orchids belonging to the Cypripedece, com- 

 prising one very handsome species, U. Lin- 

 I deni, a native of New Grenada, growing at 

 an elevation of 8,500 feet above the sea- 

 level. It is closely related to Cypripedium, 



Uropedium Lindeni. 



J from which it differs in its broader flatten- 

 ed lip, and extremely long-tailed petals. 

 The leaves are about a foot long, oblique 

 j at the extremity, shining and fleshy in 

 I texture. The flowers are solitary, on long 

 j peduncles ; sepals ovate-lanceolate, yellow, 

 j streaked with orange; petals linear-lanceo- 

 I late, extended into a long narrow tail, 

 a foot or more in length, purple-oranere at 

 I the base. [W.B.H.] 



UROPETALTTM. A genus of bulbous 

 Liliaeece, from the Cape of Good Hope and 

 the Mediterranean region. They have a 

 j simple scape, bearing a raceme of green or 

 j green-and-orange flowers, which have a 

 deeply six-cleft perianth, between funnel- 

 shaped and bell-shaped; the filaments of 

 the six stamens are dilated at the base; 

 the capsule is three-edged many-seeded ; 

 the seeds horizontal, compressed, with a 

 hard black seed-coat, over a spongy inner 

 covering. V. serotinitm occurs in many 

 places in the South of Europe. [J. T. S.] 



TTROPHYLLTJM. A genus of shrubs, 

 natives of Southern India, and included 

 in the order Cmchonacece. The leaves have 

 a very long tail-like point, while the flower- 

 stalks are short, and bear greenish flowers 

 in whorled heads, surrounded by numerous 

 bracts. The limb of the calyx is short, 

 bell-shaped; the corolla is funnel-shaped, 

 hairy at the throat, and with its limb 

 divided into five ovate lobes ; stamens five; 

 ovary surmounted by a glandular disk, and 

 having five compartments, each contain- 

 ing- numerous ovules; stigma flve-lobed ; 

 fruit small succuient globular, crowned by 

 the calyx-limb, and having pores. The 

 name is derived from the Greek oura ' a 

 tail' and phyUon 'leaf.' [M. T. M.] 



UROSKINNERA spectabilis is the sole 

 representative of a Central American ge- 

 nus of Scroplndariacece, named in honour 

 of Mr. G. Ure Skinner, to whom our gardens 

 are indebted for so many new plants. 

 It is anundershrub, somewhat resembling 

 in habit certain Gesiieracece, and covered 

 in all parts with soft hairs. The leaves are 

 oblong toothed, the flowers arranged in 

 terminal crowded panicles, and supported 

 by filiform bracts. The corolla is infundi- 

 buliform, and its five lobes are ranged in 

 two lips ; it is of a pale-violet colour out- 

 side, and nearly white inside. [B. S.] 



tJROSPERMUM. The name of a genus 

 of Composites, consisting of Mediterranean 

 annual plants, with alternate amplexicaul 

 divided leaves, and flower-heads on long 

 stalks surrounded by an involucre of 

 eight bracts, arranged in one series. The 

 receptacle is somewhat convex, destitute 

 of scales; the corollas all ligulate and 

 yellow ; the achenes tubercled, provided 

 with a long empty beak distended below ; 

 and a feathery pappus in one row. The 

 generic name is from the Greek ouros'a, 

 tail 'and spermum'a, seed,' in allusion to I 

 the long beak above described. [M. T. M.] 



FROSTIGMA. One of the genera into \ 



which Miquel has proposed to divide the 



large Linnasan genus Ficus, but which are 



more conveniently considered as sections 



| or subgenera. It comprises the greater 



! number of the tropical species with coria- 



I ceous laurel-like leaves, and is distin- 



I guished chiefly by the long three-cleft 



perianth with a single stamen of the male 



flowers, and by the usually elongated 



stigma of the females. In habit the nu- 



j merous species do not differ from some of 



! those retained in Ficus. 



I URTICACE^E. (Urticew, Nettleworts). A 

 ! large order of apetalous dicotyledons, con- 

 • sisting of trees shrubs or herbs from al- 

 ■ most every part of the globe, with alter- 

 I nate or opposite leaves furnished with 

 stipules, and small unisexual flowers usu- 

 ally in cymes or in heads, not in catkins. 

 The small calyx-like perianth has from one 

 to five divisions, with as many stamens 

 opposite to the segments. The free ovary 

 has one cell containing a single ovule, and 

 a simple terminal style or stigma. 



Taken in an extended sense the order 

 includes Arlocarpacece, with pendulous 

 ovules and no albumen to the seed, and j 

 Moracece, with pendulous ovules and albu- 

 minous seeds; but it is more frequently 

 confined to Urticece proper, which have 

 erect ovules and albuminous seeds. These 

 are also remarkable for the causticity of 

 their limpid juice ; their stipules are not 

 convolute, and they are frequently herba- 

 ceous, many species yielding exceedingly 

 tenacious fibres. The order thus restricted 

 still comprises about forty genera, amongst 

 which the most important are Urt.ica, 

 Pilea, Bohmeria, Procris, Forskolea, &c. 



TTRTICA. This genus gives its name to 

 the order Urticacece, and consists for the 

 most part of erect herbaceous plants, co- I 



