351 
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on the coaft of Eubcea for its vines, which grew in fuch 
an uncommon manner, that, if a twig was planted in the 
morning, it immediately produced grapes which were full 
ripe in the evening.—A city of Thrace.—Another, feated 
on the top of Mount Parnalfus, and facred to Bacchus. 
NYSJE'US, a furname of Bacchus, becaufe lie was wor- 
Ihipped at Nyfa. 
NYSA'IS, or Nys^e'a Re'gio, a country of Alia Minor, 
between Caria and Phrygia, beyond the Meander. 
NY'SAND, a town of Sweden, in the province of 
Warmeland: eighteen miles fouth-fouth-eaft of Chrifti- 
neliamn. 
NYSA'TRA, a town of Sweden, in Weft Bothnia : 
thirty-two miles north-north-eaft of Umea. 
NYS'LOT, a town of Ruflia, in the government of 
Viborg, on the Lake Saima, built in 1475. Its caftle, 
which Hands on a rock in a river near the town, and from 
which the latter derives its name, is extremely well forti¬ 
fied both by art and nature. It is fifty miles north-weft 
of Viborg. 
NYS'SA, f. [fo called by Linnaeus, becaufe, as he fays 
in the Hortus Cliffortianus, “ it grows in the waters.” 
In his Philofophia, he mentions the name as that of a 
nymph. Hence profeflor Martyn gives it as the appella¬ 
tion of a water-nymph ; but we have fought in vain for 
any fueh perfonage in poetic ftory. We are equally ig¬ 
norant of the meaning of the American name, tupelo- 
tree.'] In botany, a genus of the clafs polygamia, order 
dioecia, natural order of holoraceas, (elasagni, Jnff.) Ge¬ 
neric characters—I. Male. _ Calyx : perianthium five- 
parted, fpreading, with a plain bottom. Corolla : none. 
Stamina : filaments ten, awl-lhaped, Ihorter than the ca¬ 
lyx ; antherse twin, the length of the filaments. II. Her¬ 
maphrodite. Calyx: perianthium as in the male, fitting 
on the germen. Corolla: none. Stamina: filaments 
five, awl-(haped, ereCt; antherte fimple. Piftillum : ger¬ 
men ovate, inferior; ftyle awl-fliaped, curved inwards, 
longer than the ftamens; ftigma acute. Pericarpium: 
drupe. Seed : nut oval, acute, fcored with longitudinal 
grooves, angular, irregular.— Ejj'ential Char after. Calyx 
hve-parted ; corolla none. Male : ftamens ten. Herma¬ 
phrodite: ftamens five; piftillum one ; drupe inferior. 
1. Nyfla integrifoiia, or mountain-tupelo : leaves quite 
entire; nuts roundifh, ftriated. The upland tupelo-tree, 
or four gum, grows naturally in Pennfylvania, and per¬ 
haps ellewhere; riling with a ftrong upright trunk to the 
height of thirty or forty feet, and fometimes near two 
feet in diameter; fending oft' many horizontal, and often 
depending, branches. Leaves obovate, a little pointed, 
entire, of a dark green and fhining upper furface, but 
lighter and a little hairy underneath ; thofe of male trees 
are often narrower, and fometimes lance-ftiaped. The 
flowers are produced upon pretty long common footftalks, 
arifing from the bafe of the young (hoots, and dividing 
irregularly into feveral parts, generally from fix to ten; 
each fupporting a fmall flower, having a calyx of fix or 
l'even unequal leaves, and from fix to eight awl-fhaped 
ftpreading ftamens, fupporting ftiort four-lobed antherae. 
The female trees have fewer flowers, produced upon much 
longer Ample cylindrical footftalks, thickened at the ex¬ 
tremity, and fupporting generally three flowers, fitting 
clofe, and having a l'mall involucre. They are compofed 
of five fmall oval leaves, and in the centre an awl-fhaped 
incurved ftyle, arifing from the oblong germen, which is 
inferior, and becomes an oval oblong berry, of a dark 
purplifh colour when ripe. The timber of this tree is 
dofe-grained and curled fo as not to be fplit or parted ; 
and, therefore, much ufedfor hubs of wheels of carriages, 
&c. It was cultivated in 1750, by Archibald duke of 
Argyle. 
Mr. Miller has the Nyfla aquatica, probably this fpecies, 
in the two quarto editions of his Dictionary, 1763 and 
1771, but not in the two folio editions of 1759 and 1768. 
His defcription is very imperfeCt. He fays that it grows 
naturally in Virginia and feveral other parts of North 
S S A. 
America, and that it had been introduced of late-years 
into the Englifti gardens, but had made little progrefs. 
2. Nyfla denticulata, or water-tupelo : leaves remotely 
toothed ; nuts grooved, fomewhat wrinkled. The Vir¬ 
ginian water tupelo-tree grows naturally in wet fwamps, 
or near large rivers, in Carolina and Florida ; and rifes 
with a ftrong upright trunk to the height of eighty or a 
hundred feet, dividing into many branches towards the 
top. The leaves are pretty large, of an oval fpear-fhaped 
form, generally entire, but fometimes toothed, and co¬ 
vered underneath with a whitifh down; they are joined 
to long (lender footftalks, and affixed to the branches in 
fomewhat of a verticillate order, prefenting a beautiful 
varied foliage. The berries are near the (Ize and (hape of 
fmall olives; and are preferved as that fruit is by the 
French inhabitants upon the Miflilfippi, where it greatly 
abounds, and is called the olive-tree. The timber is 
white and foft when unfeafoned, but light and compaCt 
when dry, which renders it very proper for making trays, 
bowls, &c. It was introduced here in 17 35, by Peter Coi- 
linfon, efq. 
3. Mr. Humphrey Marfhall, in his American Grove, 
adds a third fort, from Bartram’s Catalogue, which he 
calls NyJJa Ogeche, or Ogeche lime-tree. He defcribes it 
as a tree of great Angularity and beauty, growing natu¬ 
rally in water, in the fouthern dates, and riling to the 
height of about thirty feet. The leaves are oblong, of a 
deep fhining green on their upper (ides, and lightly hoary 
underneath. The flowers are'male and female upon dif¬ 
ferent trees, and are produced upon divided or many- 
flowered footftalks. The fruit is nearly oval, of a deep 
red colour, the fize of a damafcene plum, and of an agree¬ 
able acid tafte, from which it is called the lime-tree. 
Mr. Bartram informs us that he favv large'tall trees of 
this fort on the banks of the Alatamaha-river, growing 
in the water near the (hore. He calls it Nyffu coccinea; 
and obferves that there is no tree which exhibits a more 
defirable appearance than this, in the autumn, when the 
fruit is ripe, and the tree divefted of its leaves ; for then 
they look as red as fcarlet, with their fruit, which is of 
that colour alfo. It is the (hape of the olive, but larger, 
and contains an agreeable acid juice. The moft northern 
fettlement of this tree yet known, is on Great Ogeche, 
where it is called Ogeche lime. 
Pi-opagatiun and Culture. Thefe trees may be propa¬ 
gated by feeds, procured from places where they grow 
naturally, and put into the ground as foon as they arrive, 
for they always lie a year before they come up. Sow them 
in pots filled with light loamy earth, placing them where 
they may have only the morning-fun; during the firft 
lummer the pots muft be kept clean from weeds, and in 
dry weather duly watered. In autumn plunge the pots 
into the ground; and, if the winter fliould prove fevere, 
cover them with old tan, peafe-haulm, or other light co¬ 
vering. The following fpring plunge them into a mode¬ 
rate hot-bed, hooped over and covered with mats ; ob- 
ferving conftantly to keep the earth moift. This will 
bring up the plants by the beginning of May. They 
muft be gradually hardened to bear the open air: during 
the following fummer plunge the pots again into an eaft 
border, and duly water them in dry weather. In autumn 
remove them into a frame, where they may be fcreened 
from froft, but in mild weather expofed to the open air. 
The fpring following, before the plants begin to (hoot, 
part them carefully, and plant each in a fmall pot filled 
with loamy earth ; and, if they are plunged into a moderate 
hot-bed, it will forward their putting out new roots ; then 
they may be plunged in an eaft border, and in winter fliel- 
tered again under a frame. The fpring following, fuch 
plants as have made the greateft progrels may be planted 
in a loamy foil, in a (heltered fituation, where they will 
endure the cold of this climate ; but, unlefs the ground is 
moift,'they make very little progrefs. 
NYSSAN'THES, J'. [fo named by Mr. R. Brown, from 
the Gr. nuraoi, to prick or wound, and «v 9 o;, a flower.] In 
1 botanj'. 
