9S3 



Clje Ereasurg rjf Botany. 



[rich 



The Black Currant, R. nigrum, bears 

 short lax racemes of large black berries, 

 which are much prized for domestic use, 

 both as a preserve and medicine. [R. T.J 



RIBESIACEiE. Another name for the 

 Grossulariacece. 



RIBWORT. Plantago lanceolata. 



RIBWORTS. Lindley's name for the 

 Plantaginacece. 



RICCIACE.E. A natural order of liver- 

 worts with a valveless capsule sunk in the 

 ; substance of the frond, rarely free, sur- 

 | rounded by or adnate with the veil, with 

 I or without additional envelopes, at length 

 j bursting irregularly, or opening by a ter- 

 minal pore, and producingnumerous spores 

 without elaters. Most of the plants are 

 horizontal, but Riella has an erect frond. 

 At first sight they might seem to have 

 some affinity to Endocarpon, but the vege- 

 tation and formation of the fruit (which 

 take place,as in the case of pollen-grains, by 

 repeated cell-division) are entirely differ- 

 ent ; besides which the structure of the 

 frond is diverse from that of the thallus 

 of any lichen. Warm countries are their 

 favourite abode, but there are some which 

 delight as much in temperate regions. 

 Most of them grow upon the surface of the 

 soil like Ma.TCha.nt ia, but several are always 

 immersed in or float freely on the surface 

 of water, while a few grow on the trunks 

 of trees. In Corsinia there is a chaffy com- 

 pound involucre ; in Cronisia the involucre 

 consists of two or sometimes of three boat- 

 like leaves. [M. J. B.] 



RICCIA The typical genus of the na- 

 ; tural order Riedacece, with a horizontal 

 i more or less forked lichen-like frond, which 

 : adheres closely to the soil or to the trunks 

 of trees, or floats on the surface of pools. 

 The same species may exist in all the three 

 situations with slight modifications. R. 

 gluuca is extremely common on calcareous 

 soil, though often overlooked, while R. nu- 

 tans andfluitans are commonin fen-ditches. 

 I The latter has a narrow repeatedly forked 

 ! frond, the former a shorter broader frond 

 - with numerous flat processes beneath hang- 

 1 ing down into the water, which make 

 ; admirable subjects for the microscope, es- 

 ; pecially when treated with various chemi- 

 | cal substances. [M. J. B.] 



RICCIN. (Fr.) Ricinus communis. 



RICE. Orijza sativa. — , CANADA. Zi- 

 zania aquatica. — FALSE. An American 

 name for Leersia. — , HUNGRY. Paspa- 

 lum exile. — , INDIAN. Au American 

 name for Zizania. —, MILLET. Panicum 

 colonum. — , MOUNTAIN. An awnless 

 upland variety of Oryza sativa, grown 

 without irrigation on the Himalayas, in 

 Cochin China, &c. ; also an American name 

 for Oryzopsis. — , PETTY. A Peruvian 

 name for the seeds of Chenopodium Quinoa. 

 — WATER, or WILD. Zizania aquatica. 



RICE-PAPER. A peculiar kind of trans- 

 parent paper manufactured in China from 

 the pith of Aralia papyrifera, and used for ' 



painting on by native artists. — , MALAY 

 Scmvola Taccada. 



RICHARDIA. A genus of Aracew, con- 

 taining a well-known species often culti- 

 vated as a drawing-room ornament under 

 the name of the White Arum or Trumpet 

 Lily. It is a native of the Cape of Good 

 Hope, and throws up from the root a num- 

 ber of hastate leaves borne on long sheath- 

 ing stalks; the spadix is also stalked, its 

 spa the large, rolled round below but flat- 

 tened and bent backwards above, and of a 

 dead-white hue. The spadix itself is com- 

 pletely covered with flowers. At the upper 

 part are the very numerous yellow anthers, 

 which have a wide wedge-shaped connec- 

 tive between their two cells, and which 

 open by two pores. The ovaries occupy 

 the lower part, and are mixed up with a 

 number of barren stamens ; each ovary 

 has three parietal placentae, and is partially 

 subdivided into three compartments; the 

 style is short, the stigma roundish and 

 glandular. The fruits consist of one-celled 

 few-seeded berries. This plant is deserved- 

 ly a favourite from its elegant appearance, 

 and the contrast presented by its deep- 

 green leaves, its snow-white spathe, and 

 its bright yellow spadix. The genus is 

 named in compliment to an eminent French 

 botanist. [M. T. M.] 



RICHARDSONIA. A genus of tropical 

 American herbs belonging to the C'incho- 

 nacew. They are trailing plants, with 

 woody roots, covered with a thick rough 

 rind. The flowers are clustered together in i 

 heads at the ends of the branches, and are ' 

 invested by an involucre of four bracts. 

 The calyx-limb is divided into from four 

 to seven nearly equal teeth ; the corolla is 

 funnel-shaped, and its limb divided into 

 from three to five lance-shaped segments ; 

 there are from three to five stamens pro- 

 truding from the throat of the corolla, 

 near to which they are attached; and the 

 stigma is divided into three or four thick 

 almost club-like divisions. The fruit is 

 membranous, and divides into three or 

 four one-seeded segments, which are them- 

 selves indehiscent. The root of R. scabra 

 has emetic properties, and has been em- 

 ployed in medicine under the name of 

 White Ipecacuanha. These roots are small- 

 er than those of the true Ipecacuanha, des- 

 titute of the circular rings characteristic 

 of the genuine drug, and less certain and 

 active in their effects. [M. T. M.J 



RICHEA. The four species of this genus 

 of JSpacridacece are found in the mountains 

 of Tasmania, one only, R. Gunnii,occurring 

 elsewhere, and that only in the neighbour- 

 ing mountains of Victoria in South Austra- 

 lia. Some grow to a considerable height, 

 and are crowned with atuft of long ribbon- 

 like leaves resembling those of screwpines, 

 while others are scarcely more than afoot 

 high, and have short erect leaves ; in all 

 the species, however, the leaves are hard 

 stiff and sharp-pointed, and are without 

 stalks, their broad bases clasping the , 

 branches and overlapping each other, I 



