sipi] 



Clje Crcatfurj) of SSotam?. 



1064 



top, stigmatic inside, from the centre of 

 which arises a style-like column, the ho- 

 mology of which is not well understood. 

 The only species known has alternate cre- 

 nate coriaceous leaves, and axillary pe- 

 duncles bearing an umbel of three or four 

 small greenish-yellow flowers. 



SIPIRI-TREE. Nectandra Rodicei. 



SIPO-DE-CHUMBO. Cuscuta racemosa. 



SIRABALLI. A fragrant valuable tim- 

 ber of Demerara, supposed to be the pro- 

 duce of a Nectandra or Oreodaphne. 



SIRI, or SIRIH. Chavica 'Siriboa. 



SIRIEHOUT. A South African name 

 for Tarchonanthus camphoratus. 



SIRITCH. An Arab name for the sweet 

 oil of the seeds of Sesamum orientate. 



SIRKI. An Indian grass, Saccharum 

 Munjia. 



SISARUM. Sium. 



SISON. A genus of Umbelli/erce, in 

 which each half of the fruit has five nar- 

 row equal ribs, and one club-shaped vitta 

 in each groove. The species are perennial 

 herbs, natives of Europe and Asia, with 

 the uppermost leaves narrower and more 

 deeply divided than the lower. S. Amo- 

 mum is a species well known in some parts 

 of Britain, with cream-coloured flowers and 

 aromatic seeds. The name is said to be 

 from the Celtic 'sium ' running stream,' 

 some of the species formerly included grow- 

 ing in moist localities. [G. D.] 



STSSOO. Balbergia Sissoo, a valuable 

 timber-tree of India. 



SISYMBRIUM. A grenus of uninteresting 

 herbaceous plants belonging to the Cruci- 

 ferm, not easily to be distinguished from 

 several allied genera. There are numerous 

 species, of which the most frequent in Bri- 

 tain are: S.Alliaria,or Garlic Mustard, some- 

 times called Sauce-alone, a tallish hedge- 

 weed with heart^iaped leaves, white 

 flowers, and erect pods: S. officinale, an 

 erect branched plant, with rough stems 

 and leaves, the latter jagged with the 

 points turned backwards (runcinate), mi- 

 nute pale-yellow flowers, and rough pods, 

 which are pressed close to the stem— a 

 common hedge-weed; and 8. Thalianum, 

 another hedge-weed six to eight inches 

 high, with oblong toothed leaves, and 

 slender stems bearing a few inconspicu- 

 ous white flowers. The other species are 

 of less common occurrence, but possess 

 no interest. [C. A. J.] 



SISYRINCHIUM. A genus of Iridaceoz, 

 the species of which are indigenous to the 

 tropical and temperate parts of America 

 and New Holland. They are herbs having 

 fibrous roots leaves arranged in two rows, 

 a stem frequently branched, a two-valved 

 general spathe, inconspicuous flowers, a 

 perianth consisting of six parts, three 

 stamens, an inferior three-celled many- 

 seeded capsule, and round seeds. S. ga- 



hixoides is a mild purgative, and used as 

 such in South America. [B. S.] 



SITAL-PATI. An Indian name for mats 

 made from Maranta dichotuma. 

 SITOBOLIUM. Dennstcedtia. 



SITUS. The position occupied by an 

 organ. 



SIUM. A genus of Umbelliferce, in 

 which the fruit is compressed laterally, 

 and crowned by the head-shaped styles ; 

 each half of it has Ave equal blunt ribs, 

 and numerous oil-cells in the furrows, as 

 well as at the line of junction. The spe- 

 cies are terrestrial or aquatic herbs, chiefly 

 found in the temperate parts of the 

 Northern Hemisphere. Their leaves vary 

 greatly in subdivision and outline. The 

 name is from the Celtic sin 'water,' in 

 allusion to their habitat. [G. D.] 



Of the several species of strong-smelling 

 weedy-looking plants belonging to this 

 genus only one is grown for culinary pur- 

 poses— S. Sisarum, better known by its 

 common name of Skirret. This plant, al- 

 though usually treated as an annual, is a 

 hardy perennial, a native of China, and 

 has been cultivated in this country since 

 a.d. 1548. The lower leaves are pinnated, 

 having from five to nine oval oblong 

 leaflets finely toothed; at the base they 

 are sheathing and of a reddish colour ; 

 the stem, which rises about a foot high, is 

 channelled, and terminated by an umbel 

 of small white flowers. The roots, for 

 which this plant is cultivated, are com- 

 posed of small fleshy tubers about the size 

 of the little finger, joined together at the 

 crown. When boiled and served with 

 butter they form a nice dish, declared by 

 Worlidge, when writing in 1682, to be ' the 

 sweetest, whitest, and most pleasant of 

 •roots.' [W. B. B.] 



SKIMMIA. The name of a genus of 

 evergreen shrubs, with oblong entire 

 stalked leathery dotted leaves, and flowers 

 in terminal panicles. The flowers are 

 polygamous, with a four-parted persistent 

 calyx ; four petals ; four deciduous sta- 

 mens attached to the receptacle alternate 

 with the petals; a fleshy four-lobed disk 

 and a free ovary, with a solitary pendulous 

 ovule in each of its four cells. The fruit is 

 fleshy and drupe-like, with four cartilagi- 

 nous one-seeded stones, containing an 

 albuminous embryo. 



The true position of the genus is doubt- 

 ful, it having been referred to Celastracea 

 and Aurantiaceaz. Professor Oliver, in his 

 memoir on the latter group, says that the 

 present genus differs from citronworts 

 in its albuminous seeds, stamens in one 

 row, and abortion or tendency to abortion 

 of one sex. In other respects it is ex- 

 ceedingly like Aurantiacece in structure, 

 especially agreeing in the form of the 

 pistil, and in the succulent fruit. S.ja- 

 ponica is a pretty dwarf-growing holly-like 

 shrub, with dark shining evergreen entire 

 flat leaves, and clusters of bright red ber- 

 ries, which give the plant a very handsome 



