and spawn. They had once the reputa- . 

 tion of being aphrodisiac, arising from a 

 false norion as to their origin, and they are 

 still kept by the herbalists in Covent j 

 Garden under the name of lycoperdon ' 

 nuts. Several species have been found in 

 France which at present have not rewarded 

 the researches of British mycologists. E. 

 aramdatus gives rise occasionally to Cor- 

 "dieeps capitatas, as does E. variegatus to C, 

 ophioglossoides. [M. J. B.] 



ELAPHRIUM. The name of a genus of 

 trees or shrubs belonging to the Amyri- 

 dacece, abounding in resinous juice, and 

 I natives of tropical America. The character- 

 istics reside in the hermaphrodite flowers, 

 | which have a persistent four-parted calyx ; 

 i four petals inserted beneath an entire disc 

 ! along with the eight stamens ; a sessile 

 ] ovary, with two ovules in each of its two 

 I compartments ; and a short style with two 

 stigmas. The fruit is a pea-shaped drupe 

 with a thick rind, and an inner shell con- 

 taining generally one seed surrounded with 

 pulp. E. elemiferum, a native of Mexico, ac- 

 cording to Br. Royle furnishes Mexican 

 Elemi, a greenish resin. E. tomentosum 

 also yields a resin. [M. T. MJ 



ELATERIEM. A drug prepared from 

 the pulp of the fruits of Ecbalium agreste, 

 formerly known as Jlomordica Elaterium. 



ELATERS. Cells containing a double 

 spiral which occur in the capsules of Jun- 

 gerinanniacece and Harchantiacece in com- 

 pany with the spores. The young capsules 

 contain two sets of cells, the one narrow, 

 the other broader; the endochrome of the 

 narrower gives rise to a single or double 

 spiral thread, while the broader cells by 

 transverse and longitudinal cell-division 

 give rise to the spores. The threads in the 

 peridia of Trichia resemble elaters very 

 j closely, but there is still a controversy as 

 i to their real structure. [M. J. B.] 



; ELATINACEiE (Water-peppers). A natu- 

 ; ral order of thalamifloral dicotyledons, 

 ; belonging to Lindley's rutal alliance of 

 i hypogynous Exogens. Small annuals grow- 

 ing in marshes with opposite leaves, having 

 j interpetiolar stipules, and minute axillary 

 flowers ; sepals and petals three to five ; 

 j stamens as many or double the number ; 

 : styles three to five ; stigmas capitate. 



■ Fruit a three to five-celled capsule, opening 



■ at the partitions. Seeds numerous, exal- 

 ; buminous attached to a central placenta. 



The family is nearly allied to the chickweed 

 order, but differs in the stigmas, the mode 



i in which the fruit opens, and the straight, 



1 not curved, embryo. Lindley thinks that 

 the affinities are chiefly with the rue j 

 family. Th e plants are generally distribut- [ 



• ed over the world. Some of them possess ! 

 acridity, hence their English name. There 



j are six known genera, and twenty-four 

 species. Examples, Elatine, Bergia, Ana- 

 tropa. [j. H. BJ 



ELATINE. A genus of dwarf annual 



'. aquatics with rooting pipe-like stems and 



■ opposite leaves. There are two British 



species, called Waterworts, both of unusual 

 occurrence. E. hexandra is a minute plant 

 barely an inch high, which grows on the 

 margins of lakes, forming a moss-like mat 

 sometimes extending under the water, and 

 in dry seasons when it is left by the re- 

 ceding water assuming a crimson hue. 

 The flowers, which are minute and flesh- 

 coloured, grow in the axils of the opposite 

 leaves. E. Hydropiper scarcely differs 

 from the preceding except that the flowers 

 are octandrous. They might be sown with 

 advantage on the shelving banks of arti- 

 ficial water to conceal the unsightliness of 

 mud. [C. A. J.] 



ELCATJA, ARABIAN. Trichilia emetica. 



ELDER. The popular name for Sambucus. 



ELECAMPANE. Inula Selenium. 



ELECTRA. A genus of small Mexican 

 bushes of the composite family, nearly al- 

 lied to Coreopsis, but the latter has the ray 

 florets barren, while in this genus they are 

 female. The young twigs are four-sided 

 and furnished with lance-shaped smooth 

 leaves ; and the yellow-rayed flower-heads, 

 nearly an inch across, are disposed in ter- 

 minal corymbs. Each head is surrounded 

 by an involucre of two series of scales, the 

 outer very narrow, the inner broader and 

 membranaceous ; the strap-shaped ray 

 florets are female, the tubular ones of the 

 disc five-toothed and perfect. The acheues 

 compressed, nearly elliptical, crowned with 

 two bristles, or quite naked. The receptacle 

 is furnished with golden chaffy scales. Only 

 two species are known. [A. A. B.]. 



ELEGIA. A genus of Besiiaceai allied 

 to Restio, but differing in having the 

 male flowers with the three inner glumes 

 larger than the three outer. They are 

 sedee-like plants from the Cape of Good 

 Hope, with leafless stems, and paniculate 

 or spicate flowers. [J- T. S.] 



ELEMI. The name of certain stimulant 

 gum-resins, derived from various plants. 

 — ,AMERICAN or BRAZILIAN. The gum- 

 resin of Idea Icicariba. — ,EASTERN or 

 MANILLA. The gum-resin of Canariiim 

 commune. — , MEXICAN. The gum-resin 

 of Elaphrium elemiferum. 



ELEOCHARIS. A genus of cyperaceous 

 plants, belonging to the tribe Scirpece, dis- 

 tinguished by one or two of the lowest 

 glumes being larger than the others, and 

 empty; bristles three to six, or wanting ; 

 nut compressed, crowned with the persis- 

 tent dilated base of the jointed style. The 

 species have a wide geographical range, 

 some Of them growing within the torrid 

 zone and others reaching nearly to the 

 arctic. In Steudel's Synopsis Plantarum 

 C'yperacearum, 118 species are described, 

 four of which are natives of Britain. The 

 commonest is E. palusiris, which in many 

 places fills up bog holes and ditches with its 

 long-matted entangled stems. The flowers 

 are in small brown spikes. [D. M.] 



ELEPHANTOPTTS. A genus of erect 

 annual or perennial hairy weeds belong 



