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Etje Crca^uvj) at 3Satang. 



322 



CONIOSELINUM. A genus of four species 

 belonging to the Umbelliferce, and found in 

 mountain districts in Central Europe, Si- 

 beria and North-west America. C. Fischer), 

 the best known species, and one which has 

 long been cultivated in botanic gardens, is 

 a biennial herb one to three feet high, with 

 much the appearance of the hemlock, and 

 having its small white flowers disposed 

 in many-rayed umbels, without common, 

 but with partial involucres of Ave to seven 

 narrow linear leaves, which are equal in 

 length to the flower-stalks. 



The principal distinguishing features of 

 the genus are found in the fruit, why;h is 

 elliptical, dorsally compressed and about 

 one-third of an inch long ; each of the car- 

 pels has five winged ribs, the marginal ones 

 twice the breadth of the others ; and in the 

 lateral furrows, there are three oil tubes 

 (vittas), seen in the form of dots when 

 the fruit is cut across, usually two in the 

 dorsal furrows, and four to eight on the 

 inner face. [A. A. B.] 



CONIOTHECJE. The cells of an anther. 



CONIUM. The genus to which belongs 

 the well-known Hemlock. The botanical 

 name has been given under the supposition 

 that this is the plant mentioned by the 

 Greeks, under the same name, and which 

 was administered, as a judicial means of ex- 

 ecution, to Socrates and Phocion. The dis- 

 tinguishing characters reside in the fruit, 

 which is somewhat globular in shape, and 

 each half is marked with five wavy ridges. 

 There are no vittse or channels for oil, and 

 the albumen is deeply furrowed on its 

 inner surface. Such are the botanical cha- 

 racteristic, but the poisonous nature of 

 C. maculatum, the common Hemlock, and 



Conium maculatum. 



its frequent growth in hedges and byroad- 

 sides in this country, demand a more full 

 description. 



1 nial plant, with a tap-shaped root, a smooth 

 ! shining hollow stem, two to five feet in 

 : height, frequently marked with purple 

 spots, though these vary very much in 

 number and intensity of colour. The leaves 

 are much divided, with numerous small 

 [ egg-shaped or lance-shaped deeply cut seg- 

 l ments; the upper leaves are smaller. When 

 i bruised they emit a peculiarly nauseous 

 odour, not at all aromatic, as is usually the 

 case in our native umbelliferous plants. 

 The inflorescence is a compound umbel, 

 with ten or more rays, surrounded by a 

 general involucre of three to seven leaf- 

 lets ; the partial umbels or umbellules, 

 have at their base a small involucre of three 

 bracts, which are all turned to one side, 

 and do not surround the umbel, as in the 

 case of the general involucre. The flowers 

 are white or greenish white, and the fruits 

 have the important characteristics before 

 mentioned. In attempting the discrimina- 

 tion of this plant, all the above points 

 must be attended to, as there are many 

 plants possessing some of the character- 

 istics of the true Hemlock, and which are 

 in consequence frequently mistaken for it. 

 The active principle of Hemlock is a 

 peculiar oily-looking fluid, lighter than 

 water, and called conia. It exists in all parts 

 of the plant, but especially in the fruits. 

 It acts first as an irritant poison, but 

 speedily causes paralysis of all the muscles, 

 convulsions and death. The plant is of 

 course much less dangerous than its ex- 

 tract, but in poisonous doses it produces 

 similar symptoms, and sometimes coma, 

 and other effects like those produced by 

 opium. Medicinally Conivm has been used 

 for promoting the absorption of tumors, 

 and glandular swellings, and as an anti- 

 spasmodic and anodyne. [M. T. M.J 



CONJUGATE. A tribe of green-spored 

 Alcjce distinguished from Coi/fervaeece by 

 their endochrome being spiral, stellate, or 

 otherwise disposed, and not equally dif- 

 fused, or simply denser in the centre; and 

 by the large zoospores formed by the union 

 of the endochromes of two contiguous 

 cells, or one divided into two for the pur- 

 poses of fructification in the same or in 

 two different plants. In a few, impregna- 

 tion is effected, in the manner described 

 under Bulbocluvte, by means of free anthe- 

 ridia, which ultimately fix themselves near 

 the spore-bearing cell. In some instances 

 the bodies perfected by impregnation un- 

 dergo cell-division, and the component 

 parts become so many zoospores. The 

 species are either attached or float freely 

 in the water. Almost all are fresh-water 

 plants, and are found in various parts of 

 the globe, but especially in temperate re- 

 gions. 



The term Conjugate does not strictly 

 apply to all. In JEdogonium there is no 

 conjugation, but fructification takes place 

 by the division of a cell, one of the two divi- 

 sions only proving fertile. In this genus, 

 as also in some others, the spores are often 

 of a brilliant scarlet or vermilion. The same 



The Hemlock is an erect branching bien- i spore, however, may be, in different stages 



