DYSS] 



<£T)e Ercagurp of 38 a tan p. 



436 



pound leaves, whose leaflets are oblique at 

 the base ; the flowers are in axillary pani- 

 cles with four or five-parted whorls ; the 

 tube, formed by the union of the stamens, 

 is eight to ten-toothed with as many an- 

 thers in the interior ; ovary three or four- 

 celled surrounded at the base by a small 

 disk ; capsule three-celled, the seeds soli- 

 tary in each compartment. [M. T. MJ 



DYSSOCHROMA. A climbing Brazilian 

 solanaceous shrub. It has a calyx of five 

 persistent segments ; a fleshy funnel-shaped 

 corolla with the limb divided into five 

 acute revalute segments ; five protruding 

 stamens, the anthers opening longitudin- 

 ally, and surmounted by a small point ; an 

 erect style thickened at the top; and a 

 two-celled ovary placed on a large fleshy 

 disk. [M. T. M.] 



DYSSODIA. A genus of composite herbs, 

 nearly related to Tagetes, but differing in 

 the nature of the pappus, which is com- 

 posed of a number of chaffy scales pin- 

 nately or palmately divided above, and 

 entire below, so that they appear like a 

 polyadelphous pappus. Of the eight known 

 species, two are found in the United States 

 and the others in Mexico. Some have linear 

 or lance-sliaped entire or toothed leaves ; 

 in others they are pinnatisect. The yel- 

 low flower-heads are disposed in loose 

 corymbs, or panicles at the ends of the 

 branches, and have an involucre of one 

 series of scales, more or less united by 

 their edges, and often surrounded by an 

 outer series of bracts. In a few species 

 the florets are all tubular and perfect, but 

 in most of them the outer ones are strap- 

 shaped and contain a pistil only. Most of 

 these herbs emit an unpleasant odour 

 from the presence of oily matter se- 

 creted by the glandular dots of the leaves. 

 D. chrysanihemoid.es, a dwarf annual with 

 pinnatisect leaves, grows in great profu- 

 sion over the western prairies of Illinois, 

 and in autumn exhales so unpleasant an 

 odour as to sicken travellers. [A. A. B.] 



E, EX. In compositions without ; thus 

 ex-albuminous signifies without albumen. 



EAGLE-WOOD. The timber of Aloexy- 

 lon Agallochum ; and also of Aquilaria 

 ovata, and A. Ag allodia. 



EARAIHAU. Ascarina polystackya. 



EARCOCKLE. The name of a curious 

 disease in wheat, in which the grain be- 

 comes blackened and contracted, and mealy 

 within from the presence of myriads of 

 worms belonging to the genus Vibrio. The 

 little animals are extremely tenacious of 

 life, and though apparently reduced to 

 dust, when steeped in warm water for a 

 short time, after being dry for many 

 months, they recover their former activity. 

 The disease not only impairs the value of 

 the wheat, but the little worms are very 

 annoying to the miller from filling up the 

 pores" of his bolting-cloths. The affection 

 is local, and quite unknown in many parts 

 of England. In some districts it is called 

 Purples. [M. J. B.] 



EARED. The same as Auriculate. 



EARTH-GALL. Ophiorrhiza Mungos. 



EARTH-NUT. Aradiis hypogcea. 



EARTH-STAR. Geaster. 



EARTH-TONGUE. Geoglossum. 



EAU D'ANGE. A perfume distilled from 

 the flowers of Myrtus communis. — DE 

 COLOGNE. A well-known alcoholic per- 

 fume, to which Lavandula vera and Ros- 

 maninus officinalis contribute their fra- 

 grance. — DE CRE'OLE. A stomachic 

 distilled from the Mammee apple, Mammea 

 americana. — DE MANTES. A liqueur 

 distilled from Croton balsamiferum. — 

 ME'DICINALE. A gout medicine prepared 

 from Gratiola officinalis. — D'OR. A 

 liquid distilled from Convallaria majalis. 

 — D'ORME. A liquid secreted in certain 

 galls of the elm. 



EBENACE^E (Ebenads). A natural order 

 of corollifloral dicotyledons, belonging 

 to Lindley's gentianal alliance. Trees or 

 shrubs, not milky, with alternate exstipu- 

 late leathery and entire leaves ; flowers 

 hermaphrodite, or staminate and pistil- 

 late ; calyx three to seven-cleft, persistent ; 

 corolla three to seven-cleft ; stamens usu- 

 ally twice or quadruple the number of the 

 corolline segments. Ovary three or several- 

 celled, with one or two pendulous ovules 

 in each cell. Fruit a round or oval berry ; 

 seeds albuminous. Chiefly Indian and 

 tropical. A few are found in Europe, 

 North America, the Cape of Good Hope, 

 and New Holland. The trees of this order 

 yield hard and durable timber. The bark 

 of some is astringent, and the fruit is 

 sometimes eatable. The heartwood of 

 different species of Diospyros constitute 

 the ebony of commerce, of which there are 

 many varieties, e. g. D. Ebenum, Mauritius, 

 ebony, D. Melanoxylon, the ebony of Coro- 

 mandel, and D.Ebenaster, the bastard ebony 

 of Ceylon. Diospyros hirsuta yields the 

 variegated calamander wood of Ceylon 

 and the coasts of India, which is shipped 

 from Bombay and Madras. The keg-fig of 

 Japan is the edible fruit of Diospyros 

 Kaki ; while the persimmon is the fruit of 

 D. virginiana. There are fifteen known 

 genera and about 180 species. Illustrative 

 genera : Diospyros, Maba, Cargillia, Holo- 

 cUlus. [J. H. B.] 



EBE'NIER. (Fr.) Diospyros Ebenum. 



EBENUS. A genus of the pea family, 

 numbering about a dozen species, nearly 

 related to Onobrychis, but the pods are 

 smaller, and not toothed or crested. They 

 are elegant little shrubs or biennial plants, 

 chiefly confined to the high mountainous 

 regions of Eastern Europe and Asia Minor, 

 though E. pinnata is found in Algeria, and 

 another as far east as Beloochistan. All 

 their parts are commonly crowned with 

 silky hairs ; and the leaves are usually un- 

 equally-pinnate, made up of three to five 

 pairs of linear or lance-shaped leaflets, 

 though in a few they are digitate or simple. 

 The peduncles are axillary or terminal, and 



