413 



&I)e €"rai£ury at 3Batattg. 



[dipl 



South Eastern Alps of Australia and of 

 Tasmania, They are small herbs with radi- 

 cal stalked cordate or reniforru leaves, and ] 

 simple scapes bearing a small simple umbel 

 of flowers. They have thus the habit of 

 Hydrocotyle, whilst the fruit is nearly that 

 of a Bolax. 



DIPLAX A genus of grasses belonging 

 to the tribe Oryzece, distinguished by the 

 inflorescence being in panicles, the spike- 

 lets two-flowered ; glumes two, unequal, 

 the inferior one nerved, blunt and ovate, 

 the superior much larger ; lower floret ster- 

 ile ; stamens two or one ; styles short and 

 smooth. B. avenacea, the only species, is 

 a native of Xew Zealand. [D. M.] 



DIPLAZIITM. A genus of polypodiaceous 

 ferns, belonging to that group of the Asple- 

 niece which have the indusia connate in 

 pairs set back to back on the same vein, the 

 veins in this case being free. The limit 

 between Biplazium and Asplenium is not 

 very definite, certain of the species bear- 

 ing but few of the double sori of Diplazium 

 amongst many of the single sori character- 

 istic of Asplenium. On this account the 

 two groups have been reunited by some 

 modern botanists. It is, however, more 

 convenient to keep them distinct. The 

 species are rather numerous and very 

 varied in size, form, and habit, some bear- 

 ing simple fronds like Scolopenclrium, 

 others very large bipinnate or tripinnate 

 fronds. There is a tendency in many of 

 them to develope a short stem. [T. M.] 



DIPLECOLOBE^E. A subdivision of 

 cruciferous plants, embracing those in 

 which the cotyledons are twice folded, 

 and the embryo,when cut across, presents 

 this appearance, II II II, in which O repre- 

 sents the cut radicle, which is placed on the 

 back of the two cotyledons marked by lines 

 II to show that they are cut across three 

 times. Among the genera in this section 

 of Cruciferce are placed Senebiera, Brachy- 

 carpcea, Subularia, Seliophila, Schizopeta- 

 lum, and a few others. [J. H. B.] 



DIPLESTHES. A name sometimes given 

 to the Cape species of Solatia. 



DIPLOCALYMXA. An imperfectly de- 

 scribed genus, included by its author, 

 Sprengel, among Pentandria, and subse- 

 quently referred to Thunbergia (Acantha- 

 cem), but incorrectly if Sprengel's descrip- 

 tion can be trusted ; and also to Convolvu- 

 lacece, with no genus of which, however, 

 does it seem to be allied. The genus is 

 founded on a twining plant, without a 

 locality, having the appearance of a Con- 

 volculvus. It is described as possessing a 

 double calyx, the outer two-valved and 

 the inner ten-toothed ; the corolla infundi- 

 bulifonn, and subplicate; the anthers 

 sagittate and included ; the stigma urceo- 

 late and subbilobed. [W. C] 



DIPLOCENTB.TTM. A. genus of epiphytal 

 orchids found growing on tree stems in 

 the Madras presidency. The three known 

 species, B. recitrvum, lantifolium, and con- 

 geetum, are furnished with strap-like chan- 



neled leaves notched at the apex, and 

 axillary racemes, or panicles of small pink j 

 flowers with a crimson lip, or the petals 

 are dull brown with a lilac lip. The lip has 

 two instead of one short spur, whence the 

 name, and this is the only character which 

 separates the genus from the well-known 

 Vanda. [A. A. B.] 



DIPLOCLLNTTJM. A genus of begoniads, 

 separated from Begonia by Lindley, but 

 subsequently restricted by Klotzsch. It 

 contains plants which are found in the East 

 Indies and in Java. The staminate flowers 

 have four, the pistillate three sepals ; 

 anthers oblong with narrow lateral As- 

 sures; filaments slightly united at the 

 base; style persistent with two lunate 

 branches furnished with a continuous pa- 

 pillose band ; placentas split lengthwise. 

 There are five species. The name refers 

 to the divided placenta. [J. H. B.] 



DIPLOCLISIA. This genus of Meni- 

 spermacea?, proposed by Miers, has been 

 referred by Drs. Hooker and Thomson to 

 the genus Coceulus, from which it differs 

 only in the elongated drupe, a character I 

 not of sufficient importance in the judg- 

 ment of those authors to constitute a new 

 genus. [M. T. M.] 



DIPLOE. That part of the parenchyme 

 of a leaf which intervenes between the 

 two layers of epiderm. 



DIPLOGENEA. A genus of Melasto- 

 viacece, nearly related to Medinilla. The 

 only known species, B. viscoides, is found 

 in Madagascar, where it grows on trees, and 

 has somewhat the appearance of mistletoe, 

 but is not like that, a parasite. It has fleshy 

 smooth three-nerved leaves, between oval 

 and elliptical in form, and small flowers 

 arranged in axillary cymes. These have a 

 bell-shaped calyx, with a nearly entire 

 fleshy border, four oval petals, and eight 

 equal stamens. Its leaves are said to be 

 furnished with dots like those seen in 

 myrtles. [A. A. B.] 



DIPLOL^NA. A genus of shrubs natives 

 of New Holland, belonging to Rutacece. 

 They have alternate stalked dotted leaves 

 with stellate hairs on the upper surface, 

 and thick white down on the lower. The 

 flowers are borne within a many-parted in- 

 volucre, the bracts of which are arranged | 

 in three rows, the outermost being woolly, 

 the inner petaloid. [M. T. M.] 



DIPLOLOMA. A genus of Boraginaceaz 

 a,llied to Cynoglossum and more nearly to 

 Solenanthus. It has a tubular corolla with 

 five bosses at the throat and an erect five- 

 cleft limb ; stamens longer than the co- 

 rolla ; nuts adhering to a central column by 

 their inner angle, crowned and margined 

 by a ring. A native of the Altai. [J. T. S.] 



DIPLOMORPHA. A name at one time 

 given to afewplants of thedaphnad family 

 which are now generally known as spe- 

 cies of Wickstrbmia. [A. A. B.] 



DIPLOPAPPUS. A genus of perennial 

 bushes or dwarf herbs of the composite 



