AVICANET (anchusa), a genus of plants belonging to the natural order boraginece, and having a 5-partite calyx, a funnel shaped or salver-shaped corolla, with five scales closing its mouth, five stamens, an obtuse stigma, and ovate achienia, which are sur rounded at the base by a plaited tumid ring. The species are herbaceous plants, rough with stiff hairs, and baying lanceolate or elonga to-ovate leaves, and spike-like, bracteated, lateral, and terminal racemes of flowers, which very much resemble those of the species of myosotis, or forget-me-not.—The COMMON A. (A. officinalis) grows in dry and sandy places, and by waysides, in the middle and n. of Europe. It is rare and a very doubtful native in Britain. The flowers are of a deep purple color. The roots, leaves, and flowers were formerly used in medicine as an emollient, cooling, and soothing applica tion.—The EVERGREEN A. (A. semperrirens) is also a native of Europe, and a doubtful native of Britain, although not uncommon in situations to which it may have escaped from gardens, being often cultivated for the sake of its beautiful blue flowers, which appear early in the season, and for its leaves, which retain a pleasing verdure all winter. It is a plant of humble growth, rising only a few inches above the ground.—A number of other species are occasionally seen in our tinctoria, to which the name A. or ALKANNA (Arab. more strictly belongs, is a native of the
Levant and of the s. of Europe, extending as far n. as Hungary. The root is sold under the name of A. or alkannaroot ; it is sometimes cultivated in England ; but the greater part is imported from the Levant or the s. of France. It appears in commerce in pieces of the thickness of a quill or of the finger, the rind blackish externally, but internally of a beautiful dark-red color, and adhering rather loosely to the whitish heart. It con tains chiefly a resinous red coloring matter, called alkanna red, anchusic acid, or aachusine. The color which it yields is very beautiful, although not very durable. It is readily soluble in oils, and is therefore in very general use amongst perfumers for color ing oils, soaps, pomades, lip-salves, etc. It is extensively used for coloring spurious port wine. It also enters into compositions for rubbing and giving color to furniture. Its solutions in oils and alcohol have almost a carmine red color, although to water it gives only a brownish hue. It combines with alkalies, forming blue solutions ; with chloride of tin, it becomes of a carmine red ; with acetate of lead, blue ; with sulphate of iron, dark violet ; with alum, purple ; and with acetate of alumina, violet.—V1RGINIAN A. (A. Virginka) yields a similar coloring-matter, and is used in the same way.