cells, filled with seeds which nestle in gra- 

 nular pulp, and which have a curved em- 

 bryo. Its flowers have a bell-shaped four 

 to* eight-cleft calyx cohering with the 

 ovary at the very base ; from four to eight 

 petals rising from the throat of the calyx 

 and between its lobes, or rarely none at 

 all ; numerous stamens rising in several 

 series along with the petals, and having 

 the slender free filaments curved inward 

 before flowering ; and a long style and 

 roundish stigma. All the species have 

 opposite entire thickish almost veinless 

 leaves, without dots, and large usually 

 solitary terminal flowers. 



Dr. M'Clelland, in his Report on the Teak 

 Forests of Peru, states that the Kambala, 

 S. apetala, is found throughout the Sun- 

 derbunds at the mouths of the Ganges, 

 and to as far south as Rangoon, aud that 

 its strong hard close-grained wood is used 

 at Calcutta for making packing-cases for 

 beer and wine. S. acida is widely dis- 

 persed throughout Tropical Asia, occurring 

 abundantly in most of the islands of the 

 Indian Archipelago; but it is almost ex- 

 clusively confined to the seacoasts, where 

 it grows together in large masses, being 

 what is called a littoral and sociable plant. 

 A kind of silkworm feeds upon its leaves. 

 Its acid slightly bitter fruits are eaten as 

 a condiment by the Malays. [A. S.] 



SOOJEE. Indian wheat ground but not 

 pulverised ; a kind of semolina. 



SOONTOOL. The fruit of Sandoricum 

 indicium. 



SOOPAREE, SOOPARI. Indian names 

 for the fruit of the Areca or Betelnut Palm. 



SOORSA. The Indian name for an oil 

 obtained from Sinapis juncea. 



SOOTY. As if smeared with soot. The 

 same as Fuliginous. 



SOPHOCLESIA. A genus of Central 

 American vacciniaceous shrubs that grow 

 upon the trunks of old trees, and have 

 slender branches. The flowers are axillary, 

 solitary on long stalks, thickened towards 

 the base. The tube of the calyx is hairy ; 

 the corolla purple; the filaments distinct 

 one from the other, and of unequal length ; 

 and the fruit dry and papery, containing 

 two to four compartments. [M. T. M.j 



SOPHORA. A genus of Leguminosce, 

 widely spread through the tropical and 

 temperate regions of both the Old and 

 New Worlds, one of its species iS.tomen- 

 tosa, a shrub of variable height) being 

 found on the seashores of Tropical Asia, 

 Africa, America, and Australasia. The 

 j species are not numerous, but they 

 differ greatly in general appearance, 

 some growing into trees of large size, 

 while others are shrubs, and one or two 

 herbaceous plants. All, however, agree 

 in having pinnate leaves, with usually 

 opposite leaflets and an odd one at the 

 end ; and terminal simple racemes or 

 branching panicles of flowers, succeeded 

 by cylindrical or slightly flattened but 



never winged fleshy or hard woody pods, 

 containing many seeds, between which 

 they are constricted, and not usually open- 

 ing at maturity. The flowers are pea-like, 

 with a rather broad standard. 



S. japonica is a very handsome tree, long 

 ago introduced into the gardens of this 

 country from China ; but it is not so 

 frequently grown as, from its ornamental 

 character and hardiness, it deserves to be. 

 It is of quick growth, and forms a large 

 round-headed tree forty feet high or more, 

 with smooth dark-green young branches, 

 graceful deep bluish-green pinnate leaves, 

 and in the autumn producing at the 

 points of the branches large loosely- 

 branching panicles of small whitish or 

 cream-coloured flowers, which give it a 

 beautiful and conspicuous appearance, 

 though the flowers themselves are small. 

 , In China the flowers are used for dyeing a 

 1 yellow colour. They are called Wai-fa or 

 Wai-hwa by the Chinese, and are employed 

 to give the fine yellow colour to the silk 

 used for the garments of the mandarins, 

 ! and also for dyeing blue cloth green. 

 Large quantities of them are thus con- 

 ! sumed, the tree being cultivated on this 

 ■ account in the provinces of Fokien, Ho- 

 nan.and Shantung, from whence sacks full 

 of these little flowers are despatched to 

 other parts of the empire. All parts of 

 the tree possess purgative properties, and 

 it is said that even those who merely 

 prune it are affected, as also are turners 

 when employed upon its fine-grained hard 

 wood. The tree is only known in a cul- 

 tivated state, and its native country is 

 therefore uncertain, though it is most 

 probably indigenous to either China or 

 Japan. [A. S.J 



SOPHOROCAPNOS. A genus of Fuvia- 

 riacece from China, founded on the Coryda- 

 lis pallida, which differs from the other 

 species of that genus in having the pod 

 with membranous transverse partitions 

 between the seeds. It is a weak branched 

 herb, with bipinnate leaves, and spicate 

 pale-yellow flowers having a longish spur. 

 The capsules are six or eight-seeded, linear 

 beaded and beaked. [J. T. S.J 



SOPHRONIE. (Fr.) Witsmia. 

 SOPHRONITIS. The four known spe- 

 cies of this genus of orchids are all Bra- 

 zilian, and are little epiphytes with one- 

 leaved pseudobulbs, and loose axillary few- 

 flowered racemes of brilliant scarlet or 

 violet flowers. Though of small size, the 

 brilliancy of their tints causes them to be 

 much sought after by cultivators. Their 

 flowers nave spreading, nearly equal, free 

 sepals and petals , an entire cucullate 

 tongue-shaped lip connate with the base of 

 the column, which is free and furnished 

 with a wing on each side of its apex, the 

 wings being entire and conniving in front; 

 and a terminal eight-celledanther contain- 

 ing eight pollen-masses. [A. S.] 

 SOPS-IN-WINE. Dianthus Caryophyllus. 

 SORB. The Service-tree, Pyrus domes- 

 tical 



