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€3)£ Evca^urw of SSotang. 



412 



nifyihg two-eared, from the calyx of the 

 female flower which is of one piece, but 

 deeply divided, and ending in two horns. B. 

 cemtoides, the only species, is a dwarf 

 bushy hoary plant, plentifully furnished 

 with slender spreading branches. The 

 leaves are narrow tapering towards each 

 end and alternate. Neither male nor female 

 flowers are showy, but the former from 

 their number and the prominence of the 

 stamens, render the flowering of the plant 

 obvious. They have a slight scent of a 

 honey-like sweetness. [C. A J.] 



DIPETALOUS. Consisting of two petals. 



DIPHYLLEIA . A genus of Berberidacece 

 containing a North American herb, with 

 thick horizontal rhizomes, sending up a 

 large roundish peltate umbrella-like leaf 

 deeply-lobed, or a flowering stem with two 

 alternate excentrically peltate deeply-cleft 

 leaves with wedge-shaped segments and 

 a terminal cyme of rather small white 

 flowers, having six sepals, six petals, and 

 six stamens: fruit a few-seeded berry. The 

 only species, B. cymosa, a native of the 

 southern United States, is there called the 

 Umbrella Leaf. [J. T. S.] 



DIPHYLLOTTS. Two-leaved. 



DIPHYSCIUM. A curious genus of 

 mosses allied to Buxbaumia, with large 

 oblique nearly sessile capsules, an obscure 

 or obsolete outer peristome, the inner 

 being formed of a conical membrane with 

 sixteen folds thickened at the prominent 

 angles, as though so many thread-shaped 

 outer teeth were united with it. There is 

 but one well-established species which 

 occurs on shady banks and barren places 

 in mountainous districts. The leaves are 

 narrow and linear, and resemble somewhat 

 those of Polytrichum. The plant looks 

 like a monstrous Phascum. [M. J. B.] 



DIPL ACTTS. A genus of Scrophulariacece, 



closely allied to Mimulus, from which it 

 chiefly differs in a shrubby habit, and in 

 the capsule which, on opening, cai'ries 

 away the seed-bearing placentas attached 

 to the valves. There are three or four 

 species known, all natives of Mexico or 

 California. B. glutinosus, a native of North- 

 ern California, has long been cultivated in 

 our gardens under the names of Mimulus 

 glutinosus, M. aurantiacus, or B.puniceus. 

 it is an erect branching plant, becoming 

 more or less shrubby at the base, the young 

 bran ches being often very viscid. The leaves 

 are opposite, varying from broadly-oblong 

 to narrow-lanceolate. The flowers are 

 rather large, solitary in the upper axils, 

 and vary from a pale yellow to a rich orange 

 or scarlet. 



DIPLADENIA. The generic name of 

 plants belonging to the order of dogbanes, 

 distinguished principally by the presence 

 of two blunt glands at the base of the seed- 

 vessel, each of which is apparently formed 

 of two conjoined. The name Bipladenia, 

 "double gland," appropriately indicates 

 the chief character. The species are climb- 



ing shrubs or undershrubs, natives of 

 Central America, having opposite entire 

 leaves, and at their point of attachment 

 often provided with glands or bristles ; the 

 flowers are handsome, springing from near 

 the point of insertion of the leaves, or in 

 terminal clusters. These plants are near 

 allies of the well-known genus Eclntcs, in 

 which indeed some of them were formerly 

 included. 



The species of Bipladenia are divided 

 into two sections: 1. Those in which the 

 glands at the base of the seed-vessel are 

 large and well developed, and the append- 

 ages at the insertion of the leaves, small 

 | or wanting ; 2. Those having the glands 

 | small. There are some differences in the 

 ! general outline of the corolla. In certain 

 i species it is almost salver-shaped, the tube 

 slightly inflated at the top ; in others the 

 tubular part is cylindrical below, and fun- 

 nel-shaped above. Some approach the her- 

 baceous character, with narrow leaves ; 

 others are undershrubs with broader 

 leaves. Several species must be ranked 

 with the finest of our stove plants, and are 

 among the more important and recent ac- 

 quisitions of collectors. 



The twining habit, the large and graceful 

 flowers and general appearance of the 

 foliage are sufficient recommendations. 

 B. crassinoda, nobilis, splendens, and others, 

 occupy a prominent place as stove climbers. 

 The charming and finely-coloured convol- 

 vulus-like flowers of B. splendens succeed 

 each other for weeks. [G. DJ 



DIPL A1N DBA. A genus of onagrads, 

 distinguished by having the calyx in four 

 lanceolate divisions, two of which are often 

 joined ; the corolla has four divisions, one 

 larger than the others, all attached to the 

 calyx and shorter than it. The name Bi- 

 plandra indicates another character, viz. 

 the presence of two stamens only, opposite 

 to two pieces of the calyx. The only species, 

 B. lopezoides, a native of Mexico, is a 

 branched hairy shrub, with opposite 

 shortly-stalked leaves, which are oblong 

 and narrow toward the end, almost entire, 

 and hairy on both surfaces. The flowers 

 are purple, forming clusters. [G. D.] 



DIPLANTHEBA. A scrophalariaceous 

 tree, native of tropical Australia, with 

 large f our-lobed stalked leaves, which have 

 two glands at their base, and terminal 

 clusters of handsome flowers, with yellow 

 two-lipped corolla, and four projecting sta- 

 mens. [M. T. M.] 



DIPLABCHE. A genus of Ericacea?, con- 

 sisting of evergreen, heath-like under- 

 shrubs, with prostrate stems, and small 

 rose-coloured flowers ai-ranged in terminal 

 heads. It is botanically characterised by 

 the presence of ten stamens in two rows, 

 the upper placed upon the corolla (perigy- 

 nous), the lower arising from beneath the 

 ovary (hypogynous), a most unusual cir- 

 cumstance. These shrubs are natives of 

 the Himalayan mountains. [M. T. M.] 



DIPLASPIS. A genus of Umbelli/erce, 

 consisting of two species, natives of the 



