ximenIa

[Named after Francis Ximenes, a Spanish monk, who wrote a work upon Mexican plants in 1615.] Bot.: A genus of Olacacese, with three or four known species. Large shrubs or small trees, often spinous. Leaves entire, leathery; calyx very small, petals four, hairy inside; stamens eight, ovary with four cells, each one-seeded. Ximenia american a , the False Sandal-wood, is a straggling Indian shrub, producing dull-white fragrant flowers, smell ing like cloves, succeeded by small, oval, red or yellow pulpy fruits, an inch long, aromatic, but somewhat austere. They are eaten by the Hindus, and by the natives of Senegal. The kernels taste like filberts. xiph-1-as. s. [Lat., from Gr. xiphias =as adj., sword-shaped; as subst., a sword-fish.] 1. Ichthy.: A genus of Xiphiide (q. v.). distinguished by the absence of ventral fins. The best known species is Xiphias gladius , the Common, or Mediterranean Sword-fish. Günther says that the distinction of species is beset with great difficulties, owing to the fact that but few specimens exist in museums, and because the form of the dorsal, the length of the ventrals, and the shape and length of the sword appear to change according to the age. 2. Astronomy : (1) [DORADO, II. 1.] (2) A comet shaped like a sword.