inwardlv. The fruit is succulent, at first ! and showy, often glandular, and glutinous 

 concealed within the base of the perianth, I outside ; they rise in umbelled clusters 

 which afterwards falls off, leaving only a i from large scaly-imbricated terminal buds, 

 portion surrounding the base of the fruit. The calyx is five-parted, often minute. 

 Cujumary beans are the seeds of A. Cu- j The corolla is funnel-shaped, with five 

 jumary, and are esteemed in Brazil as ; spreading lobes. The stamens are five in 

 tonics and stimulants in cases of weak I number, with long exserted filaments, and 

 disestion. [M. T. M.J short ovate anthers, opening by terminal 



i pores. The ovary is five-celled, with many 



ATER AYER. The esculent fruit of ' ovules ; the style is simple. The pod is 



some species of Lansium. j five-celled and five-valved, and contains 



.^ T , rT , T , T . . „ ,. | many scale-like seeds. There are about 



RIA. A genus of Paronychia- I twentv sp ecies, natives of North America 



" and Asia. They are largely cultivated as 



cea, consisting of two species of Australian 

 annuals, with much-branched stems, op- 

 posite or verticillate leaves, small scarious 

 stipules, and terminal corymbose cymes of 

 rose-coloured or purple flowers on long 

 stalks. [J. T. SJ 



AZADIRACHTA. A genus of the order 

 Meliacea, represented by an Indian tree 

 with unequally pinnated leaves.whose leaf- 

 lets are oblique. The young shoots are 

 smooth, not covered with down as in the 

 allied genus Melia. The flowers are small, 

 white, borne in axillary panicles ; they 

 differ from those of Melia in having a 

 three-celled ovary, and a three-lobed stig- 

 ma, and also in the fruit, which is purple 

 when ripe, of the size of a small olive, one- 

 celled, one-seeded. 



The bark of A. indica is used in India as 

 a tonic, the root as a vermifuge, and the 

 leaves as an application to glandular 

 swellings, bruises and rheumatism. They 



have also been employed successfully in, twin or solitary alternate leaves, generally 

 some forms of skin disease. From the ^toothed and varying in form from egg- 

 fruit an acrid oil is obtained for burning shaped to almost linear. Their flowers are 

 in lamps, and for dyeing cotton cloths. A smal i an d ve i]ow, destitute "of petals, and 

 stimulant gum exudes from the bark. The arranged in axillary bundles. A few of 

 seeds are used as a poison for insects, and the species are in cultivation in English 

 mixed with water as a hairwash. A kind of gardens, and can be grown outside with 

 toddy is said to be prepared _from_ the the protection of a wall in the southern 



ornamental shrubs, on account of the 

 abundance of their flowers, and the fra- 

 grant smell of most of the species. Some 

 possess dangerous narcotic qualities. Pal- 

 las was of opinion that A. pontica was the 

 plant from whose flowers the bees of 

 Pontus collected the honey that produced 

 the extraordinary symptoms of poisoning, 

 described as having attacked the Greek 

 soldiers, in the famous retreat of the Ten 

 Thousand. Xenophon says that after eating 

 it, the men fell stupified in all directions, 

 so that the camp looked like a battle-field 

 covered with corpses. The natives are 

 aware of the deleterious qualities of the 

 plant. Cattle and sheep which browse on 

 its leaves are poisoned. [W. C] 



AZARERO. (Fr.) Cerasus lusitanica. 



AZARA. A genus of Chilian shrubs, 

 belonging to the Flacourtia family, having 



young trees. 



[M. T. M.J 



counties. A. Gilliesii is the most handsome 

 species of the genus. Its leaves are ever- 

 green and somewhat like those of the 

 holly, bearing in their axils roundish fas- 

 cicles of yellow flowers. About a dozen 

 species are known. The leaves of many 

 have a bitter taste. [A. A. B.J 



AZAROLE. The fruit of Crataegus Azar- 

 olus. 



AZEDARACH. Melia Azedarach. 



AZEROLIER (Fr.) Crataegus Azarolus. 



AZOLLA. A very curious genus belong- 

 ing to the marsileaceous division of the 

 pseudo-ferns. Its habit is that of a floating 

 pinnately-branched Jungermannia, with 

 two or four-ranked imbricating leaves ; 

 but its fructification is totally different, 

 and is nearer to that of Salvinia than of 

 vy American shrubs. This course being j any other genus, and with which it forms 

 adopted generally by continental botan- j a distinct section or order, according to 

 ists, as well as by many in Britain and . the views of authors. Indeed, its pecu- 

 America, it seems better to consider the i liarities are such that it has been some- 

 genus as so limited. times supposed to constitute a distinct 

 A zaleas are upright shrubs with alternate order by itself. The species float upon the 

 and obovate or oblong deciduous leaves, water, forming green or reddish patches, 

 which are entire, ciliate, and mncronate, which are frequently several yards across, 

 with a glandular point. The flowers are large i throwing down rootlets on the under side, 



AZALEA. A genus of Ericaceae, estab- 

 lished by Linnaius, and including many 

 plants which have since been separated 

 and arranged under different genera. So 

 conflicting are the opinions of botanists 

 as to the set that should retain the original 

 Linnaean name, that it seems in danger of 

 being lost altogether. Some seek to retain 

 it for A. p-rocumbens, as the only plant to 

 which it is truly applicable, and propose 

 the name Anthodendron for the showy 

 shrubs so well known in our gardens as 

 Azaleas ; whereas others, because of the 

 almost universal application of the name 

 to these plants, and to prevent unnecessary' 

 coufusionin the synonymy, have given the 

 name Loiseleuria to the small genus con- 

 taining the single species, A. procumbens, 

 and retained the original name for the 



