ANT 
.{hat all the anthofpermums are dioecous without any her¬ 
maphrodite; which is exprefsly contrary to Linnaeus's and 
Miller’s oblervations on the firft fpecies. 
Propagation and Culture. Thefe plants may eafily be pro¬ 
pagated by cuttings during any of the Cummer months, in 
a border of light earth ; they will take root in fix weeks 
time, provided they are watered and fliaded as the feafon 
may require: or, if thefe cuttings are planted in pots, and 
plunged into a very moderate hot-bed, they will take root 
Cooner, and there will be a greater certainty of their grow¬ 
ing. Afterwards they (hould be taken up, with a ball of 
earth to their roots, and planted into pots filled with light 
fandy earth, and may be expofed to the open air until 
October; at which time they fhould be removed into the 
confervatory. 
ANTHOXAN'THON,/] in botany. See Rumex ma- 
rltimus. 
ANTHOXANTHUM, /. and Gr. yel¬ 
low flower.] In botany, Vernal Grass ; a genus of the 
clafs diandria, order digynia, natural order of gramina or 
grafles. The generic characters are—Calyx : glume one- 
flowered, two-valved; valves ovate, acuminate, concave, 
the inner one larger. Corolla : glume one-flowered, two- 
valved, the length of the greater valve in the calyx, each 
valve emitting an awn from the lower part of the back, 
one of them jointed ; neftary two-leaved, very flender, 
cylmdric ; leaflets fubovate, embracing. Stamina : fila¬ 
ments two, capillary, very long; antherae oblong, forked 
at both ends.. Piltillum : germ oblong; llyles two, fili¬ 
form; ftigmas Ample. Pericarpium : glume of the co¬ 
rolla grows to the feed. Seed : one, acuminate at both 
ends, roundifh.— EJfential CharaElcr. Calyx, glume two- 
valved, one-flowered ; corolla, glume two-valved, acumi¬ 
nate ; feed one. 
Species, i. Anthoxanthum odoratum, or fweet vernal 
grafs : fpike oblong ovate ; flowers longer than the awn, 
on fiiort peduncles. This is eafily diltinguifhed from all 
our wild grafles; for, befldes its having only two ftamina, 
in common with others of the genus, and each fpicule 
containing only one flower ; one valve of the calyx is fmall 
and membranous, the other large, incloflng the fructifica¬ 
tion, both pointed, and fmooth, or fometimes having foft 
white hairs fcattered over them ; they are alfo fprinkled 
over with minute yellow dots, flmilar to thefe of black 
currants, whence poflibly its peculiar feent. Haller makes 
the anthoxanthum one of his two-flowered avenas ; but 
Dr. Stokes obferves, that it is a genus truly diftinft; that 
it has the awn of avena, the corolla of poa, and the dou¬ 
ble one of phalaris ; and that in a natural arrangement it 
fhould hand between poa and avena. The ufual colour of 
the fpike is a pale yellow, whence its generic name anthox- 
antkum. From the fweetnefs both of the flowers and leaves, 
which it imparts to new-mown hay, it has derived its fpe- 
cific or trivial name odoratum, or fweet-feented. From the 
earlinefs of its flowering, it has acquired its other Englifh 
name of vernal or fpring grafs. It grows on almoft any 
kind of foil, but it feems to prefer that which is mode¬ 
rately dry. It is common in paftures; and alfo in woods, 
where the fpikes are ufually flender and loofe. Towards 
the middle of May it is in full bloom ; and about the mid¬ 
dle of June the feed is ripe, and may eafily be feparated 
by rubbing. Mr. Stillingfleet remarks, that from its be¬ 
ing found on fuch paltures as fheep are fond of, and whence 
excellent mutton comes, it is molt likely to be a good 
grafs for fheep-paftures ; that he has found it on all grounds, 
from the moft fandy and dry to the molt ftiff and moift, 
and even in bogs ; that it is very plentiful in the beft 
meadows about London, as about Hampilead and Hendon. 
2. Anthoxanthum Indicum : fpike linear, flowers feflile 
fhorter than the awn. Native of the Eaft Indies. 
3. Anthoxanthum crinitum : panicle fpike-form cylin¬ 
drical awned, the awns long, fpreading loofe. Native of 
New Zealand. For the propagation and culture, .fee 
Grass. 
ANT 7 S9 
ANTHOXANTHUM ACULEA'TUM, in botany. 
See Crypsis. 
ANTHOXANTHUM PANICULA'TUM, in botany. 
See Festuca spadicea. 
ANTHER ACO'SIS, [from avSfaf, a hot coal.] A fcaly 
corrolive tumour of the eye, attended with a defluxion. 
ANTHRAX,/.' Gr. a burning coal.] A fcab 
or blotch that is made by a corrofive humour, which 
burns the fkin, and occafions (harp pricking pains ; a 
carbuncle. 
ANTHRE'NUS, f. in entomology, a genus of infeft* 
belonging to the order of coleoptera ; the characters of 
which are—Antenna; clavate, the club folid : feelers un¬ 
equal filiform : jaws membranaceous, linear, bifid : lip 
entire : head retraftile under the thorax. Thirteen fpecies 
of this little infect are now afeertained; three of which, 
the fcrophularia, mufeorum, and verbafei, are natives of 
England. 
1. Anthrenus pimpinellsc: black; (hells with a white 
band, the tip ferruginous with a white blotch. Thorax 
black fpotted with white and ferruginous. Inhabits Eu¬ 
rope. 
2. Anthrenus hiftrios black; (hells with two marginal 
white (pots and a white blotch behind. The (hells have 
two tranfverfe white fpots on the outer edge, and a dot or 
two in the middle ; body whitifli; abdomen with margi¬ 
nal black dots. Inhabits Germany ; fize of the lad. 
3. Anthrenus fcrophularius : fo named from its feurfy 
appearance. It is of an oval (liape, and black with white 
(pots formed by (bales ; the future of the elytra red. 
This infect is met with frequently and in great numbers 
upon flowers of mod kinds, and efpecially upon thole of 
the elder and of fruit-trees ; but they frequent houfes 
alfo, and other places where they find nourifinnent fuited 
to their larvae ; feeking a convenient fituation for their 
eggs. It is very fmall, not more than a line and three 
quarters long, and one line wide, fo that the body is oval 
or nearly round. It is flatted above, convex beneath, 
contrary to moft infefts which have elytra. The head, 
corfelet, and elytra, are (hining black above, marked with 
fmall wdiite fpots and dots, efpecially at the angles of the 
corfelet; the whole under part of the body is a brown 
grey, which colour is alfo produced by feales on a black 
ground. This little infeft, when touched, will counter¬ 
feit death; bringing the head under the corfelet in w hich 
it is partly inferted, and clinging the feet clofe to the 
body, where there are cavities to receive the thighs: what 
is (till more remarkable, there is on each fide of the corfe¬ 
let underneath a deep cavity to receive the antenna; 
completely ; fo that the in left, when it thus (brinks from 
the touch, appears to have neither legs uorliorns. The 
larva has (ix fcaly legs; it is of a blackifh brown, and 
very hairy. It is met with among furs and (kins, which 
it feeds upon, as alfo upon dead infefts, dried birds, See. 
like the Dermeftes lardariusi This infeft is reprefented 
of its natural fize on the annexed Plate, at fig. 1, beneath 
which is a magnified under-view of the head and part of 
the corfelet, taken at the moment the infeft was contraft- 
ing its legs, as mentioned above : t, the head ; c, c, the 
corfelet; p, p, the two front legs ; a, a, the antenna; lodged 
in the cavities left in the corfelet to receive them. On 
the right-hand-fide of fig. 4 is fliown one of the antenna; 
of the fame infeft magnified ; a, the firlt articulation, 
larger than the following which join the antenna; to the 
head ; b, r, the ftem, made up. of rounded articulations ; 
d, c,f the round knob at the end, really divided in three 
parts, though clofely prefled together. 
4. Anthrenus muleorum: clouded ; (hells faintly clouded. 
Found principally in books and muleums. 
5.. Anthrenus verbafei: black; (hells with three-waved 
white bands. Inhabits Europe, on the verba feu m. 
6. Anthrenus varius: thorax and (hells variegated with 
brown and cinereous : body cinereous. Inhabits Paris f 
fize of the former ones. 
7. Anthrenus 
