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Zfyz Crcastarg of SSotatig. 



1240 



LE^E. A tribe of Rutacece, raised l>y some 

 botanists to the rank of a natural order; and 

 distinguished from otlier Rutacece chiefly 

 by having unisexual flowers with small 

 spreading petals, a lobed ovary with two 

 ovules in each cell, and lateral or basal 

 styles often united at the top only, the 

 fruit usually separating into two to five 

 distinct cocci. Seventeen genera, consist- 

 ing chiefly of tropical trees or shrubs, have 

 been referred to the group. 



XANTHOXYLON. The type of the 

 Xanthoxylacem, and a rather extensive ge- 

 nus, possessing a wide geographical range, 

 having representatives in most of the tro- 

 pical countries of the world, and in some 

 parts of the temperate regions— one reach- 

 ing as far north as Canada in the "Western, 

 and several as far as Japan in the Eastern 

 Hemisphere. The species differ consider- 

 ably in appearance, some being very large 

 trees, while others are erect or climbing 

 shrubs ; and they are often furnished with 

 prickles on their branches and leafstalks. 

 Their leaves are alternate and compound, 

 either pinnate (with or without an odd ter- 

 minal leaflet), trifoliate, or rarely reduced 

 to a single leaflet, the leaflets being usually 

 marked with pellucid dots. Their flowers 

 are small, unisexual, and disposed in vari- 

 ously-formed axillary or terminal panicles. 

 They have four or five (or rarely three) 

 sepals and petals, both overlapping in the 

 bud: the males containingas many stamens 

 as sepals and a rudimentary pistil, and the 

 females either no stamens at all or imper- 

 fect ones ; and from one to five carpels, 

 free or cohering at the base, each ending 

 in a style, which is either distinct or united 

 with the others at the top. The ripe car- 

 pels or fruits split into two pieces, and 

 contain one or two shining-black seeds. 



The fruits of most of the species have 

 an aromatic pungent taste like pepper. 

 Those of X. piperitum, a Japanese species, 

 are called Japan-pepper; and those of X. 

 hostile are the Tej-bul of Northern India, 

 where they are used for intoxicating fish. 

 The popular name of Toothache-tree is ap- 

 plied to several American species (espe- 

 cially X/ra.rmeuj») in consequence of their 

 bark and fruits being employed asa remedy 

 for toothache. X.caribamma. West Indian, 

 and X. nitidum a Chinese species, are re- 

 puted to be febrifugal ; while the young 

 prickly stems of X. clova- Herculis are com- 

 monlymadeinto walking-sticks in theWest 

 Indies. [A. SJ 



XAVERIA. Anemonopsis. 



XENODOCHUS. A fine genus of para- 

 sitic Fungi closely allied to Aregma, and 

 distinguished by the necklace-like chains 

 of irralti septate protospores breaking up at 

 the joints ; whereas in Aregma the articu- 

 lations are scarcely monlliform, and remain 

 attached to each other. The only species 

 which is at present known, occurs on the 

 leaves of the larger burnet in meadows, but 

 is not common. The ulterior development 

 of the protospores has not yet been ob- 

 served. [M. J. B.] 



XERAMPELINUS. Dull red, with a 

 strong mixture of brown. 



XERANTHEMUM. Showy annuals he- 

 longing to the order Composite?, thus cha- 

 racterised :— Receptacle chaffy; pappus 

 chaffy and bristly ; involucre imbricated, 

 radiated, the ray coloured. The leaves are 

 cottony and whitish beneath, and the ter- 

 minal heads of flowers, which are either 

 purple or white, are of the peculiar texture, 

 which is commonly called 'everlasting.' 

 They are consequently very durable, and 

 even when their colour fades it may lie re- 

 vived by the vapour of acid. There are 

 three species, natives of the South of Eu- 

 rope and of the Levant. French : Immor- 

 telle , German . Strohblume. [C. A. J.] 



XERINGUE. A South American name 

 for the caoutchouc-yielding Siphonia and 

 Micrandra. 



XEROBOTRYS. A name under which 

 Nuttall proposed to separate the Arctosta- 

 phylos (or Arbutus) tomentosa and another 

 species, both Californian, from the rest of 

 the genus, on account of the nuts of the 

 drupe being divided into two one-seeded 

 cells, instead of containing only one seed 

 altogether. 



XEROCARPTJS. The name of a Sene- 

 gambian trailing herbaceous plant, which 

 constitutes a genus of the papilionaceous 

 subdivision of the order Leguminosce. 

 Thewhole plant is densely hairy; the leaves 

 ternate ; the flowers rose-coloured, in axil- 

 lary and terminal racemes. The calyx is \ 

 divided into five nearly equal segments; ' 

 the vexillum or standard is oblong, the 

 wings curved, the keel straight ; the ten 

 stamens are monad elphous ; the ovary con- j 

 tains many ovules; the style is thread-like 

 straight; and the pod scimetar-shaped, 

 membranous, many-seeded. [M. T. MJ 



XEROCOCCUS. The name of agenus of 

 Cinchnnacece, comprising a semi-parasitical 

 shrub, whose flowers have a tubular co- 

 rolla, with a limb divided into four erect 

 concave petals ; ovate anthers ; and a stig- 

 ma divided into two thick fleshy lobes. 

 Fruit dry, whence the name of the genus, 

 from the Greek xeros ' dry.' The plant is 

 a native of Costa Rica. [M. T. M.] 



XEROPETALON. A genus of trees, 

 natives of Tropical and Subtropical Africa, 

 and belonging to the Byttneriacece. The 

 flowers are rose-coloured and borne on co- 

 rymbs, often expanding before the leaves. 

 They have each a five-parted calyx, which, 

 like the five petals, is persistent ; stamens 

 twenty, united below into a cup, which is 

 attached to the calyx— some of them being 

 sterile, others fertile ; ovary three to five- 

 celled ; style terminal, three to five-parted ; 

 fruit capsular, with one seed in each com- 

 partment. The generic name is derived 

 from the Greek xeros 'dry,' in allusion to 

 the persistent petals, which ultimately be- 

 come dry and membranous. [M. T. M.] 



XEROPHYLLUM. A genus of Melan- 

 thacea; from North America, containing an 



