brya] 



K\)t STrcagurg at 33ntanj?, 



176 



tough twiggy branches are used in Ja- 

 maica as riding-whips ; and it is said that 

 in former days they were kept at all the 

 wharfs about Kingston to scourge the 

 refractory slaves. [A. S.] 



BRYANTHUS. A genus of Ericacem 

 containing a single species, a native of 

 Siberia and Kamschatka, so nearly related 

 to Menziesia that it is generally considered 

 as belonging to that genus. It differs 

 chiefly in having a pentamerous arrange- 

 ment of the flower, although Ledebour, and 

 apparently also Swartz, have seen speci- 

 mens in fruit with four divisions of the 

 calyx and capsule. The dirisions also are 

 deeper than in Menziesia. [W. C] 



BRYOBITTM. A supposed genus of 

 small unimportant orchidaceous epiphytes 

 from India, not distinct from Mycaran- 

 thus, and like it now merged in Eria. 



BRYOLOGY. The part of botany which 

 treats of urn-mosses. 



BRYONIA. The technical name of the 

 genus to which the common bryony of the 

 hedges belongs. Among the Cucurbitacece 

 this genus may be known by the stamens 

 and pistils being on the same plant, but in 

 different flowers; by the calyx having Ave 

 small teeth; the corolla five-lobes; stamens 

 five in three parcels, the anthers sinuous ; 

 style three-lobed, with capitate stigmas; 

 and fruit globular, succulent. B. dioica, 

 the Common Bryony, has a thick tuberous 

 rootstock of considerable length, yellowish- 

 brown, and wrinkled transversely on the 

 outer surf ace. The stems that spring from 

 this are annual, and rough. They climb by 

 tendrils, and, what is very unusual, the 

 direction of the spiral is now and then 

 altered, so that after proceeding in one 

 course for some distance, the tendril sud- 

 denly changes to an opposite direction. 

 The leaves are angular, three to seven- 

 lobed, the terminal or middle lobe being 

 the longest : they are rough like the stem 

 The male flowers are in clusters, bell- 

 shaped, greenish-yellow, and veined; the 

 female blossoms are smaller, disposed in a 

 corymb or umbel, and have a globular 

 ovary which ripens into a scarlet berry, 

 containing several flattened seeds. The 

 male and female flowers are sometimes on 

 different plant?, hence the name dioica, but 

 this is not always the case. The plant has 

 a fetid odor, and possesses acrid, emetic, 

 and purgative properties, and from its 

 elegant appearance, especially in autumn 

 when it adorns the hedges with its bril- 

 liantly coloured fruit, accidents are likely 

 to occur to children and others incauti- 

 ously tasting the fruit. The root is used as 

 an application to bruises, and occasionally 

 as a purgative ; but it is unsafe from its 

 uncertain and sometimes violent action, 

 whence the French call it Devil's-turnip. 

 Its acridity is due to a chemical substance 

 called bryonin. The writer of this notice 

 was once called on to ascertain what vege- 

 table substance had been administered to 

 a farmer, his family, and his cattle, by a 



' wise man,' who purported to be able to 

 remove the spell of witchcraft, under 

 which he said they were all suffering. 

 The man succeeded in obtaining consider- 

 able sums of money at different times 

 from the credulous farmer, whose suspi- 

 cions were at length awakened by the 

 dangerous illness of some of the members 

 of his family. It was not distinctly proved 

 that the man had administered bryony, 

 but the symptoms complained of corre- 

 sponded with those which would be pro- 

 duced by that root, a quantity of which 

 was found in the man's house, and also a 

 powder which was found to consist of the 

 leaves of the hart's-tongue (Scolopendrium 

 vulgare). When the mandrake was more 

 esteemed than it is now, this root was 

 frequently sold for it, as it occasionally 

 branches in a similar manner, and, indeed, 

 was forced to do so, by being grown in 

 moulds. Even now it is occasionally to be 

 met with in herbalists' shops as mandrake. 

 The young shoots of bryony may be used 

 as a vegetable with impunity, and are 

 said, when boiled, to resemble asparagus 

 in flavour. This plant must not be mis- 

 taken for the black bryony (Tamus com- 

 munis), also a climbing plant, but whose 

 leaves are heart-shaped, smooth, and 

 shining. 



Bryonia alba, a central European species 

 has similar properties to the English 

 Bryony, as also have B. americana and B. 

 africana. The root of B. abysinnica, when 

 cooked, is said to be eaten with impunity. 

 The seeds of B. callosa are used in India as 

 a vermifuge, and yield an oil used for 

 lamps. B. laciniosa, B. rostrata, and B. 

 scabrella are all used for medicinal pur- 

 poses in India, while the leaves of some 

 are boiled and eaten as greens. B. epigcea 

 was at one time supposed to furnish 

 calumba root, which it resembles both in 

 appearance and properties. It is used in 

 India as an external application and for 

 other medicinal purposes. [31. T. M.] 



BRYONY. The common name for Bryo- 

 nia. — , BLACK. Tamus communis. —, 

 RED. Bryonia dioica. 



BRYOPHYLLTJM. A name expressive 

 of the peculiarity that the leaves have, 

 under certain circumstances, of producing 

 small buds on their margins. The genus 

 to which the name applies, belongs to the 

 house -leek family {Crassulacece), and is 

 known by its bell-shaped distended calyx, 

 which is four-cleft ; the tube of the 

 corolla somewhat quadrangular, the lobes 

 of its limb, ovate or somewhat triangular : 

 a number of .eland-like compressed scales 

 at the base of the carpels ; and carpels on 

 very short stalks. The leaves are unequally 

 i pinnate and fleshy. B. calycinum, when in 

 ; flower, has loose panicles of drooping 

 greenish-purple blossoms, which are very 

 elegant. It is of particular interest from 

 the formation of small buds at the notches 

 on the margin of its leaves; sometimes 

 these buds are produced naturally, but the 

 : plant may be made to form them by peg- 



