A P I 
ters are—Calyx •. perianth i-um monophyllous, femitrifid, 
funnel-lhaped, large, flelhy, erefit, permanent. Corolla: 
rudiments of three petals, growing to the divifions of the 
calyx j or rather none. Stamina: filaments connate at bot¬ 
tom, fliort; anthers convex, cordate, llriated. Piftillum : 
germ inferior; ftyle thickilh, Ihort; ftigma three-cornered, 
channelled. Pericarpium: berry one-celled. Seeds: nu¬ 
merous, neftling.— EJfential CharaEler. Calyx large, funnel- 
fiiaped, lemitnfid; petals three, infected into the throat of 
the tube in the calyx, and fliorter than it. 
There is only one fpecies, which is called Aphyteia liyd- 
nora. This is a vegetable without leaves, ftem, or root. 
Parafitical, terreftrial, confiding of a fructification only, 
which has but one flower, four inches over, fefllle, cori¬ 
aceous, fucculent. Calyx large, with an ereft trifid bot¬ 
tler, as it were of double licinias; the infide painted of a 
white fcutiform figure. Smell of the flower and ripe fruit 
not unplealant. Very agreeable to foxes and weafels; and 
eaten both raw and roalted by the Hottentots. Pirft ob- 
lerved at the Caps of Good Hope by Tliunberg. 
A'PIAN, or Ap'pian (Peter,) called in German Bicne- 
Tjoitz , a celebrated altronomer and mathematician, was born 
at Leifnig, or Leipfic, in Mifnia, in 1495, and made pro- 
feffor of mathematics at Ingolftadt in 1524, where lie died 
in the year 1552, at fifty-feven years of age. Apian wrote 
treatifes upon many of the mathematical fciences, and 
greatly improved them ; particularly aftronomy and aftro- 
logy, which in that age were much the dime thing ; alfo 
geometry, geography, arithmetic, &c. He particularly en¬ 
riched aftronomy with many inftruments, and obfervations 
of eclipfes, comets, &c. Plis principal work was the Aftro- 
nomicum Ccefarium, publiflied in folio at Ingolftadt in 1540, 
and which contains a number of interelfing obfervations, 
with the deferiptions and divifions of inftruments. In this 
work he predicts eclipfes, and conftrufts the figures of 
them in piano. In the fecond part of this work, or the 
Meteorofcapium Planum, he gives the defeription of the moll 
accurate aftronomical quadrant, and its ufes. To it are 
added obfervations of five different comets, viz. in the 
years 1531, 1532, 1533, 1538, and 1539; where he firft 
(hows that the tails of comets are always projected in a 
direction from the fun. Apian alfo wrote a treatife on 
Cofmography, or Geographical Inllruftion. In 153-3-he 
made, at Nuremberg, a curious inftrument, which from 
its figure he called Folium Populi ; which, by the fun’s rays, 
fliowed the hour in all parts of the earth, and even the 
unequal hours of the jews. In 1534, he publiflied his 
Infcriptionis Orbis. In 1540, his InJhumentum Sinunm, five 
Primi Mobilis, with 100 problems. 
A'PIAR Y, f. [from apis, Lat. a bee.] A lioufe or place 
where bees are kept.—Thofe who are (killed in bees, when 
they fee a foreign fwarm approaching to plunder tlieir hives,- 
have a trick to divert them into fome-neiglibouring apiary, 
there to make what havoc they pleafe. Swift. 
A'PICE, a town of Italy, in the kingdom of Naples, 
ar.d Principato Citra : (even miles eaft-fouth-eaft of Be- 
nevento. 
AP'ICES, f. plu. in botany, the little knobs that grow 
cn the tops of the ftamina or chives of flowers. 
API'CIAN, adj. [from Apicius, the fubjefit of the next 
article.] High-feafoned, voluptuous. 
API'CHJS. There were at Rome three perfons of that 
name, famous for their gluttony : the l'econd is the moft 
celebrated of the three. He lived under Tiberius, fpent 
immenfe fums on his belly, and invented divers forts of 
cakes, which bore his name. After having fpent a hun¬ 
dred millions of fefterces in entertainments, about 853,6011. 
Iterling, he examined into the (late of his affairs ; and 
finding that he had but a tenth part of that fum remain¬ 
ing, he poifoned himfelf, under an apprehenfior.of llarving. 
APLDA'NO, a river of European Turkey, which runs 
into the Peneus, near Larifla. 
APIE'CE, adv. [from a, for each, and piece, or fliare.] 
To the part or fliare of each.—Men in whole mouths at lirlt 
founded nothing but mortification, were come to think that 
they might lawfully have fix or feven wives apiece. Hooker , 
A P I 79i 
APIE'CES, adv. Tombs were hackt and hewn apieces, 
IVcever. 
APIFAC'TURE, f. [from apis, Lat. a bee, and facio, to 
do.] The curious work of bees. 
API'NA, or Apin/e, a town of Apulia, built by Dio- 
medes, as was alfo Tricae. Apina et Trices, is a proverbial 
faying for things trifling and of no value ; and Apinarii 
was the appellation for triflers or buffoons 
A'PINEL, f An American root, poifonous to ferpents, 
and called by the natives yabcani. It has its name from a 
captain Apinel, who firft made the Europeans acquainted 
with it. 
API'OLAr, an ancient city of Italy, which was taken 
by Lucinus Tarquinius the elder; and with the plunder 
of it, according to Pliny, he founded the capitol of Rome. 
A'PION, a famous grammarian, born in Egypt, was a 
profeffor at Rome in the reign of Tiberius. He had all 
the arrogance of a mere pedant, and amufed himfelf with 
difficult and infignificant inquiries. One of his principal 
works was his Antiquities of Egypt. He wjpte alfo again It 
the Jews, and was anfwered by Jofephns. 
APION'TA, f. [from coco, and ny.i, to go from.] The 
natural excretions which proceed from the body. 
A'PIOS , f. in botany. See Glycine and Euphorbia. 
APIOSCOR'ODON, f. in botany. See Crateva. 
A'PIS, the fon of Phoroneous, and king of the Argives, 
who received divine honours after death. Some have ima¬ 
gined that he went into Egypt with a colony of Greeks, 
and that after death lie was vvorfliipped under the name of 
Serapbis; but others think it was his nephew and fucceffor 
Argus that went there, and took the name of Oliris. 
A'PIS, in the heathen mythology, a divinity worlhipped 
by the ancient Egyptians at Memphis. It was an ox having 
certain exterior marks, in which the foul of the great Ofiris 
was fuppofed to fubfilt. This animal had the preference 
to all others, as being the fymbol of agriculture, the im¬ 
provement of which that prince had lo much at heart. 
Several learned writers on the Egyptian religion confider 
Apis as the only lymbolical deity. “ Amonglt the ani¬ 
mals confecrated to ancient rites, (fays Ammianus Mar- 
cellinu-s,)- Mnevis and Apis are the moft celebrated : the 
firft is an emblem of the fun, the fecond of the moon.” 
Porphyry tells us, that Apis bore the characteriftic figns. 
of the two liars; and Macrobius, who confirms-this opi¬ 
nion, adds, that he was equally confecrated to them both. 
According to Plutarch, the term of the life of Apis was 
limited to twenty-five years; which number marked a 
period of the fun and of the moon, and the bull was con¬ 
fecrated to thefe two bodies. Syncellius, in his Clirono- 
graphy, when he comes down to the thirty-fecoud Pha¬ 
raoh, called Afeth, lays, “ Before Afeth, the folar year 
confilled of 360 days. This prince added five to com¬ 
plete its courle. In his reign a calf was placed amongll 
the gods, and named Apis." And in the Bibliotheca of 
Fabricius we have the following paffage : “ It was cullo- 
mary to inaugurate the kings of Egypt at Memphis, in the 
temple of Apis. They were here firft initiated in the 
mylteries, and were obliged to fwear, that they would 
neither infert months nor days in the year, and that it 
Ihould remain compofed of 365 days, as had been elta- 
blilhed by the ancients.” From thele fafts Mr. Savary, 
in his letters on Egypt, infers that Apis was the tutelary 
divinity of the new form given to the folar year, and of 
the cycle of twenty-five years dilcovered at the fame time. 
This deity, befides, had a marked relation to the fwel'ing 
of the Nile, as is teftified by a great number of hiftoria-ns'. 
The new moon which followed the fummer folftice was 
the sera of this phenomenon, on which the eyes.-cf every 
body was fixed; and Pliny lpeaks as follows on. this fub- 
jeft: “ Apis had on his right fide a white .-mark, repre- 
fehting the crefcent. This mark (continues AElian) indi¬ 
cated the commencement of the inundation.” If Apis 
pofteffed the characteriftic figns which proved his divine 
origin, he promifed fertility and abundance of the fruits 
of the earth. It feems demonftrated, therefore, Mr. Sa¬ 
vary adds, that this iitcred bull, the guardian of the fo- 
lac 
