GOWA 



CI)e €rca£urg of 38otani)« 



546 



erect flower-scape also is radical, and ter- 

 minates in a spike or raceme of medium- 

 sized flowers, each supported by a narrow 

 bract; they are usually white or cream- 

 coloured, but in some yellow, with or with- 

 out blood-red spots. The sepals and petals 

 are free and of nearly equal length ; the 

 lip much shorter, without spur, entire, 

 and jointed to the base of the column ; and 

 the anther contains four solid pollen- 

 masses fixed to a short caudicle with a 

 small triangular gland. There are sixteen 

 species known, seven of which have been 

 cultivated, but none are remarkable for 

 their beauty. The genus is named after 

 J. R. Gowen, Esq. [A. A. B.] > 



GOWAN. In Scotland, the Daisy, Bellis 

 perennis ; but appertaining rather to Cal- 

 th a, Calendula, and Chrysanthemum, from 

 ' gowlan,' a corruption of 'golden:' see 

 Gools, and Goldins. 



,GOZELL. The Gooseberry, Eibes uva- 

 crispa. 



GRABOWSKIA. This ill-sounding name 

 is applied, in honour of a Silesian botanist, 

 to a curious Brazilian shrub which has been 

 referred to Solanacece, but seems more 

 closely allied to Ehretiaccce. G. boerhaavice- 

 folia is much-branched, with axillary 

 spines, and solitary flowers opposite the 

 leaves or grouped in panicles at the end 

 of the branches. Its flowers have five 

 stamens projecting from the tubular co- 

 rolla, their filaments hairy in the middle ; 

 and a four-celled ovary. The fruit is suc- 

 culent, enclosed within the calyx, having 

 two woody stones, each divided into 

 two compartments containing a single 

 seed. [M. T. M.] 



GRACILARIA. A genus of rose-spored 

 Algce belonging to the natural order Splue- 

 rococcoidea?, amongst which it is distin- 

 guished by its cylindrical compressed or 

 flat frond with oblong cruciate tetraspores 

 dispersed among the superficial cells of 

 the branches and branchlets. It is the same 

 with Plocaria, and therefore furnishes the 

 Corsican and Ceylon moss. [M. J. B.] 



GRACILIS. Slender ; applied to parts 

 which are long and narrow. 



GRiELLSIA. A genus of Cruciferm 

 found in Persia, and represented by G. 

 i saxifragaifoliu, a perennial herb, with a 

 j habit like that of Saxifraga granulcita. 

 The leaf-stalks remain attached to the 

 ' short root-stock after the smooth round- 

 ed notched blades wither ; the flower- 

 I stalk bears a number of white racemed 

 j flowers not unlike those of the cuckoo- 

 • flower ; while the fruits are small oblong 

 much-compressed silicies, ripening but 

 a single seed. [A. A. B.] 



I GRAHAMIA. A genus of PoHulacacecp, 

 consisting of a small Chilian shrubby 

 plant, with alternate fleshy oblong terete 

 | leaves, and solitary flowers at the extre- 

 I mity of the branches, the calyx having 

 eight or niue imbricated bracts, the white 

 petals five in number, and the stamens 



numerous, with the filaments united at 

 the base. [J. T. S.] 



GRAINS OF PARADISE. The seeds of 

 Amomum Grana Parudisi; also called 

 Guinea Grains. 



GRAINES D'AMBRETTE. (Fr.) Abelmos- 

 chus moschatus. — D' AVIGNON. Bliam- 

 nus infectorius, saxatilis, <fec. — DE 

 CANARY. Phalaris canariensis. — DES 

 MOLUQUES. Croton Tiglium. — MUS- 

 QUEES. Abelmoschus moschatus. — D'OI- 

 SEAU. Phalaris canariensis. — DE PERRO- 

 QUET. Carthamus tinctorius. — DE 

 TILLY. Croton Tiglium. 

 I GRAM. The Chick Pea, Cicer arietimim. 

 — , BLACK. Phaseolus Mungo melanosper- 

 mus. — , GREEN. Phaseolus Mungo chloro- 

 spermus, and P. radiatus. — , HORSE. Doli- 

 chos uniflorus. —, TURKISH. Phaseolus 

 aconiti/olius. — , RED. Dolichos Catjang. 

 —, WHITE. Soja hispida. 



GRAMEN FLEURI. (Fr.) Stellaria Ho- 

 lostea. — TREMBLANT. Briza 



GRAMIGNA. The underground stems 

 of Triticum repens, used in Italy as food 

 for horses. 



GRAMINACE^. (Graminece, Grasses.) 

 A natural order of glumiferous mono- 

 cotyledons belonging to Lindley's glumal 

 alliance of Endogens. Herbaceous plants 

 with round usually hollow jointed stems ; 

 narrow alternate leaves, having a split 

 sheath and often a ligule at its summit ; 

 and flowers arranged in spikes or panicles, 

 perfect or imperfect. The flowers are com- 

 posed of a series of leaves or bracts— the 

 outer, called glumes, alternate, often un- 

 equal, usually two, sometimes one, rarely 

 none ; the rest, called pales or glumelles, 

 usually two, alternate, the lower or outer 

 one being simple, the upper or inner having 

 two dorsal or lateral ribs, and supposed 

 to be formed of two pales united ; some- 

 times one or both are wanting. The glumes 

 enclose one or more flowers, and among 

 the flowers there are often abortive florets. 

 Stamens hypogynous, one to six, usually 

 three; anthers versatile. Ovary superior, 



j one-celled, with two (rarely one or none) 

 scales called lodicules ; ovule one ; styles 

 two or three, rarely united ; stigmas often 

 feathery. Fruit a caryopsis ; embyro lenti- 



! cular, lying on one side at the base of 

 farinaceous albumen. Grasses are widely 

 distributed over the world, forming about 



! one twenty-second of all known plants, 

 according to Schouw. They are social 

 plants, forming herbage in temperate cli- 



i mates, and becoming arborescent in tropi- 



! cal countries. The order is a very impor- 

 tant one, as supplying food for man and 

 animals. The various cultivated grains 

 and the pasture grasses belong to it. It is 

 said that darnel grass (Lolium temulentum) 

 has poisonous qualities, and some think 

 that it is the tares of Scripture. Several 

 species of Andropogon yield fragrant oils, 

 such as kum-kus, roussa oil, and citro- 

 nelle. The bamboo (Bambusa arundinacea) 

 is one of the most useful grasses in warm 



