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118 



pulcherrimum, the only known species, is ' 

 described as being one of the most lovely 

 of plants. It is a shrub, with a thick 

 twisted stem, numerous slender branches 

 crowded together in places,and short linear 

 leaves, dotted with resinous fragrant cysts. 

 The flowers are abundant, placed towards 

 the end of the branches, in shape and 

 colour like those of the dwarf pomegranate, 

 hut drooping on short stalks, with two 

 small coloured hracts beneath the calyx, 

 which has a cup-shaped tube, adherent by 

 the base only to the ovary ; the remainder 

 is detached, and the limb divided into five 

 ovate membranous spreading segments ; 

 the petals are five, oval, slightly larger 

 than the calyx, and of a deep scarlet or 

 crimson colour. The stamens are very 

 numerous inserted in one row at the throat 

 of the calyx; anthers inserted on the awl- 

 shaped filaments hy their backs, the 

 lobes parallel, splitting by a long cleft. 

 Ovary small, top-shaped, with three com- 

 partments, each containing about six 

 ovules, placed one over the other in a 

 double line; style thread-shaped ; stigma 

 rather dilated. A native of South-western 

 Australia. [M. T. MJ 



BALD-MONEY, or BAWD-MONEY. Meum 

 athamanticum. 



BA.LFOURIA. A genus of the natural 

 family Apocynaceoz, consisting of shrubs 

 with opposite narrow sickle-shaped leaves. 

 The flowers are arranged in cymes at the 

 end of the hranches, or from their side, 

 and have a five-parted calyx, a funnel- 

 shaped corolla, with its limb divided into 

 five straight equilateral lobes, having also 

 at its throat a small coronet or tube with a 

 wavy margin. The five stamens are inserted 

 on the throat of the corolla, from which 

 they protrude. The anthers are arrow- 

 shaped, provided with a sharp point or 

 mucro, and adherent to the angular stigma ; 

 style thread-sha.ped ; ovaries with two 

 compartments. They are natives of tropi- 

 cal Australia, and have not yet been intro- 

 duced into cultivation. [M. T. MJ 



BALISIER. (Fr.) Canna indica. 



BALLOTA. A family of herbaceous 

 plants belonging to the labiate order, 

 among which they are distinguished by 

 the strongly ten-ribbed salver-shaped calyx. 

 They are natives of the temperate regions 

 of the Eastern hemisphere, and are remark- 

 able for nothing hut their strong offensive 

 odour, on account of Avhich they are for 

 the most part rejected hy cattle; hence the 

 name from the Greek ballo, to reject. B. 

 nigra, Black Stinking Horehound, a com- 

 mon wayside perennial, has stout-branched 

 stems, egg-shaped wrinkled leaves, and 

 whorls of numerous dull purple flowers. 

 The whole plant is as offensive in odour as it 

 isunattraetiveinappeai-ance, and suffers lit- 

 tle from beinggenerally covered with dust. 

 It is mostly found growing near towns and 

 villages, and has accompanied our colonists 

 to many remote countries. In Gotland, 

 according to Don, it is an universal remedy 



in disorders incident to cattle. French 

 Ballote : German, Zahnlose. [C. A. J.] 



BALLOTE. (Fr.) Ballota nigra. 



BALM. Melissa officinalis. — , BASTARD. 

 The common name for Melittis. — , FIELD. 

 Galamintha Nepeta. — , HORSE. An Amer- 

 ican name for Collinsonia. — , MOLDA- 

 VIAN. Dracocephalum moldavicum. — , 

 MOLUCCA. The common name'for Molu- 

 cella. — of GILE AD. A resinous product of 

 Balsamodendron gileadense, and B. Opobal- 

 samum, called sometimes Balm of Mecca ; 

 also, a garden name for Dracocephalum ca- 

 nariense ; also, an American name for Pop- 

 ulus candicans. — of GILEAD (AMERI- 

 CAN). A resin obtained from Idea carana. 

 — of MECCA. The same as Balm of Gilead, 

 a resinous product of Balsamodendron. 



BALOGHIA. The name given to a tree* 

 of the spurgewort family (Euphorbiacea;), 

 which attains the height of twenty to 

 thirty feet, and has opposite entire ohlong 

 leaves, which are stalked, and have at their 

 base two membranaceous stipuleswhich fall 

 early. The flowers are numerous, and 

 are disposed in terminal cymes, the males 

 having a calyx of five divisions, five petals 

 longer than the calyx, and a large numher 

 of stamens, their stalks united at the base, 

 while the calyx and corolla of the female 

 flowers are as in the male, and their ovary 

 is three-celled, each cell containing one 

 ovule. B. lucida is the only species known, 

 and it is found in Norfolk Island, where it 

 is called Blood Wood, as also in the colony 

 of Queensland, in N. Holland. The woqd 

 is close-grained, impregnated with a resi- 

 nous substance, and burns readily in a 

 green state. A blood-red sap oozes from 

 the trunk when cut, and is obtained in the 

 following manner in Norfolk Island: 'A 

 knife, similar to a farrier's, is used, hut 

 stronger, fixed upon a handle four to five 

 feet long, which enables the workman to 

 reach high up the trunk of the tree. A 

 perpendicular incision is made through 

 the bark, an inch wide at the surface, hut 

 tapering to a point near the wood, and from 

 eight to ten feet long, forming the main 

 channel through which the sap flows to the 

 hase of the tree, where a vessel is placed for 

 its reception ; branch channels are cut on 

 each side of the main one, leading obliquely 

 into it, six or eight inches apart, and ex- 

 tending nearly two-thirds round the trunk. 

 The sap generally flows from these channels 

 for about twelve hours, when it is collected. 

 The quantity produced by each tree varies : 

 sometimes about a pint, but on an average 

 about a gill.' The sap forms an indelible 

 paint, and was formerly used in the island 

 for marking bags, blankets, and other 

 articles. [A. A. B.] 



BALSAM. A name given to various 

 gum-resinous or oleo-resinous vegetable 

 substances. — , BAYEE. A product of Bal- 

 samodendron pubescens. — , CANADIAN. 

 A product of Abies balsamea. — , CARPA- 

 THIAN. A product of Pinus Cembra. —, 

 COPALM. A product of Liquidambar 

 1 styraciflua. — , GARDEN. Impatiens Bal- 



