bug] 



%\)t €rea£ttrg ai JSotang. 



150 



taste resembling that of a chestnut. A small 

 quantity of semi-solid fatty oil is obtain- 

 able from the seeds by pressure. [A. S.] 



BLIGHT. This word is used by cultiva- 

 tors with great latitude, and is extended 

 to those diseases of corn, and other objects 

 of field and garden cultivation which 

 depend upon the presence of parasitic 

 fungi. It is best, however, as far as cereals 

 are concerned, to confine it to that diseased 

 condition of corn in which the plant dies 

 prematurely without bringing any fruit to 

 perfection. This often depends upon some 

 kind of fungous spawn attacking the roots, 

 and we believe arises in many cases from un- 

 decomposed remains of the last year's crop, 

 which encourage the growth of fungi, the 

 threads of which spread to the living 

 roots, and gradually impair their vigour, 

 and ultimately cause death. The notion 

 ■chat the gloomy turbid state of the atmo- 

 sphere or the haze, so common in sultry 

 weather, which depends upon differences 

 of temperature between the earth and the 

 air, is caused by the presence of some 

 blighting substance which attacks plants, 

 giving rise to noxious insects and fungi, 

 is founded on popular error.; [M. J. BJ 



BLIMBING. The Bilimbl tree, Averrhba 

 Bilimbi. 

 BLINKS. Montiafontana. 



BLITB. (Fr.) Amaranthus Blitum. — 

 SAUVAGE. Chenopodium polyspermism. 



BLITB. Amaranthus Blitum. — , SEA. 

 A common name for Suceda. — , STRAW- 

 BERRY. The common name for Blitum. 



BLITUM. A singular genus of cheno- 

 pods, remarkable for the succulent fruit- 

 like character assumed by the calyx of 

 several species after flowering. The 

 flowers themselves are inconspicuous, and 

 quite elementary in their structure, con- 

 sisting of a three-cleft calyx, one stamen, 

 and an ovary containing a single vertical 

 seed, and crowned by two styles ; all these 

 organs being, however, so small as to be 

 scarcely discernible without the aid of 

 a lens. After the fertilization of the ovary 

 is effected, the calyx gradually increases in 

 size, and at length becomes fleshy and 

 filled with a red-coloured juice, swelling 

 around the membranous capsule, but not 

 ^entirely concealing it. The flowers being 

 produced in clusters, the resulting com- 

 pound fruit is sufficiently conspicuous, and 

 from its supposed resemblance to a small 

 strawberry, has arisen the popular name of 

 Strawberry Blite, applied to two plants of 

 this genus. The fruit of the strawberry 

 differs, however, essentially in its character 

 from that of the Blites, consisting as it 

 does of a fleshy succulent receptacle, the 

 calyx irself undergoing no transformation. 

 The structure of the fruit in Blitum more 

 closely resembles that of the common 

 mulberry, Morns nigra, in which the ma- 

 tured ovary is completely enclosed in a suc- 

 culent berry-like calyx. Two species of 

 Blitum, both European, are cultivated in 



gardens; B. capitatum which has an ascend- 

 ing branched stem, triangular sinuate 

 foliage, and terminal clusters of flowers 

 and fruit ; and B. virgatum, which has long 

 rod-like shoots, and rather smaller foliage 

 than that of the preceding species, with 

 axillary flowers and berries. The fruit of 

 both species, though insipid, is said to have 

 been formerly employed in cookery. The 

 leaves have a spinach-like flavour, and may 

 be used as a substitute for it. [TV. T.] 



BLOODFLOTVER. The common name 

 for Hcemanthus. 



BLOODRAIN. Many of the tales of the 

 descent of showers of blood from the 

 clouds which are so common in old 

 chronicles, depend upon the multitudinous 

 production of infusorial insects or some of 

 the lower Algm. To this category belongs 

 the phenomenon known under the name of 

 Red Snow. One peculiar form, which is 

 apparently virulent only in very hot sea- 

 sous, is caused by the rapid production of 

 little blood-red spots on cooked vegetables 

 or decaying fungi, so that provisions which 

 were dressed only the previous day are 

 covered with a bright scarlet coat, which 

 sometimes penetrates deeply into their sub- 

 stance. This depends upon the growth of 

 a little plant which has been referred to the 

 Algo2, under the name of Palmella prodi- 

 giosa, but which seems rather to be one of 

 those conditions of moulds which under 

 various colours are so common on paste 

 and other culinary articles, to which they 

 seem to bear the same relation as yeast 

 globules do to Penicillium and other Fungi. 

 The spots consist of myriads of ex- 

 tremely minute granules, and though they 

 are propagated with great ease, at present 

 no one has been able to follow xvp their 

 evolutions. In damp weather fresh meat 

 is covered with little colourless gelatinous 

 or creamy spots, which are clearly of the 

 same nature. One curious point about the 

 fungous Bloodrain is, that when cultivated 

 on rice paste, little spots spring up on the 

 surface of the paste, apart from the main 

 patch, which look just like blood spirted 

 from an artery, and therefore increase the 

 illusion. The colour of the Bloodrain is 

 so beautiful that attempts have been made 

 to use it as a dye, and with some success ; 

 and could the plant be reproduced with 

 any constancy, there seems little doubt 

 that the colour would stand. On the same 

 paste with the Bloodrain we have seen 

 white, blue, and yellow spots, which were 

 not distinguishable in structure and cha- 

 racter. TVe refer forfurther information to 

 Dr. H. O. Stephen's article in Taylor's 

 Annals of Natural History, which is sug- 

 gestive if not conclusive. [M. J. B.] 



BLOODROOT. Sanguinaria canadensis, 

 and Geum canadense. 



BLOODROOTS. A name applied by 

 Lindley^to the haemodoraceous order. 



BLOODTVOOD, of Jamaica. Gordonia 

 Hivmatoxylon. —, of Norfolk Island. 

 Baloghia lucida. — . of Queensland. Eu- | 



