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396 



of three petals of thicker substance than 

 the calyx, and six stamens with narrow 

 erect anthers ; and the females have a cup- 

 shaped calyx with the rim entire or di- 

 vided into three small teeth, a bell-shaped 

 corolla with the mouth drawn in, and an 

 ovary with one perfect and two imperfect 

 cells, surmounted by a short style and 

 three sharp stigmas. The fruit is small 

 and nearly round. 



B. macracanthos, the Jaeitara of the 

 Amazon and Rio Negro, grows fifty or 

 sixty feet long, with a stem not thicker 

 than an ordinary cane, and either climbs 

 up trees or ti-ails among the underwood, 

 where it offers an annoying obstruction to 

 persons wearing clothes, the sharp curved 

 spines upon its leaves taking such firm 

 hold of the garments that great care and 

 patience are required to detach them. The 

 Indians use strips of the stem for platting 

 the tipitis or strainers used for squeezing 

 out the poisonous juice of the mandioc 

 root. [A. S.] 



DESMOPODIUM. A subgroup of Poly- 

 podium. 



DESMOS. In Greek compounds^any- 

 thing bound to another or brought into 

 close contact with it. 



DESMOSTACHYS. A genus of Icacin- 

 acece, founded on a climbing shrub from 

 Madagascar, with alternate, ovate or lan- 

 ceolate smooth leathery stalked leaves, 

 and several slender spicate racemes grow- 

 ing out of each axil. The flowers are very 

 small, bracteated,with a five-toothed calyx, 

 five linear oblong thin petals, and Ave sta- 

 mens. [J. T. SJ 



DESVAUXIACEiE. (Centrolepidece, Bris- 

 tleworts.) A natural order of monocoty- 

 ledonous plants with incomplete flowers, 

 included in Lindley's glumal alliance. 

 They are small tufted herbs with bristly 

 leaves, and flowers enclosed in a spathe or 

 sheath. Glumes one or two ; pales either 

 none or represented by one or two delicate 

 scales ; stamen one, rarely two ; ovaries 

 one to eighteen, attached to a common 

 axis, distinct or united partially, one- 

 celled, with a single stigma to each ; 

 ovules single orthotropal. Fruit consist- 

 ing of one-seeded carpels, opening. length- 

 wise ; seed pendulous ; embryo having a 

 lens-like form. They are found in the 

 South Sea Islands and in New Holland. 

 There are about fifteen species described, 

 and four genera, of which Centrolepis and 

 Aphelia are examples. [J. H. B.] 



DETARIUM. A genus of West African 

 Leguminosce, of which two species are 

 known. The four-lobed calyx, absence of 

 petals, and rounded succulent fruit dis- 

 tinguish them from most genera ; and 

 from Bialium to which they are most 

 nearly allied, they are readily recognised 

 by having ten stamens, five of which are 

 longer than the others. B. senegalense is a 

 tree of twenty to thirty feet high, with 

 pinnate leaves, having oval entire leaflets, 

 and numerous small white fragrant flowers 



arranged in axillary panicles shorter than 

 the leaves. The fruits are between oval 

 and orbicular, slightly compressed, and 

 about the size of an apricot. Underneath 

 the thin outer covering there is a quantity 

 of green fai-inaceous edible pulp intermix- 

 ed with stringy fibres that proceed from 

 the inner and bony covering which en- 

 closes the single seed. According to M. 

 Richard there are two varieties of this 

 fruit, one bitter, the other sweet. The 

 latter is sold in the markets and prized by 

 the negroes as well as eagerly sought 

 after by monkeys and other animals. The 

 fruits of both are so similar that the 

 negroes often mistake the one for the 

 other, and do not find out their error until 

 after having tasted them. The bitter va- 

 riety they regard as a violent poison. 

 The wood of the tree is hard and resem- 

 bles mahogany in colour. [A. A. B.] 



DEUTZIA. A genus of PMladelpliacece, 

 consisting of shrubs, whose leaves are 

 rough with star-shaped hairs. The flowers 

 are handsome, arranged in panicles, with 

 a bell-shaped calyx, five petals inserted 

 beneath a disc which surrounds the top of 

 the ovary, ten stamens inserted with the 

 petals, the five between the petals longer 

 than the others, the filaments flat, awl- 

 shaped at the top or three-lobed, the mid- 

 dle lobe bearing the anther ; ovary in- 

 ferior, three to four-celled ; styles three or 

 four, thread-shaped, erect ; stigmas club- 

 shaped ; capsule leathery, surmounted by 

 the disc, bursting in the middle by three 

 or four slits. B. scabra is a hardy shrub, 

 whose clusters of white flowers give it a 

 very ornamental character. Its leaves are 

 used by polishers in Japan on account of 

 their rigid star-shaped hairs ; these latter, 

 too, and especially those of B. staminea, 

 are sought after by microscopists, as af- 

 fording objects of great beauty. B. gracilis 

 is a particularly elegant early-flowering 

 green-house shrub. [M. T. MJ 



DEVERRA. The generic name of plants 

 belonging to the umbelliferous order, cha- 

 racterised by the fruit being round or 

 ovate and covered with scales or hairs. 

 The species are natives of Africa, usually 

 of small size and of a bare rigid aspect, 

 broom-like; hence named Deverra, after 

 the ' goddess of brooms.' In the earlier 

 stages the plants usually have small linear 

 leaves ; at more advanced periods of 

 growth few of these remain, hence the pe- 

 culiar habit of the species. [G. D.] 



DEVILLEA. A genus of Podostemacece, 

 comprising Brazilian herbaceous species, 

 with hermaphrodite flowers unprotected 

 by a bract ; one stamen, whose anther 

 opens inwardly; small globular stigmas; 

 and smooth fruit, dividing by two unequal- 

 sized valves. B. flag elh for mis has in its 

 leaves somewhat the appearance of Panun- 

 culus aquatilis. [M. T. M.] 



DEVIL IN A BUSH. Nigella. 



DEVIL'S APRON. The American name 

 for the very broad form of Laminar ia sac- 



