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€f)£ Crea^urp at 3Satang. 



522 



have a calyx without glands ; no petals, or 

 only rudimentary ones ; and two ovaries 

 with imperfect styles. The flowers are 

 yellow. [M. T. M.] 



GAUDINIA. A genus of grasses of the 

 tribe Aveneie, now generally regarded as 

 forming a section of Avena. [D. M.] 



GAULTHERIA. A large genus of stiff 

 branching ericaceous shrubs or small trees 

 with evergreen leaves, principally inhabit- 

 ing the American continent, extending 

 from Magalhaens' Strait in the south as far 

 north as Canada and Vancouver's Island. 

 A few are found in Asia, principally in the 

 Himalayas and the mountainous parts of 

 Java ; and five or six occur in Tasmania 

 and New Zealand. The leaves are leathery, 

 smooth and shining, and in many species 

 theyoung branches are covered with bristly 

 hairs. The flowers are small, ovate, with a 

 contracted mouth, and enclose ten stamens; 

 i they are white, scarlet, or rose-coloured, 

 I and produced singly or in racemes at the 

 ends or from the sides of the branches. The 

 five-lobed calyx frequently increases in 

 I size after the flowering period, and some- 

 i times becomes fleshy. The anthers open 

 I by pores at the top, and terminate by two 

 j bristles. The fruit is small and nearly glo- 

 bular, and when ripe splits open through 

 ! the middle of each of the five cells. ' 

 j G. procumhens, a little creeping plant, of 

 the Northern United States and Canada, 

 grows about five or six inches high. The 

 erect stiff branches bear tufts of shining, 

 evergreen oval leaves at their summits; 

 and the drooping white flowers, produced 

 singly from the bases of the leaves, are 

 succeeded by fleshy bright red berries, 

 formed by the enlargement of the calyx 

 which encloses the true fruit. All parts of 

 this plant, which is commonly called Win- 

 tergreen in the United States, possess a 

 ; rather pleasant peculiar aromatic odour 

 I and flavour, due to the presence of a vola- 

 tile oil, which, when separated by distilla- 

 tion, is known as Wintergreen oil. It is 

 of a pale green colour, having the same 

 composition as birch-bark oil, and is em- 

 ployed medicinally as a cordial stimulant. 

 j The leaves also possess a considerable de- 

 ' gree of astringency, and their tincture is 

 useful in diarrhoea. The berries are known 

 | by various names, such as Partridge-berry, 

 Chequer-berry, Deer-berry, Tea-berry, Box- 

 berry, &c, and afford winter food to par- 

 tridges, deer, and other animals. The 

 plant is likewise called Mountain Tea, its 

 j leaves being used as a substitute for tea 

 ■ or for flavouring genuine tea. 



The Shallon or Salal of the north-west 

 coast of America, G. Shallon, is a small 

 shrubby plant, growing about a foot and a 

 half high, flourishing in shady nine forests 

 where few other plants will live. Its dark 

 purple fleshy berries, which are produced 

 in great abundance, have a very agreeable 

 flavour and make excellent tarts ; they are 

 much eaten by the natives, who prepare a 

 kind of bread by mashing them together 

 and drying them in the sun. [A. S.] 



Journal of Botany (ii. p. 352), says: 'The 

 finest and strongest animals are the first 

 victims : a difficulty of breathing is percep- 

 tible for a few minutes, when they stagger, 

 drop down, and it is all over with them. 

 After the death of the animal, the stomach 

 assumes a brown colour, and is tenderer 

 than it ought to be ; but it appears to me 

 the poison enters into the circulation and 

 altogether stops the action of the lungs and 

 heart. The raw flesh poisons cats, and the 

 blood, which is darker than usual, dogs ; 

 but the roasted or boiled flesh is eaten by 

 the natives and some of the settlers with- 

 out their appearing to suffer any incon- 

 venience.' The poisonous effects were at- 

 tributed by Mr. Drummond, at the time 

 he wrote this, to a species of Lobelia, but 

 he afterwards found out that they were 

 due to the plants of this and allied genera. 

 Dr. Harvey says the worst of the Poison- 

 plants is G. bilobum. This plant has oblong 

 nearly smooth slightly two-lobed leaves, 

 placed four in a whorl round the stem, and 

 terminal umbels of pretty yellow flowers, 

 the keel and wing petals marked with 

 purple. G. spinosum has similar properties. 

 Altogether there are about a dozen spe- 

 cies in cultivation in greenhouses. The 

 generic name has reference to the bellied 

 form of the pods. [A. A. B.] 



GASTRONEMA. A small genus of South 

 African Amaryllidacew, closely allied to 

 Cyrtanthus, and not unfrequently united 

 therewith. The perianth tube is slender 

 below, curved and widely campanulate 

 above, the limb short and reflexed ; of the 

 six stamens, which have decurrent conniv- 

 ing filaments and short anthers, the three 

 upperare longerand incurved, the petaline 

 ones inserted at the top, and the sepaline 

 ones near the tube ; the style is decimate. 

 G.clavatum, the original species, is a pretty 

 little bulb, with slender deciduous leaves 

 and one or two white flowers striped with 

 red. [T. MJ 



GATEN, GATTEN, GATTER, or GATTE- 

 RIDGE TREE. Comus sanguinea ; also 

 Euonymus europceus, and Viburnum Opu 

 lus. 



GATILIER. (Fr.) Vitex Agnus castus. 



GATTIE. An Indian gum obtained from 

 the Babool, Acacia arabica. 



GAUB. An Indian name for the astrin- 

 gent medicinal fruit of Biospyros Embryo- 

 pteris. 



GAUDE or VAUDE. (Fr.) Reseda Lu- 

 teola. 



GAUDICHAUDIA. A genus of Mexican 

 climbing shrubs, belonging to the Malpi- 

 ghiaceae, and remarkable for producing con- 

 stantly two kinds of flowers, the most nu- 

 merous and perfect of which have a five- 

 cleft glandular calyx ; five stalked toothed 

 petals; five stamens, two of which are 

 usually sterile ; three ovaries united at 

 their inner edge ; and a fruit winged at the 

 sides and back. The more imperfect flowers 



