473 



0)e Quxas'urj) af Matxiw, 



[euco 



leaves are stalked, ovate, and undivided, 

 bearing- in their axils solitary purplish 

 flowers. [C. A. J.J 



ETJCHARTS. A beautiful genus of 

 broad-leaved evergreen pancratiform Ama- 

 ri/Uidacea, having ovate bulbs, broadly 

 elliptic or ovate long-stalked leaves, and 

 tall scapes bearing several large white nod- 

 ding fragrant flowers. The blossoms have a 

 long slender tube, six broad ovate spread- 

 ing perianth segments, and a large bell- 

 shaped white coronet or cup bearing the 

 six stamens on its margin, each having a 

 lateral tooth at its base. The species are 

 few in number, and are all natives of 

 South America. E. grandiflora is one of 

 the most beautiful of stove bulbs. [T. M.] 

 EUCHETTMA. A genus of rose-spored 

 Algc? belonging to the natural order Geli- 

 diacece, consisting of cartilagi no-gelatinous 

 tuberculated or spinous species, remark- 

 able for thick-walled capsules, containing 

 a central placenta, which at length be- 

 comes hollow in the middle and bears neck- 

 laces of spores. E. speciosicm is the Jelly- 

 plant of Australia, and is one of the best 

 species for making jelly, size, cement, &c. 

 A very fine species, possessing doubtless 

 similar properties, occurs in the United 

 States. [M. J. BJ 



ETTCHILES. A genus of mitch branched 

 Australian under-shrubs of the leguminous 

 family, and nearly allied to Pultencea, but 

 differing in having a disproportionately 

 large upper lip to the calyx, instead of two 

 nearly equal lips, and a stalked instead of a 

 sessile pod. They have slender twiggy 

 stems, separately or densely clothed with 

 leaves, which are sometimes juniper-like, 

 and sometimes small, round, or inversely 

 heart-shaped; while the little yellow pea- 

 flowers are solitary in the axils of the 

 leaves, and either few, distant, and stalk- 

 ed, or numerous at the ends of the twigs, 

 and nearly sessile. About ten species are 

 known. [A. A. B.] 



EUCHRESTA. A genus of Leguminosce, 

 nearly allied. to the W. Indian cabbage 

 trees (Andira), but differing in having the 

 base of the tubular five-toothed calyx 

 slightly projecting above, and in the 

 standard or upper petal being very narrow, 

 not broad and rounded. E. Rorsfleldii, the 

 only known species, grows in mountain 

 districts in Java and Formosa, and is an 

 I elegant smooth shrub with unequally pin- 

 nate leaves ; the slender branches termi- 

 nated by erect racemes of numerous white, 

 waxy, vetch-like flowers, succeeded by 

 staiked elliptical one-seeded pods. Ac- 

 cording to Dr. Horsfleld, the whole plant 

 ■ is intensely bitter, and much sought after 

 } by the natives because of its medicinal 

 properties. They employ the seeds against 

 any poison that may have been taken into 

 the stomach, exhibiting one of them tri- 

 turated with water to counteract the ef- 

 fects. According to Leschenauit, the 

 powdered fruits mixed with food are re- 

 garded as having the power of preventing 

 diseases and giving tone to the stomach. 



Mixed with lemon juice,' they are applied 

 to wounds caused by any venomous ani- 

 mal. The fruits are sold for five or even 

 ten sons, French money, each. This plant 

 holds the first rank among the medicinal 

 plants of the island in the opinion of the 

 natives. [A. A. B.] 



ETJCLEA. A genus of simple-leaved 

 African bushes, of the family Ebevacece, 

 numbering about twenty species. One is 

 found in Abyssinia, another on the west 

 coast south of the line, and the remainder 

 in the southern districts. Their nearest 

 relationship is with Eoyena, from which 

 they are readily distinguished by their 

 flowers being disposed in racemes, not one 

 or three together in the axils of the leaves, 

 and by the males and females growing on 

 different plants. The leaves are alternate 

 or opposite, entire, oval lance-shaped or ob- 

 long, sometimes crisped or wavy ; and the 

 little white flowers, disposed in racemes 

 shorter than the leaves, are a good deal 

 like those of some whortleberries, having a 

 bell-shaped corolla with five to seven 

 teeth. The fruit is globular, fleshy, and 

 juicy, sometimes as large as a cherry. 

 Those of many of the species, known 

 by the colonists as Guarry, are eaten, 

 and are sweet and slightly astringent. 

 The wood of E. Pseudo-Ebenus, a species 

 with narrow lance-shaped leaves, is said 

 to be extremely hard and black. [A. A. B.] 



EUCLIDIUM. A genus of Cmciferce, 

 found in South-eastern Europe and West- 

 ern Asia. It is known from the other 

 genera in which the radicle of the seed is 

 bent round and lies along the edges of the 

 cotyledons, by havinga smooth subglobular 

 indehiscent pouch, with a complete parti- 

 tion, and a single seed in each cell. E. sy- 

 riacum, the only European species, is a 

 small annual with rigid branches, runci- 

 nate root-leaves, and lateral spikes of small 

 white flowers. [J. T. SJ 



ETJGNTDA. An annual belonging to the 

 order Loasacea?, and often cultivated under 

 the name of Microsperma. E. bartonioides, 

 the only species, a native of Mexico,whence 

 it was introduced in 1849, grows to the 

 height of about a foot, with bristly stems, 

 ovate, lobed, and denticulated leaves, 

 and axillary, very large yellow flowers, 

 consisting of five spreading petals, at the 

 base of which is a distinct tuft of long 

 golden stamens, exceeding the petals in 

 length. The style is slender ; the stigma 

 five-furrowed, but not divided ; the capsule 

 one-celled, containing numerous minute 

 seeds. [C. A. J.] 



EI7CODONIA. A Mexican gesnerad allied 

 to Achimenes, forming a dwarf herb, with 

 ovate obtuse pubescent crenated leaves, 

 and lilac flowers, of which the calyx is 

 deeply five-parted, and the corolla large, 

 ventricose, campanulate with an oblique 

 spreading limb ; there are four included 

 stamens, a membranaceous entire glandu- 

 lar ring, and a bilobed stigma. The plant, 

 which is cultivated for the sake of its 



