effete. The crop of fungi meanwhile ' 

 perishes and supplies a rich manure to the ! 

 grass, which is in consequence of a vivid 

 green : the parts within the ring, in conse- i 

 quence of former exhaustion, looking dry i 

 and parched, and those beyond less luxu- | 

 riant from comparative want of manure, j 

 Thus, year after year, the ring increases in j 

 diameter till it attains dimensions of many i 

 yards across. If any accident happens to I 

 the spawn in the first instance, a part only ! 

 of the circle may be developed. Rings of I 

 fungi often occur in woods, but as they ' 

 grow amongst decayed leaves, the circles ' 

 t are seldom observed by any except pro- I 

 j fessed mycologists. Marasmiiis oreades, i 

 Agaricus ganibosus, and A. arvensis are j 

 amongst the most prominent inhabitants ; 

 of Fairy Rings. [M. J. B.] | 



FALCATE, FALCIFORM. Plane and ' 

 curved in any degree, with parallel edges, 

 like the blade of a reaper's sickle ; as the 

 pod of Medicago falcata. 



FALCONERIA. The name of a few I 

 Indian trees of the spurgewort family, j 

 very nearly related to Sapium, and chiefly j 

 differing in having the male and female 

 flowers on different instead of on the | 

 same tree. The species are trees of con- 

 siderable dimensions, sometimes attaining 

 a height of sixty feet, the stems abound- 

 ing in a milky juice, the branches fur- 

 nished with stalked smooth leaves, and 

 the inconspicuous green flowers arranged 

 in axillary tufted, erect or drooping spikes. I 

 The fruits are about the size of a pea. The 

 genus bears the name of Dr. H. Falconer, 

 an English botanist and zoologist, distin- 

 guished for his discoveries in fossil 

 zoology. It is referred to the Stiloginacece 

 by Lindley, but that family is now pretty 

 generally acknowledged to be a mere group 

 of Euphvrbiaceoe. [A. A. B.] 



FALKIA A genus of Convolvulacece, 

 containing two species, one of which is 

 scattered pretty generally over the world, 

 and the other confined to Mexico. They 

 are small creeping pubescent herbs, with- 

 out milky juice, and have reniform petio- 

 late entire leaves, and ebracteate one- 

 flowered axillary peduncles. The calyx is 

 five-parted, and the corolla campanulate 

 and five-cleft. [W. C] 



PALLING STARS. The popular name 

 in many districts of the common JSfostoc, 

 which often surprises by its sudden ap- 

 pearance on gravel walks, after a shower, 

 where it was unnoticed just before. Dry- 

 den alludes to this substance when singing 

 of fairies in the following lines, more fan- 

 ciful than truly poetical :— 



And lest our leap from the sky prove too 



far, 

 "We slide on the back of a new falling 

 star, 

 And drop from above 

 In a jelly of love. [M. J. B.] 



FALL POISON. Amianthium rnuscce- ! 

 j tox-icum. i 



FALSE BARK. That layer on the out- 

 side of the stem of an Endogen, which 

 consists of cellular tissue into which 

 fibrous tissue passes obliquely. 



FALSE-NERVED. When veins have no 

 vascular tissue, but are formed of simple 

 elongated cellular tissue ; as in mosses, 

 seaweeds, &c. 



FAN-SHAPED. Plaited like a fan ; as 

 the leaf of Borassus flabelliformis. 



FAN-VEINED. When the veins or ribs 

 are disposed like those of a fan. 



FARIAM. In rows : thus bifariam, in 

 two rows ; trifariam, in three rows, &c. 



FARINACEOUS. Having the texture 

 of flour, as the albumen of wheat. 



FARINOSE. Covered with a white mealy 

 substance ; as the leaves of Primula fari- 

 nosa. 



FAROUCHE. (Fr.) Trifoliumincarnatum. 



FARRO. Polish wheat, Triticum poloni- 



cum. 



FARSETIA. A genus of Gruciferae, al- 

 lied to Alyssum, differing by the oblong 

 pouch containing numerous seeds which ! 

 have the funic! e free from the body of 

 the seed. They are natives of the Medi- ; 

 terranean region and temperate Asia. ; 

 Berteroa is scarcely different, the chief 

 distinction being that the partition of the \ 

 pouch is destitute of the nerve which 

 occurs in Farsetia ; and Aubrietia has as 

 little claim to be separated on account of 

 its seeds not being margined. Small plants, 

 often shrubby at the base, with white, 

 yellow, or purple flowers. [J. T. S.] 



FASCIA (adj. FASCIATE). A cross band 

 of colour. 



FASCIATED. When a stem becomes 

 much flattened instead of retaining its 

 usual cylindrical figure, as in the cocks- I 

 comb, &c. 



FASCIARIUS. Narrow; very long, with | 

 the two opposite margins parallel, as the ' 

 leaves of the seawrack. 



FASCICLE, FASCICLED, FASCICU- | 

 LATED. When several similar- things ! 

 proceed from a common point, as the ! 

 leaves of the larch, or the tubers of a j 

 dahlia. 



FASCICULATO-RAMOSE. When branch- 

 es or roots are drawn closely together so ! 

 as to be almost parallel. 



FASTIGIATE. Tapering to a narrow i 

 point, pyramidal ; as the branches of the 

 Lombardy poplar. 



FAT PORK. Clusiaflava. 



FAU. (Fr.) Fagus sylvatica. 



FAUR.EA. A genus of Proteacece, con- 

 taining a single species, F. saligna, distin- 

 guished by having a club-shaped tubular 

 silky calyx with a four-cleft limb; four 

 stamens, with short filaments, attached to 

 the segments of the calyx ; and an ovary ■. , 



