The leaves are used as a remedy against 

 snake bites, and in syphilitic affections. 

 The wood, when immersed in water, he- 

 comes black and as heavy as iron. All the 

 parts of the plant have a bitter taste. The 

 berries of A. diandrum are eaten in India 

 by the natives, as well as those of A. pube- 

 scens, also a native of India ; and its bruised 

 leaves are used in native practice, and ap- 

 plied in the form of a poultice to ulcers 

 and tumours. [A. A. B.] 



ANTIGRAMMA. A genus of polypodia- 

 ceous ferns of the Aspleniece section, 

 belonging to that series in which the sori 

 are connivent in pairs, with the indusia 

 opening face to face (scolopendrioid). In 

 that series it is known by having the 

 veins of its fronds reticulated, and its sori 

 parallel and oblique. The genus comprises 

 a couple of Brazilian species, having 

 simple fronds. [T. M.] 



ANTIRRH.EA. A genus of cinchona- 

 ceous plants inhabiting Mauritius and 

 Bourbon, consisting of shrubs with leaves 

 arranged in whorls of three. The flowers 

 are borne on forked peduncles, and have a 

 calyx which is short, bell-shaped, and four- 

 toothed ; and a tubular corolla, with four 

 sessile anthers attached to its interior. The 

 fruit is succulent, externally, and contains 

 a kernel with two one-seeded cells. The 

 name of these plants is expressive of their 

 valuable properties in arresting hemor- 

 rhages, and as astringents. [M. T. M.] 



ANTIRRHINUM. A genus of Scrophu- 

 lariacem, containing fourteen species, na- 

 tives chiefly of the Mediterranean region, 

 though some are found in California. 

 They are annual or perennial, rarely shrub- 

 by herbaceous plants, with the lower leaves 

 often opposite, and the upper ones alter- 

 nate. The flowers are commonly showy, 

 and solitary in the axils of the upper 

 leaves, or forming terminal racemes. The 

 calyx is five-partite. The corolla has a 

 broad tube, saccate and slightly protruding 

 below the calyx on the lower side, but not 

 spurred as in Linaria, The throat is 

 closed by a large, projecting, bearded pa- 

 late, which gives to the flower a resem- 

 blance to the face of an animal or a mask, 

 whence the name, meaning 'snout-like.' 

 The capsule is two-celled, oblique, and 

 opening by two or three pores at the top. 

 The seeds are truncate. 



The genus has been divided into three 

 sections, l. Orontium, annual plants with 

 penninerved entire leaves and compressed 

 seeds. 2. Autlrrhlnastrum, perennial plants j 

 with penninerved entire leaves and obo- | 

 vate seeds. And 3. Asarina, with palmi- ; 

 nerved lobed leaves and ovoid oblong. 

 seeds. Two species are found in Britain ; : 

 the larger, A. majus, has probably escaped 

 from gardens, and is found on old walls [ 

 and in clefts of rocks ; A. Orontium occurs 

 in the corn-fields of the south of England 

 and Ireland. [W. CJ 



ANTITROPAL. The same as Ortho- 

 ropal. I 



ANTJAR. The poisonous Antiaris toxi- 

 caria ; also called Antschar. 



ANTROPHYUM. A genus of polypodia- 

 ceous ferns, belonging to the Hemionitidece, 

 distinguished by having the veins of the 

 fronds uniform and reticulated, and the 

 fructification, which is linear, and usually 

 immersed in a shallow groove, also more or 

 less, but only partially, reticulated. It is a 

 group of very distinct aspect, though in 

 technical characters coming close to Hemi- 

 onitis, in which latter, however, the lines 

 of spore-cases are more completely joined 

 together into a network, and superficial on 

 the frond. There are several species, all 

 simple fronded, found in various parts of 

 the tropics of both hemispheres. [T. MJ 



ANTCHIA. A genus of knotworts, Ule- 

 cebracece, near to Paronychia, but differing 

 in the absence of petals as well as of awns 

 to the calyx leaves. There are two known 

 species, both North American weeds of 

 no beauty. The Forked Chickweed, A. dicho- 

 toma, is a slender herb four to ten inches 

 high, with capillary, many-times-forked 

 branehlets, bearing minute flowers in the 

 forks, and opposite oblong leaves rather 

 more than half an inch in length, accom- 

 panied with stipules like those of buck- 

 wheats (Polygonum). [A. A. B.] 



AOTUS. A genus of Australian and 

 Tasmanian shrubs, belonging to the pea- 

 flowered section of the leguminose fa- 

 mily, containing ten species. They are 

 slender plants, with heath-like leaves, ar- 

 ranged in whorls round the stem, three in 

 a whorl. The flowers are small, bright 

 yellow, with short stalks, and the calyx is 

 destitute of the two small bracts which are 

 found on those of the allied genera: this 

 gives rise to the name of the genus — 

 Aotus, signifying without ears. A. gracih 

 lima, a native of West Australia, is a fa- 

 vourite greenhouse plant. It is a slender 

 shrub, with copious yellow flowers, which 

 are so thickly set on the stems as to hide 

 the leaves from view. One or two other 

 species are in cultivation, but many very 

 pretty species have yet to be introduced. 

 The pods of most of the species are not 

 larger than a grain of barley, and contain 

 each two seeds. [A. A. B.] 



APACTIS. A Japanese tree, very im- 

 perfectly described by Thunberg, and not 

 since recognised. 



APALANCHE VERT. (Fr.) Prino3 ver- 

 ticillatus. 



APALANTHE. A generic name given 

 by Planchon to a few species of Anacharls, 

 separated from that prenus because of their 

 having hermaphrodite flowers. It has, 

 however, been found that one of these spe- 

 cies, A. Schweinitzii, is the same as Ana- 

 charls Alsinastrum, which, although its 

 flowers are generally dioecious, vet fre- 

 quently bears fertile flowers with three to 

 six stamens: sometimes merely shoit ste- 

 rile filaments without anthers or with im- 

 perfect ones, and sometimes with oblong 



