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32 



AIGREMOINE. (Fr.) Agrimonia; also 

 Aremonia agrimonioidcs. 



AIGUILLE DE BERGER. (Fr.) Scandix 

 Pecten-Veneris. 



AIL. (Fr.) Allium sativum. —A. TO IT- 

 PET. Muscari comosum. — DES BOIS. 

 Allium ursinum. — D'ESPAGNE. Allium 

 Scorodoprasum. — DORE'. Allium Moly. 

 — D'ORIENT. Allium Ampeloprasicm. 



AILANTUS. The Vernis du Japon of 

 the French, A. glandulosa of botanists, is 

 fn its native countries, China and India, 

 where it is called Ailanto, a tree of 

 large size and handsome appearance, hear- 

 ing numerous pinnate leaves from one to 

 two feet long or more, and clusters of 

 greenish flowers of a disagreeable odour. 

 It is of rapid growth, making, when favour- 

 ably situated, annual shoots from three to 

 six feet in length. Its German name, Got- 

 terbaum, ' Tree of the gods,' is said to be 

 a translation of Ailanto. French arbori- 

 culturists recommend that its lateral 

 branches should be annually lopped off, 

 when the main trunk will ascend perpen- 

 dicularly an J sustain a symmetrical spread- 

 ing canopy. In France and Italy, it is 



Ailantus glandulosus. 



much valued as a tree for shading public 

 walks, and is planted for that purpose 

 along with the tulip-tree, horse-chestnut, 

 plane, 4c. Its leaves are not liable to be 

 attacked by insects, which is a great re- 

 commendation ; nevertheless they are the 

 favourite food of the silk moth, Bombyx 

 Cynthia ; and they continue on the tree 

 and retain their green colour till the 

 rir~r trusts of November, when the leaflets 

 suddenly drop off, the leaf-stalks remaining 

 ou often a week or two longer. The wood is 

 yellowish-white, satiny, and well suited for 

 the curposes of the cabinet-maker. There 



are specimens, both in England and on the 

 Continent, exceeding sixty feet in height. 

 The name 'Japan varnish,' seems to have 

 been applied to it through some mistake: 

 probably from its having been mistaken for 

 Rhus succedaneum. Other species are 

 stove-plants. [C. A. J.] 



AINSWORTHIA. A genus of Umbelli' 

 /era?, containing three species, natives of 

 Palestine,having the habit of and nearly re- 

 lated to Tordyliam, from which, however, 

 it differs in the absence of the calyx teeth, 

 and in having the margin of the fruit 

 smooth. This genus was separated from 

 Hasselquistia by Boissier, because of the 

 breadth of the oleiferous vittce in the fruit, 

 and also from the characters of the calyx 

 and fruit, which are the same in Hassel- 

 quistia as in Tordylium. [W. O] 



AIR PLANTS. A common name for 

 Aerides. The name is also applied to Epi- 

 phytes, or plants which grow on trees and 

 other elevated objects, not in the earth, 

 and derive their nutriment from atmo- 

 spheric moisture. They are to be distin- 

 guished from terrestrial plants, or those 

 growing in earth, and from parasites, 

 which derive nourishment directly from 

 other plants on which they grow. [T. M.] 



AIRA. A genus of grasses, belonging 

 t<> the tribe Avenea>, distinguished by hav- 

 ing two perfect florets and frequently the 

 rudiment of a third floret within the 

 glumes. The pales are notched at the 

 point, and bear short awns on the back, the 

 awns being in most instances kneed or 

 bent. The species are numerous, and have 

 an extensive ranpe of localities over the 

 surface of the earth. Those that are na- 

 tive- of the British Isles are not heM in 

 great estimation for agricultural purposes, 

 being of a coarse wiry, nature. 



The tufted Hair-grass, Aira ccespitosa, is 

 one of the tallest-growing British grasses: 

 indeed, under favourable circumstances, 

 the culms, or stems frequently attain a 

 neislit of six feet. In boggy land, the close 

 graving tufts form what are called tus- 

 uhich are found extremely useful 

 for stepping on when walking over soft 

 watery places. [D. M.j 



AIRELLE. (Fr/) Vaccinmm. —RAISIN 

 D'OURS. Yaceinium ArctoMaphylos. — 

 ROUGE. Vaccinium Vitia-idcea. 



AIROCHLOA. A name given to certain 

 festucaceous grasses, now generally refer- 

 red to Kceleria. [T. MJ 



AIROPSIS. A genus of grasses belong- 

 in!? to the tribe Avenece, distinguished- 

 from the genus Aira by the pales berns? 

 partly attached, or adnate to the corn or 

 seed. The majority of authors do not, 

 however, consider this character, along 

 with some others of minor importance, 

 sufficient to separate it permanently from 

 Aira, and, consequently, retain the species 

 which Fries included under it, as a section 

 of the penus Aim. The two British spe- 

 cies, namely, Airopns caryophyllea and 



