tjred] 



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1194 



duction to Cryptogamic Botany, p. 10), con- 

 stitutes the geuus Physonema of Bonorden. 

 C. Tussilaginis and C. pingue are common 

 everywhere, the one on coltsfoot, the other 

 on roses. Lecythea is distinguished by its 

 elongated abortive protospores surround- 

 ing those which are fertile. The species, 

 however, are mere conditions of Melamp- 

 sora, so common on willows spurge and 

 poplars, and distinguished by its wedge- 

 shaped closely-compacted protospores. 

 Cystopus alone remains, which is remark- 

 able for its white protospores, disposed 

 in short necklaces. The mycelium in this 

 genus is strongly developed, and consists 

 of coarse branched threads. 



Uredinei have been considered by some 

 authors, as for example Unger, as mere 

 transformations of the cellular tissue of 

 plants. The researches, however, of Tu- 

 lasne and others, show that they possess 

 a far more complicated structure than has 

 been usually assigned to them, and are de- 

 cisive against such an opinion. [M. J. B.J 



UREDO. See Uredinei. 



URENA. A genus of Malvacece, distin- 

 guished from its congeners by its flowers 

 having a five-cleft involucre outside and 

 alternate with the true calyx, which is 

 likewise five-cleft, and a style divided at 

 the top into ten branches ; and also by its 

 fruits, which consist of five unopening 

 carpels, being covered with prickles, di- 

 vided at the top into numerous radiating 

 hooks, the carpels ultimately separating 

 from each other. It consists of a few ex- 

 tremely variable species, very extensively 

 distributed over the tropics of both hemi- 

 spheres : but, owing to their great varia- 

 bility and wide dispersion, numerous 

 spurious species have been described. They 

 are woody annuals or perennial shrubby 

 plants, with entire or more or less deeply- 

 lobed leaves, usually furnished at the base 

 with one to three slit glands on the under- 

 side of the principal nerves; and their 

 flowers are yellow red or rose coloured, 

 and either solitary or clustered towards 

 the points of the branches. U. lobata and 

 U. sinuata are both common tropical 

 weeds. They possess mucilaginous pro- 

 perties, for which they are used me- 

 dicinally ; and their inner bark affords an 

 abundance of fibre, resembling jute rather 

 than flax or hemp. [A. S.j 



URENS. Stinging. 



TJRERA. This genus of Urticacece is 

 sometimes merged in Urtica by botanical 

 writers, from which, however, it is known 

 by its alternate not opposite leaves, and 

 by the obliquely ovate fruit, included 

 within the inner succulent leaves of the 

 perianth. In the genus Urtica the peri- 

 anth leaves do not become succulent as 

 the fruit ripens. See Urtica. [M. T. M.] 



URGERAO. Stachytarpha jamaicensis. 



URGINEA. A genus of Liliacece, very 

 closely allied to Scilla, but differing in the 

 more widely-spreading segments of the 

 perianth, and in the greater number of 



seeds. The species are natives of the 

 Mediterranean region, and have large 

 bulbs, whence proceed the leaves and long- 

 stalked racemes of flowers, the latter 

 however being produced first. 



The bulbs of U. maritima, the old Scilla 

 maritima, are known in medicine as Squills. 

 These bulbs are of large size, covered on 

 the outside with thin brownish layers, 

 which enclose a large number of thick 

 fleshy scales. They are imported from Malta 

 and elsewhere, some having the scales 

 white, while others are of a darker colour ; 

 the lighter sort is preferred by druggists. 

 It has been supposed that the Red Squills 

 are the produce of another species, U. 

 Pancration, but this seems doubtful. Fresh 

 squills are very acrid, causing irritation 

 and even vesication of the skin ; the drug 

 is, however, usually imported in the dried 

 state, when its acridity is in great measure 

 dissipated. The bitter taste of squills 

 is due to a substance called scillitin. 

 Squills are used in medicine as a diuretic 

 in certain forms of dropsy, and as an ex- 

 pectorant in coughs. In large doses it 

 causes vomiting, and in extreme quantity 

 it acts as an acrid poison. [M. T. M.] 



URHUR. An Indian name for the peas 

 of Cajanus indicus. 



URJOON. An Indian name for Termi- 

 nalia alata. 



URKAN The Arabian name for Law- 



sonia alba. 



URN. The spore-case of urn-mosses. 



URN-MOSSES. An English name for 

 the Bryacece or true Mosses. 



UROCARPUS. A genus of Rutacem, com- 

 prising a West Australian shrub, covered 

 with scale-like hairs, having ovate leaves, 

 and white flowers arranged on the ends of 

 the branches, in an umbellate manner. The 

 calyx is minute, five-toothed; petals five 

 spreading, much longer than the calyx; 

 stamens ten, all fertile; ovaries two, united 

 by their inner angles, elsewhere distinct ; 

 styles two, connate; stigma thickened, 

 two-lobed ; fruit of two horned valves, 

 from which the inner cartilaginous lining 

 separates with elasticity ; seed solitary by 

 abortion. The generic name is derived 

 from the Greek oura ' a tail,' in allusion to 

 the horned fruit. [M. T.M.] 



UROCHLiENA. A genus of grasses be- 

 longing to the tribe Festucea. The inflo- 

 rescence forms terminal ovate spikes ; 

 spikelets many-fiowered ; glumes herba- 

 ceous, five-nerved; lower pales seven to 

 nine-nerved, hairy at the base, the upper 

 slightly bidentate or toothed; stamens 

 three ; styles short and distant. Only one 

 species has been described, viz. U. pusilla, 

 which is annual and a native of South 

 Africa. [D. M.] 



UROCHLOA. Panicum. 



UROOS. An Indian name for Adhatoda 

 vasica. 



UROPEDIUM. A terrestrial genus of 



