semble a particular form of macaroni. Two 

 species at least afford a most excellent and 

 abundant food. They are found in the 

 pine and mixed woods of Sweden and 

 Germany, and both are said to be equally 

 delicious. Neither appears in a consider- 

 able collection made in Hungary, nor do 

 their esculent properties appear to be re- 

 cognised there. .S. crispa has recently 

 been found in Britain. [M. J. B.] 



SPARATTOSPEItMA. Tecoma. 



SPARAXIS. The species composing 

 this genus of Iridaeece inhabit the Cape of 

 Good Hope, and are herbs with bulbous 

 tubers, simple or paniculate stems, serrate j 

 narrow leaves, and large showy flowers | 

 arranged in spikes. Both calyx and co- 

 rolla are composed of three parts ; there I 

 are three stamens, and a three-celled I 

 capsule enclosing numerous round seeds. | 

 The bulbous tubers of S. bulb if era are edi- ! 

 ble. [B. S.] | 



SPARGANIUM. A genus of water-plants I 

 belonging to Typhacece, and found in al- 

 most every part of the world, including 

 the British Islands. The leaves are linear, 

 and the flowers are monoecioifs and ar- j 

 ranged in globular heads, the upper ones ' 

 containing the male flowers. There is no [ 

 perianth ; the stamens are numerous ; 

 and there are several ovaries, each con- 

 taining one pendulous ovule. The fruit is 

 drupaceous, and one to two-celled. The 

 root of S. ramosum and of S. simplex was ! 

 formerly used medicinally under the name j 

 of Radix Sparganii, and was supposed to ! 

 cure snake-bites. The stem has been used 

 for making paper. [B. S.] j 



SPARGELLE. (Fr.) Genista sagittalis. 



SPARGOULE, or SPARGOUTE. (Fr.) I 

 Spergula. 



SPARMANNIA. A genus of Tiliacece, \ 

 known from among its allies by the outer ! 

 series of the very numerous stamens being 

 destitute of anthers, and by the globular j 

 or ovoid capsular fruits (the size of a mar- ! 

 ble or larger) being covered with prickles ' 

 or tubercles. The four known species, j 

 natives of Eastern and Southern Africa, j 

 are shrubs or trees, with heart-shaped 

 toothed or lobed leaves, and terminal 

 cymes of white flowers. 



The genus bears the name of Dr. A. 

 Sparmann, a Swedish botanist, who went 

 with Captain Cook on his second voyage 

 round the world, and introduced the well- 

 known ,S'. africana, which is commonly 

 met with in greenhouses. It is a shrub of 

 three to twelve feet, with long-stalked 

 heart-shaped leaves, clothed with soft 

 downy and pretty white flowers produced 

 in stalked umbels ; and consisting of four 

 narrow sepals, four petals,, many stamens 

 with yellow filaments and purple anthers, 

 and a five-celled ovary tipped with a sim- 

 ple style- [A. A. Bj 



SPARROWGRASS. A corruption of 



SPARROWTOXGUE. Polygonum avicu- 

 lare. 



SPARROWWORT. Passerina. 



SPARSE. Scattered, irregularly distri- 

 buted. 



SPARSETTE. (Fr.) Nardus striata. 



SPA RT. The Esparto, Machrochloa tena- 

 cissima. 



SPART1ANTHUS. Spartium. 



SPARTINA. A genus of grasses be- j 

 longing to the tribe Chloridece. It has the i 

 inflorescence in raceme-like spikes ; spike- I 

 lets one-sided, inserted in a double row; ! 

 glumes keeled membranaceous, pointed or i 

 shortly awned ; pales two awnless, cleft j 

 and toothed, shorter than the glumes ; 

 stamens three ; styles two, very long; | 

 seed compressed and smooth. Steudel 

 describes twenty species under this genus, 

 the greater part of which are American. 

 The British representatives, S. stricta and 

 S. alternifolia, are among the rarest of 

 British grasses. [D. M.] 



SPARTIUM. The generic name of the 

 well-known Spanish Broom, which differs 

 from our native broom, Sarothamnus sco- 

 parius, in the calyx being split above, and 

 thus one instead of two-lipped. The plant 

 is widely spread over the Mediterranean 

 region, and has been cultivated in British 

 gardens for upwards of 300 years. The 

 growth is like that of the common broom, 

 but the green polished twigs are terete 

 and rush-like, instead of angular; while 

 they are usually devoid of leaves, the 

 latter when present being lance-shaped or 

 linear. The handsome yellow pea-flowers, 

 arranged in racemes at the ends of the 

 twigs, are highly perfumed, and very at- 

 tractive to bees. A double-flowered variety 

 is in cultivation. 



By macerating the twigs a good fibre is 

 obtained, which is made into thread in 

 Languedoc, and into cord and a coarse 

 sort of cloth in Dalmafria. The flowers are 

 said to afford a yellow dye, and the seeds 

 in large doses are emetic, and purgative, 

 and sometimes used in dropsy like those 

 of the common broom. Besides its name 

 of S. junceum, the plant is known by those 

 of Spartianthus junceus and Genista Mspa- 

 nica. The name Spartium is from the 

 Greek word denoting ' cordage,' in allusion 

 to the use of the plant. [A. A. B.j" 



SPARTOTHAMKUS. A genus of Myo- 

 poracece, containing a single species from 

 Australia. It is a branching shrub, having 

 the habit of some species of Spartium. 

 The branches are tetragonous opposite 

 and rigid, and bear a few small de- 

 ciduous and opposite leaves; while the 

 white flowers are borne on short pedicels 

 in the axils of the uppermost leaves. The 

 calyx is five parted, the corolla campanu- 

 late and subregular, the four stamens are 

 somewhat unequal, the style is bifid at 

 the apex, and the ovary is four-celled, with 

 a single ovule in each cell. [W.-C] 



