ACRO] 



El)t (ErnuSurij ai JSntani?. 



16 



whorls round theupperpart of the stem and 

 branches. Above the whorls of flowers 

 there is a terminal tuft of leaves, from 

 which the genus takes its name. The sepals 

 and petals are five each, and stamens ten. 

 It was introduced into this country in 1836, 

 and forms a very striking and handsome 

 greenhouse shrub. [J. T. S.J 



ACROPTERIS. A name sometimes given, 

 to Asplenium septentrionale, and a few other 

 asplenioid ferns. [T. M.] 



ACROSPIRE. The first leaf that appears 

 when corn sprouts. It is a developed 

 plumule. 



ACROSTICHE^. A section of polypodi- 

 neous ferns, in which the sori occupy al- 

 most or quite the whole fructiferous sur- 

 face, and are not confined to distinct and 

 determinate points of the veins. [T. M.] 



ACROSTICPIUM. A genus of polypo- 

 diaceous ferns, typical of the group Acro- 

 stichece, with which, in the wider sense, it is 

 synonymous. As restricted by modern 

 pteridologists, the name is chiefly confined 

 to a somewhat variable subaquatic tropical 

 fern found in different parts of the world, 

 which is distinguished by having the veins 

 of its fronds uniting everywhere in a close 

 network of small meshes, and by the lower- 

 most leaflets or pinnae being sterile, and 

 the upper ones fertile. The fertile parts, 

 both in this genus and the rest of the Acro- 

 stichece, are entirely occupied by the densely 

 packed spore-cases, which thus form uni- 

 versal or shapeless masses, without any 

 special covering or indusium. The typical 

 species is A. aureum, which, in one or other j 

 of its forms, is found in the West Indies, ] 

 South America.Australia, the Pacific Islands j 

 and Eastern Archipelago, India, Mascaren 

 Islands, Madagascar, South Africa, and 

 Tropical Western Africa. It is a tall-grow- 

 ing plant, eight to ten feet high, with a 

 thick rhizome or rootstock, and bold pin- 

 nated fronds, the upper pinnas of which are 

 smaller, and clothed with the dense mass 

 of confluent spore-cases. The plant is 

 generally found near the sea, in morasses 

 or moist situations. There are very few- 

 other species retained in the genus, and 

 these mostly of doubtful character. [T.M.] 



ACROTOME. A genus of Labiate?, con- 

 taining three species, natives of Southern 

 Africa. They are shrubs or herbaceous 

 plants, with small opposite leaves. The 

 flowers are in dense verticillasters in the 

 axils on the upper portion of the stem. 

 The calyx consists of a campanulate tube 

 with ten nerves and five or ten teeth. The 

 tube of the corolla is scarcely longer than 

 the calyx; its upper lip is erect, entire, 

 and slightly arching, the lower trifid, the 

 middle lobe being largest. The stamens 

 and style are included. This genus is nearly 

 related on the one hand to Leucas, and on 

 the other to Marrubhim and Sideritis, but it 

 is distinguished from all of them by its dis- 

 tinctly one-celled anthers. [W.C.] 



ACROTRICHE. A genus of Epacridacece, 

 found in the eastern and southern portions 



of Australia and Tasmania, and distin- 

 guished by having a bi-bracteate calyx : 

 a funnel-shaped corolla, the segments of 

 which are clothed at the apex with deflexed 

 hairs, and five slightly exserted stamens, 

 which are shorter than the lobes of the 

 corolla. The fruit is a depressed globose 

 berry. They are shrubs of dwarfish habit, 

 the branches usually divaricate, and clothed 

 with scattered ovate or lanceolate leaves. 

 The flowers grow in short lateral or ax- 

 illary spikes, and are white or pale red. The 

 name of Frcebelia fasciculiflora has been 

 proposed for Acrotriche ramiflora. [R. H J 



ACTiEA. A genus of plants so called 

 from the resemblance borne by their leaves 

 and fruit to those of the elder, in Greek 

 akte. The only British species, A. spicata, 

 Baneberry, is of rare occurrence, and is 

 found only in bushy, mountainous lime- 

 stone districts in the north of England. It 

 bears its flowers, which are white, slightly 

 tinged with blush, in a spike. The berries 

 are black and poisonous. The root has been 

 used in nervous disorders, but is said to be a 

 precarious remedy. It is sometimes called 

 Herb Christopher, a name also formerly 

 given to the flowering fern Osmunda 

 regalis. It is indigenous to the greater part 

 of Europe. Two American species are occa- 

 sionally to be found in the gardens of the 

 curious, introduced from their native 

 country, where they are abundant in rocky 

 mountainous districts, from Canada to Vir- 

 ginia, particularly about Lake Huron. 

 These are considered valuable medicines by 

 the natives, especially as a remedy against 

 the bite of the rattlesnake ; hence they are, 

 with several other plants, sometimes known 

 as the Rattlesnake herbs. [C. A. J.] 



ACTINIOPTER IS. A genus of polypodia- 

 ceous ferns of the section Aspleniece, and 

 consisting of curious little plants like mi- 

 niature fan-palms, by which appearance 

 they may be known. The technical pecu- 

 liarities of the genus among the Aspleniece, 

 consist in the simple, distinct indusia, 

 free veins, and linear elongate sori, which 

 are marginal on the contracted rachiform 

 segments of the small flabelliform fronds. 

 One of the species, A. radiata, .is plentiful in 

 Southern India; and both this and its ally. 

 A. australis, occur in Africa. The former 

 grows three to six inches high, and pro- 

 duces an erect tuft of fronds which have a 

 roundish outline, and are divided inwards 

 from the margin very much indeed like 

 what occurs in the fan-palms. [T. M.] 



ACTINODAPHNE. A name derived from 

 Greek words signifying ray laurel, and ap- 

 plied to a genus of the laurel family (Laura- 

 ceec). The plants are Indian trees with al- 

 ternate leaves, sometimes clustered or 

 whorled, feather-nerved or somewhat 

 palmi-nerved. Flowers in clusters or tufts, 

 the male and female sexes on different 

 plants. The male flowers have nine fer- 

 tile stamens, in three rows, those of the 

 inner row having a gland on either side of 

 its base. The style is thick, the stigma 



