on the ovary. The male flowers are not 

 known : the female flowers have a half- 

 superior ovary which, when mature, he- 

 comes a fleshy fruit with a four-cornered 

 cavity, containing several seeds with a 

 hard-pitted covering. The plants are na- 

 tives of Guiana. [M. T. M.] 



APODTTES. A genus of Olacacece, con- 

 taining a single species from Port Natal, 

 South Africa. It is a tree or shrub, with 

 alternate, exstipulate, petiolate, and en- 

 tire leaves. The flowers are in loosely- 

 hranched terminal racemes. The calyx is 

 small, five-toothed, and persistent. The 

 corolla consists of five oblong linear petals, 

 rising from the receptacle. The stamens 

 are five in number, alternating with the 

 petals, and, by thin dilated filaments,uuiting 

 the petals together through two-thirds of 

 their length. The ovary is free and unilo- 

 cular, with two ovules. The style is ex- 

 centric, and kneed at the base ; the stigma 

 is minute. The fruit is a drupe, one-celled, 

 and one-seeded by abortion, of a pecu- 

 liar kidney shape, with a fleshy protu- 

 berance from the hollow side. [W. C] 



APOXOGETOX. A genus of aquatic 

 plants belonging to the Juncaginacece, 

 and remarkable for producing its flowers in 

 conjugate or binate spikes at the ends of 

 the flower scapes. The flowers consist of 

 several (six to eighteen) stamens with 

 subulate filaments, and are destitute of 

 both calyx and corolla, the conspicuous 

 part of the inflorescence being a double 

 row of large white bracts, at the base of 

 which the minute apetalous flowers are 

 seated. A. distachyon, a very handsome, 

 deliriously fragrant water-plant, a great 

 favourite in gardens, has been well figured 

 and described from vigorous, well-deve- 

 loped specimens in Paxton's Floicer Garden 

 (ii. t. 43) by Dr. Lindley, who writes : — ' In 

 appearance it resembles a pondweed (Pota- 

 mogeton nutans), except that it is of a clear 

 green colour without any tinge of brown. 

 Its bulb or conn is described as being as 

 large as a hen's egg. The leaves float 

 on the surface of the water, are oblong, 

 about eieoteen inches long when full 

 grown, fiat, and have three distinct veins 

 running parallel with the main rib. When 

 young their sides are rolled inwards. The 

 flowers are placed on a forked inflorescence, 

 originally included within a taper-pointed 

 calyptrate spathe (cap), which is forced off 

 as they advance in size. When fully formed 

 each fork of the inflorescence is very pale 

 green, and is bordered by two rows of 

 large, ovate-oblong, obtuse, ivory-white 

 bracts, in the axils of which stand the 

 minute flowers. The latter are bisexual, 

 and destitute of both calyx and corolla. 

 Twelve hypogynous free stamens, with 

 dark purple anthers, surround from four 

 to six distinct carpels, each of which has a 

 short curved style, a simple minute stigma, 

 and six erect anatropal ovules. After 

 flowering the bracts and inflorescence grow 

 rapidly, acquire a deep green colour, and 

 soon resemble tufts of leaves, among 

 : which lie in abundance large membranous 



indehiscent beaked carpels, containing 

 about four seeds each, and readily tearing 

 at the sides.' This species is common at 

 the Cape of Good Hope, where it bears the 

 name of Water Uintjies. The flowering tops 

 are, according to Mr. Bunbury, sometimes 

 used in the colony both as a pickle and as 

 a substitute for asparagus. Martyn states 

 that the ' bulbs ' are eaten roasted. There 

 are one or two other species from South 

 Africa. The Indian A. monostachys is now 

 referred to Spathium. [T.M.] 



APOO. (Fr.) Urtica. 



APOPHYSIS. A name given to a swell- 

 ing, often hollow, or of extremely loose 

 texture, at the base of the capsules in 

 several mosses. It is developed extremely 

 in the natural order Splachnei, where it 

 often exceeds in size the true capsule. It 

 attains its maximum in Splachnum luteam 

 and rubrum, where it is a most conspicuous 

 object,hanging down like an umbrella or the 

 vesicle of Ascophora. In (Edipodium almost 

 the whole of the stem consists of apo- 

 physis, which is confluent at once with it 

 and the capsule. [M. J. B.] 



APOROCACTUS. A genus of Cactacece, 

 distinguished from Cereus by the elongated 

 narrow tube of the perianth, and its 

 obliquely gaping, somewhat two-lipped 

 limb, and also by the graduated insertion of 

 the fewer stamens, all of which are ex- 

 se-rted, and the upper ones longer than the 

 rest. It includes a few species known in 

 gardens under the name of Cereus. A. 

 Baumanni, sometimes called Cereus Tivee- 

 diei, is a handsome, cylindraceous, erect- 

 stemmed succulent plant from Buenos 

 Ayres, having a many-angled stem, and 

 numerous rich orange-crimson, slender- 

 tubed flowers, curving at the base so as 

 to be inserted obliquely, and also curving 

 in an opposite direction at the mouth, 

 which is slightly spreading. A. fiagelli- 

 formis, the Cereus flagelliformis or Creeping 

 Cereus of gardens, is a well-known plant, 

 with long, slender, pendent stems, pro- 

 ducing a profusion of narrow rose-coloured 

 flowers, ' so beautiful, and produced in such 

 great plenty, that this may be placed in 

 the first class of exotic plants' in point of 

 ornament. It is a native of Peru. [T.M.] 



APORUM. A division of the great 

 genus DendroMum, distinguished by having 

 fleshy equitant leaves. The flowers are 

 ; small, and have no beauty. 



I APOSTASIA. Among the forests of 

 Malacca, Burmah, and Assam are found two 

 species of Endogens, with low stems, co- 

 vered with grassy leaves, and terminal 

 ! panicles of small yellow flowers, which 

 j throw an unexpected light upon the struc- 

 j ture of the curious order of orchids. The 

 I calyx and corolla consist each of three 

 j narrow equal pieces. The anthers — two or 

 1 three — are distinct; the style is perfectly 

 ' free from the stamens, and the ovary is 

 i three-celled ; so that the gynandrous struc- 

 I ture of orchids wholly disappears. Another 

 1 genus nearly related is Neowiedia, a Borneo 



