clasping the stem by their hase, nearly 

 smooth above, and densely tomentose be- 

 neath. The flower-heads are single from 

 the apex of the branches, and about one 

 inch in diameter, having numerous purple 

 tubular florets, all of them containing 

 both stamens and pistil. The genus bears 

 the name of M. Bojer, Professor of Botany 

 in the Mauritius. [A. A. B.] 



BOLBITIS. A name proposed for certain 

 acrostichaceous ferns, now referred to 

 Pcecilopteris. [T. M.] 



BOLBOPHTLLTJM. A very extensive 

 genus of orchids of small stature growing 

 on trees or overrunning the ground 

 among mosses. Their leaves are usually 

 solitai-y on fleshy pseudo-bulbs ; and their 

 flowers are small and inconspicuous in 

 racemes or small capitules. Some, how- 

 ever; have fleshy deeply-coloured flowers 

 in dense spikes. In structure they differ 

 little from dendrobes except that the 

 column is terminated by two conspicuous 

 lateral bristles or teeth. Nearly one 

 hundred species are known from the 

 tropics of both the Old and New World. 

 The focus of the genus is Africa and 

 Asia. 



BOLDOA. The name given to a small 

 Chilian tree belonging to the Monimia 

 family. It has opposite short-stalked 

 ovate leaves, which are entire and rough 

 on the surface. The flowers in little 

 axillary racemes, the males and females on 

 different plants. The centre of the male 

 flower is occupied by a great many stamens, 

 and that of the female by from two to nine 

 ovaries, which when ripe are succulent 

 drupes, about the size of haws, and very 

 aromatic, as are all the parts of the plant. 

 The bark is serviceable to tanners, and the 

 wood is preferred before any other in the 

 country for making charcoal; while the 

 fruits are eaten. The tree is known in 

 Chili as Boldu, whence the generic name. 

 The origin of the specific name fraarans 

 is evident. [A. A. B.] 



BOLDU. A genus of Lauracece, con- 

 sisting of Chilian shrubs, with hermaphro- 

 dite flowers in axillary panicles. The 

 calyx is six-cleft, rotate, with persistent 

 thick segments ; the three inner stamens 

 have on either side at their base a sessile 

 gland ; the anthers are two-celled. Boldu 

 is besides the Chilian name for Boldoa 

 fragrans. [M. T. MJ 



BOLETS. (Fr.) Boletus. 



BOLET DU ME'LE'ZE. (Fr.) Polyporus 

 officinalis. 



BOLETUS. A genus of hymenomycetous 

 .Fh?! ^'.distinguished by the hymenium con- 

 sisting of tubes separable from each other, 

 as well as from the pileus or cap. In a few 

 instances the tubes are separable from the 

 pileus in the more fleshy Pofa/pori, but never 

 so completely from each other as in this 

 genus. All the species have a strong stem, 

 and in a few this is furnished with a ring. 

 They are numerous and often difficult of 



determination. Some of them are highly 

 poisonous, while B. edidis is considered by 

 most people an excellent article of food. 

 It is not much used in this country, but in 

 Hungary it is preferred to the mushroom, 

 which is regarded generally with suspicion. 

 The most poisonous species are easily re- 

 cognised by the red orifice of the tubes ;but 

 with the exception just mentioned there 

 are not more than one or two acceptable 

 species. One of the most curious points 

 about these fungi is, that in several 

 species the flesh from white or yellow 

 turns instantaneously to blue when di- 

 vided. It is believed that this arises from 

 the action of ozone on the juice. B. edidis 

 has sometimes been cultivated artificially 

 in its native woods. [M. J, B.] 



BOLIVARIA. A genus of the jasmine 

 family confined to South Brazil and Chili. 

 They are small woody plants from one to 

 two feet high, with opposite entire or 

 three-lobed leaves and axillary or terminal 

 yellow flowers, either single or two or 

 three together, and not unlike those of 

 the jasmine, but smaller. The fruit is a 

 two-lobed cartilaginous capsule, the upper 

 part of which falls off in the form of a 

 cap when the seeds are ripe. The genus 

 bears the name of Bolivar, the celebrated 

 liberator of S. America ; it is now united 

 with Menodora (which see). [A. A. B.] 



BOLTONIA. A genus of three species, 

 belonging to the composite family, and 

 peculiar to North America, where they 

 extend from Canada southwards to the 

 Southern states. They are smooth much- 

 branched perennial herbs, with lanceolate 

 pale green sessile leaves, and an abundance 

 of flower-heads with white or purplish rays, 

 very much like Michaelmas daisies (Aster), 

 to which genus they might at a first glance 

 be referred ; but they differ in the pappus 

 of the ray and disc florets being dissimilar, 

 and consisting of numerous minute bristles, 

 often with two to four longer awns also. 

 B. glastifolia has been cultivated in Eng- 

 land. The genus is dedicated to J. Bolton, 

 an English botanist. [A. A. B.] 



BOM ARE k. A genus of amaryllidaeeous 

 plants closely related to Alstromeria, from 

 which it is principally distinguished by 

 its twining habit, and some differences in 

 the capsule or fruit, which in Alstromeria 

 is valvate, splitting from the base into 

 three parts, and in Bomarea is valveless 

 and coriaceous, with a dehiscent opercle or 

 lid. The species are rather numerous, and 

 are all South American, found principally 



j on the Peruvian Andes, a few being also 

 met with in Mexico, Quito, and Chili, 



1 the greater part of them inhabiting 

 elevated situations. B. Salsilla is a very 

 pretty twining plant, with smooth leaves, 

 and umbels of purple flowers half an inch 

 long, having a dark eye-like spot at the 

 base of the two upper segments of the 

 nearly equal perianth, and a pale one on 

 the lowest. This spotting has given rise 

 to the name oculata, under which it has 

 sometimes been known. The general 



