protasis (protasis)

[L. protasis, I will returne to thee, gentle reader, because thou shalt be both the protasis and catastrophe of my epistle. Times' Whistle (E. E. T. S.), p. 111. first act? Now, gentlemen, what censure you of our protasis , or B. Jonson, Magnet ick Lady, i. 1. 4. In anc. pros ., the first colon of a dicolic verse or period. protastacine (prō-tas'ta-sin), a. [ Protas genus of apetalous shrubs, the type of the order Proteaccæ and tribe Protecæ. It is characterized by a slender two-lipped and prolonged calyx, with the narrow upper segment separate to the base at flowering, and the three others forming an entire or toothed broader lower lip, by the four se ile anthers borne on the calyx and tipped with a prolonged connective, and by the fruit, a hairy nut tipped with the smooth persis tent style. There are about 60 species, natives of South Africa, one or two extending north into Aby in i a. They bear alternate or scattered rigid entire leaves, of many shapes in the different species, and flowers in large dense round or cone-like heads, with numerous overlapping scales between, which are sometimes conspicuous and colored, especially red or purple. P. cynaroides is known IMG:content-1138.png:[merged small][merged small][ocr errors] as the Cape artichoke - flower, and P. mellifera as the Cape honeysuckle, honey - flower, or sugar-bush. The latter contains in its flower-cup an abundant sweet watery liquor, valued as a remedy for coughs.