brown herb, the stems provided with one 

 thick cordate leaf, and the flowers brown 

 numerous, minute and racemose. The 

 scape has one bract about the middle. It 

 differs from Drakcea in the claw of the lip 

 not being jointed, and in some other par- 

 ticulars. The flowers are very irritable, 

 and in their outline resemble the body of 

 a spider. [W. B. H.] 



SPIDERWORT. Tradescantia. — 



MOUNTAIN. Lloydia serotina. 



SPIELMANNIA africana, which is the 

 only known species of a genus of Verbena- 

 cece, is a Cape shrub with opposite slightly 

 hairy leaves, from the axils of which 

 arise singly sessile white flowers. The 

 distinguishing characteristics of the genus 

 are to be sought in the calyx, which is 

 split into five linear segments; while the 

 salver-shaped corolla has a nearly regular 

 limb, the throat or aperture of which is 

 closed with fine hairs. There are two 

 ovules in each of the two cavities of the 

 ovary; the style is short, surmounted by a 

 hooked stigma ; and the fruit when ripe 

 forms a kind of drupe. CM. T. M.] 



SPIGELIA. A well-known genus of 

 LaganiacecB, readily known among the 

 others by the style being jointed above 

 the base, and especially by the two-lobed 

 capsular fruits, which when ripe open at 

 the apex and fall away, leaving their cup- 

 shaped hardened base attached to the 

 calyx. 



There are about thirty known species, 

 natives of tropical or subtropical Ame- 

 rica, annual or perennial herbs, with op- 

 posite or whorled ovate or lance-shaped 

 leaves, and purple or blue flowers (with 

 funnel-shaped corollas) arranged in ter- 

 minal one-sided spikes. The Pink-root, 

 Worm-grass, or Indian-pink of the shops is 

 the produce of .S'. marilandica, a native of 

 the Southern States of America, a herb of 

 from six to eighteen inches high, with pe- 

 rennial fibrous roots, rather large ovate 

 leaves, and beautiful carmine funnel- 

 shaped corollas contracted at the apex, and 

 not unlike those of the scarlet honeysuckle. 

 Both roots and leaves of this and of S. 

 Anthelmia, a common South American 

 weed, 'are active anthelmintics, but their 

 efficacy is much impaired by keeping. 

 They are also purgative and slightly narco- 

 tic, and are apt to produce very unpleasant 

 symptoms after being exhibited : dimness 

 of sight, giddiness, dilated pupil, spasms 

 of the muscles of the eye, and even con- 

 vulsions are reported by Barton to have 

 been brought on by them. S. gldbrata is 

 reckoned by Martins among poisons ; and 

 Mr. Hartweg reports that a species of the 

 same genus kills dogs in Equatorial Ame- 

 rica.' (Lindl. Veg. Kingd.) The Pink-root 

 and some of the other species have been 

 in cultivation; but being difficult to keep, 

 they are not often seen in gardens, though 

 extremely pretty plants. The genus is 

 named after Dr. Spigelius, a surgeon and 

 anatomist of Brussels, who died at Padua 

 in A.D. 1625. [A. A. B.] 



SPIGNEL. Meum Athamanticum. 



SPIKE, SPICA. An inflorescence con- 

 sisting of flowers sessile on a long axis. A 

 compound spike is a collection of spike3 

 arranged in a racemose manner. 



SPIKELET. The small terminal collec- 

 tion of florets among grasses. The same 

 as Locusta. 



SPIKENARD. Nar&ostachys Jatamansi ; 

 also Valeriana celtica. — ' of Crete. Va- 

 leriana Phu. — , AMERICAN. Aralia 

 racemosa. — .FALSE. Aralia nudicaulis ; 

 also Smilacina racemosa. — PLOUGH- 

 MAN'S. Baccharis ; also Coni/za squarrosa. 

 — , SMALL, or WILD. Aralia nudicaulis. 

 —, WEST INDIAN. Eijptis suaveolens. 



SPIKENEL, or SPICKNEL. Meum 

 Athamanticum. 



SPIKE-RUSH. Eleocharis. 



SPILANTHES. Of this genus of Com- 

 positm upwards of forty species are enu- 

 merated, natives of the tropics of both 

 hemispheres, mostly smooth annual 

 branching weeds, with opposite lance- 

 shaped or ovate leaves, and stalked termi- 

 nal solitary yellow flower-heads, with or 

 without short strap-shaped ray-florets. 

 The latter when present are pistil-bearing, 

 the others tubular and perfect. Achenes 

 of the disk compressed without pappus, 

 those of the ray with two short awns ; 

 receptacle conical and chaffy ; involucre of 

 two series of scales, the outer foliaceous. 

 The leaves of many of the species have a 

 singularly pungent taste, which is especial- 

 ly noticeable in the Para Cress, S. oleracea. 

 This plant is cultivated as a salad and pot- 

 herb in tropical countries, and like many 

 cultivated plant* ii^natiye country is un- 

 certain. It is a smooth erect branching 

 annual, about a foot high, with stalked 

 elliptical or heart-shaped blades, and in- 

 conspicuous yellow flower-heads, solitary j 

 at the ends of the branches. The Japanese 

 call the plant Hoko So. [A. A. B.] 



SPILOC^EA. A spurious genus of Fungi, | 

 arising from the obscure growth of certain 

 species of Cladosporium, which is worthy 

 of notice here, because the greater part of 

 the round black patches which are com- 

 mon upon apples, and take so much from 

 their market value, are referable to this 

 genus. The fungus which produces these 

 spots, or a closely-allied species, is common 

 also on pears and pear-trees, and is ex- 

 tremely mischievous. Unfortunately, its 

 attacks are so insidious as to give very 

 little hope of remedy. The same measures 

 which are so efficacious against the white 

 mildew of peaches and vines seem useless 

 here. [M. J. B.] 



SPINACH, or SPINAGE. Spinacia ole- 

 racea, the leaves of which are a common 

 and esteemed potherb. — ,NEW ZEALAND. 

 Tetragmiia expansa. — , PRICKLY, and 

 ROUND. Garden varieties of Spinacia 

 oleracea. — , STRAWBERRY. Blitum 

 capitation. 



