dela] 



Ki)t tEratfurg of SSotattg. 



390 



face of each woody zone. When boiling 

 water is poured on shavings of this wood, 

 a clear jelly resembling tragacanth is 

 formed, and becomes a thick viscid mass ; 

 iodine stains it brown, but no trace of 

 starch is indicated in it.' Usually the 

 leaves are from two to four inches long, 

 entire, stalked, and lance-shaped; some- 

 times, however, they are digitate and com- 

 posed of seven to nine sessile leaflets of 

 the same form as the simple leaves. The 

 digitate leaves are probably found only on 

 young plants. The flowers are inconspicu- 

 ous, and borne on short panicles arising 



Delabechea rupestris. 



from the axils of, and shorter than, the 

 leaves ; in the males the calyx is five-cleft, 

 and the stamens numerous ; the females 

 are not known. The fruit is composed of 

 five stalked smooth brown leathery folli- 

 cles, covered internally with a thick fur of 

 starry hairs ; each of these contains about 

 six seeds, which have their lower portion 

 covered with similar hairs, and are smooth 

 above. The genus is named in honour of 

 the late eminent geologist, Sir H. T. De la 

 Beche. [A. A. B.] 



DEL AIREA. The name sometimes given 

 to a trailing South African Groundsel 

 (Senecio mikanioides), with stalked, smooth, 

 and fleshy leaves, which are cordate at the 

 base, and five to seven-lobed. The flower- 

 heads are numerous, and disposed in axil- 

 lary corymbs longer than the leaves. In gar- 

 dens it is called German Ivy. [A. A. B.] 



DELASTREA. A genus of Sapotacece, 

 represented by a lofty tree native of Mada- 

 gascar, distinguished from its allies by the 

 lobes of its corolla, which are eighteen in 

 number, twelve external, six internal, oppo- 

 site to which latter are six stamens, all of 

 them fertile ; and by its ovary, -svhich con- 

 tains twelve compartments. pi. T. M.] 



DELESSERIA. A genus of rose-spored 

 Algce, belonging to the section in which 

 the spores form little necklaces {Besmio- 

 sperinece) containing many of the most 

 beautiful and delicate species which adorn 



our coasts, a great part of their beauty aris- 

 ing from the symmetry of the frond, and 

 the contrast between the dark midrib and 

 the membranous border. The capsules con- 

 tain a placenta formed of branched threads 

 bearing short chains of spores, the ulti- 

 mate members of the chains being the 

 first to ripen. The species are numerous, 

 and many of them are widely dispersed. 

 The beautiful ash-leaved seaweed formerly 

 called B. scmguinea, has fruit of a different 

 structure, and is nowreferred to a distinct 

 genus, Wormslcioldia. [M. J. BJ 



DELIMA. A small genus of Billenia- 

 cece, all, with the exception of one Asiatic 

 species, natives of the tropics of the West- 

 ern hemisphere. They have very small 

 flowers disposed in loose panicles at the 

 ends of the young branches : the calyx 

 consisting of five permanent sepals, and 

 the corolla of four or five white petals, 

 which soon fall away. The ovary is soli- 

 tary, nearly globular, and terminated by a 

 curved tapering style ; it ultimately be- 

 comes a small dry oval fruit, which splits 

 open along the inner edge when ripe, 

 exposing a solitary arillate seed. 



B. sarmentosa is widely distributed 

 throughout the eastern countries of tropi- 

 cal Asia, including Ceylon, Malaya, Ava, 

 Silhet, Java, Southern China, the Philippine 

 Islands, &c. Its leaves vary very much in 

 shape, but are generally somewhat oval; 

 their edges either entire or cut into teeth 

 tipped with short hard points ; the upper 

 surface of these leaves is completely cov- 

 ered with little asperities,which are so hard 

 and render the leaves so rough that they 

 are commonly employed in most of the 

 above-mentioned countries as a substitute 

 for sand-paper, and are thus used for 

 polishing various domestic utensils, and 

 other articles made of either wood or 

 metal. In Ceylon the plant is called Kora- 

 sawel, and in the Philippine Islands, Bois 

 de rape. [A. S.] 



DELIQUESCENT. Branched, but so di- 

 vided that the principal axis is lost trace 

 of in ramifications ; as the head of an oak 

 tree. 



DELISSEA. A genus of shrubs, natives 

 of the Sandwich Isles, and included in the 

 order Lobeliacew. The main characteristics 

 of the genus are a hemispherical calyx 

 tube, which is united to the ovary, and is 

 surmounted by a limb with five very short 

 teeth ; a tubular corolla with a two-lipped 

 limb : filaments and anthers combined into 

 a tube; fruit a somewhat globular berry, 

 two-celled, crowned by the limb of the 

 calyx. [M. T. MJ 



DELOSTOMA (including Codazzia). A 

 genus of Bignoniacece, remarkable for its 

 double calyx, and flat oblong capsule di- 

 vided into two cells by a partition placed 

 contrary to the direction of the valves. 

 There are four species, all confined to the 

 Andes of South America, where they range 

 from New Granada to Peru. They are small 

 trees, with simple oblong leaves generally 

 covered with hair, and terminal panicles 



