more hardy than the European species. In Britain, it is propagated by imported seeds, and is considered more tender than C. Siliquástrum; but it would probably be rendered more hardy by being grafted on that species.

Statistics. In the environs of London, it is seldom found higher than 10 ft. or 12 ft. ; and then it has more the character of a bush than of a tree; but on the Continent there are some good specimens. In France, at Paris, in the Jardin des Plantes, 55 years planted, it is 36 ft. high, the diameter of the trunk, 10 in., and of the head 20 ft.; in the Rue Grenelle, in Paris, in the garden of the house No. 122., as we are informed by Mr. Blaikie, there is a tree 40 ft. high, with a trunk 13 ft in diameter. In Saxony, at Wörlitz, 25 years planted, it is 10 ft. high. In Austria, at Vienna, in the University Botanic Garden, 9 years planted, it is 16ft. high. In Italy, at Monza, 24 years planted, it is 13 ft. high.

Commercial Statistics. Plants, in the London nurseries, are 1s. 6d. each, and seeds 1s. 6d. per ounce; at Bollwyller, plants are 1 franc each; and at New York, the plants of the species are from 25 to 37 cents each, and of " Foreman's new variety," 37 cents each.

App. I. Half-hardy Species of the Tribe Cassiea.

Casalpinia Ait. is a genus of beautiful flowering trees and shrubs, most of the species of which are natives of tropical countries, and which, in England, are generally kept in stoves; but there is one species, C. Lebbeköides Dec., a native of China, which, if once introduced, would probably be a valuable addition to a conservative wall,

Cadia vària L'Hérit. (Don's Mill., 2. p. 435.) is a shrub, a native of Arabia Felix, with impari-pinnate leaves; and flowers, at first white, but, as they fade, becoming rose-coloured. It was introduced in 1777, and might be tried against a wall.

Zuccagnia Cav. is a Chilian genus, of which the species are probably half-hardy. Z. punctata Cav. Icon., 5. p. 2. t. 403., has abruptly pinnate leaves, and saffron-coloured flowers. It grows to the height Ceratònia Siliqua L. (Bot. Rep.,t. 567., and our figs. 365, 366.) is a very interesting tree, a native of

of 4 ft. or 5 ft.

365

+

the south of Europe, particularly Spain; it is also found in Mau-
ritania and the Levant. The leaves are abruptly pinnate; the
leaflets oval, obtuse, flat, coriaceous, and of a shining dark
green. The flowers are polygamous or dicecious, and without
petals. The tree grows to the height of from 30 ft. to 50 ft. In
the south of Europe, when the fruit is per-
fectly ripe, the pulp contained in the pods is

eaten by men, the seeds by horses, and the 366
husks by swine; hence, probably, the po.
pular English name of sow's bread. When
unripe, the fruit is considered very unwhole-
some, and even dangerous, to the cattle that
feed on it. The Egyptians make a kind of
honey of the pulp, which serves the Arabs
instead of sugar; they also make a preserve
like that made with tamarinds of the pods,
which is a gentle laxative. This fruit was
anciently supposed to be what St. John fed
on in the wilderness; hence its name of St.
John's bread; the seeds being said to be
meant by the word translated" locusts;"
and the pulp by the term "wild honey."
The husks are thought to have been the dry
and wretched food that the Prodigal Son was

driven to long for, in the last stage of his misery and starvation. The plant has been in British
green-houses since 1570; and the male plant, has flowered every autumn, for many years past, in
the Mile End Nursery. This tree will very nearly stand the open air in the vicinity of Paris; and,
if planted against a wall in the neighbourhood of London, it would probably stand with very little
protection. Its fine large coriaceous dark green foliage ought to be a strong inducement for every
one who has an opportunity to give it a trial. As a fruit tree, it may merit introduction into Austra
lia, for which purpose the seeds can be readily procured from Spain. It is remarked in the Nouveau
Du Hamel, 1. p. 255., that, when the ripe fruit has been eaten by oxen or mules, the seeds which
have passed through them without digestion vegetate much sooner than when they are sown in the
natural manner. The tree is of slow growth, and the wood is extremely hard and durable. Its roots
attach themselves so firmly to the soil, that, in Spain, even in the most
exposed situations, in the gullies of mountains for example, the tree has
never been known to be blown down by the wind, so as to be torn up by
the roots, though large branches have been broken off it by storms.

Castanospermum austràle Cunningham (Hook. Bot. Misc., 1. p. 241. t. 51. and t. 52.) is a New Holland tree, growing to the height of 40 ft. or 60 ft., the legumes of which are produced from two years' old wood; and they contain seeds as large as Spanish chestnuts, which are eaten roasted by the natives about Botany Bay. As one of the few New Holland trees which produce edible fruit, it is highly interesting, and well deserves a place against the conservative wall, adjoining Ceratonia.

Cássia L. is a genus consisting chiefly of tropical shrubs or herbs, with abruptly pinnate leaves, and yellow flowers, most of which require to be kept in the stove; but C. Barclayana Swt. (Fl. Austr., t. 32., and our fig. 367.) and C. austràlis Hook. (Bot. Mag., t. 2676., and our fig. 368.) are natives of New Holland, growing to the height of 3 ft. or 4 ft., and producing their fine showy yellow blossoms from June to August. The senna of the druggists is produced from the leaves of two species of this genus, C. lanceolàta and C

obovata, both stove plants, and natives of Egypt; though the latter, which is called Italian senna, is found about Rome.

Chamafistula (from chamai, ground, and fistula, a pipe; on account of the species being comparatively dwarf, and of its cylindrical pods) Don's Mill., ii. p. 451., is a genus separated from Cássia, and consists of 27 species. C. corymbosa G. Don, Cassia corymbòsa Lam. (Dict., i. p. 644., Bot. Mag., t. 633, and our fig. 370.), affords a very good example of the genus. It is a native of Buenos Ayres, where it grows to the height of 8 ft. or 10 ft.; and it would form a very handsome plant against a conservative wall.

Schotia stipulata Ait. and S. alata Thunb. are Cape shrubs, with crimson flowers, now kept in stoves and green-houses, but well deserving trial against a conservative wall. S. latifolia Jacq. (Fragm., 23. t. 15. f. 4., and our fig. 369.) which was introduced in 1816, and grows to the height of 6 ft., will give an idea of the general appearance of plants of this genus. In their native country, the species of this genus are of slow growth, and they form bushes rather than trees. Mr. Bowie observes that planting them under the shade of taller-growing shrubs, or of trees, will draw them up, and, at the same time, not injure them, or preclude them from display. ing their beautiful flowers. These flowers, in all the varied species of Schòtia, are produced occasionally on the old wood, though chiefly at the extremity of the young spring and summer shoots; a habit which ought always to be kept in view in pruning the plants.

App. I. Other half-hardy ligneous Species of the Order

Leguminacea.

There being no truly hardy species belonging to the tribes Dalbergièa, Mimoseæ, and Geoffrca of this order, we are necessarily obliged to devote a separate appendix to them.

§i. Dalbergièæ.

Sect. Char. The species are for the most part climbing shrubs, with impari-pinnate leaves, rarely, but sometimes, pinnately-trifoliolate, or simple. (Don's Mill., ii. p. 373.)

Dérris sericea G. Don is a Nepal shrub, with small yellow flowers, and leaves covered with a silky pubescence. D. trifoliata Lour. is a climbing shrub, a native of China, not yet introduced. Pterocarpus peltárius Dec. Leg. Mém., 10. t. 57. f. 2., is a tree, a native of the Cape of Good Hope, not yet introduced.

ii. Mimòseæ.

Sect. Char. Flowers regular, usually polygamous, rarely all hermaphrodite. Stamens inserted with the petals, free or monadelphous, equal in number to the petals, or forming a multiple of that number. Leaves abruptly pinnate, or abruptly bipinnate. (Don's Mill., ii. p. 381.) Prosopis L. is a genus of Indian or American trees, of which scarcely any species have been introduced; but P. glandulosa Torrey (Ann. Lyc., 2. p. 192. t. 2.) is a native of North America, on the Canadian river, where it is called the algaroba tree. There is a plant belonging to this genus, a native of Chili, and, possibly, hardy, P. Siliquástrum Dec. (Don's Mill., ii. p. 400.), which has stood against the wall in the Horticultural Society's Garden, with very little protection, since the year 1832.

Lagonýchium Stephanianum Bicb. Supp., Acàcia Stephaniana Bieb. Fl. Taur., Mimosa micrántha Vahl, (Breyn. Cent., 1. t. 56. f. 4.) is a small shrub, with scattered prickles, and bipinnate leaves, a native of the arid plains between Caucasus and the Caspian Sea; and of Persia, between Mossul and Bagdad. It was introduced in 1816, grows to the height of 2 ft., and flowers in July and August.

It will grow in a warm situation in the open border, and requires only a slight protection during the most severe winter.

Acàcia Neck. This is a very extensive genus of shrubs or trees, with beautiful foliage and flowers, and of intense interest to the British gardener, because, in mild winters, they are found to live in the open air, as standards, attain a tree-like size in 2 or 3 years, and flower profusely, very early in the spring. They are all of easy propagation, either by cuttings or from seeds, either imported or produced in this country; and their growth is so rapid, that plants 2 years established have been known to make shoots 16 ft. long in one season. In dry sandy soils, and in sheltered situations, the greater number of the species of Acacia might be grown together as a wood or thicket, by which means the plants would protect one another; and though their tops might be annually killed down for 2 ft. or 3 ft. by the frost, yet, the dead portions being cut off annually in May, the plants would grow again with vigour. An Australian forest might not be realised in this way in England, but some allusion might be created to an Australian coppice wood. The genus Acàcia, which, as G. Don observes, is a very polymorphous one, and may probably hereafter be separated into several genera, when the species are more perfectly known, is divided into numerous sections, from which we shall select a few species, and refer the reader for the rest to our Hortus Britannicus.

1. Phyllodineæ.

Sect. Char. Leaves of two forms: those in seedling plants are bipinnate; but in adult plants the leaflets are abortive, and there only remains the dilated petiole, which is called a phyllodium. The species are mostly natives of New Holland. (Don's Mill., ii. p. 401.)

A. Capitata. Flowers collected into globular Heads; Heads solitary on the Peduncles.

a. Stipules aculeate.

A. alata R. Br. (Bot. Reg., 896., and our fig. 371.) Stem bifariously winged; dilated petiole decurrent, 1-nerved, ending in a spine at the apex. Heads of flowers solitary, or in pairs. A native of New Holland, on the western coast. Introduced in 1805, and flowering from April to July. It grows to the height of 6 ft. or 10 ft.

A. armata R. Br. (Bot. Mag., 1653., and our fig. $72.) has the phyllodia, or dilated petioles, ob371

liquely ovate-oblong; the heads of flowers solitary, and the legumes velvety. This is a well-known inhabitant of our green-houses, in which it flowers from April to June, and frequently ripens seeds. It is a native of the southern coast of New Holland, and was introduced in 1803. It grows to the height of 8 ft. or 10 ft. in pots, and in a cold-pit, or against a wall: it requires only to have the frost excluded. There is a plant 10 ft. high, against a wall, in the Chelsea Botanic Garden; and there is one at Cuffhells, in Hampshire, which has stood against a wall with a north aspect since 1882, protected with a mat during frosty weather; and flowering freely in February, March, and April. In the Upway Nursery, near Dorchester, plants have stood in the open border for 5 years, and have ripened seeds, which have dropped, and produced young plants. At Airthrey Castle, Stirlingshire, a plant of A. armata stood out against a wall, without the slightest protection, during the winters of 1823 and 1834; and, in 1835, was 4 ft. high.

A. juniperina Willd., Mimosa juniperina Vent. I., M. ulicifolia Wendl., A. verticillata Sieb. (Bot. Cab., t. 398., and our fig. 373.) is a native of the eastern coast of New Holland; which was introduced in 1790; and

373

grows to the height of 8 ft. or 10 ft. It flowers from March to July; and sometimes, in fine seasons, ripens seed.

b. Stipules not aculeate, and either very small or wanting.

A. diffusa Ker (Bot. Reg., t. 634.), A. prostrata Lodd. (Bot. Cab., t. 631., and our figs. 374, 375.), has the dilated petioles linear, and the branches diffusely procumbent. It is a native of New South Wales, on the Blue Mountains; was introduced in 1818; and flowers from April to June.

A. stricta Willd., Mimosa stricta Bot. Mag., t. 1121., and our figs. 376, 377., is an upright-growing shrub, from the eastern coast of New Holland, flowering from February to May. It was introduced in 1690, and grows to the height of 6 ft.

374

875

376

877

A. laurifolia Willd. (Labill. Nov. Cal., p. 68. t. 68.), Mimosa simplicifolia L., has the dilated petioles obliquely ovate-oblong. It is a native of the Friendly Islands and the New Hebrides, as well as of New Caledonia, where it forms a tree from 20 ft. to 25 ft in height. It was introduced in 1775; but, though a most desirable species for a conservative wall, it is not common in collections.

B. Capitàto-racemosa. Flowers collected in globose Heads; the Heads disposed in Racemes along the axillary Peduncles. Stipules of all the Species nearly obsolete, or, when present, not aculeate. (Don's Mill., ü. p. 404.)

linear; tapering a little at the base, acute, mucronulate, 1-nerved, quite entire; the heads of flowers racemose; and the legumes glaucous from grey powder. The flowers are fragrant, and appear from February to June. This species was introduced in 1790, and grows to the height of 8 ft. or 10 ft.

C. Spicata. Flowers disposed in cylindrical Spikes. Stipules usually wanting, or, when present, small and not aculeate. (Don's Mill., ii. p. 406.)

A. Orýcedrus Sieb. (Bot. Mag., t. 2928.), 4. taxifolia Lodd. (Bot. Cab., t. 1225., and our figs. 382, 383), has the stipules spinose; the dilated petioles scattered, or somewhat verticillate, lanceolate-linear, and

was also much injured; but it had against a wall in the Horticultural

ending in a pungent point. It is
a native of New South Wales, and
grows to the height of 10 ft., flow-
ering from April to July.

A. verticillata Willd. (Bot. Mag., 110., and our fig. 384.) has the dilated petioles linear, and disposed verticillately. It is a well-known 384 species, easily recognised by the figure, a native of Van Diemen's Land,which has been in cultivation in England since 1780, flowering from March till May, and occasionally ripening seeds, even in the open air. A plant of this species in the Horticultural Society's Garden stood out as a standard, with very little protection, from 1832 till January, 1836; when it was killed, or much injured, by the severe frost. It had, however, no protection. One in the same garden, against the wall, no protection in front. A. v. 3 latifolia Dec. has stood out Society's Garden since 1831.

2. Conjugato-pinnatæ.

Sect. Char. Leaves with one pair of pinnæ, each pinna bearing few or many pairs of leaflets. This is an artificial section, composed of a heterogeneous assemblage of species, the most part of which are not well known. (Don's Mill., ii. p. 408.)

A. gummifera Willd. has the pinnæ bearing 6 pairs of linear obtuse leaflets. It is a native of the north of Africa, near Mogador, where it forms a tree of the middle size, and yields the gum Arabic, in common with several other species. It was introduced in 1823. A. coronillafolia Desf. is a tree from the same country, introduced in 1817.

A. pulchella R. Br. (Bot. Cab., t. 212. and our figs. 385, 386.) is a smooth shrub, with the pinnæ bearing 5-7 pairs of oblong-obovate obtuse leaflets, and having its heads of flowers solitary. It is a native of New Holland; was introduced in 1803; and grows to the height of 5 ft. or 6 ft.

A. détinens Burch. (Don's Mill., 2. p. 408.) and A. viridiràmis Burch. (ibid.) are natives of the Cape of Good Hope, which have been some years in British green-houses. They both grow to the height of from

3 ft. to 6 ft., and continue flowering from April to July.

3. Spiciflora.

Sect. Char. Leaves bipinnate, with few or many pairs of pinnæ, each pinna bearing many pairs of leaflets. Flowers disposed in spikes. (Don's Mill., ii. p. 409.)

A. Unarmed Trees or Shrubs.

A. lophantha Willd., Mimosa élegans Bot. Rep., (Bot. Cab., t. 716., and our fig. 387.), is a species in very general cultivation. It will grow to the height of 6 ft. or 8 ft. in 2 or 3 years from the seed, flowering the first year. It was introduced in 1803, from New Holland; and its fine yellow flowers, which are somewhat fragrant, are produced from May to July. There is a plant of it against the wall, in the Horticultural Society's Garden, 10 ft. or 12 ft. high; one at Abbotsbury Castle, Dorsetshire, growing as a standard in the open air, without the slightest protection, which is 40 ft. high, and ripens its seeds freely; and one in the grounds of E. Pendarvis, Esq., at Pendarves, Cornwall, which is 20 ft. high.

B. Prickly or spiny Trees or Shrubs.

A. cafra Willd., Mimosa càfra Thunb., has leaves with 5-10 pairs of pinnæ, each pinna bearing 20-30 pairs of lanceolate-linear leaflets. It is a native of the Cape of Good Hope, introduced in 1800; and forms a tree from 12 ft. to 20 ft. high.

A. álbida Delil. (FL. Egypt. 143., t. 52. f. 3.), the Egyptian thorn, has straight stipular prickles, and leaves with 3-4 pairs of pinnæ, each pinna bearing 9-10 pairs of oblong-linear glaucous leaflets. It is a native of Upper Egypt, where it grows to the height of 20 ft.