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416 



are seven known genera and forty-seven 

 species, including Dipterocarpus, Dryoba- 

 lanops, Vateria, and Shorea. [J. H. B.] 



DIPTERIS. A beautiful genus of poly- 

 podiaceous ferns, sometimes referred to 

 Polypodium itself, but differing in the 

 netted venation, and in the binate digi- 

 tato-palmately-lobed or repeatedly dicho- 

 tomously-partite fan-like fronds. Two or 

 three species only are known, and these 

 are beautiful plants of India and the Archi- 

 pelago, with tall slender rod-like stipes, 

 and fan-shaped palm-like coriaceous fronds, 

 which rise from a freely creeping woody 

 rhizome. The sori are small, round, and 

 very numerous in D. conjugate/, and D. Wal- 

 lichii, in which the costais dichotomously- 

 branched in the ultimate segments of the 

 frond ; but uniserial in D.Lobbiana, in which 

 there is a simple central costa in each of 

 the narrow and more completely separated 

 ultimate divisions. The reticulation of 

 the veins is highly compound. [T. M.] 



DIPTERIX. One of the few genera of 

 leguminous plants bearing a single-seeded 

 fruit, which does not open naturally at matu- 

 rity; the pod which bears this is called dru- 

 paceous. There are eight species belonging 

 to the genus, all of them large trees in- 

 habiting the forests of Brazil, Guiana, and 

 the Mosquito country, and having pinnate 

 leaves and panicles of flowers. The flower 

 is characterised by having a two-lipped 

 calyx, the upper lip consisting of two 

 large lobes spreading like wings, while 

 the lower is very small and either of 

 three teeth or only one : the stamens are 

 eight or ten in number and united to- 

 gether into a sheath, which is split on the 

 upper side. 



D. odorata yields the fragrant seed called 

 Tonquin, Tonka, or Tonga bean, used for 

 scenting snuff. Perfumers also obtain an 

 extract from it, which forms an ingredient 

 in some bouquets, and the pulverised seed 

 is employed in the preparation of sachet 

 powders. The odour resembles that of 

 new-mown hay, and is due to the presence 

 of coumarine. The tree producing these 

 seeds grows sixty or eighty feet high, 

 and is a native of Cayenne. The fruit 

 bears some resemblance to that of the 

 almond tree, and the seed or bean is shaped 

 like an almond, but much longer, and is 

 covered with a shining black skin. 



D. ebbensis, the Eboe tree of the Mosquito 

 shore, has a fruit and seed greatly resem- 1 

 bling the preceding in appearance, but en- { 

 tirely destitute of the odoriferous prin- 1 

 ciple. It, however, contains a large quan- 

 tity of fatty oil, which the natives of the ' 

 Mosquito country extract and use for 

 anointing their hair, for which purpose it 

 is said to be peculiarly suitable. It is a ! 

 large tree, and produces an excessively j 

 heavy yellowish-tinted timber. [A. S.] 



DIPTEROCARPUS. A name indicative 

 of the two calycine wings, which sur- 1 

 mount the fruit of these plants, which 

 give their name to the order of Dipteracece 

 or Dipterocarpece. The genus consists of ' 



lofty trees, abounding in resinous juice, 

 with leathery leaves, covered in some 

 instances with star-shaped hairs. The 

 flowers are in clusters, large, white or 

 pink, fragrant ; the calyx divided into Ave 

 unequal segments, two of them becoming 

 very large and leaf-like; petals Ave; sta- 

 mens numerous, with linear anthers; 

 ovary with two ovules in each of its three 

 compartments, included within the tube 

 of the calyx. Fruit woody, one-celled, one- 

 seeded by abortion, surmounted by the 

 persistent and enlarged calyx. These trees 

 are natives of the Indian islands, where 

 the resin is made use of medicinally, and 

 for burning in torches. J), kevis yields in 

 Eastern India and the Malay Islands a 

 thin liquid balsam called wood-oil, which 

 is employed for painting ships and houses. 

 The resinous fluid is collected by cutting 



Dipterocarpus trinervis. 



a deep notch in the trunk of the tree near 

 the ground, where a fire is kept until the 

 wood is charred, when the liquid begins to 

 ooze out. This wood-oil is now imported 

 into this country as a substitute for balsam 

 of Copaiba, which it greatly resembles. 

 By the application of heat it becomes 

 concentrated and semi-solid. The resin 

 mixed with dammer is valuable in pre- 

 serving timber from the ravages of white 

 ants, according to Dr. Wight. [M. T. M.] 



DIPTEROUS. Having two wing-like pro- 

 cesses. 



DIPTERYGIUM. The name applied to 

 an Arabian herbaceous plant, with rather 

 thick leaves, and flowers in terminal 

 clusters provided with bracts. The calyx 

 and corolla four-parted ; stamens six, four 

 somewhat longer than the other two ; 

 ovary four-cornered, one-celled, with a 

 cylindrical style and capitate stigma; pod 

 indehiscent, compressed, provided with a 

 membranous wing, one-celled, one-seeded. 

 This plant seems to have nearly equal 

 claims to be comprised among Cruciferce 

 and CapparidacecB. [M. T. MJ 



DIPYRENA. A genus of Verbenacece, 

 found in Chili, and represented by D. 

 glabrescens, an erect rigid bush, with 

 narrow oblong somewhat fleshy entire 



