alon] 



Clje CrwjSurjj of 33fltanin 



44 



in this country for the beauty of its large 

 pale blue flowers. It is a native of the 

 coast of Chili. [J. T. S J 



ALONSOA. A small group of the Scro- 

 phalariacece, forming dwarf frutescent 

 herbs, with opposite or ternately whorled 

 serrated leaves, and axillary, subracemose, 

 pretty vermilion-coloured flowers. They 

 are commonly cultivated in green-houses, 

 and in the open air during summer. The 

 characteristic features are a five-parted, 

 sub-equal calyx ; a resupinate corolla, hav- 

 ing a very short tube, and a sub-rotate, 

 five-cleft limb, of which the front, or upper 

 lobe, is larger, and all rotundate ; four 

 didynamous declimate exserted stamens, 

 affixed to the corolla tube ; and a two- 

 celled many-seeded ovary. The few species 

 are mostly natives of Peru, where one of 

 the species is famed for its anodyne and 

 stomachic properties ; and several of them 

 have been introduced to our gardens. A. 

 linearis, a pretty dwarf, bushy, suffruticose 

 plant, of a span or foot in height, has the 

 leaves, which are narrow linear, opposite 

 or in threes, mostly fasciculate, from the 

 non-evolution of the axillary shoots ; and 

 the branches terminate in racemes of 

 curious, obliquely-rotate scarlet flowers, 

 with a black spot at the base. In Peru it is 

 called Ricaco and Ricarco, which mean 

 Mask-flower. One of the best known spe- 

 cies, A. incisifolia (sometimes called Celsia 

 v ri ica folia), is of a rather more vigorous 

 habit, and has ovate, acute, deeply-toothed 

 leaves, and elongated racemose panicles of 

 scarlet and black flowers A. Warscewiczii, 

 a species more recently obtained from the 

 mountains of Peru, is an erect, branched, 

 sub-shrubby plant, with sub-cordate or 

 ovate-lanceolate leaves, and racemes of 

 scarlet flowers, without the black spot 

 which is conspicuous in the other species 

 already noticed. There are about a dozen 

 described species. [T. MJ 



ALOPECURUS. A genus of grasses called 

 Fox-tail Grasses, of the tribe Phlehucr, 

 distinguished from Phleum, to which 

 some of the species are nearly allied, by 

 having only one inner glume or pale 

 to each flower, this bearing a long awn 

 attached to the back portion of it. The 

 species are mostly from temperate climates, 

 and have an extensive range from their 

 southern to their northern limits. Among 

 those which are natives of Britain, the 

 meadow Fox-tail Grass is one of the very 

 best kinds, and forms a portion of all good 

 pastures and meadows — particularly on 

 limestone soils : the seeds are conse- 

 quently sown in most instances as part of 

 a mixture of grass seeds. It is one of the 

 earliest kinds to flower in spring, and, 

 when chemically analysed, is found to con- 

 tain a large share of nutritive matter in its 

 composition. The other species which are 

 natives of Britain are of less agricultural 

 value. The alpine Fox-tail Grass (Alopecurus 

 alpinus) is one of the rarest native species, 

 being much prized and eagerly sought 

 after as a botanical rarity [D. MJ 



ALPHONSEA. Certain Indian plants 

 are comprised in a genus bearing the 

 above name, in honour of M. Alphonse 

 de Candolle, the eminent botanist who 

 has especially studied the natural order 

 Anonacece, to which this genus belongs. 

 Its principal characters are — petals 

 valvate in the bud, nearly equal in size; 

 stamens loosely imbricate. By these cir- 

 cumstances the genus may be distin- 

 guished from its nearest ally, Saccopeta- 

 lum. The species comprise tall trees fur- 

 nished with thick shining leaves, and small 

 flowers, closely packed in tufts opposite to 

 the leaves. [M. T. MJ 



ALPINIA. A genus of plants deriving 

 its name from Prosper Alpinus, an Italian 

 botanist who lived in the 16th century. 

 The genus belongs to the same natural 

 family as the ginger (Zingiber acece), and is 

 known by its thick, tuber-like, aromatic 

 rhizomes; and by its flowers arranged in ter- 

 minal spikes. Each flower has an outer row 

 of three pieces, and an inner of four pieces, 

 the lowermost of which is three-lobed. The 

 filament is petal-like, and not prolonged be- 

 yond thetwo-lobed anther, as in some of the 

 plants of this order. Stigma triangular, on 

 a long style. The fruit is a somewhat fleshy 

 capsule of three many-seeded cells. The 

 species are natives of tropical America, the 

 Indian Archipelago, etc. A. Galanga and 

 other kinds furnish the aromatic stimulant 

 root known as Galangale root, employed by 

 the natives in cases of indigestion. The 

 fruits of A. alba are known as ovoid 

 China Cardamoms; others, as A. nutans, 

 are remarkable for the exceeding beauty of 

 their flowers, and are therefore cultivated 

 in our stoves. [M. T. MJ 



ALPISTE. (Fr.) Phalaris canariensis. 



ALSINE. A genus of small caryophyl- 

 laceous herbs, generally distributed in 

 temperate regions, and in alpine situa- 

 tions in warmer climates ; closely re- 

 sembling A renaria, from which it differs by 

 having the valves of the capsule equal in 

 number to the styles, and not twice as 

 many. The leaves are generally narrow, 

 often subulate ; the sepals strongly nerved ; 

 the petals white. Four species are natives 

 of Britain : A. verna, a tufted perennial, 

 with the petals longer than the calyx ; A. 

 rubella, a tufted alpine perennial, with 

 short flower-stalks, and the petals not ex- 

 ceeding the calyx ; A. uliginosa, also a 

 tufted perennial, with the petals scarcely 

 exceeding the calyx, but with long pedicels 

 and smaller flowers than the last ; and A. 

 ten in folia, a slender annual, not uncommon 

 on wall tops and on dry commons in the 

 South-east of England. [J. T. SJ 



ALSODEIA. A genus of ornamental 

 plants, belonging to the order V-iolacem, 

 and inhabiting the islands of Madagascar 

 and Timor. Some of the species are culti- 

 vated in this country. They are distin- 

 guished by their petals being all equal in 

 size ; by the absence of scales between the 

 petals and stamens ; the stamens spring 

 from a disc surrounding the base of the 



