alte] 



€f)t Cr^as'uri? of 3Satmv, 



46 



case throughout the genus, by the twisting 

 of the foot stalk. The flowers are produced 

 several in a terminal umbel, the perianth 

 consisting of three outer spathulate, deep 

 orange-coloured segments, and three inner 

 ones, which are narrower, lanceolate, acu- 

 minate, orange-coloured, the two upper of 

 them marked with several dark red lines 

 distributed over their surface. Quite dis- 

 tinct from this is A. Flos Martini, the St. 

 Martin's Flower of Chili, which has an 

 erect stem, linear acute leaves, and a 

 perianth consisting of three outer cuneately 

 obcordate yellowish-white segments, and 

 an inner series of one short lower whitish 

 lobe, and two upper oblong spathulate ones 

 which are bright yellow in the upper half, 

 and stained with irregular dark red spots, 

 the spots becoming confluent towards the 

 top. A. Ligtu, so named because, according 

 to Feuillee, it is called Ligtu in Chili, is an- 

 other very beautiful kind, in which the 

 leaves are linear or linear-lanceolate, and 

 the flowers, on corymbose two-flowered 

 peduncles, are large, blush-coloured, with 

 obovate emarginate sepaline divisions, the 

 two upper petaline divisions narrow spa- 

 thulate, yellow, striped with red below, and 

 tipped with crimson. A. psittacinaha.s the 

 flowers a little hooded, rich crimson at the 

 base, and at the tips green, spotted with 

 purple. Another fine ornamental species 

 is A. Simsiana, which has orange-scarlet 

 flowers. The greater number of the spe- 

 cies are natives either of Chili or of the 

 Andes of Peru, a few being distributed 

 in other parts of South America. The 

 A. pallida furnishes in Chili a kind of 

 arrowroot, which is prepared from its suc- 

 culent roots. [T. M.] 



ALTERNATE. Placed on opposite sides 

 of an axis on a different level, as in alter- 

 nate leaves. Placed between other bodies 

 of the same or different whorls, as in an 

 umbellifer, where the stamens are alter- 

 nate with, that is between, the petals. 



ALTERNATIVE. A term applied to 

 aestivation, when of the pieces of a flower, 

 being in two rows, the inner is so covered 

 by the outer that each exterior piece over- 

 laps half two of the interior row. 



ALTHAEA. The Marsh-Mallow is, as the 

 name implies, one of the Malvacece, and is 

 distinguished by its flowers having an outer 

 calyx of from six to nine pieces, and an 

 inner one, partly divided above into Ave 

 pieces. In other respects Althaea much re- 

 sembles Malva. A. officinalis, the common 

 Marsh Mallow, grows in marshes near the 

 sea in this country, and also in Central and 

 Southern Europe. The rootstock is peren- 

 nial; the flowering stems are erect, 

 branched, three or four feet high, covered 

 with a soft velvety down, as also are the 

 stalked, egg-shaped, cordate leaves, which 

 axe slightly notched at the margin, the : 

 lower ones five-lobed, the upper onesthree- 

 lobed. The flowers are of a pale rose colour, 

 on short stalks, which spring from the ; 

 axils of the upper leaves. The roots are [ 

 much used, especially in France, under the j 



name of Guiruauve, to form demulcent 

 drinks. A. hirsuta is a rare English plant, 

 which has been probably introduced along 

 with foreign agricultural seeds. It is an 

 erect slender annual, much smaller than 

 the preceding, with bluish flowers, and 

 covered with long spreading stiff hairs. 

 A. rosea is the origin of the hollyhock of 

 gardens. It grows wild in China, also in 

 the South of Europe. It possesses similar 

 properties to the common marsh mallow, 

 and is used for similar purposes in Greece. 

 The leaves furnish a blue dye. Several 

 species of Althwa are in cultivation, but the 

 gay flowering shrub commonly called Al- 

 thcea frutex is, properly speaking, a Hib i*cus, 

 syriacus. [M. T. M.] 



ALTH.EA PRUTEX. The garden name 

 for Hibiscus syriacus. 



ALTHE'E. (Pr.) Althcea officinalis, 



ALTHENIA. A genus of Naiadacece, 

 containing a single species, a native of 

 France. It is a slender tufted plant, 

 growing in salt lakes, and resembling 

 Zannicliellia— except that that genus has 

 male and hermaphrodite flowers ; whereas, 

 in Alihenia, the flowers are dioecious; the 

 male flowers being solitary, and below the 

 female. [W. C] 



ALTINGIACELE. (Liqitidambars, Balsa- 

 maccce, Balsamifluce.) A solitary genus, 

 Liquidambar, represents this natural order, 

 of which three species only are known — 

 all trees of some magnitude — producing a 

 fragrant resin called storax, or resembling 

 that substance. They are nearly related 

 to plane-trees and willows, from which 

 they differ in having seed vessels with two 

 distinct cells, instead of one; and seeds 

 with broad membranous wings. See Liqui- 

 dambar and Storax. 



ALUM ROOT. The root of Geranium 

 mocHlatum; also applied to some species 

 of Heuchera. 



ALTJTNE. (Fr.) Artemisia Absinthium, 

 ALVEOLATE. Socketed, honey-combed ; 

 when a flat surface is excavated into con- 

 spicuous cavities, as in the receptacles of 

 many Composites. 



ALVIER, ALVIES. (Fr.) Pinus Cembra. 



ALTSSUM. The generic name of several 

 herbaceous annual plants with yellow 

 flowers, belonging to the cruciferous 

 tribe, and generally employed in deco- 

 rating rock-work, or the open border. 

 A. saxatile, a native of Transylvania, &c, 

 popularly known as Gold-dust— in French, 

 Corbeille d'Or — has somewhat woody, 

 diffuse stems, lanceolate, hoary leaves, 

 and numerous small flowers of a brilliant 

 yellow colour, growing in dense clusters. 

 These appear early in May, when flowers 

 are scarce, and are consequently much 

 prized. This species, like the rest of the 

 family, thrives best in dry, somewhat 

 stony ground-; but may be made to grow 

 anywhere. Several other species are culti- 

 vated, under the name of Madwort. [C. A. J.] 



