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536 



white flowers are axillary and stalked, and 

 are succeeded by a little ovoid seed-vessel 

 containing one seed, which is furnished 

 with a minute aril. . [A. A. B.] 



GLOSSOSTEMON. A genus of Byttne- 

 riacece nearly related to Abroma, and like 

 it having pretty purple blossoms, but dif- 

 fering in the greater number of stamens 

 and the form of the barren filaments. The 

 stamens are thirty-five in number, disposed 

 in five parcels, each parcel consisting of 

 six anther-bearing stamens and a central 

 barren one, which is much broader, longer, 

 and tongue-like, whence the name of the 

 genus. G. Bruguieri, the only species, is 

 found in various parts of Persia. It is a 

 low-growing plant, with a perennial root- 

 stock, from which arise a few unbranched 

 stems furnished with large soft leaves 

 somewhat like those of a hollyhock. The 

 stems and leaves, which are of a pale straw 

 colour, are covered with starry hairs. 

 Each stem terminates in a corymb of ele- 

 gant dark purple flowers. [A. A. B.] 



GLOSSOSTIGMA. A genus of Scrophida- 

 riacece, consisting of minute tufted moss- 

 like creeping herbs, much resembling small 

 specimens of our Limosella, but the valves 

 of the capsule bear the dissepiments in 

 their centre, instead of being parallel to 

 the dissepiment. There are two species, 

 one a native of India, the other of New 

 ! Zealand and Australia. The flowers in 

 both are very minute. 



GLOUTERON. (Fr.) Lappa communis ; 

 also Xanthium Strumarium. 



GLOXINIA. A genus of gesnerworts, 

 distinguished by its corolla approaching 

 to bell-shaped, with the border oblique, the 

 upper lip shortest and two-lobed, the lower 

 three-lobed with the middle lobe largest ; 

 and also by the summit of the style being 

 rounded and hollowed. The name was 

 given in honour of Gloxin, a botanical 

 author of the last century. The species 

 are natives of tropical America, and have 

 opposite stalked leaves of rather thick tex- 

 ture, and axillary flowers, usually single 

 or a few together, large, nodding, and of 

 various colours (white violet red or green- 

 ish yellow), sometimes variegated with 

 spots. The species are among the greatest 

 ornaments of our hothouses, their richly- 

 coloured leaves, and their ample, graceful, 

 and delicately-tinted flowers, having gained 

 for them a prominent place among intro- 

 duced plants. Here, as in many other in- 

 stances, the process of hybridising has 

 been resorted to with the best results ; 

 the older kinds with drooping flowers, have 

 of late been giving place to forms with 

 the corolla almost regular and nearly erect 

 —the latter peculiarity having this recom- 

 mendation, that the border and throat of 

 the corolla, to which parts much of the 

 beauty of the flower is owing, are presented 

 to the eye. Gloxinias may be propagated 

 by their leaves. [G. D.] 



GLUMALES. An alliance of Endogens, 



comprising the grasses, sedges, and a few | 

 minor groups. 



GLTJMA, GLUME. The exterior series 

 of the scales which constitute the flower 

 of a grass. 



GLUMELLA. That part of the flower of 

 a grass now called the Palea or Pale. Also, 

 in the language of Richard, one of the 

 hypogynous scales in such a plant. 



GLUMELLULA. The hypogynous scale 

 in the flower of a grass. 



GLUTA. A Javanese tree with the ap- 

 pearance of the mango, and flowers in 

 panicles resembling those of Clematis Flam- 

 mula. The calyx is tubular and deciduous ; 

 petals four Ave or six, spreading, longer 

 than the calyx, attached, as also are the 

 stamens, to a stalk supporting the ovary ; 

 style lateral; fruit succulent, one-seeded. 

 The genus belongs to the order Anacar- 

 diacem. [M. T. M.] 



GLUTINIUM. The flesh of certain fun- 

 gals. 



GLUTINOSE. Covered with a sticky 

 exudation. 



GLITTTIER. (Fr.) Sapium. — DES 

 OISELEURS. Sapium aucuparium. 



GLYCE. A genus of Crucifercv, generally 

 called Koniga, and now reunited to Alys- 

 sum by many authors. It has the pouch 

 nearly ovate, with flattish valves, the cells 

 one or few-seeded, the funiculus of the 

 seed adhering to the back of the septum, 

 and the seeds wing-margined. The calyx is 

 spreading, the petals entire, white or yel- 

 low, the hypogynous glands eight, and the 

 filaments without basal appendages. G. 

 maritima, the Sweet Alyssum of gardens, 

 is found in some places in Britain, but 

 only imperfectly naturalised where es- 

 caped from gardens. [J. T. S.] 



GLYCERIA. A genus of grasses be- 

 longing to the tribe Festucea?, distinguished 

 principally from Poa by having the florets 

 in more linear subcylindrical spikelets. 

 The outer glumes and pales are membrano- 

 herbaceous, with sharply promin ent nerves, 

 and a scarious margin. Steudel describes 

 thirty-seven species, which are chiefly na- 

 tives of the colder and more temperate 

 parts of the world. The best known spe- 

 cies is G. flaitans, or Manna-grass, which 

 grows in most watery places in Britain. 

 The long floating stems spread over pools 

 of water and ditches, where cattle may 

 frequently be seen wading to considerable 

 depths to eat them. The seeds of some of 

 the species are greedily fed on by ducks 

 and other aquatic birds. [D. M.] 



GLYCINE. A small genus of Legumv- 

 nosos, all, excepting one, being slender 

 decumbent or twining herbs, with alternate 

 stalked leaves made up of three to seven 

 leaflets varying much in form, and bearing 

 axillary racemes or fascicles of small yellow 

 or violet pea-flowers. The genus belongs 

 to the tribe Phaseolece, and is most nearly 

 allied to Teramnus, from which it is dis- 



