73 



Cf)c Crea£uvj) at Stafang. 



ANTH 



coherent. The stamens are very numerous, 

 and inserted with the petals on a hypogy- 

 nous disc ; they have filiform and glandu- 

 lar filaments, and bilocular anthers. The 

 ovary is globose with many loculaments, 

 each containing a sinarle ovule. There are 

 as many oblong incurved styles as there 

 are cells in the ovary. [W. C] [ 



ANTHODIFM. The head of flowers, or j 

 capitulum of composites. 



ANTHOGONITJM gracile. A terrestrial ! 

 orchid from the north of India, with long, 

 narrow, grassy, leaves. The flowers form j 

 pretty complete tubes of a crimson colour, 

 at the end of slender scapes. 



ANTHOLYSIS. The retrograde metamor- 

 phosis of a flower ; as when carpels change 

 to stamens, stamens to petals, petals to 

 sepals, and sepals to leaves, more or less 

 completely. 



ANTHOLYZA. A small genus of showy 

 Iridaceo?, having a tubulose perianth, of 

 which the limb is six-parted, unequal, the 

 upper segment being much the longest, 

 straight, spoon-shaped, the two lateral ones 

 spreading and ascending, and the three 

 lower ones very small ; there are three 

 stamens, and three stigmata, and a three- 

 celled ovary, containing numerous ovules. 

 They are herbs with bulb-tubers or corms, 

 and are allied to Gladiolus. A. splendens, 

 one of the pretty species sometimes seen 

 in gardens, has the corms about as large 

 as a hazel nut, a stem two to three feet high, 

 bearing at the base, long linear or linear- 

 ensiform strongly-nerved leaves, and ter- 

 minated by a many-flowered spike of | 

 distichous flowers, the tubular portion of 

 which is slender at the base, and triangu- 

 larly gibbous about the middle the limb 

 being bright scarlet. The flowers appear to 

 be long tubular, with a pair of expanded 

 wings. A. Cunonia, another well-known 

 species, has the flowers scarlet, yellow 

 towards the base of the tube, and arranged 

 in a secund manner, instead of being 

 distichous on the spike. There are a few 

 other species, all South African. [T. M.] | 



AXTHOPTERUS. Under this name are ' 

 comprised certain plants belonging to the 

 order Yacciniacece. Their prominent charac- I 

 ters are a calyx tube provided with five j 

 wings, a corolla with a tube similarly 

 winged, and ten stamens, united together 

 into a membranous tube. [M. T. M .] 



ANTHOPTOSIS. Most flowers are mere 

 temporary organs, which, when they have ! 

 performed their functions, are destined to j 

 fall. In many cases, however, the flowers 

 fall before impregnation has taken place, 

 or shortly after, involving with them the 

 pistil, and so inducing sterility. This may j 

 arise from various causes, as excess or ] 

 want of proper moisture, but more fre- 

 1 quently from late frosts or cold winds. 

 The disease amongst grapes known by 

 the name of ' coulure,' is of this descrip- j 

 tion. This, however, arises frequently 

 from poverty of sap, and may be prevented I 



by ringing, provided the weather be not 

 very unfavourable. In many instances 

 the fall of the flower naturally follows 

 impregnation, and cannot be regarded as a 

 disease ; indeed, the time of its fall seems 

 to depend upon the process of fertilisation, 

 for even in cases where the flowers natu- 

 rally fade very rapidly, their duration may 

 be prolonged by preventing the access of 

 pollen to the style. [M. J. B.] 



ANTHOXANTHINE. The yellow colour- 

 ing matter of plants. 



ANTHOXANTHUM. A genus of grasses 

 of the tribe Phalaridece. The few species 

 which belong to the genus are all from 

 temperate parts of the globe, and there is 

 only one British, namely, the sweet-scented 

 Vernal grass, A. odoratum. It is distin- 

 guished from its allies by having mem- 

 branous, awnless glumes, compressed and 

 connate below ; pales, one to each flower, 

 bearing an awn on its back part. This 

 grass is rather remarkable botanically, by 

 having flowers diandrous, i. e. with two 

 stamens to each, three being the normal 

 number in grasses; hence, in accordance 

 with the Linuaean system, it is included in 

 a different class from most of the other 

 grasses. It forms a large proportion of 

 many meadows and pastures, but is not 

 considered a first-class species, having a 

 less quantity of saccharine matter and 

 more mucilage than some other kinds in 

 its composition. The peculiar odour which 

 well-saved new hay gives out, is supposed 

 to be principally emitted from this grass, 

 hence the English name. [D. M.] 



The fragrant resinous principle which 

 occurs in this grass, and is called cou- 

 marin, is a widely-diffused natural per- 

 fume, being found, according to Professor 

 Johnstone, in the Tonka Bean (Diptcrix 

 odorata), the Faham Tea-plant of the Mau- 

 ritius (Angrwcum fragrans), the common 

 Sweet Woodruff (Asperula odorata), the 

 Sweet-scented Vernal Grass (Anthoxa nth um 

 odoratum), the common Melilot (Melilotus 

 officinalis), and the blue, or Swiss Melilot 

 (Melilotus ccerulea). ' It is the same odour,' 

 he continues, 'therefore, which gives 

 fragrance to the Tonka Bean, to the 

 Faham Tea of the Mauritius, to our Melilot 

 Trefoil, and to sweet-smelling hay-fields. 

 In Switzerland the blue Melilot is mixed 

 with particular kinds of scented cheese, 

 and the coumarin it contains gives to that 

 of Schabzieger its peculiar well-known 

 odour.' The vapour of coumarin is stated 

 to act powerfully on the brain; and it is 

 not improbable that hay fever, to which 

 many susceptible people are liable, may be 

 owing to the presence of this substance in 

 unusual quantities during the period of 

 haymaking. [T. M.] 



ANTHRISCUS. A genus of umbellifer- 

 ous plants, with thin, finely-divided leaves, 

 and small, inconspicuous white flowers, 

 arranged in umbels. Two species only are 

 cultivated — the Chervil, A. Cerefolium, for 

 flavouring salads, &c, and the Parsnip 

 Chervil, A. bulbosus, for its roots as a veget- 



