1117 



CTjc {JTrea/attrg ai 33otam). 



[SYZY 



SYSOCHLAMYS. Cheilanthes. 



SYXOCHORIOX. The same kind of fruit 

 as the Carcerulus. 



SYXCECIA. A genus proposed by Miquel 

 for the Ficus macrocarpa and F. diversi- 

 folia, two Javanese species, in which the 

 usually minute perianth is entirely abor- 

 tive. 



SYNONYMS. Names which have the 

 same meaning ; a synonym is what lawyers 

 call an alias. 



SYNORHIZOES. Having a radicle whose 

 point is united to the albumen. 



SYNOUM. A genus of 21eliacece peculiar 

 to New Holland, with alternate impari- 

 pinnate leaves, and quite entire leaflets, 

 barbate in the axils of the veins on the 

 underside, and axillary racemes of flowers. 

 The calyx is five-cleft, the corolla has four 

 ovate petals ; there are eight anthers, and 

 a three-ceiled capsule, with two seeds in 

 each cell. [B.S.] 



SYNPHLEBITTM. Schizoloma. 



SYXTHLIP3IS. A genus of Cruciferce 

 from New Mexico, consisting of a branched 

 diffuse canescent herb, with sinuato-pin- 

 natifid leaves, and lax racemes of rose- 

 coloured flowers. The fruit is a pouch, of 

 an oblong elliptical shape, slightly notched 

 at the tip, and compressed contrary to the 

 partition ; thevalves boat-shaped, strongly 

 keeled but wingless at the back, though 

 slightly produced at the apex. [J. T. S.] 



SYXZYGAXTHERA. A small genus of 

 Lacistemacece confined to South America, 

 and consisting of a couple of shrubby 

 species, with alternate oblong- lanceolate 

 leaves, catkin-like flowers (by abortion 

 monoecious), four bracts surrounding each 

 perigone, without a glandular disk around 

 the ovary, and a three-celled berry-like 

 capsule. [B. S.] 



SYN'ZYGIA. The point of junction of 

 opposite cotyledons. 



SYREXIA. A genus of Cruciferce from 

 Eastern Europe and Central Asia, consist- 

 ing of biennials, with the habit of Erysi- 

 mum, having rather large pale-yellow 

 flowers, and elongated four-sided com- 

 pressed pods, with keeled one-nerved 

 valves ; the seeds in two rows with incum- 

 bent cotyledons contrary to the partition 

 of the pod, not parallel with it as in 

 Erysimum, which also has hut one row of 

 seeds in each cell [J. T. S.] 



SYRINGA. The Lilacs of our gardens 

 are familiar representatives of this genus 

 of Oleacece, of which about six species 

 and a number of varieties are known. The 

 native coun try of some of these plants is not 

 well ascertained, although the genus ap- 

 pears to be confined to South-eastern 

 Europe and Central and Eastern Asia , but 

 some of the so-called species are supposed 

 to have originated in gardens. They are 

 shrubs of from four to fifteen feet or more 

 in height, with entire leaves, and terminal 



more, or less pyramidal panicles of usually 

 sweet-smelling flowers, characterised by 

 having a short four-toothed persistent 

 calyx, a salver-shaped corolla with a long 

 tube and four-parted limb, two enclosed 

 stamens, and a short two-pronged enclosed 

 style. Their fruit is an egg-shaped or 

 lance-shaped somewhat flattened two- 

 celled capsule, splitting when ripe into 

 two boat-shaped pieces, •with a partition 

 in the middle, each piece containing two 

 narrow-winged seeds. 



The Common Lilac, S. vulgaris, is gene- 

 rally supposed to be a native of Persia, 

 from whence it is said to have been intro- 

 duced into Europe ; but it does not appear 

 to be certainly known in a wild state, and 

 some botanists have therefore supposed it 

 to be merely a luxuriant cultivated variety 

 of the Persian Lilac, S. persica. It is, 

 however, said to occur wild in Transyl- 

 vania, Wallachia, and Bulgaria. It is the 

 largest species of the genus, and also one 

 of the commonest and most beautiful of 

 our spring-flowering ornamental shrubs. 

 The several varieties differ principally in 

 the size and colour of their flowers. 



The Persian Lilac, S. persica, is also 

 supposed to have originally come from 

 Persia, but nothing is known with cer- 

 tainty as to its native country. It is a 

 smaller species than the last, seldom 

 growing more than six or eight feet high, 

 and has smallish lance-shaped leaves, 

 sometimes cut in a pinnatifld manner. 

 There are both a white and a purple- 

 flowered variety. 



S. Josikcea is so named in honour of the 

 Countess vow Josika, who, about thirty 

 years ago, first discovered this species at 

 Clausenburg in Transylvania. It is a tall 

 shrub, with pointed elliptic lance-shaped 

 wrinkled leaves, and has bluish-purple 

 flowers, which, unlike those of the other 

 species, are scentless. 



In addition to the above there is a plant 

 known as the Rouen Lilac, S. rothamagen- 

 sis, the Lilas Varin of the French, said to 

 have been raised by M. Varin in the Botanic 

 Garden at Rouen from seeds of the Persian 

 Lilac; but it agrees with the species 

 called S. dubia or S. chinensis, said to be 

 from China, though known there only in a 

 cultivated state. The R.ouen Lilac is in- 

 termediate between the common and 

 Persian sorts, and strengthens the suppo- 

 sition of those two being varieties of one 

 species. [A. S.] 



SYRINGA DES JARDINS. Philadelphia 

 coronarius. 

 SYRINGODEA. Erica. 



SYZYGITES. A most curious genus of 

 vesicular moulds, consisting of a single 

 species, which is not uncommon in woods 

 on decaying agarics. The threads are 

 much-branched above, and on some of the 

 branches little swellings occur which unite 

 with each other two together, like the 

 threads of Conjvgatce. A sporangium is 

 ultimately formed at the point of junction, 

 which is filled with amass of elliptic spores. 



