BET 
BET 
in many parts of Germany : it is the link 
that unites the precious beryll with schorl. 
BESANT, or Bezant, a coin of pure 
gold, of an uncertain value, struck at By- 
zantium, iu the time of the Christian Em- 
perors ; from hence thp gold offered by the 
King at the altar, is called besant, or bisant. 
Besants, in heraldry, round pieces of 
gold, without any stamp, frequently borne 
in coais of arms. 
BESLERIA, in botany, a genus of the 
Didynamia Angiospermia class of plants. 
Its flower consists of a single ringent petal. 
Its fruit is a berry of a globose form, con- 
taining only one cell, in which are several 
seeds, very small, and of a roundish figure. 
There are six species. 
BESORCH, a coin of tin, or some al- 
loyed metal, cnrrent at Ormus, at the rate 
of parts of a farthing sterling. 
BETA, in botany, a genus of the Pentan- 
driaDigynia class and order. Natural order 
of Holorace® ; Atriplices, Jussieu. Essential 
character ; calyx five-leaved ; corolla none ; 
seed kidney-form, within the substance of the 
base of the calyx. There are tour species, of 
which B. vulgaris, red garden beet, has large 
thick succulent leaves, which are for the most 
part of a dark red, or purple colour. The 
roots are large and deep red, and on these 
circumstances their goodness depends ; for 
the longer they grow the more tender they 
will be ; and the deeper their colour, the 
more they are esteemed. Native of the 
sea coast of the Southern parts of Europe. 
B. cicla, white garden beet, seldom grows 
larger than a man’s thumb ; the stalks grow 
erect, and have oblong, spear-shaped leaves 
growing close to the stalk ; the spikes of the 
flowers are axillary, long, and have narrow 
leaves placed between the flowers. The 
lower leaves are thick and succulent, and 
their foot- stalks are broad. For these it is 
cultivated ; the leaves being boiled as 
spinach, or put into soups, and the stalks 
and midrib of the leaf being stewed and 
eaten as asparagus. 
A large variety of this has lately been in- 
troduced from abroad, under the title of 
root of scarcity. It is much cultivated in 
many parts of the continent, not only in 
gardens, but in the fields ; being much 
more in esteem, and perhaps really better 
than with us, where it seems to degenerate. 
The leaf and root are said to be excellent 
food for man and beast ; it is affirmed not to 
be liable to destruction by insects ; nor to 
be affected by drought. The leaves are 
recommended as equal in quality to spi- 
nach, and, being from thirty to forty inches 
long, and from . twenty-two to twenty-five 
broad, exceed it greatly in quantity. They 
may also be gathered every twelve or fif- 
teen days during the season. We are told 
in the Gentleman’s Magazine, that three va- 
rieties appeared from seeds procured from 
Dr. Lettsom. l. With leaves and stem 
dark green, which was the most common, 
'i. With stem and leaves of a lighter colour, 
which he takes to be the white beet. 3. With 
stem and veins of the leaves red, which he 
says is the red beet. All of them have 
flowers in clusters, from two to three ; 
pistils from two to five ; a leaf growing 
from the base of the flowers ; the segments 
of the calyx equal, hunched, and membrana- 
ceous at the edge ; few plants flowering the 
first year, lie concludes it to be biennial ; as 
indeed all the garden sorts are, if not the 
wild sea beet also, although Linnaeus sets it 
down as annual, and Ray as perennial. Dr. 
Lettsom, who took much pains to introduce 
the mangel wurzel, informs us, that on his 
own land, which was not favourable to its 
growth, the roots, upon an average, weighed 
full ten pounds, and if the leaves were cal- 
culated at half that weight, the whole pro- 
duct would be fifteen pounds of nutri- 
tious aliment upon every square of eighteen 
inches. 
BETONY, betonica, in botany, a genus 
of the Didynamia Gymnospermia class of 
plants, whose flower, consisting of a single 
labiated petal, is of a bright red colour, and 
disposed in short spikes ; the cup contains 
four ovated seeds. The species of this ge- 
nus, of which there are seven, besides va- 
rieties, are herbaceous, fibrous-rooted,hardy, 
perennial plants, and the stems are simple, 
or but little branched. The flowers are in 
whorls, forming a terminating spike. B. 
officinalis, wood betony, is a native of woods, 
heaths, and pastures among bushes, flower- 
ing from the beginning of July to Septem- 
ber. Betony, says Linnaeus, was formerly 
much used in medicine, but it is discarded 
from modern practice. When fresh, it in- 
toxicates. The leaves, when dry, excita- 
sneezing. 
Sheep eat it, but goats refuse it. The 
leaves and flowers have an herbaceous, 
roughish, and somewhat bitterish taste, 
with a weak aromatic flavour. An infusion 
or light decoction of them may be drank as 
tea, or a saturated tincture in rectified 
spirit may be given in laxity and debility of 
viscera. The roots are bitter and very 
nauseous ; in a small dose they vomit and 
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