amar] 



Cije Erwtfurg at 33otang, 



48 



three-bracted coloured calyx of three or 

 five pieces, and their one-seeded fruit, split- 

 ting circularly round when ripe. The genus 

 includes several handsome garden plants, 

 the chief being the A. caudatus, popularly 

 known as Love-lies-bleeding, and in Prance 

 as Queue de Renard and Discipline de Reli- 

 gieuse, having long pendulous compound 

 racemes of crimson flowers ; the A. hypo- 

 chondriacus, or Prince's Feather, with 

 erect flower spikes and purplish foliage ; 

 the A. speciosus, or larger Prince's Feather, 

 resembling the last, but differing by its 

 more vigorous growth, and the A. tricolor, 

 from China, are interesting species, more 

 remarkable for the vivid colours of their 

 foliage than for their flowers, which are in- 

 significant. The last-named is much more 

 tender than the other species ; and, in the 

 open air in this country, it is only in warm 

 summers that its leaves assume the glow- 

 ing tints to which the plant owes its 

 specific name. In the gardens of the 

 Southern United States, these hues are so 

 richly developed as to have procured for 

 it the popular appellation of Joseph's 

 Coat. The plant known as Globe Amaranth 

 belongs to another genus — Gomphrena. 

 The name of this genus is often written 

 Amarantus. ' [W. T.] 



AMARANTINE. (Fr.) Gomphrena 

 globosa. 



AMARANTOIDE. (Fr.) Gomphrena 

 coccinea. 



AMARELLE. (Fr.) Cerasus avium. 



AMARINIER. (Fr.) Salix vitellina. 



AMARYLLIDACEJE {Narcissi). A large 

 natural order, consisting for the most 

 part of bulbous plants, but occasionally 

 forming a tall, cylindrical, woody stem, 

 as in the genus Agave. They differ from 

 Irids in having six introrse stamens, and 

 from liliaceous plants in their ovary being 

 inferior. A few species of Narcissus and 

 Galanthus are found in the North of Eu- 

 rope and the same parallels. As we pro- 

 ceed south they increase : Pancratium ap- 

 pears on the shores of the Mediterranean ; 

 Crinum and Pancratium in the West and 

 East Indies ; Ecemanthus is found for the 

 first time with some of the latter on the 

 Gold Coast ; Eippeastra show themselves 

 in countless numbers in Brazil, and across 

 the whole continent of South America; 

 and, finally, at the Cape of Good Hope, the 

 maximum of the order is beheld in all the 

 beauty of Ecemanthus, Crinum, Olivia, 

 Oyrtanthus, and Brunsvigia. A few are 

 found in New Holland, the most remark- 

 able of which is Doryanthes. Poisonous 

 properties occur in the viscid juice of the 

 bulbs of Buphane toxicaria and Eippe- 

 astra ; those of Leucoium vernum, the 

 Snowdrop and Daffodil, and other kinds of 

 Narcissus are emetic. Nevertheless the 

 Agave, or American aloe, as it is called, 

 has an insipid sweet juice. Others are de- 

 tergent, and a few yield a kind of arrow- 

 root. Between 300 and 400 species are 

 known. 



AMARYLLIS. The type of tho amaryl- 

 lidaceous family, and formerly made to 

 include a large number of species. It is 

 now, however, generally limited in extent, 

 and confined to those which have the tube 

 of the perianth short,narrow funnel-shaped, 

 and ribbed ; the three petalous filaments 

 inserted at the base of the segments ; the 

 three sepalous ones adhering to the mouth 

 of the tube ; the style declinate ; the 

 capsule obovate. They are handsome 

 bulbous plants, with an autumnal flower- 

 scape appearing before the leaves, which 

 are hiemal. The scape supports a many- 

 flowered umbel of large stalked flowers, 

 the anthers of which are incumbent, at- 

 tached in the middle. The typical species 

 is A. Belladonna,M-hich is separated by some 

 as a distinct genus. This plant is a native 

 of the Cape of Good Hope, and is of vigor- 

 ous habit, producing flower-scapes one and 

 a half foot high, and large, showy, funnel- 

 shaped flowers of a pale delicate rose 

 beautifully pencilled with red, in the 

 month of September, the flowers being 

 succeeded by the leaves, which are ligu- 

 late or strap-shaped. A. Josephine, and 

 A. grandiflora, sometimes placed in Bruns- 

 vigia, are referred hither by Herbert. 

 Most of the plants called Amaryllis in 

 gardens, e.g. A. equestris, are now referred 

 to Eippeastrum ; others, as A. formosis- 

 sima to Sprekelia, A. lutea to Oporanthus, 

 and A. purpurea to Vallota. The A. Bella- 

 donna has been said to be employed for 

 poisoning in the "West Indies, but this state- 

 ment appears to be a mistake, and pro- 

 bably refers to some other plant of the 

 same order, the Belladonna being a Cape 

 plant. The name Belladonna Lily was given 

 to the flower in Italy from the charmingly 

 blended red and white of the perianth, 

 resembling the complexion of a beautiful 

 woman. [T. M.J 



AMARYLLIS CANDE'LABRE, or GI- 

 RANDOLE. (Fr.) Cobiur/ia -mult/flora. — 

 SALTIMBANQUE. Sprekelia Cybister. — 

 DE GUERNESEY. Nerine samiensis. — 

 DE VIRGINIE. Zephyranthes Atamasco 

 — JAUNE. Oporanthus luteus. — REINE 

 DE BEAUTE'. Sprekelia formosissima. — 

 VE'NE'NETJSE. Bufphane toxicaria. 



AMASONIA. A genus of the vervain 

 family (Yerbenacece) nearly allied to Clero- 

 dendron, and chiefly differing from that 

 genus in its habit. The species enume- 

 rated are six, all of them natives of 

 southern tropical America and the greater 

 part of them found in Brazil. They are 

 perennial dwarf shrubs»with alternate or 

 opposite leaves, and terminal racemed 

 panicles of flowers, each little group of 

 yellow flowers being supported by a large 

 scarlet-coloured or beautifully variegated 

 bract, which bears on its outer surface a 

 number of pellucid glands. They are well- 

 deserving of cultivation, but seldom met 

 with. [A. A. BJ 



AMA-TSJA. Tea of Heaven ; a kind of 

 tea prepared in Japan from the leaves of 

 Eydrangea Tliunbergii. 



