19 



Cfje Ereatfurg at Matmiy. 



[ades 



its name Adenocah/mna, which is com- 

 posed of Greek words signifying gland 

 and covering. The flowers are borne ou 

 long racemes ; they are trumpet-shaped, 

 and, intermixed with them, are large 

 bracts, which fall off early. Some of the 

 species are cultivated in our stoves for 

 their beauty. [A. A. B.] 



ADEXOCARPUS. This is a genus of the 

 pea family (Leguminosce), composed of 

 plants which are most of them extremely 

 handsome, from their bearing profuse 

 racemes of yellow flowers. The genus only 

 differs from that of the common English 

 broom (Genista) in having pods covered 

 with glands : whence its name Adenocarpus, 

 which is derived from two Greek words 

 signifying gland and fruit. They are 

 found in the Pyrenees, the Sierra Nevada, 

 and in other parts of southern Europe, 

 but chiefly at high elevations. One 

 species is found in Madeira, and a few in 

 the Canaries, Mr. Bunbury, in writing on 

 the botany of the Peak of Teneriffe, says : 

 * To the region of the heath succeeds, as 

 we ascend, that of the Codeso del Pico 

 (Adenocarpus frankenioides). The limit 

 of this plant is particularly well marked. 

 For a little space it is intermixed with 

 scattered and stunted bushes of the heath, 

 but this soon thins out and disappears, 

 and for miles the whole slope is covered 

 with the Adenocarpus alone, as some of 

 our commons and wastes in England are 

 -covered with Furze. It is in general a low 

 compact rigid bush, peculiar in its multi- 

 tude of short lateral branches, and the 

 minute closely-crowded grey-green leaves ; 

 by no means a handsome plant when out 

 of flower ; but here and there, in sheltered 

 spots, it assumes the character of a little 

 tree. It is one of the most eminently 

 social plants in the world.' Several species 

 are cultivated in gardens. [A. A. B.] 



ADEXOPHORA. A genus of plants al- 

 lied to Campanula, and like it bearing bell- 

 shaped flowers, the chief mark of distinc- 

 tion being that the style of the present 

 plant is surrounded by a cylindrical gland, 

 whence its name (from the Greek aden, a 

 gland, and phero, to bear). The plants of 

 this family are perennial, rarely biennial 

 herbs, with erect stems, alternate or some- 

 what whorled leaves, which below, are 

 broad and stalked, but gradually becoming 

 narrower as they ascend the stem. The 

 flowers are blue, stalked and drooping, and 

 for the most part are situated towards the 

 top of the stem, where, in some instances, 

 they form a spike or cluster, while in 

 others they are few in number. Most of 

 the species are natives of Siberia, China, 

 and Japan. One species, A. liliifoUa, or A. 

 suaveolens, is found in many countries of 

 eastern Europe, and occurs also in France, 

 Hungary, and Candia. In this the flowers 

 are numerous, sweet-scented, and disposed 

 in a loose pyramidal panicle. The root is 

 thick and esculent, as are those of some of 

 the other species. All are elegant border 

 flowers, and are, therefore, worth culti- 

 vating in gardens. [C. A. J.] 



ADENOPHORl'S. A small group of 

 ferns, in which the sori are terminal on 

 the free veins, the receptacle at the apex 

 of the simple costa-like or central veins 

 being dilated or obovate. The fronds are 

 small, very elegant in-character, and bear 

 glands over their surface. The species are 

 now referred to Polypodium. [T. M.] 



ADENOPUS. An imperfectly known 

 genus belonging to the gourd family (Cu- 

 curbitacece). The male and female flowers 

 are on different plants, and the female 

 flowers are not at present known. The 

 male flowers have a tubular five-toothed 

 calyx ; five petals inserted on the top of 

 the calyx tubes, entire or slightly crisped 

 at the margin ; five stamens, in two par- 

 cels, attached to the middle of the tube of 

 the calyx, with very short filaments and 

 long wavy anthers. The leaves are palm- 

 ately-lobed, stalked, with two glands at 

 the extremity of the leaf-stalk. The plants 

 are natives of Sierra Leone and Western 

 Tropical Africa. [M. T. M.J 



ADENOSMA. A genus of Acanthacece, 

 containing eight or nine species, natives 

 of Asia. They are annual herbaceous 

 plants, having the odour of the Mints, 

 with opposite leaves, and sessile flowers 

 in the axils of the small leaves on the 

 upper portion of the stem, so aggregated 

 as to form a leafy spike. The genus is cha- 

 racterised by a five-partite calyx, a gaping 

 corolla, four didynamous stamens, with 

 anthers composed of two parallel cells. 

 The long capsule is many-seeded. It dif- 

 fers from the allied genus Ebermayera in 

 the gaping corolla, and in the structure of 

 the anthers. [W. C] 



ADEMOSTYLIS. A genus of the com- 

 posite family, comprising but few species. 

 They are perennial mountain herbs, with 

 alternate stalked, cordate, or reniform 

 leaves, which are smooth, or covered with a 

 loose white cotton. Their flower-heads are 

 numerous in terminal compact corymbs, 

 with florets of a purple or white colour 

 In appearance these plants are much like 

 the common coltsfoot (Tussilago Farfara), 

 but tney differ from the coltsfoot in having 

 all their florets fertile. They are all natives 

 of mountain districts in southern Europe, 

 the greater part of them being found in 

 the Pyrenees, where they grow luxuriantly 

 in stony places beside alpine rivulets. The 

 leaves of A. glabra have been recommended 

 in coughs. [A. A. B.] 



ADESMIA. A large genus of the pea 

 family (Leguminosce) , confined to the tem- 

 perate parts of S. America. Commencing in 

 the Bolivian Andes, they extend southward 

 to Cape Horn ; but are found in greatest 

 numbers in Chili. They are annual or 

 perennial ; some of them shrubs four or 

 five feet high, and most of them with 

 alternate equally pinnate leaves termi- 

 nated by a bristle. Their flowers are dis- 

 posed in racemes at the apex of the 

 branches, or solitary in the axils of the 

 leaves, and are generally yellow with purple 

 stripes. The pods are jointed, rough on 



