1047 



Cf)c Crca£urp nf 380tang. 



[seme 



from Arkansas and Texas, with the habit 

 of Brassica ; the stems three-edsred ; the 

 leaves pinnatifld; the flowers golden-yel- 

 low, at first corymbose, but at length 

 elongating into a leafy raceme. The pouch 

 resembles" that of Lunaria, but has inflated 

 valves. [J. T. SJ 



SELENIDRJM. Microlepia. 



SELENIPEDITJM. According to the 

 younger Reichenbach, the author of this 

 genus, it agrees in all its characters with 

 Cypripedium, except that the ovary is 

 three-celled and three-furrowed or three- 

 lobed. He refers to it ten species, all of 

 which had previously belonged to Cypripe- 

 dium. [A. S.] 



SELFHEAL. Prunella vulgaris ; also 

 Sanicula vulgaris. 



SELINUM. A genus belonging to the 

 order Umbelliferce, distinguished from its 

 allies by the following characters :— The 

 petals are obovate and notched at the end ; 

 the fruit is compressed, each half having 

 Ave wing-like ribs, the two lateral of 

 i which are the most prominent; each furrow 

 has a single oil-vessel, and there are two 

 at the line of junction. The species are 

 smooth perennial herbs, with leaves much 

 subdivided; and the flowers are white. 

 They are found in Europe, Nepal, and 

 North-western America. The name is 

 from the Greek selinon 'parsley,' in allu- 

 sion to its general aspect. [G. Dj 



SELK. A name in Egypt for Beta vul- 

 garis. 

 SELL.EFORM. Saddle-shaped. 



SELLIGF/EA. A genus of polypodiaceous 

 ferns of the tribe Gymnograrnmece, in 

 which it is known by its pinnate veins, 

 with reticulated venules having free in- 

 cluded veinlets. The fronds are simple, 



Selliguea Feei. 



rarely pinnatifld or palmately-lobed, and 

 the sori are oblong or linear-oblique, lying 

 between and parallel with the primary 

 veins. A few species, all of them Eastern, 



are known. One of the larger ones is re- 

 presented in Plate 14 d, and a figure of ,S. 

 Feei is subjoined. [T. M.] 



SELLOA. A perennial herb of the Com- 

 posite, peculiar to Mexico. It has a short 

 rootstock, furnished with a few opposite 

 elliptical three-nerved leaves resembling 

 those of a plantain (whence it is called <?. 

 plantaginea) ; and the peduncle or flower- 

 stem, which is nearly a foot high and 

 furnished with two or three bracts, termi- 

 nates in from one to three rather large 

 rayed flower-heads, the ray florets strap- 

 shaped, pistil-bearing, and three-toothed 

 at the apex ; those of the disk tubular and 

 perfect, and all seated on a cone-shaped 

 chaffy receptacle enclosed by an involucre 

 of three series of scales, those of the outer 

 row being broader than the others. The 

 five-angled smooth achenes are crowned 

 by two or three hispid awns, but are not 

 winged as in the nearly related Verbesina. 

 It is named after C. Sello, a German bota- 

 nical traveller in Brazil. [A. A. B.] 



SEM. Phaseolus trilobus. 



SEMECARPUS. A genus of Indian trees 

 of the Anacardiaceas, nearly allied to Ana- 

 cardium. The flowers are in terminal 

 panicles, and are distinguished from those 

 of adjacent genera by the presence of five 

 separate equal stamens, and a one-celled 

 sessile ovary with a single ovule suspended 

 from its upper part. S. Anacardium is the 

 Marking-nut tree of India. The thick 

 fleshy receptacle bearing the fruit is of a 

 yellow colour when ripe, and is roasted 

 and eaten by the natives. The unripe 

 fruit is employed for making a kind of ink, 

 and when pounded serves in the formation 

 of a kind of birdlime. The hard shell of 

 the fruit is permeated by a corrosive juice, 

 which is employed externally in sprains 

 and rheumatic affections, in scrofulous 

 eruptions, and for destroying warts. From 

 its acrid nature great care is required in 

 its employment, as it is likely to cause 

 a great deal of inflammatory swelling. 

 This juice, when mixed with quicklime, is 

 employed to mark cotton or linen with an 

 indelible mark. When dry it forms a 

 black varnish much used in India, and 

 amongst other purposes it is employed, 

 mixed with pitch and tar, in the caulking 

 of ships. The seeds, called Malacca-beans 

 or Marsh-nuts, are eaten, and are said to 

 stimulate the mental powers, and especially 

 the memory. From them an oil is pro- 

 cured which is used in painting. The 

 generic name is derived from the Greek 

 word semeion ' a mark,' and karpos ' fruit,' in 

 allusion to the dyeing property of the juice 

 of the fruit. [M. T. M.] 



SEMEIANDRA. A genus of Onagraceoe, 

 distinguished by the following charac- 

 ters :— Calyx subgloboseatthe base, its bor- 

 der four-cleft, the posterior piece shortest ; 

 petals four, very narrow, and shorter than 

 the limb of the calyx ; stamens two, ad- 

 herent below, free above, one ending in a 

 petal-like expansion, the other with two 

 perfect cells. The only species is a Mexi- 



