1005 



QSfyz Crca^urg of 23flfcmg. 



[SAGU 



the culinary herbs, Salvia officinalis and S. 

 grandiflora. — , BENGAL. Meriandra 

 bengalensis. — , BLACK. Cordia cylin- 

 drostachya. — , JERUSALEM. ' PMomis 

 fruticosa. — , SEASIDE. Croton balsami- 

 ferum. —, WILD. A name in the Cape 

 Colony for Tarchonanthus camphor atus ; 

 also Lantana. —, WOOD. Teucrium Scoro- 



SAGENIA. A genus of coarse-habited 

 aspidiaceous ferns, distinguished from the 

 true species of Aspidium — that is, those 

 •with compoundly anastomosing veins and 

 peltate indusia, by having the indusia dis- 

 tinctly reniforni. There are several spe- 

 cies found in the tropical parts of both 

 worlds, one of the most familiar being the 

 S.maciophylla of the West Indies. [T.M.] 



SAGER-EA. A genus of Ancnacece, con- 

 sisting of three East Indian trees, very 

 nearly allied to Uvaria, and differing 

 chiefly in the small number of stamens, 

 and in the carpels of the ovary being re- 

 duced to six or three. 



SAGERETIA. A genus of Rliamnacece, 

 the species of which were formerly re- 

 ferred to the Linnasan Rhamnus, which 

 contained likewise the Jujubes and several 

 other groups now regarded as distinct. 

 The Sageretias are shrubs with slender 

 sometimes half-climbing branches, com- 

 monly anned with thorns. Their leaves 

 are short-stalked alternate or nearly oppo- 

 site upou the lower parts of the branches, 

 and of a leathery consistency, with small 

 marginal teeth ; and their little stalkless 

 flowers are disposed in clusters along small 

 simple or branched spikes produced either 

 from the axils of the leaves or at the ter- 

 minations of the branches. The species 

 are confined to the tropical and subtropical 

 countries of Asia and America. S.theezans, 

 the Tia of the Chinese, is a thorny shrub, 

 with slender angular branches and finely- 

 toothed egg-shaped leaves, smooth and of 

 a shining-green on the upper surface, 

 somewhat resembling those of the tea- 

 shrub. It is a native of Penang and the 

 Philippine Islands, as well as of Southern 

 China ; and the poorer classes of the 

 Chinese are said to employ its tea-like 

 leaves as a substitute for true tea. [A. S.] 



3AGESSE DES CHIRURGIENS. (Fr.) 

 Sisy mbrium Sophia. 



SAGLNA. The genus of Pearlworts, 

 consisting of humble herbaceous plants 

 belonging to the suborder Alsinem of Ca- 

 ryophyllacece, and of which the characters 

 are :— Styles, four or five ; sepals and 

 valves of the capsule equal in number 

 to the styles ; petals entire or wanting. 8. 

 procmribens is the minute perennial weed 

 with slender spreading stems, and short 

 bristle-like leaves, which infests the gravel- 

 walks of gardens, and pertinaciously defies 

 eradication. S. erecta forms little tufts on 

 walls and dry banks, and differs from the 

 last principally in its annual erect stems : 

 the flowers in these and several allied 

 species are inconspicuous. S. nodosa, is 



distinguished by bearing tufts of small 

 leaves on the upper part of the stems, and 

 rather large stalked white flowers. None 

 of the species possess properties worthy 

 of notice. French : Sagine ; German : Vier- 

 ling- [C A. J.] 



SAGINA. A name for Broom corn in 

 Italy. 



SAGITTARIA. Handsome perennial 

 aquatics deriving their name from thesagit- 

 tate or arrow-headed form of their leaves. 

 They belong to the order Alismacece, and 

 are distinguished by having the barren and 

 fertile flowers distinct but on the same 

 plant (monoecious), and by bearing nume- 

 rous stamens, and one-seeded carpels. S. 

 sagittifolia bears directly from the root 

 large glossy leaves which rise out of the 

 water, and numerous delicate white flowers 

 on a branched leafless stalk. This species, 

 one of the last plants to linger on the banks 

 of the Thames in the heart of London, is 

 common in Siberia, China, Japan, and 

 Virginia. The bulbs, which fix themselves 

 in the solid earth below the mud, are said 

 to constitute an article of food among the 

 Chinese, who upon that account cultivate 

 the plant extensively. Representations of it 

 are frequent in Chinese drawings. Several 

 other species are cultivated, mostly inhabi- 

 tants of warm countries. French : Sagit- 

 \ taire ; German : Pfeilkraut. [C. A. J.] 



SAGITTATE. Gradually enlarged at 

 the base into two acute straight lobes, like 

 the head of an arrow ; as the leaf of Rumex 

 Acetosella. 



SAGO. A granulated form of starch 

 obtained from the pith of the trunk of 

 Sagus Icevis and S. Rumphii in Singapore, 

 the former furnishing most of the sago 

 sent to Europe. In India it is obtained 

 from Phoenix farinif era, in Java from Cory- 

 pha Gebanga, and it is also produced by 

 ! Caryota urens, and several other palms and 



'■ Cycadacea?. — , PORTLAND. A kind of ar- 

 rowroot, manufactured from the corms of 



'"Arum maculatum in the island of Portland. 



SAGUERUS. This genus of palms is 

 almost entirely confined to the islands 

 of the Indian Archipelago and the coun- 

 tries between Malacca and Burmah ; only 

 one species, S. Wightii, being indigenous 

 to the Indian peninsula, though the com- 

 mon S. saccharifer occurs there in a culti- 

 vated state. Three of the five described 

 species form handsome trees thirty or 

 forty feet high, but the other two seldom 

 exceed eight or ten feet. Their leaves 

 are large terminal and pinnate, with nar- 

 row leaflets; and with the stalks, which 

 are sometimes prickly, furnished at the 

 base with a copious network of stiff black 

 fibres, which remain for some time after 

 the rest of the leaf has fallen away, but 

 at last drops off and leaves a cireular 

 scar upon the trunk. Their separate male 

 and female simply branched flower-spikes 

 hang down from amongst the leaves, and 

 somewhat resemble very large horse's-tails. 

 Both sexes have three overlapping sepals 



