a province of France, bounded on the north by Bretagne, Anjou, and part of Touraine; on the east by Touraine, Berry, and Maine; on the south by Angoumois, Saintonge, and the territory of Aunis; and on the west by the sea of Gascony. It is divided into the Upper and Lower; and is fertile in corn and wine, and feeds a great number of cattle, particularly mules. It was in possession of the kings of England for a considerable time, till it was lost by the unfortunate Henry VI. Poictiers is the capital town.

POICHIANA, BARBADOS FLOWER-FENCE: A genus of the monogynia order, belonging to the decandra class of plants; and in the natural method ranking under the 33rd order, Lomentaceae. The calyx is pentaphyllous; the petals five, the uppermost larger than the rest; the stamens long, and all fertile; the seed-vessel a legumen. There is only one species, viz. the pulcherrima, a native of both Indies. It rises with a straight stalk 10 or 12 feet high, which is covered with a grey bark, and is sometimes as thick as the small of a man's leg, dividing into several spreading branches at the top, which are armed at each joint with two short, crooked, strong spines, and garnished with decomposed winged leaves, each leaf consisting of six or eight pair of simple winged leaves. They are of a light green colour, and when bruised emit a strong odour. The branches are terminated by loose spikes of flowers, which are sometimes formed into a kind of pyramid, and at others disposed more in the form of an umbel. The footstalk of each flower is near three inches long; the flower is composed of five petals, which are roundish at the top, but are contracted to narrow tails at the base. They spread open, and are beautifully variegated with a deep red or orange colour, yellow, and some spots of green; and emit a very agreeable odour. After the flower is past, the germen becomes a broad flat pod three inches long, divided into three or four cells by transverse partitions, each including one flattish irregular seed. The plant is propagated by seeds; but, being tender, is to be constantly kept in the bark-house. It is very impatient of moisture in winter; and if the leaf damp seizes its top, it either kills the plant or destroys its head. With proper management it will grow taller here than in the places where it is native; but its stems will not be thicker than a man's finger. In Barbadoes it is planted in hedges to divide the lands, whence it has the name of flower-fence. In the West Indies, its leaves are made use of as a purge instead of senna; and in Jamaica it is called feno.