wuti 



QN)t Crcagurg af Matzny, 



1238 



florets yellow— those of the ray ligulate and 

 neuter, those of the disk perfect and tubu- 

 lar. The involucre is hemispherical, consist- 

 ing of numerous loosely imbricated lanceo- 

 late scales ; the receptacle is flat, and has 

 persistent lance-shaped palese ; the branch- 

 es of the style are surmounted by a cone. 

 The achenes of the ray are abortive, those 

 of the disk thick four-sided fleshy, smooth 

 or hairy at the summit. [M. T. MJ 



"WTJLLTJT CUMAL. A Bengalee name 

 of Abroma augusta. 



WURD. An Arab name for Rosa centi- 

 folia. 



WURRT7S. A hrick-red dye-powder, 

 somewhat resembling dragon's-blood, col- 

 lected from the seed-vessels of Rottlem 

 tinctoria. 



WYDLERIA. A genus of Umbelliferce 

 from the Caribbees, containing a single spe- 

 cies, a glabrous herb, with an erect branch- 

 ing stem, and ternately-divided leaves, 

 having the divisions multifld and the lobes 

 cuneate. The involucres are absent or 

 only one-leaved, while the involucels are 

 many-leaved. The ovate-lanceolate petals 

 have a long incurved apex. The ovate 

 fruit is a little contracted at the side, and 

 slightly didymous ; while the carpels have 

 five thickish obtuse ribs, with a single 

 vitta in the intervals, and two in the com- 

 missure ; the carpophore is bifid. [W. 0.] 



"WYMOTE. Althcea officinalis. 



"WYTH. The White Hoop, or Basket 

 "Wyth of Jamaica, Tournefortia bicolor. 



X ANTHIUM. A genus of annuals placed 

 in the group Ambrosiece of the Composite, 

 and remarkable chiefly for the anomalous 

 structure of their flowers, which are mo- 

 noecious ; the barren ones consisting of 

 obovate sessile corollas, collected into nu- 

 merous heads, each enclosed by an invo- 

 lucre of a few scales. In the fertile flower 

 the involucre is single, prickly, with two 

 beaks, entirely closing in two flowers. X. 

 Strumarium, or Burweed, is thus described 

 by Hooker and Arnott : ' A rank weed- 

 like plant, remarkable for the curious 

 structure of its flowers, and the prickly 

 involucres which surround the fertile ones 

 enlarging and becoming part of the fruit. 

 It is scarcely naturalised, and rarely ripens 

 seed in the South of England.' The foreign 

 species are of similar habit. French : Lam- 

 pourd; German: Spitzklette. [C. A.J.] 



XANTHO. In Greek compounds = such 

 yellow as gamboge. 



XANTHO. A Californian genus of Com- 

 posite, the only species of which, better 

 known as Lasthenia qlabrata, has linear 

 leaves, and solitary flower-heads on the 

 ends of the branches. The involucre is 

 flattened, bell-shaped, divided above into 

 from ten to fifteen oblong acute segments ; 

 receptacle conical, tubercled ; outer florets 

 strap-shaped, female : central ones tubular, 

 hermaphrodite, the tube dilated above into 



a bell-shaped five-cleft limb ; branches of 

 the style linear, studded with little pim- 

 ples, those of the disk-florets longer than 

 those of the ray, dilated at the apex, trian- 

 gular; achenes oblong, surmounted by a 

 thick entire rim, without pappus. The 

 plant has yellow flowers, and is grown as 

 an annual in the flower-border. [M. T. M.] 



XANTHOCEPHALTJM. A genus of Mexi- 

 can herbs of the family Composite. The 

 leaves are narrow and toothed, and the 

 heads of flowers terminal. The involucre 

 is bell-shaped, and consists of a few over- 

 lapping scales ; the receptacle slightly con- 

 vex, destitute of scales ; the outer florets 

 ligulate female, the central ones tubular 

 perfect. Achenes compressed, smooth ; 

 pappus very short, membranous, irregu- 

 larly toothed. The florets, both of the ray 

 and of the disk, are yellow— whence the 

 name, from xanthos 'yellow' and kephale 

 'head.' [M. T. M.] 



XANTHOCERAS. A low-growing tree, 

 native of the mountains of Northern China, 

 belonging to the Sapinclacece. The leaves 

 are pinnate; the flowers white, in terminal 

 clusters, each with a calyx of five seg- 

 ments; five petals, hairy at the base ; five 

 glands, alternating with the petals, and 

 reflexed ; eight stamens, with glandular 

 anthers ; a globose three-celled ovary, each 

 compartment of which contains eight 

 ovules ; a thick style, and three-lobed 

 stigma ; fruit capsular, three-celled ; seeds 

 numerous, large. [M. T. M.] 



XANTHOCHRYSUM. A genus of Com- 

 posite allied to Heliclirysum. The invo- 

 lucre consists of many rows of 'scarious 

 scales, each of which has an elliptical 

 golden-coloured appendage. The flowers 

 are all hermaphrodite; each has a double 

 pappus, the outer of short entire truncated 

 hairs, the inner of larger unequal serrated 

 hairs, united belowinto aring. These 'ever- 

 lasting* plants are natives of Australia. 

 The generic name refers to the golden- 

 yellow colour of the involucre. [M.T.MJ 



XANTHOCHYMUS. A genus of arbore- 

 ous Clnsiacece, the name of which is derived 

 from the two Greek words xanthos ' yellow ' 

 and chymos ' juice,' alluding to the yellow 

 resinous juice which exudes from their 

 trunks. The genus consists of three tro- 

 pical Asiatic species, and a doubtful one 

 from Madagascar— all trees with thick 

 opposite leaves, and bearing clusters of po- 

 lygamous flowers. It is characterised by 

 having five sepals, as many petals, stamens 

 collected into five bundles placed opposite 

 the petals and alternating with five large 

 glands, and a flve-ceiled ovary narrowed 

 upwards into a short style bearing a flve- 

 rayed stigma, Its fruit is a five (or by 

 abortion fewer) celled berry, containing in 

 each cell a solitary seed enveloped in piilp- 

 Of the three Asiatic species, X. ovalifolia 

 is confined to Ceylon, and was at one time 

 supposed to be the tree which afforded the 

 Gamboge of that island ; but this is now 

 known to be the produce of Garcinia -Mn- 

 re.Ua, the juice of X. ovalifolia being A'alue 



