1203 



£i)e Creagurg at RatzniJ. 



[VANI 



single species occurring on our coasts, 

 though a few are found on the shores of the 

 Mediterranean. [M. J. B.] 



VALORADIA. A small genus of Plum- 

 baginacece, natives of Abyssinia and China. 

 They are branching undershrubs, with al- 

 ternate ciliate leaves, and flowers in ter- 

 minal fascicles. The calyx and corolla are 

 flve-parted; the Ave stamens have linear 

 anthers ; the ovary is one-celled, with a 

 single ovule ; and the filiform style termi- 

 nates in five acute stigmas. [W. CJ 



VALVARIS, VALVATE. United by the 

 margins only ; as the sepals of rhamnads, 

 or the valves of a capsule. 



VALVES. The doors by which various 

 bodies open; as the separable sides or face 

 of anthers, the carpels or parts of carpels 

 of fruits. 



VALVULiE, VALVULES. The bracts of 

 sedges. 



VAXCOUVERIA. A genus of Berberi- 

 dacece, consisting of a stemless herb from 

 North-western America. The rhizome is 

 slender and horizontal ; the leaves all radi- j 

 cal, twice or thrice ternate ; and the scape 

 simple, bearing a slightly compound ra- 1 

 cem'e of white flowers on nodding pedicels, j 

 The six sepals are caducous membranous, < 

 with three to nine much smaller bracteoles 

 at the base ; the six petals are reflexed, and | 

 there are six stamens. The fruit is follicu- 1 

 lar, with numerous seeds. [J. T. S.] 



VAKDA. A magnificent genus of epi- 1 

 phytal orchids from Tropical Asia, con- 1 

 taining upwards of a score of species, I 

 most of which attain a considerable size, 

 and are amongst the largest found in the 

 Old World. The leaves are distichous, 

 coriaceous, from a few inches to two feet 

 in length, oblique at the point. The flow- 

 ers are large, beautifully coloured, in late- 

 ral erect or pendulous racemes ; the peri- 

 anth spreading, the sepals and petals 

 similar, the lip saccate, more or less three- 

 lobed, with the central lobe fleshy. The 

 species of this genus are, on account of 

 their size and the great beauty of their 

 flowers, among the most conspicuous of 

 epiphytes cultivated in the hothouses of 

 Europe. The following are some of the 

 better kind3— Y. suavis, Batemanni, gigan- 

 tea, ccerulea, Lowii, andiricolor. In India the 

 crushed leavesand stems niY.spathulata are 

 mixed with oil, and used in the preparation 

 of an ointment for skin-diseases ; the pow- 

 dered leaves are also taken internally in 

 cases of diarrhoea, &c. [W. B. H.] 



VANDELLIA. A genus of herbaceous 

 plants of the family Scrophulariacece. They 

 have axillary tufted flowers ; a nearly equal 

 tubular or bell-shaped five-toothed calyx; 

 a five-cleft and two-lipped corolla, the 

 upper lip being the shortest of the two ; 

 four stamens, all fertile, the filaments of 

 which have a tooth-like appendage at the 

 base ;and the anthers are coherent, the cells 

 diverging below. The fruit is a globose 

 two-celled two-valved capsule, containing 



numerous seeds. Some of these plants 

 have emetic and purgative properties. A 

 decoction of V. diffusa is employed medici- 

 nally in Guiana in fevers and disorders of 

 the liver. The species are natives of the 

 East Indies, China, Burmah, and South 

 America. Some of them are grown in this 

 country. The generic name commemorates 

 a Professor of Botany at Lisbon. [M. T. M.] 



VANELLE. (Fr.) Stylidium. 



VANGLO. A West Indian name for Til- 

 seed, Sesamuvi orientate. 



VANGUERIA. A genus of Cinchonacew, 

 comprising certain shrubs which are na- 

 tives of Madagascar and India. The flowers 

 have a minutely five-toothed calyx-limb, a 

 white bell-shaped corolla with a hairy 

 throat, to which the five stamens are 

 attached by very short filaments. The 

 fruit is succulent, in shape like an apple, 

 having on the top an irregular scar, and 

 containing five stones. The fruits of V. 

 edulis and also those of V. Commersoni are 

 eaten in Madagascar, under the name of 

 Voa-vanga or Voa-vanguer, which latter 

 word has been adapted to serve as the de- 

 signation of the genus. In the Mauri- 

 tius, where these plants are naturalised, 

 the Creoles employ the leaves in dysen- 

 tery, and as external applications in stran- 

 gulated hernia. Two or three species are 

 in cultivation as stove plants. [M. T. MJ 



VANILLACE.E. A name under which 

 it was formerly proposed to separate Va- 

 nilla from the bulk of the OrcMdaeece. 



VANILLA. A small genus of climbing 

 orchids belonging to the Arethusece, na- 

 tives of Tropical Asia and America. Then- 

 are oblong,somewhat succulent, cor- 



Vanilla aromatica. 



date at the base, and articulated with the 

 stem ; and their flowers are thick fleshy and 

 dull-coloured, the sepals and petals being 

 nearly equal spreading, and the lip entire, 

 attached to the column, and bearded. The 

 fruit is linear-oblong and fleshy. The 

 climbmg habit of this genus is sufficient 

 to distinguish it from most others. 

 This is, perhaps, the most important 



