LOPPING

Cutting off all the branches of a tree for the sake of the profit to be derived from them; as contrasted with the sake pruning,of the by tree.which The some lopping of the of branches a tree, however,are cut off'does for not include the cutting off' of the crop or leading shoot; and hence, when timber trees are sold, the purchaser bargains to take them either with or without the lop and crop, as the case may be. LORANTHACEyE. (Loran thus, one of the genera.) A natural order of parasitical Exogens, principally inhabiting the equinoctial regions of Asia and America. They are dis tinguished from Caprifoliacece and all other orders by their parasitical habit, and by the stamens being opposite to the petals. Brown suggests their relation to Protcacca; and, upon the whole, the structure of this order appears to be rather that of a polypetalous or apetalous than of a mnuopetnlous order. Schleiden has lately made the startling a ertion that they are gymnospermous. The bark is usually astringent. Their chief peculiarity is their power of rooting in the wood of other plants. They effect this when ihuy first germinate, by fixing their root upon the bark, and thou by slow degrees introducing it into the ti ue till they rouch the wood, between the wedges of which they slightly insinuate themselves, thus placing their abortive roots in ton line of the current of ascending sap. They are generally beautiful plants, but are scarcely capable of cultivation. Misletoe is the most northern species of the order. [s. 702]