n o I 



EI)e Crea£tm> ai Botany. 



[veil 



VOIREUSE. (Fr) Mercwialis annua. 



TOLA. A Sanscrit name for Myrrh. 



VOLANT D'EATJ (Fr) Myrioplnjllum 

 spicatum. 



VOLKAMERIA. A genus of Yerbenacem 

 closely allied to Clerodendron, but distin- 

 guished from it by its fleshy or corky 

 fruits, containing only two stones instead 

 of four as in Clerodendron, each stone also 

 being two-celled, and containing a single 

 seed in each cell. There are two well- 

 authenticated species, besides several 

 doubtful ones — V. aculeata a native of 

 Tropical America, and Y. Acerbiana a 

 native of Nubia : both of them shrubs with 

 simple opposite leaves, and cymes of white 

 flowers, having salver-shaped corollas, with 

 the limb divided into five segments, the 

 two upper of which are larger than the 

 rest, and diverge from each other. [A. S.] 



VOLUBILIS. Having the property of 

 twisting round some other body. 



VOLUBILIS, or V. DES JARDINIERS. 

 (Fr.) Pharbitis hispida. 



VOLUTE. Rolled up in any way. 



VOLVA. A membrane, usually of a tough 

 texture, in which a fungal is sometimes 

 enclosed when young, and which is burst 

 open as the latter grows. 



VOLVARIA. A beautiful subgenus of 

 rose-spored agarics, distinguished by its 

 weM-developed volva. The gills, moreover, 

 are perfectly free and rose-coloured. The 

 only common species is Agaricus pusillus, 

 which abounds in pastures in autumn, and 

 is conspicuous (though small) from its per- 

 fect volva, and its white silky pilens con- 

 trasting with the pink gills. A. volvaceus 

 occurs sometimes abundantly in stoves, 

 but not so frequently as formerly, when 

 tan was more used for heating. A closely- 

 allied species is raised artificially in Italy, 

 on spent coffee-grounds, and is employed 

 as food. We are not aware that any of the 

 remaining species are esculent. [M. J. B.] 



VOMIER. (Fr ) Eriostemon. 



VOMIQUE. (Fr.) Strychnos. 



VOMIQUIER. (Fr.) The seed of Ig- 

 natia amor a. 



VOOGINOOS. The Abyssinian name of 

 Brucea antidy senterica. 



VORGE. (Fr.) Lolium temulentum. 



VORTANQUI. The Spanish name for 

 Sappan-wood. 



VOSAKAN (Fr.) Eelianthus annuus. 



VOSSIA. A genus of grasses belonging 

 to the tribe Eottboelliece. Spikes of inflo- 

 rescence compressed jointed; spikelets two- 

 flowered, the lower male, the upper herma- 

 phrodite, glumes two, unequal— the ex- 

 terior thick and hard, terminating in a 

 sharp point, the inner thin and paper-like; 

 pales two ; stamens three ; styles two. 

 Y. c>i.«pidata is the only species, and is a 

 native of the "West Indies. [D. M.] 



VOTOMITA. A little-known genus of 

 Aublet's, founded on a single species from 

 French Guiana, and doubtfully referred 

 to Cornacece. It is a shrub, with opposite 

 entire leaves on short petioles, aud few- 

 flowered axillary corymbs. The calyx is 

 connate with the ovary, and the limb has 

 four short teeth ; the corolla consists of 

 four oblong-acuminate petals , the four 

 stamens have short filaments, and oblong 

 anthers united into a tube, through which 

 the filiform style passes ; there are four 

 oblong stigmas ; and the drupe is one- 

 celled and one-seeded. [W. C] 



VOUA-HERE. The Malagassy name for 

 Yahea madagascariensis. 



VOUAPA. A genus of papilionaceous 

 Leciuminosce, consisting of trees, natives 

 of Guiana, and having pinnated leaves, and 

 clusters of flowers. On the pedicels are 

 two small leathery bracts; the calyx is 

 four-parted and membranous; the corolla 

 consists of a single petal, which is curved 

 in the bud, the remaining four petals being 

 suppressed ; stamens three; ovary stalked, 

 with one or two ovules; style very long, 

 curled up spirally ; pod compressed. The 

 generic name is adapted from that given 

 by the natives to these plants. V. bifolia 

 is in cultivation as a stove-plant; its 

 flowers are of a violet hue. [M. T. M.] 



VOUEDE. (Fr.) Isatis tinctoria. 

 VOUEN POUEN. A native name in 

 Madagascar for Cratoeva excelsa. 



VOULOU. (Fr.) Bambusa. 



VOTRA. A genus of tropical American 

 herbs of the Gentianacem, and connecting 

 that order with the Orobanchacece, inas- 

 much as the species are parasitical on the 

 trunks of old trees, and have only minute 

 scale-like leaves. The flowers are terminal, 

 either solitary or in panicles. They have a 

 five-cleft calyx ; a salver shaped corolla, 

 which withers on the plant before it falls 

 off, its tube swollen at the base, and its 

 limb divided into five spreading segments ; 

 stamens five, concealed within the corolla ; 

 fruit capsular, partially two-celled, burst- 

 ing by two valves ; seeds numerous, mi- 

 nute. The tuberous roots of V. rosea are of 

 areddish colour externally, and white with- 

 in ; they are baked and eaten in Guiana 

 like potatoes. [M. T. M.] 



VRIESIA. A genus of Bromeliacew, so 

 named in honour of the late Professor De 

 Vriese, a Dutch botanist of eminence. 

 The species have flat leaves, and bear the 

 flowers in spikes, protected by large hand- 

 somely-coloured bracts. The sepals are 

 three, convolute, equal ; petals rolled round 

 at the point, each one with two scales at- 

 tached to it ; stamens six, projecting, three 

 inserted into the petals, three between 

 them , ovary partly inferior ; stigma with 

 three coiled hairy divisions. One or two 

 species are in cultivation as ornamental 

 stove-plants. V. speciosa, a Brazilian herb, 

 is particularly handsome. [M. T.M.] 



VRILLEE. (Fr.) Convolvulus arvensis. — 



