iETHI 



©t)£ Crcasury at i&ataity. 



26 



.ETHIONEMA. A genus of Cruciferce, 

 containing fifteen or sixteen species, chiefly 

 natives of southern Europe and Central 

 Asia, closely allied to the cress (Lepidium) , 

 but differing from it, as well as from 

 Thlaspi and Hutchinsia, by having its four 

 longer stamens winged and with a tooth ; 

 also from Teesdalia, by having the pla- 

 centas dilated at the base, and all the seeds 

 attached to their lateral portions; and from 

 Iberis by the petals being all equal. Some 

 of the species, when in fruit, present a 

 curious appearance, as the large dorsally- 

 compressed and concave fringed pods are 

 so closely imbricated, that the fruiting 

 raceme resembles the fruit catkin of the 

 hop, the individual pods representing the 

 scale-like bracts. [J. T. SJ 



iETHUSA. Under the name of Fool's 

 Parsley, this plant is well known even to 

 cottage gardeners. It is a common weed 

 in cultivated ground, and is consequently 

 likely to spring up uninvited in the parsley 

 bed. "When this happens, it runs a risk of 

 being mistaken for true parsley, to the 

 same natural order with which plant it 

 belongs : this, however, can scarcely occur, 

 except in an early stage of growth. It 

 may then be distinguished by the bluish- 

 green tint of its leaves, and by their fine 

 subdivision. Being an annual, it comes 

 into flower before parsley shows any indi- 

 cation of sending up a flowering stalk. 

 By this unfailing criterion it may be dis- 

 criminated when growing with the favour- 

 ite pot-herb which it is supposed to simu- 

 late. By equally certain marks it may 

 he distinguished from any other umbel- 

 liferous plant which approaches it in habit: 

 each partial umbel, which helps to com- 

 pose the general umbel of flowers termi- 



./Ethusa Cynapium. 



natlne the stalk, has at its base three 

 approximate narrow pointed bracts or 



floral leaves, which hang down vertically. 

 Its flavour and odour are unpleasaut, and 

 the seeds are very nauseous. The whole 

 plant is said to be poisonous, and there are 

 instances on record of persons having been 

 made ill by eating it, even in the small 

 quantities in which it is likely to have 

 been present when mixed with parsley. 

 Of its two names, JEthusa Cynapium, the 

 former is derived from the Greek aitho, to 

 burn, from its acrid properties; the latter, 

 kynos apion, 'dog's parsley,' would seem 

 to denote its worthlessness. [C. A. J.] 



AFFINITY. A term in systematic bo- 

 tany, signifying that one thing resembles 

 another in the principal part of its struc- 

 ture, as is the case with Crowfoots and 

 Poppyworts. 



AGALLOCHUM. The fragrant resinous 

 heart-wood of Aquilaria ; also called agila 

 wood, aloes wood, and eagle wood. 



AGALMYLA. A small genus of Gesner- 

 acece allied to JEscliynanthus, having creep- 

 ing stems, alternate leaves, and fascicles 

 of axillary flowers. It differs in having 

 the oblique flve-lobed limb of the corolla 

 scarcely two-lipped, and in having but 

 two anther-bearins stamens. The species 

 are tropical, inhabiting the islands of the 

 Eastern Archipelago. A. staminea is a very 

 handsome plant, epiphytal in habit, creep- 

 ing and rooting on the trunks of trees, hav- 

 ing robust stems, large fleshy gloxinia-like 

 leaves, and axillary fascicles of from twelve 

 to fifteen flowers, which are a couple of 

 inches long, curved tubular, bright scarlet. 

 The stamens are exserted an inch beyond 

 the corolla. [T. M.] 



AGAM^E. A name sometimes given to 

 cryptogams, resting on the supposition 

 that they are asexual plants. [M. J.B.] 



AGANISIA pulchella is an orchid with 

 a creeping stem, throwing off at intervals 

 rib-leaved pseudo-bulbs, from the base of 

 which arise spikes of white or cream- 

 coloured flowers. It is a native of Deme- 

 rara, and has been figured in plate 32 of the 

 Botanical Register for 1840. 



AGAXOSMA. A genus of Apocynacece , 

 separated from Echites, with which it 

 agrees, except that the coronet is cup- 

 shaped or cylindrical, having its five parts 

 so united that they appear only as lobes 

 round the mouth of the cup, while in 

 Echites the scales of the coronet are free or 

 but slightly connate. The restricted genus 

 contains eight or nine species, which are 

 shrubs or creepers in the woods of India. 

 Their large panicles of flowers have a 

 showy appearance, and several have a fra- 

 grant smell. [W. C.j 



AGAPAXTHTS (literally Love-flower). 

 A small genus of ornamental liliaceous 

 plants, natives of South Africa, and long 

 cultivated as ornaments of our greenhouses 

 and terrace-gardens. The perianth in this 

 family is tubular, with a short tube and 

 six-parted spreading equal limb ; there 

 are six stamens inserted at the base of the 

 limb, with somewhat declinate filaments : 



