stee] 



Cfjc ErcasUtri) at Matmw. 



1098 



ing hairs. All the Sterculias contain muci- 

 lage, and the trunks of some exude large 

 quantities of mucilaginous gum, resem- 

 bling tragacanth both in appearance and 

 in its property of not dissolving in cold 

 water, but merely swelling and becoming 

 jelly-like, owing to the presence of basso- 

 rin. The present species yields part of 

 the gum known in India as Gum Kuteera, 

 a quantity of which was some years ago 

 sent to this country as a substitute for 

 tragacanth, but was found unsuitable, 

 although Dr. Thomson states that it has 

 been used by calico-printers. Another kind 

 from Sierra Leone is the produce of S. 

 Tragacantha. 



S. villosa, a native of Peninsular 

 I India, has five to seven-lobed leaves vel- 

 vety underneath, with the lobes either 

 again three-lobed or deeply toothed, pen- 

 dulous panicles of flowers, and fruits 

 clothed with star-like hairs. The inner 

 bark of the Sterculias is composed of very 

 tough fibres. That of the present species 

 is called Oadal or Oo'dhall in India, where 

 very strong pliable ropes which are not 

 affected by wet are made of it, and are 

 commonly used by the elephant hunters. 

 In Goa and Canara capital bags, used for 

 the conveyance of rice and other mer- 

 chandise, are made by soaking logs of the 

 trunk or large branches for a few days in 

 water, and then stripping off the bark en- 

 tire and sewing up the bottom. The bark 

 of another species (S. guttata) is used on 

 the Malabar Coast for making articles of 

 clothing. French : Sterculier. [A. S.] 



STEREOSPERMUM (including Diptero- 

 sperma,). A genus of Bignoniacece, em- 

 bracing about a dozen species, all of 

 which are confined to tropical parts of 

 Africa and Asia. They are all trees, with 

 imparipinnate leaves, and terminal pani- 

 cles bearing white often highly fragrant 

 flowers. The almost bony scarcely winged 

 seeds, attached to the very corky septum of 

 a cylindrical or almost square capsule, 

 together with a cup shaped calyx and 

 almost bell-shaped corolla, at once dis- 

 tinguish the genus from all others of the 

 order to which it belongs. [B. S.] 



STERETJM. A genus of hymenomy- 

 cetous Fungi belonging to the division in 

 which the hymenium is perfectly even, 

 without gills spines folds or other pro- 

 minences. The substance is coriaceous, 

 and the fruit-bearing surface free from 

 bristles, and neither soft nor fleshy. Many 

 of the species are extremely common on 

 dead trunks or timber. S. purpureum, 

 with purplish and lilac tints, is to be found 

 on every fallen poplar, the hairy oranpe- 

 yellow S. Mrsutum on oak, and the pallid 

 cinereous S. sang uinolev turn, which bleeds 

 when scratched, on fallen conifers. The 

 species are too tough for food, and they 

 have, as far as we know, no available 

 economical properties. Some of the exo- 

 tic species attain a large size, and are 

 extremely handsome. S. lobatum, than 

 which there are few handsomer Fungi 



when well grown, occurs in every tropical 

 or subtropical collection. [M. J. B.] 



STERIGMATA. The elevated lines or 

 plates upon stems produced by the bases 

 of decurrent leaves. 



STERIGMUM. An indehiscent superior 

 many-celled dry fruit, such as that of Tro- 

 paiolum. 



STERILITAS, or STERILITY (adj. 

 STERILE). Barrenness in the vegetable 

 as in the animal world may be either 

 constitutional or accidental. In Italy it 

 is observed that those Stone Pines which 

 are of a more vivid green than usual 

 do not produce fruit, and the effect of 

 constitutional rankness in this respect is 

 known to every cultivator. Again, there 

 may be constitutional peculiarities which 

 prevent the formation of fruit where all 

 the necessary organs seem properly deve- 

 loped. It frequently happens, however, 

 that all these organs are not present, or, 

 if they are, it is in such a metamorphosed 

 condition that they cannot perform their 

 proper functions. The sepals may be mul- 

 tiplied to the total suppression of the 

 other parts of the flower; the stamens 

 may be turned into leaves or petals, and 

 the pistil into leaves. The suppression of 

 petals does not, however, seem to be so 

 disastrous as their multiplication, and 

 even stamens may be wanting without de- 

 stroying fertility, as in Ccelebogyne, not to 

 mention violets and other plants. Far 

 more frequently, however, sterility arises 

 from outward agents, from the effect of 

 long-continued drought or moisture, from 

 frost or cutting winds or other atmo- 

 spheric conditions, or again from outward 

 injuries. Even when impregnation has 

 taken place, the ovules in the same pistil 

 will not in every case attain perfection ; 

 and where fruit has been set abundantly, 

 the demands of all may be so urgent that 

 every one may fail. The fruit indeed may 

 increase to a considerable size, or even ap^ i 

 proach maturity ; but in most cases, if the | 

 ovules have proved abortive, it will fall j 

 off. In a few varieties, however, when the I 

 fruit has once swelled from the stimulus 

 of impregnation, it may arrive at perfec- 

 tion even though no seeds are present," 

 which is however, except in the gardener's 

 view, no less a case of sterility, strictly 

 speaking, than the other. Parasites mostly 

 induce or promote sterility ; but in the 

 grape-mildew, where the development of 

 the berry is so much checked, the growth 

 of the seeds on the contrary seems actually 

 to be promoted. [M. J. B.] 



STERIPHOMA. A genus of Cappari- 

 dacece, comprising a shrub whose branches 

 are invested with star-shaped brownish 

 hairs, stalked leaves, with a prominent 

 swelling at the end of the stalk next to 

 the blade of the leaf, and solitary flowers 

 on axillary stalks. The calyx is hairy, two- 

 lobed ; petals four, yellowish, sessile, the 

 two anterior ones larger than the others ; 

 stamens six, protruding beyond the corolla; 

 ovary on a long stalk, two-celled ; stigma 



