GOMP] 



Cf)£ €rea£urj) of 23ateng. 



540 



GOMPHOCARPUS. A rather consider- 

 able genus of Asclepiadacece, containing 

 fifty species of shrubs or herbs, natives of 

 Southern and North-Eastern Africa and 

 Arabia, and with one species common 

 throughout the warmer regions of the 

 world. They have opposite rarely whorled 

 leaves, and generally showy flowers on 

 many-flowered interpetiolar peduncles ; 

 the calyx five-parted, the corolla rotate 

 or reflexed and five-parted ; the staminal 

 crown inserted on the top of the gynoste- 

 gium, and consisting of five conduplicate 

 leaflets, the pollen-masses attenuated up- 

 wards ; and the smooth or echinate ven- 

 tricose follicles containing many comose 

 seeds. The leaves of G. fruticosus, the 

 Arghel of Syria, are employed for adulte- 

 rating senna: this plant is sometimes re- 

 ferred to Solenostemma. [W. C] 



GOMPHOGYNE. The name of a Hima- 

 layan climbing plant, belonging to the 

 Cfiicurbitacece. Its flowers are unisexual : 

 the males with five sepals, five fringed pe- 

 tals, and live stamens which are united 

 at the base; and the females with a one- 

 celled ovary containing three ovules. The 

 fruit is capsular. [M. T. M.] 



GOMPHOLOBIUM. A genus of elegant 

 leguminous undershrubs belonging to the 

 tribe Podalyrierc, in which the ten stamens 

 are free. It comprises about thirty species, 

 all of them found in South and West Aus- 

 tralia. They are readily distinguished by 

 their spherical or oblong many-seeded pods, 

 and by their compound alternate leaves, 

 made up of a varying number of leaflets, 

 which are often heath-like. Many of them 

 are cultivated in greenhouses, where they 

 produce their blossoms in the spring and 

 summer months. One of the most beauti- 

 ful is G. venustum, a plant with slender 

 flexuose branches furnished with smooth 

 pinnate leaves of four to eight pairs of 

 narrow linear leaflets, the stem terminating 

 in a corymb of beautiful rose-purple pea- 

 flowers. The largest-flowered species is 

 G. barbigerum, so named because of the 

 keel-petal being fringed ; it is a smooth 

 bush whose angular stems are furnish- 

 ed with trifoliolate sessile leaves, of nar- 

 row flax-like leaflets, the pale yellow pea- 

 flowers being solitary in the axils. Amongst 

 a goodly proportion with heath-like leaves, 

 G. uncinatum is noteworthy as being in 

 South Australia very hurtful to sheep that 

 may eat of it; the leaves are sessile and 

 composed of three narrow leaflets hooked 

 at the point ; the flowers yellow, axillary, 

 and solitary. [A. A. BJ 



GOMPHONEMA. A genus of Diato- 

 macece, distinguished by its forked perma- 

 nent stems and wedge-shaped frustules, 

 which are often contracted near the apex, 

 and sometimes also towards the base when 

 seen laterally. G. Berkeleii, which is syno- 

 nymous with the old Meridion vernale, 

 occurs in every brook in spring, forming 

 brown cushion-like gelatinous masses ad- 

 hering to stones, leaves of aquatic plants, 

 &c. G. gemination is less generally dif- 



fused, but not uncommon, and is remark- | 

 able for its very large frustules, which \ 

 form a magnificent microscopic object. 

 The species were formerly confounded | 

 with Vorticella, a genus of undoubted ; 

 animals, and well known to every student I 

 of fresh water Algce by the curious motions 

 of the stem. [M. J. B.) \ 



GOMPHOSIA. A genus of cinchona- 

 ceous shrubs, natives of Peru and New 

 Granada, having flowers whose calyx is 

 provided with minute glands like those on 

 the stipules. The corolla is salver-shaped, j 

 with a long tube, and a four to five-lobed 

 limb ; the stamens of unequal length, but 

 all projecting beyond the corolla, the lobes 

 of the anthers bent back, and connected 

 by a very broad connective. The capsule 

 is few-seeded, and bursts from above 

 downwards into two valves. The seeds are 

 winged. [M. T. MJ 



GOMPHOSTEMMA. The generic name 

 of plants belonging to the labiate order, 

 having the corolla with its tube dilated 

 upwards, and its border with two nearly 

 equal lips; and the style with a bifid 

 stigma, the two halves equal and awl- 

 shaped. The species are herbs, natives of 

 India, with simple, usually erect, rarely 

 procumbent stems, the leaves large and 

 shaggy with hairs. [G. D.] 



GOMPHRENA. A genus of Amaran- 

 thacece, in which the flowers are sometimes 

 incomplete as regards stamens and pistils. 

 There is a perianth of five leaves, very 

 rarely five-cleft, five stamens united into 

 a tube, the filaments dilated, with a trifid 

 apex, the intermediate segment bearing a 

 one-celled anther. The ovary is one-celled 

 with a single ovule ; the fruit one-seeded 

 included within the perianth. They are 

 undershrubs or herbs with opposite often 

 semi-amplexicaul leaves, and flowers in 

 lax spikes or panicles, or in globular 

 heads. They abound in tropical America, 

 and are rare in Asia and Australasia. There 

 are ninety known species. [J. H. B.] 



GOMUT1, or GOMUTO. An Eastern 

 palm, Saguerus saccharifer, which yields a 

 bristly fibre, called Gomuto or Gomuti 

 fibre. 



GONAKIE. An African name for Acacia 

 Adansonii, which yields good building 

 timber. 



GONATANTHUS. The name of an Indian 

 herbaceous plant, of the Arum family, with 

 a tuberous rootstock, peltate leaves, and a 

 very long leathery spathe, rolled round at 

 the base and prolonged into a long point at 

 the other extremity. The spadix is short, 

 bearing stamens above, ovaries in the 

 middle, and rudimentary flowers at the 

 lower part ; anthers numerous, six-celled, 

 the cells adhering in a whorl to the peltate 

 thick connective, and opening by pores. 

 Ovaries numerous, detached. [M. T. M.] 



GONGONHA. Ilex Gongnnha, the 

 of which, like thereof Mate, I. par aguay en- 

 sis, are used for making tea. 



