L E P 
i>t their bafe, which invelt the bottom of the germen. 
Stamina: filaments three, capillary, projecting; anthers 
terminal, oblong, acute, pendulous. Piftillum : germen 
fuperior, very fmall; ltyle cylindrical, ereCt, as long as 
the ltamens, deciduous ; Itigmas three, equal, recurved, 
Header, downy, acute. FericarpLum : none. Nut roundifh, 
obtufe, hard, not burfting, accompanied by the above- 
mentioned fix fcales, of one cell, with a fingle roundifh 
kernel.— Ejfential CkaraEter. Spikelet of one or two flowers, 
and one feed ; glumes chaffy, imbricated every way, moft 
of them barren ; fix flat combined permanent fcales at 
the bale of the germen ; ftyle deciduous ; nut folitary, 
bald, obtufe. 
This genus is allied to the Cladium of Browne’s Ja¬ 
maica, (which is included with Schoenus by Linnaeus,) 
but is diftinguifhed by the fix fcales that accompany the 
germen. From the Scleria of Bergius. it differs in the 
number of its glumes, and in having always androgynous 
fpikelets, of which the upper flower is only male. La- 
billardiere defcribes and figures (even fpecies; Brown de¬ 
fines nineteen, all from the colder parts of New Holland, 
or from Van Diemen’s Land. They are harfii rigid rufhy 
plants, one or two feet high, with Strong perennial roots. 
Ample leafiefs Items, encompafled at-the bottom with fe- 
veral long, narrow, moftly-equitant, leaves, which are 
more or lefs comprefled and acute, their edges either 
fmooth or minutely ferrated. The panicle or fpike is ter¬ 
minal, moftly branched or divided. 
It will be fufiicient to notice two fpecies. i. Lepldo- 
fperma gladiata, or fword-fhaped lepidofperma : panicle 
denfe, repeatedly compound ; Item comprefled, with an 
elevated rib at each fide; its edges fmooth, like thofe of 
the leaves ; glumes rather fharp. Gathered by Mr. Brown 
at Port J ackfon, as well as in Van Diemen’s Land, and 
the fouth part of New Holland. The Item is flout and 
rigid, from eighteen to twenty-four inches high ; leaves 
half an inch broad, fmooth ; panicle upright, large, of 
numerous acute, oblong, fcaly fpikelets. 
2. Lepidofperma tetragona, or four-cornered lepido- 
fperma: panicle denfe, foinewhat compound; leaves qua¬ 
drangular; ftera bluntly angular. Gathered by Brown 
in Van Diemen’s Land. The fquare leaves are very re¬ 
markable. It is a much fmaller plant than the foregoing. 
The fcales of each fpikelet are from four to fix only ; the 
nut is elevated on a more confpicuous fpongy bafe than 
in moft of the other fpecies. 
Nothing can give a more unfavourable idea of the fer¬ 
tility, comfort, or beauty, of a country, than the preva¬ 
lence of fuch plants as thefe; flight examples of which 
may be feen in our Schoenus nigricans, Nardus ftrifla, 
and a few others, found on the moft dreary and barren 
inland fands. Such of them as inhabit the fea-fhore an- 
fwer the moft valuable purpofe poflible, in forming a na¬ 
tural barrier againft the encroachments of the ocean. 
LEP'IDUS (M. Emilius), one of the triumvirs with 
Oflavius and Antony. He was of an illuftrious family, 
and remarkable for ambition ; but to this was added a 
narrownefs of mind, and a great deficiency of military 
abilities. When his influence and power among the fol- 
diers had made him one of the triumvirs, he fhowed his 
cruelty, like his colleagues, by his profcriptions ; and even 
fuffered his own brother to be facrificed to the dagger of 
the triumvirate. He received Africa as his portion in the 
divifion of the empire ; but his indolence loon rendered 
him defpicable in the eyes of his foldiers and of his col¬ 
leagues ; and Oifavius, who was well acquainted with the 
unpopularity of Lepidus, went to his camp and obliged him 
to refign the power to which he was entitled as being a tri¬ 
umvir. After this degrading event, he funk into obfcu- 
l'ity; and retired, by order of Auguftus, to Cerceii, a 
fmall town on the coaft of Latium, where he ended his 
days in peace, B. C. 33, and where he was forgotten as 
foon as out of power. See the article Rome. 
LE'PIS, /’. [Greek.] A fcale; the fcum of filver; the 
Jlefli that rifes between the found and dead part of a bone, 
L E P 507 
LEPIS'MA,/. in entomology, a genus of apterous in¬ 
fers. The generic characters are—Six feet formed for 
running; a mouth furnifhed with four palpi, two of 
which are fetaceous, and two capitated; body covered 
with imbricated lcales ; tail terminated by three briitly 
appendages ; antennas fetaceous. The rendence of the 
lepifma is commonly in gardens and damp houfes. In 
the former, they retreat under mouldy boards or flag* 
ftones; and, in the latter, they are feen about window* 
fifties, and old boxes that have remained for fome time 
in a humid fituation. When their haunts are disturbed, 
they make off with fuch velocity, that they are feldom 
caught; and, when that happens, they are often deftroy- 
ed, being, from their foftnefs, eafily crufhed. 
Species. 1. Lepifina faccharinum, the fugar-eater. Spe¬ 
cific character, fcaly, filvery lead-colour; tail triple. This 
has been fometiines called wood-fijh , from its peculiar co¬ 
lour, fcales, and tapering form. It is an infeCt of great ele¬ 
gance. Its general length, exclufive of the caudai brif- 
tles, is about half an inch, and its colour a bright filvery 
grey refembling that of pearls; this colour is owing to a 
covering of extremely-minute oval fcales, which are femi* 
transparent, and very eafily detached from the animal by 
a flight couch; the head and thorax together form a- 
rounded outline, the remainder of the body gradually 
leffening to the tail, which terminates in three long brif¬ 
tles, of fnnilar appearance with the antennae. The mo¬ 
tions of this animal are remarkably quick ; and it is often 
obferved among various domeltic articles, particularly fm- 
gar. It alfo occurs not unfrequently among old books 
and papers, which it is fuppofed often to injure.. It is 
faid to be originally an American animal, and to have 
been imported into Europe among fugars, &c. Dr. Browne,, 
in his Hiftory of Jamaica, reprefents it as “ extremely 
deftruftive to books and all manner of woollen clothes.” 
But Dr. Shaw obferves, that, though this infect may 
occafionally injure books and papers, yet it is certain 
that the principal ravages committed on thofe articles are 
owing to infers of the genera of Dermeftes and Ptinus, 
and particularly to the Ptinus peftinicornis, which, in 
the courfe of a few days, during very hot weather, and in 
places where it happens to abound, will nearly deftroy a 
book by innumerable perforations.' The L. faccharinum 
is fhown on the preceding Plate, of the natural flze at fig. 
3. magnified and lying on its back, at fig. 4. 
2. Lepifma polypodus, the jumping lepifma : tail triple; 
fegments of the abdomen villous on each fide beneath. 
Of adufky or bro.wnidi call; found about the fea-coaft of 
many northern regions, under ftones, &c. By means of 
the fprings under its tail, its takes prodigious leaps, thus 
approaching the nature of the genus Podura. There is 
a variety with five briftles in the tail. 
3. Lepifma lineata, the lineated lepifma: tail triple3. 
body brow n, with two white fillets. Antenna as long as 
the body ; thorax covered with three fcales, which are 
emarginate behind ; body above brown, with cinereous 
fpecks; tail villofe, the middle fpine longer, with a few 
fliorter ones under it; legs fliort, thighs comprefled. In¬ 
habits Helvetia, in old wails. 
4. Lepifma viliofa, the hairy lepifma: brown, with a 
triple villofe tail. Head villous, whitifh ; body beneath 
wliitifh; middle fpine of the tail long, beneath two fhort 
ones; legs fhort, white. Inhabits China ; fliorter and. 
thicker than L. faccharinum. 
5. Lepifina collaris, the collared lepifma: black, with 
a fnowy band on the neck and end of the abdomen ; tail 
triple, villous. Antennas as long as the body, brown*, 
with a pale bafe; head whitifh; under the tail two fhort 
briftles ; legs pale. Inhabits the South American iflands. 
6. Lepifma terreftris, the earthy lepifma : naked, white; 
with a triple tail: antennae obtufe, half as long as the body. 
An indiftinft fpecies, and probably is rather a Podura. 
Inhabits Europe. 
7. Lepifma polypus, the many-footed lepifma s feu- 
tate; tail triple. Native of Denmark, 
£. Lepilrna. 
