from the larch by its evergreen leaves, and i 

 by its cones, which are from three to Ave j 

 inches in length, oblong, blunt, erect, and 

 composed of numerous densely packed 

 scales of a purplish-brown colour. They i 

 are not fully ripened till the third year, and 

 remain on the tree for several years. The 

 tree is a native of the mountains of Leba- 

 non and of Taurus, where its majestic form 

 and huge spreading branches render it a 

 very prominent feature. A recent traveller 

 in Syria, Mr. Urquhart, thus speaks of it. 

 ' The" trunk dividing at from ten to twenty 

 feet from the ground, the branches con- 

 torted and snake-like, spreading out as 

 from a centre, and giving to the tree the 

 figure of a dome; the leaf-bearing boughs 

 spread horizontally, the leaves or spicule 

 point upwards, growing from the bough 

 like grass from the earth. The leaves are 

 thick and short, about an inch in length. 

 The cones stand up in like manner, and are 

 seen in rows above the straight boughs. 

 The timber is in colour like the red pine.' 

 The wood has been said to be very durable, 

 but there is some reason to think that the 

 wood of a species of Thuja has been mis- 

 taken for that of the cedar of Lebanon, 

 which is not so indestructible as was once 

 supposed. From the noble appearance that 

 the tree presents, it is frequently met with 

 in parks, &c, the habit or general appear- 

 ance of the tree, and the arrangement of 

 its branches, differing considerably in dif- 

 ferent individual trees. Many magnificent 

 trees of this species are to be seen in 

 Blenheim Park, Oxfordshire ; but scarcely 

 any two are alike in the disposition of their i 

 branches or the colour of the leaves. 



A. Deodara, or Cedrus Deodara, the 

 Deodar or Indian Cedar, differs from the 

 cedar of Lebanon, in having the cones 

 placed on short thick stalks; and the scales i 

 of the ripe cone fall off, instead of being ' 

 persistent, as in the Lebanon cedar, while 

 its leaves are longer and more distinctly 

 three-sided than in that plant ; but it is by 

 no means certain that the two plants are 

 really specifically distinct. The individual 

 plants forming the species of this genus j 

 differ so remarkably in habit and general ! 

 appearance one from the other, that great i 

 caution is necessary in dogmatising as to i 

 the distinctness of this or that form. The 

 Indian or Deodar cedar is a native of Nepal i 

 and of the Himalayas, where it attains a 

 height of from fifty to one hundred feet and I 

 upwards. Its timber is of great value from j 

 its durability, and it furnishes a turpentine 

 which is much employed as a medicament 

 by the natives in North-Western India. It 

 was introduced into this country in the 

 year 1822, and is now much cultivated as 

 an ornamental tree, from its elegant form, 



! gracefully pendent branches, and the glau- 



, cous hue of its foliage. 



A.atlantica, the Algerian, or Mount Atlas 

 Cedar, called also Cedrus atlantica, forms 



; almost the entire vegetation of the upper 



j mountainous regions of certain provinces 

 of Algeria. According to M. Cosson, there 

 is no doubt but that this is a mere variety 

 of the Lebanon cedar, from which it differs 



in the length of its leaves. The form and 

 size of the cones are too variable to consti- 

 tute a point of distinction. 



Several other species of this genus are 

 grown in this country as ornamental trees, 

 among which A. bracteata and A. Douglasii 



Abies Douglasii (cone). 



may be mentioned as particularly inter- 

 esting species. [M. T. MJ 



ABNORMAL. Opposed to usual struc- 

 ture. Thus, stamens standing opposite to 

 petals, and nowhere else, as in Rhamnads, 

 are abnormal, it being usual for stamens to 

 be alternate with petals, if equal to them in 

 number. Leaves growing in pairs from the 

 same side of a stem, as in Atropa Belladonna, 

 and flower-stalks adherent to the midi-ib 

 of a bract, as in Tilia, are also abnormal. 



ABO : j A. radiata is a curious little orchid 

 from New Grenada, differing from Odonto- 

 glossum and Oncidium in having a slender 

 delicate caudicle, and solid pollen masses. 

 The flowers are brown, with yellow streaks 

 and a white lip. 



ABOLBODA. A genus of Xyridacear, con- 

 taining six or seven species of stemless 

 plants, growing in tufts in the marshes of 

 South America. This genus is nearly al- 

 lied to Xyris, but differs from it in having 

 the ovary and capsule always three-celled, 

 while the predominant form in Xyris is one- 

 celled, and, when otherwise, but imperfectly 

 three-celled. The ovules also are attached 

 to the central axis, while in Xyris they rise 

 from parietal placenta. [W. C] 



ABORTIVE. Imperfectly developed ; as 

 abortive stamens, which consist of a fila- 

 ment only ; abortive petals, which are mere 

 bristles or scales. 



ABRICOT SAUVAGE. A French name, 

 used in the West Indies for the Mammee 

 apple. Also applied in Cayenne to the fruit 

 of Couroupita guianensis. 



ABRODICTYUM. A name given byPresl 

 to a very elegant species of Trichomanes, 

 differing only in the form and arrangement 



