at the base, externally; petals five, stalked, 

 longer than the sepals, unequal ; stamens 

 ten, unequal in size— the four opposite to 

 the glands of the calyx sterile, the re- 

 mainder fertile ; styles three, dilated at the 

 top into a leafy stigmatic expansion ; fruit 

 of three or fewer winged carpels. Some 

 of the species are in cultivation, and have 

 handsome yellow flowers. [M. T. M.] 



STIGMATIC. Of the nature of a stigma. 



STIGMATOPHORUS. That part of the 

 style of composites which bears the stig- 

 mata. 



STIGMATOSTEMON. A body formed! 

 by the union of anthers with the stigma. I 



STILAGINACE^. (Antidesmads.) A 

 name originally proposed by Agardh for a 

 small group of genera, including Antidesma, 

 whose affinities had been little understood ; 

 but they have recently been included in 

 the large order Euphorbiacece, an arrange- 

 ment which appears to be generally 

 adopted. 



STILAGINELLA. A genus of Euplwr- 

 biacece of the tribe Antidesmece. established 

 by Tulasne for a few trees or shrubs from 

 Tropical America, nearly allied to the Asia- 

 tic Antidesmas, but differing from them 

 chiefly in their ovary being two-celled with 

 two ovules in each cell, instead of being 

 reduced to a single carpel. Eight species 

 have been described, all remarkable for 

 the minute peltate scales, which give a 

 hoary appearance to the branches and foli- 

 age, and for the numerous small flowers in 

 axillary racemes or panicles. It has since 

 been ascertained that the genus had been 

 a short time previously published by 

 Allemao at Rio Janeiro under the name of 

 Eieronyma. 



STILAGO. A genus originally proposed 

 by LinmBus, but which has proved not to 

 be distinct from Antidesma. 



STILBACEiE. (Stilbids.-) A small order 

 of nionopetalous dicotyledons whose im- 

 mediate affinities are very uncertain. It 

 consists of South African shrubs, with 

 small crowded entire leaves like those of a 

 Phylica or of some heaths ; the flowers 

 j sessile, in dense terminal spikes. The calyx 

 | is five-cleft, the corolla also five-cleft, with 

 I four perfect stamens inserted between its 

 J lobes, the place of the fifth being occupied 

 I by a small rudimentary stamen or empty ; 

 ! the ovary is free two-celled, with one erect 

 I ovule in each, and the style simple. The 

 fruit is a small nut, or rarely a two-valved 

 capsule, with a single erect seed, contain- 

 ing a minute embryo in firm albumen. 

 The order is usually placed near Verbena- 

 cece and Selaginacece, but Lindley regards it 

 as more nearly allied to Diapensiacea;. To 

 the original genus, Stilbe, have beeu added 

 three others, separated from it upon rather 

 trifling characters. 



STILBE. The principal genus of Stilba- 

 cece, distinguished from the others by 

 straight flowering spikes, narrow corolla- 

 lobes", parallel anther-cells, and an iudehis- 



cent fruit. It only contains four species, 

 all from the Cape Colony, and offering very 

 little if any interest. 



STILLINGIA. The Tallow-tree of China 

 is the best-known representative of this 

 genus of Euphorbiacea 1 ; but there are two 

 or three other Chinese and Japanese spe- 

 cies, and as many more natives of the 

 Southern States of America. With the ex- 

 ception of the tallow-tree and one herba- 

 ceous species, they are shrubs : and all have 

 alternate entire leaves,and terminal catkin- 

 like spikes of flowers. The fruit is a cap- 

 sule composed of three one-seeded opening 

 pieces, and is girded at the base by an 

 enlarged bract. 



S. sebifera, the Tallow-tree, is a native of 

 China and the adjacent islands, but it has 

 been introduced into and partly natu- 

 ralised in India and the warm parts of 

 America. It has rhomboid-shaped sharply 

 taper-pointed leaves about two inches 

 broad, on slender stalks with two promi- 

 nent glands at the point of attachment 

 between the stalk and leaf ; and its flower- 

 catkins are from two to four inches long. 

 Its fruits are about half an inch in dia- 

 meter, and contain three seeds thickly 

 coated with a fatty substance which yields 

 the tallow. This is obtained by steaming 

 the seeds in large cauldrons, then bruising 

 them sufficiently to loosen the fat without 

 breaking the seeds, which are removed by 

 sifting ; and the fat is afterwards made into 

 flat circular cakes and pressed in a wedge- 

 press, when the pure tallow exudes in a 

 liquid state, and soon hardens into a white 

 brittle mass. This tallow is very exten- 

 sively used for candle-making in China; 

 but, as they get soft in hot weather, the 

 candles generally receive a coating of in- 

 sect-wax. A liquid oil is obtained from 

 the seeds by pressing. The tree yields 

 a hard wood, used by the Chinese for 

 printing blocks, and its leaves are em- 

 ployed for dyeing black. [A. SJ 



STIMULI (adj. STIMULANS). Stings ; 

 sharp stiff hairs, containing an acrid fluid 

 which when they pierce the skin produces 

 pain. 



STIMULOSE. Covered with stings. 



STINKHORN. Phallus impudicus. 



STINKING-WEED, or STINKING- 

 WOOD. Cassia occidentalis. 



STINKWEED. A local South of Eng- 

 land name for Diplotaxis muralis. 



STINK WOOD. The useful wood of 

 Oreodaphne bullata, which has a most un- 

 pleasant odour lasting for a long time. 

 Also that of Fcetidia mauritiana and Zieria 

 macropltylla. 



STIPA. A genus of grasses belonging 

 to the tribe Stipece. The inflorescence is in 

 nearly simple lax panicles, the spikelets 

 of which are one-flowered; glumes two, 

 membranous, longer than the two cartila- 

 ginous pales, of which the lower is convo- 

 lute, with a long beard at the apex, and 



