1093 



Cfjc Crra^urg rtf ISatany. 



[STEL 



genus is thus distinguished from the two 

 allied genera above mentioned, both of 

 which have petals. The males contain sis 

 stamens, with the filaments united instead 

 of free, as in Holbcellia; and the females 

 six sterile stamens and three distinct 

 ovaries, containing several ovules inter- 

 mixed with hairs. The generic name is 

 given in honour of Sir George Sta-mton, 

 who accompanied Lord Macartney to 

 China in a.d. 1792, and afterwards wrote 

 the account of the embassy. It belongs to 

 the LardizabalacecB. The Japanese species 

 lias leaves composed of five or six lance- 

 shaped leaflets terminating in short bristly 

 points. It is called Nibe Kadsura or Tuso 

 So by the Japanese, who eat its roundish 

 watery berries, and use their juice as a 

 remedy for ophthalmia. [A S.] 



STATJRACANTHUS. A genus of Legu- 

 minoscB, including a Portuguese shrub, 

 destitute of leaves, and with the habit of 

 Ulex nana ; the branches being spiny, each 

 of the spines branching into two smaller 

 spines at the sides, and the flowers yellow ; 

 calyx two-lipped, the upper lip deeply 

 divided into two segments, the lower 

 three-toothed; vexillum folded, longer 

 than the lance-shaped wings; keel blunt; 

 stamens ten, monadelphous ; pod com- 

 pressed hairy many-seeded. S. aphyllus, a 

 dwarf shrub, is a handsome plant, but 

 only half-hardy. The generic name is 

 derived from the Greek stauros a 'cross' 

 and akantha ' a thorn,' in reference to the 

 cross-like spines. [M. T. M.] 



STAURAXTHERA grandifolia is the 

 only known representative of a genus of 

 cyrtandreous Gesneraeece, peculiar to Pulo 

 Penang, and having very much the habit 

 of Glossanthus. It is a herb with rather 

 large leaves ; the flowers are paniculate, the 

 calyx subrotate bell-shaped and almost 

 ten-cleft : the corolla is large, furnished 

 with a short tube having a spur at the 

 base, and a border divided into five lobes. 

 There are four fertile stamens, and the 

 anthers are coherent, whilst the capsule is 

 dehiscent. [B. S.] 



STAURAXTHU3. The name of a Mexi- 

 can evergreen tree, with alternate leathery 

 dotted leaves, and greenish flowers arrang- 

 ed in racemes. Calyx persistent, with 

 four small teeth ; petals four, longer than 

 j the calyx, bent downwards, and having 

 thickened margins ; stamens four, inserted 

 on the receptacle, alternate with the 

 petals; ovary sessile one-celled, with a 

 single pendulous ovule ; stigma sessile, 

 four-lobed ; fruit fleshy olive-shaped red, 

 covered with small glands like an orange. 

 Tin's tree is doubtfully referred to Ce'la- 

 straeece or Aurantiacece, with neither of 

 which however does it agree well. The 

 name is derived from the Greek stauros ' a 

 cross' and anthos ' flower,' in allusion pro- 

 bably to the four petals. [M. T. M.] 



STAUROGLOTTIS. Phcdcenopsis. 



STAUROPHRAGMA. A genus of Scro- 

 ■phnlariacece, having the calyx deeply 



divided into five segments, the capsule 

 cylindrical indehiscent, and the valves 

 involute at the margin. ,S'. natolicum, a 

 native of Natolia, has the leaves covered 

 with giey down, and the flowers yellow 

 and scented. The name, from the 'Greek 

 stauros 'a cross,' refers to the appearance 

 presented by a transverse section of the 

 capsule. [G. DJ 



STAYER WORT. Senecio Jacoocea. 

 STAVESACRE. The acrid emetic pur- 

 gative seeds of Delphinium Staphisagria. 



STAYEWOOD. Simaruba amara. 



STAY-PLOUGH. The Restharrow, Ono- 

 nis arvensis. 



STEBE. (Fr/> Steele. 



STEENHAMMARIA (often written 

 STEENHAMMERA). A genus of Boragi- 

 naccce, usually called Mertensia, included in 

 Pidmonaria by Linnseus, from which it dif- 

 fers by the short open five-parted calyx and 

 longer stamens, as well as by the nuts 

 being slightly fleshy on the outside. It 

 has also been referred to Lithospermum, 

 but the limb of the corolla is not spread- 

 ing, and the nuts have not the hard and 

 stony pericarp of that genus. The species 

 have blue or red flowers, in paniculately or 

 corymboseiy arranged scorpioid racemes, 

 and smooth glaucous leaves. 



S, maritima, which is not uncommon on 

 the northern coasts of Britain, is a trailing 

 glaucous plant with fleshy ovate leaves, 

 tasting like oysters (whence it is some- 

 times called the Oyster-plant) ; and pretty 

 blue flowers, red while in bud. The other 

 species are from Siberia, Kamtschatka, 

 and North America. [J. T. SJ 



STEEPLE-BUSH. Spircea tomentosa. 



STEGANIA. Lomaria. 



STEGNOGRAMMA. A genus of poly- 

 podiaceous ferns related to Gymnogramma, 

 and having the veins connivently anasto- 

 mosing as in Nephrodium. They are her- 

 baceous pinnately or pinnato-pinnatifidly 

 divided ferns, with a stoutish caudex, some- 

 times subarborescent, and linear or oblong 

 oblique parallel sori. There are two or 

 three species, from India and the Eastern 

 Archipelago. [T. M.] 



STEIRODISCUS. A Cape annual plant, 

 forming a genus of Compositce. The leaves 

 are pinnately divided; and the flower- 

 heads terminal, surrounded byaventricose 

 many-leaved involucre; receptacle naked; 

 florets yellow— those of the ray strap-shap- 

 ed, of the disk tubular; stigmas conical; 

 fruits linear smooth, with no pappus, the 

 inner ones always sterile— whence the 

 name of the genus, from the Greek steiros 

 ' sterile.' [M. T. M.] 



STELIS. A genus of orchids belonging 

 to the tribe Malaxidew, consisting of 

 about 130 species, inhabiting South and 

 Central America and the West Indian 

 Islands. They are small herbs, from two 

 or three inches to two feet high, generally 



