Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/1002

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flowers, they are however eafily diftinguifhed becaufe they are green, whereas the ftalk is olive coloured. Thefe flowers are difpcrfed over the whole plant, and fome- times ftand in a fort of cluftcrs, a great number of them being placed clofe together, and afterwards there being a little fpace, and then another fuch parcel. What is peculiai in this plant, and differs from the other fea fucufes, is, that as in them only a few of the flowers produce feeds, in this almoft all the flowers do it ; feeds being found fucceeding thofe flowers, which ftaud far off from the extremities, well as thofe which ftand near them j and thofe parts of the plant where the feeds are produced do not fwell any more than the reft. The vifcous matter lodged only at the ex- tremities of the leaves of the common fucufes, which ferves for the nourifhing the feeds, is, as before obferved, in thii lodged all along the center of the ftalk ; and confequently the {talk, or leaf, which ever it may belt be called, is furnifhed with matter for the nourifhment of feeds all the way down. When the flowers are fallen, it is eafy to difcover multi- tudes of fmall round holes in the ftalk, each of which has been the cup of a flower, and underneath each hole there is now to be diftinguifhed a little round body, which is a capfule, containing" the feeds; this capfule being divided, there are fecn a number of minute round feeds fticking to its fides. Mem. Acad. Par. 1712.

UGULATED flofcules, ligulatiflofculi, in botany, a termufed by authors to exprefs a part of the flofcules, or (mail feparate flowers, which together form the whole head or flower of the compound flowered plants. The ligulated flofcules generally ftand on the edge, and have a flat {trait end turned down- wards, and armed with three teeth, but not divided into any fegments.

LIGURINUS, in zoology, a name ufed by many authors for the bird more commonly known by the name of fpinus, and called in England thefljkin. See Spinus.

UGURIUS, in Jewifh antiquity, a precious ftone on the high prieft's breaft plate. It is called lefchem in Hebrew. Theophraftus and Pliny defcribe the ligurius to be a ftone like a carbuncle, of a brightnefs fparkling like fire. Ep; phanius and Jerom took it for a kind of hyacinth. Some have afterted that it is the fame as lyncurius, or the lynx ftone, formed, as is faid, of the lynx's urine a, which is congealed into a Alining ftone, as foon as it comes out of this creature's body. But this is fabulous, as Pliny himfelf obferves who relates it. The ligurius was the firft ftone in the third row upon the high prieft's pectoral, and the name of God was inferibed upon it b. [— a /Elian de Animal. 1. 4. c. 17. Ptin, 1. 8. c. 38. & I. 37. c. 3. b Calm.D\a. Bibl. — ] See Lyncurius lapis.

LIGUSTICUM, or Levisticum, lavage, in botany, the name of a genus of umbelliferous plants, the characters of which are thefe. The flower is of the rofaceous kind, being compofed of feveral pet«b, arranged in a circular or- der round a cup, which finally becomes a fruit compofed of two oblong feeds, gibbofe and filiated on one fide with foliaceous rims, and fmooth and flat on the other. The fpecies of ligujlicum enumerated by Mr. Tournefort are thefe. 1. The ligujlicum, which is commonly called the fefeli of the mops. 2. The narrow leaved ligujlicum 01 fefeli.

3. The pyrenean ligujlicum with very large and thin leaves.

4. The fmooth hemlock leaved ligujlicum. 5. The alpine ligujlicum with long multifid leaves. 6. The Scotch liguf- ticum with apium leaves. 7. The ligujlicum with leaves like fennel giant. 8. The Alining pyrenean ligujlicum with fennel leaves. Tourn. Inft. p. 323.

The root of this plant is efteemed a powerful alexipharmic and fudorific ; it is recommended in malignant fevers, in palfies and apoplexies, and in all diforders of the head. The feeds are warm and carminative, and are given with fuccefs in colics, and againft indigeft ions and flatufes.

Ligusticum marmor, in natural hiftory, a name by which fome authors have called the carrara marble, the marmor lunenfe of the antients. It is a fine white marble, harder than the parian or ftatuary kind, and ufed for tables, chim- neys, csV. as the other for carving. Aldravand. Muf. Met. 748. See Lunense marmor.

UGUSTRUM, privet, in botany, the name of a genus of trees, the characters of which are thefe. The flower confifts of one leaf, and is of a funnel like fhape ; the piftil arifes from the cup, and is fixed in the manner of a nail to the hinder part of the flower : this, finally, becomes a round fucculcnt fruit, or berry, and contains ufually four feeds, gibbofe on one fide and flat on the other. Tourn. Inft. p.596. The fpecies of privet enumerated by Mr. Tournefort are thefe. 1. The common privet. 2. The. privet with leaves variegated with yellow; and 3. The American bay leaved privet, with yellow flowers and white berries. In the Linnsean fyftem of botany, the characters of this ge- nus are, that the plants of it have a fmall tubular perian- thium compofed of one leaf, with its extremity erect, and divided by four notches ; the flower confifts of a fingle petal, which is tubular, and of the fame length with the perian- thium, its extremities expanded, divided into four fegments of a fomewhat oval figure; the ftamina are two Ample fila-

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ments placed oppofite to one another, and terminated by erect anthera?, of the dength of the flower. The piftil- lum is compofed of a roundifh germ, a fingle and very fiiort ftyle, and a thick bifid and obtufe ftigma. The fruit is a fmooth round berry, containing only one cell. The feeds are four in number in each berry, and are convex on one fide, and angular on the other. Linnai Gen. Plant. p. 2. SeepRrvET.

LILAC, in botany, ihe name of a genus of trees, the charac- ters of which are thefe. The flower confifts of one leaf, and is of the funnel fhaped kind, and ufually divided into four fegments at the edge. The piftil arifes from the cup, and is fixed in the manner of a nail to the hinder part of the flower : this, finally, becomes a comprefled or flatted fruit of the fhape of a tongue, which opens into two parts, and is divided by an intermediate feptum into two cells, con- taining flat and marginated feeds. Tourn. Inft. p. 607. The fpecies of lilac enumerated by Mr. Tournefort are thefe. I. The common blue flowered lilac, called by many the blue fyr'tnga, or pipe tree. 2. The lilac with filvery white flowers. 3. The lilac with deep purple flowers, 4. The privet leaved lilac, commonly called the Perflan jafniine ; and 5. The lilac with jagged leaves.

Thefe are frequently cultivated in gardens; and fome grow- ing, with good management, to eighteen or twenty feet high, are with their large tufts of flowers very ornamental. The common way of propagating thefe fhrubs is by fuckers, which they always produce in very great abundance ; thefe fhould be taken off from the old plants in October, and carefully planted in a nurfery, where after they have ftood about three years, they will be fit to plant where they are to remain, after which they require no farther care than the digging about their roots once a year, and taking away their fuckers, which are not only very unfightly but ftarve ths plant. Miller's Gardners Diet,

They will grow almoft any where, but they are obferved to flower beft in a dry foil, as indeed do moft other Ihrubs, though they grow fafteft in a wet one.

LILI, the name of one of the favourite remedies of Paracelfus, the bafis of which is antimony, but he has not given us the procefs to prepare it.

LILIAGO, in botany, a name ufed by Cordus and fome other authors for the phalangium or fpiderwort. Ger. Emac, Ind. 2.

LILIACEOUS, in botany, a term ufed to exprefs the flowers of fome plants, which approach to thofe of the lilly in fhape. The characters of a liliaceous flower are thefe ; it is compofed of fix leaves, or elfe of three leaves divided into fix, but this is more rarely the cafe ; the piftil, or cup of this flower al- ways becomes finally a feed veflel divided into three cells. Of this fort are the flowers of the tulip, hyacinth, afphodel, ephemerum, and the like ; many of which, though they lefs refemble the lilly flowers than the others, yet are to be di- ftinguifhed by this title, becaufe they leave behind them the liliaceous feed veflel, which is long, and divided into three cells. Tourn. Inft. p. 343.

LILIASTRUM, in botany, the name of a genus of plants, the characters of which are thefe. The flower is of the liliaceous kind, and is compofed of fix petals, and of the fhape of the lilly flower. The piftil arifes from the center of the flower, and finally becomes an oblong fruit, divided into three cells, and containing angular feeds. To this, it is to be added, that the root is compofed of feveral long flefhy bodies hanging from one common head, The fpecies of liliajlrum enumerated by Mr. Tournefort are thefe. 1. The greater alpine liliajlrum ; and 2. The leffer alpine liliajlrum, called the phalangiu?n allobrog'tcum, and large flowered phalangium. Tourn. Inft. p. 369.

LILIO-ASPHODELUS,. in botany, the name of a genus of ' plants, the characters of which are thefe. The flower is of the liliaceous kind, but confifts only of one leaf, and is tubular at the bottom, and divided into fix large fegments toward the top. The piftil arifes from the bottom of the flower, and becomes at length a feed veflel of a fomewhat oval fhape, but three cornered ; this is divided into three cells, each of which contains a number of roundifh feeds : to this, it may be added, that the root is large and flefhy. See Tab. 1. of Botany, Clafs 9.

The fpecies of lilio-afphodelus enumerated by Mr. Tourne- fort are thefe. r. The common yellow flowered lilly- afphodel. 2. The fmaller white flowered lilly-afphodel., 3. The crimfon flowered lilly -afphodel. 4. The fmaller red lilly- afphodel. 5. The American lilly-afphodel, with white um- bellated flowers, each having purple ribs. 6. The aloe. leaved American lilly-afphodel, with very large fweet fcented flowers difpofed in umbells. 7. The American lilly-afphodel, with leaves like the fquill, and large purple flowers in um- bells. 8. The bifoliate American lilly-afphodel with a- fingle purple flower. Tourn. Inft. p. 344.

LILIO-HYACINTHUS, in botany, the name of a genus of plants, the characters of which are thefe. The flower is of the liliaceous kind, being compofed* of fix petals, and refem- bling in fhape the hyacinth flowers. The piftil finally be- comes a fruit of a globofe, but pointed form, and ufually