 

 fluent perithecia. The two most common 

 species are R. sahcinum of the willow, ' 

 and R.acerinum of the sycamore — especially 

 the latter, which forms large shining black 

 orbicular patches on the leaves, conspicu- ', 

 ous all the winter, and fructifying in the 

 spring. [M. J. B.J i 



RIB. The principal vein or nervure ! 

 which proceeds from the petiole into a j 

 leaf; also any firm longitudinal elevation. 



RIBAXD-WEED. The common name in 

 some districts of the ordinary form of 

 Laminaria saccharina. [M. J. B.] 



RIBAS. An Eastern name for Rheum 

 Ribes. 



RIBBOX-TREE. Plagianthus betulinus. 



RIBES. The principal genus of Grossu- 

 lariacece, characterised by its flowers hav- 

 ing a five-parted coloured calyx, five small 

 distinct petals, as many free stamens 

 rising from the throat of the calyx-tube ! 

 alternately with the petals, and a two to 

 four-cleft style ; and by its juicy one- | 

 celled berries, which are crowned with the < 



