RYTl] 



Qtfyt Crcagurg at 2Sctang. 



1002 



habit, natives of the Moluccas. The flowers 

 are in branched clusters frequently uni- 

 sexual, owing to the abortive condition of 

 the ovaries, which are reduced to the con- 

 dition of villous tubercles. The petals are 

 five, entire ; stamens ten, all fertile, united 

 below into a cup by means of their fila- 

 ments ; ovaries three, one-celled, each with 

 a single pendulous ovule ; styles three ; 

 fruit in three divisions, or fewer by abor- 

 tion, coherent in the axis of the flower, 

 prolonged at the top into a wing-like pro- 

 cess, which is thickened on its upper mar- 

 gin, while its sides are beset with tubercles, 

 whence the name of the genus. [M.T.M.] 



RYTIDEA. The name of a tropical Afri- 

 can shrub of the family Cinchonacece. The 

 flowers are tufted, in terminal spikes ; the 

 bracts and calyx hairy. The corolla is 

 smooth, funnel-shaped, its limb divided 

 into five oval spreading lobes ; anthers 

 Ave, sessile. Fruit somewhat fleshy, 

 crowned by the limb of. the calyx, one- 

 celled, one-seeded. [M. T. M.] 



RYTIDOPHYLLTTM. A genus of Gesne- 

 racecB, principally found in the West Indies, 

 and consisting of shrubby or even arbores- 

 cent plants. The leaves are alternate, and 

 more or less of an ovate shape ; and the 

 flowers appear in axillary cymes, and are 

 generally white, greenish, or pale yellow. 

 The calyx is five-cleft, with ovate or oblong 

 segments; the corolla cyathiform and 

 oblique ; the stamens scarcely projecting 

 beyond the corolla; and the ovary im- 

 mersed in the calyx is surrounded by a 

 glandular ring. The different species con- 

 stitute part of the undergrowth in virgin 

 forests. [B. S.] 



SABADILLA. The same as Cevadilla, 

 the seeds of Asagrcea officinalis. 



SABAL. Next to Cliamcerops, this is 

 the most northern genus of Palmacece, one 

 of its representatives, S. Palmetto, reaching 

 in Carolina as far north as latitude 34° 36'. 

 Eight or nine species are described, but 

 their botanical characters are very imper- 

 fectly known, and even the native country 

 of the species so long cultivated in English 

 gardens is uncertain ; though, as all the 

 other species are natives of the "West In- 

 dies and the southern regions of North 

 America, it is probable that it originally 

 came from one of those countries. Some 

 species have stout stems from twenty to 

 thirty feet high, while others are either 

 stemless or have short creeping stems. 

 Their leaves are large, fan-shaped and 

 plaited, and much cut at the edge, with 

 fibrous threads hanging from between the 

 segmeuts ; and their flower-spikes are irre- 

 gularly branched and bear perfect flowers, 

 possessing a cup-shaped three-cut calyx, 

 three petals, six nearly distinct stamens, 

 and three ovaries, which are at first dis- 

 tinct but at length coalesce and bear a 

 three-sided style and round-headed stisma. 

 They produce round or deeply two or three- 

 lobed dark-green fruits, containing single 

 horny seeds. 



The soft interior of the very short stem 

 of S. Adansoni is eaten in the Southern 

 States of America, and its leaves are used 

 for platting into hats resembling what are 

 called 'chip-hats' in this country— as also 

 are those of the Palmetto (S. Palmetto), a 

 native of the same locality. In Mexico 

 the leaves^f S. mexicana are applied to the 

 same use and are likewise made into mats, 

 the trees being regularly cultivated for the 

 purpose. [A. S.] 



SABBATIA. A genus of North American 

 herbs of the gentian family. The flowers 

 are in terminal corymbs. The calyx is 

 divided into from five to twelve narrow seg- 

 ments ; the corolla is rotate and deciduous, 

 its limb divided into as many lobes as the 

 calyx ; while to its tube are attached an 

 equal number of stamens, which ultimately 

 turn back ; stigmas two, linear, ultimately 

 twisted in a spiral manner. The fruit is a 

 one-celled capsule, opening when ripe by 

 two valves, and containing numerous very 

 small seeds. The young stems of S. angu- 

 laris are used in the North American States 

 as a vermifuge. S. stellaris is in cultiva- 

 tion. [M. T. MJ 



SABDARIPPA. Ribisms Sabdariffa, call- 

 ed Red Sorrel in theWest and Rozelle in the 

 East Indies, where it is used in tarts, jellies, 

 and salads, and to form a cooling drink. 



SABIACE^!. A small order of dicotyle- 

 dons, nearly allied to Sapindacea and^wa- 

 cardiacem in the structure of the ovary 

 fruit and seeds, but differing essentially 

 in the stamens being equal in number and 

 opposite to the petals, two of the stamens 

 being usually much larger than the others 

 and perfect, the two or three others much 

 smaller and often without anthers.' The spe- 

 cies are all tropical, and form trees shrubs 

 or woody climbers,with alternate simple or 

 pinnate leaves without stipules, and small 

 flowers usually paniculate. They are not 

 numerous, distributed into four genera, of 

 which Sabia is Asiatic, Phoxanthus and 

 Opliiocaryon American, and Meliosma com- 

 mon to both the New and the Old Worlds. 



SABIA. A genus of Sabiacece, consisting 

 of about ten species, from tropical and 

 eastern temperate Asia. They are all shrub- 

 by, with weak or climbing branches, and 

 alternate entire petiolate leaves. The flow- 

 ers are small, usually greenish, in axillary 

 cymes or panicles or rarely solitary ; and 

 are remarkable, in the small order, for their 

 four or five stamens all nearly equal and 

 perfect, and exactly opposite both to the 

 sepals and petals. 



SABICTJ-WOOD. Also called Savicu- 

 wood, and Savico-wood, a hard ship- 

 building wood of Cuba, the produce of Ly- 

 siloma Sabicu. 



SABINE, or SABINIER. (Fr.) Junipe- 

 rus Sabina. 



SABINEA. A genus of Legaminosce, 

 embracing three West Indian shrubs, hav- 

 ing unequally pinnate leaves, somewhat 

 like those of Robinia, but with smaller 



