diuretic, cordial, and tonic; and a ratafia is made from it that promotes digestion. The flavour and taste of the fruit being disagreeable to many, it is still but partially cultivated in British gardens, more especially in England. In Scotland it is held in more esteem, on account of the jelly that is made from it being considered a sovereign remedy for sore throats. Properties and Uses. The leaves, the fruit, and the entire plant, especially in a wild state, are considered powerfully diuretic; in Siberia the leaves form a principal ingredient in the drink known as quass; and the berries being fermented with honey, a powerful spirit is distilled from them. The leaves, when young, are put into spirits, so as to give the liquor a brownish tinge like that of brandy. An infusion of the young roots is given to cattle, in Russia, as a febrifuge. The leaves, in a dried state, smell like green tea; and a very small portion of them will communicate that flavour so effectually to black tea, as completely to deceive the taste. In the north of Russia, the berries of both the black and the green varieties are gathered from the woods in large quantities, dried in ovens, or in the sun, and laid up for being used in winter, either medicinally for the quinsy, and other diseases of the throat, or for making tarts. The fruit, whether fresh or dried, is also used in Sweden, and other parts of the north of Europe, as a remedy for sore throats. In England, the principal use of the fruit is for making a jam, or rob, which, like the jelly made in Scotland, is considered excellent for sore throats; but the fruit is seldom used either in tarts or puddings, or for making wine. In Scotland, the jelly is considered to add an excellent flavour to whisky and water. The treatment of the black currant, as a fruit tree, will be found in the Encyclopædia of Gardening, and in the Suburban Gardener. 32. R. (N.) TRI'STE Pall. The sad-coloured, or dark-blossomed, black Currant. Identification. Pall Nov. Act. Pet., 10. p. 378.; Don's Mill., S. p. 189. Spec. Char., &c. Leaves 5-lobed. Branches simple, twiggy, bearing leaves currant. 33. R. (N.) FLO'RIDUM L'Hérit. The flowery black Currant. Identification. L'Hérit. Stirp., 1. p. 4.; Don's Mill., 3. p. 190. Synonymes. R. nigrum, 2. Lin. Sp., 291.; R. pennsylvánicum Lam. Dict., 3. p. 49.; R. recurvàtum Michx. Fl. Bor. Amer., 1. p. 109., according to Torrey; Ribèsium nigrum, &c., Dill. Elth., 2. t. 244. f. 315. Engravings. Dill. Elth., 2. t. 244. f. 315.; Berl., 1. c., t. 2. f. 22.; Schmidt Baum., t. 92.; and our fig. 735. Spec. Char., &c. Leaves full of resinous glands, 3 or 5-lobed, cordate, doubly serrated. Racemes pendulous, pubescent. Bracteas linear, longer than the pedicels. Calyx tubularly campanulate, glabrous: with the segments obtuse, and at length reflexed. Germens and black berries oval-globose, glabrous. This is in many respects nearly allied to R. nigrum; but its more copious and denser flowers, and especially their long bracteas, and more tubular calyxes, will always distinguish it: the solitary pedicel, too, at the base of the flowers, is wanting in this species. Petals oblong, rather erose at the apex; greenish yellow. (Don's Mill., iii. p. 190.) A shrub, growing from 4 ft. to 6 ft. high, and flowering in April and May. Introduced in 1729. We admit the distinct ness of this sort; but, judging from the plants in the Horticultural Society's Garden, and in the arboretum of Messrs. Loddiges, as well as from a very beautiful figure in Schmidt's Baumzucht, we cannot but consider it as a variety, or race, of the black currant; but in this, as in similar cases, we have treated it as a species, in order to leave the reader free to form his own judgment on the subject. We have only indicated our opinion by putting the letter n in parentheses, between the generic and specific names. Varieties. R. (n.) f. 2 grandiflòrum Hort. has the flowers and racemes larger than those of the species. R. (n.) f. 3 parviflorum Hort. has the flowers smaller, and the racemes shorter. 34. R. (N.) INE BRIANS Lindl. The intoxicating black Currant. Identification. Lindl. in Bot. Reg., t. 1471.; Don's Mill., 3. p. 190. Engravings. Bot. Reg., t. 1471.; and our fig. 736. Spec. Char., &c. Leaves roundish, deeply 3-5-lobed, and deeply toothed, truncate at the base, glandular on both surfaces. Petioles pubescent. Peduncles 3 -5-flowered, pendulous. Flowers aggregate. Calyx tubular, glandular, with the segments recurved. Calyx greenish white, with the tube 4 lines long. Leaves smelling like those of R. flóridum. The species was received from Mr. Floy of New York, under the name of the intoxicating currant, but without any other account of its properties. The berries pro 736 bably possess some narcotic quality. (Don's Mill., iii. p. 190.) A native of North America, growing to the height of 3 ft. or 4 ft., and flowering in April. Introduced in 1827. 35. R. CE REUM Dougl. The waxy-leaved black Currant. Identification. Dougl. in Hort. Trans., 7. p. 512.; Bot. Engravings. Bot. Reg., t. 1263. ; and our fig. 737. lobed, serrated, clothed with glandular pu- the specific name. A native of North-west America, on the banks of the Columbia, and its southern tributary streams, from the Great Falls to the Rocky Mountains, in gravelly or sandy soils. A shrub, growing 2 ft. or 3 ft. high, and flowering in April. Introduced in 1827. 36. R. VISCOSI'SSIMUM Pursh. The very clammy black Currant. Identification. Pursh Fl. Amer. Sept., 1. p. 153.; Dougl. in Trans. Hort. Soc., 7. p. 511.; Don's Mill., 3. p. 191. Synonyme. Coreósma viscosissima Spach Ann. des Scien. Nat., 1835. Engraving. Hook. Fl. Bor. Amer., 1. p. 234. t. 74. Spec. Char., &c. Leaves cordate, obtuse, 3-5-lobed, deeply crenated. Viscid and glandular pubescence. Glands on both surfaces. Racemes erect, corymbose. Bracteas linear-obovate, rather shorter than the pedicels, which are clothed with glandular hairs. Calyx tubularly campanulate, with erectly spreading obtuse segments. Germens and fruit ovate-oblong, clothed with viscid hairs. Berries oblong-ovate, black. Flowers large and white. (Don's Mill., iii. p. 191.) A native of North America, on the Rocky Mountains, and in dry plains, in partially shaded places towards the sources of the Columbia; also on the summits of the hills near the Spokan and Kettle Falls, at an elevation of 8000 ft. above the sea. (Dougl. in Hook. Fl. Bor. Amer.) A shrub, attaining the height of from 4 ft. to 8 ft.; producing its flowers in April and May. Introduced in 1826. 66 A very fine and remarkable species." (Hook.) It is somewhat difficult to keep: the only plants we know of it, in the neighbourhood of London, are in the nursery of Mr. Cree, the author of Hortus Addlestonensis, at Addlestone, near Chertsey, in Surrey. 738 37. R. HUDSONIA'NUM Richardson. The Hudson's Bay black Currant. Identification. Richards in Frankl. First Journ., ed. 2. append. p. 6.; Don's Mill., 3. p. 190. Synonyme. R. petiolare Dougl. Hort. Trans., 7. p. 514. Spec. Char., &c. Branches erect. Leaves 3-lobed, quite glabrous above, full of resinous dots beneath, and, as well as the petioles, villous. Germens dotted. Berries globose, glabrous, black. Racemes erect, pubescent. Bracteas short. Segments of the calyx, which is campanulate, spreading. Flowers small. Petals white. The fruit, and peculiar odour of the plants, are those of R. nigrum. (Don's Mill., iii. p. 190.) It is a native of North America, from Hudson's Bay to the Rocky Mountains, in the west, and as far north as lat. 57°, including the mountains of Columbia, about the Kettle Falls. A shrub growing to the height of 3 ft. or 4 ft. Plants of this sort are in the Horticultural Society's Garden. 38. R. GLACIA'LE Wall. The icy black Currant. Identification. Wall. Cat., No. 6833.; Don's Mill., 3. p. 189. Spec. Char., &c. Bracteas smooth. Leaves glabrous above, but with few scattered bristly hairs beneath, cordate at the base, 3-5-lobed at the apex; lobes acute, serrated. Petioles long, serrated at the base. Racemes drooping. Calyx campanulate. Petals longer than the calyx. Flowers white. Berries black. (Don's Mill., iii. p. 189.) A native of Nepal, on Emodi and Gosainthan; growing from 4 ft. to 6 ft. high, and flowering in April and May. Introduced in 1823. There is a plant of it against a wall, in the Horticultural Society's Garden. a. Species or Varieties of Ribes belonging to the Division B of the Section Ribèsia, which have not yet been introduced. R. Biebersteinii Berl. in Dec. Prod., 3. p. 482.; R. caucásicum Bieb. ; has cordate, sharply serrated leaves, having a strong scent, like those of R. nigrum; nodding racemes, minute petals, and black berries. It is a native of Caucasus, and is, probably, only a variety of R. nigrum. R. viscosum Ruiz et Pav. has cordate, 5-lobed, rough, clammy, 5-nerved leaves, and yellow flowers, with small pale purple berries. It is a native of Peru, on rocks. ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM. C. Flowers deep red. Fruit black. PART III. 39. R. SANGUINEUM Pursh. The bloody, or red, flowered, Currant. Identification. Pursh Fl. Amer. Sept., 1. p. 164.; Don's Mill., 3. p. 191. Synonymes. R. malvàceum Smith in Rees's Cycl.; Calobotrya sanguínea Spach. Engravings. Hort. Trans., 7. t. 13.; Bot. Reg., t. 1349.; Swt. FL-Gard., n. s., t. 109.; and our fig. 739. 739 Spec. Char., &c. Leaves cordate, somewhat 5-lobed, serrated, veiny, smoothish above, but clothed with villous tomentum beneath. Racemes drooping, pubescent, twice the length of the leaves. Calyx tubularly campanulate, with oblong, obtuse, spreading segments, exceeding the petals, which are red, and quite entire. Bracteas obovate-spathulate. Berries turbinate, hairy. This is, perhaps, the most ornamental species of the genus, bearing a profusion of large racemes of deep rose-coloured flowers, and is, therefore, well adapted for ornamenting shrubberies and pleasure-grounds. The berries are of a bluish black, and insipid; resembling a bilberry more than either a currant or a gooseberry. (Don's Mill., iii. p. 191.) A native of the north-west coast of America, in abundance, from lat. 38° to 52° N.; usually growing in rocky situations, by the sides of streams. A shrub, 4 ft. to 8 ft. high, flowering in April. Introduced in 1826, and forming by far the most ornamental species of the genus. It is easily propagated, and as hardy as the common black currant. bloom early in the season, forms the most splendid bush to be seen in It flowers profusely; and, coming into British shrubberies, from the middle of April to the middle of May. A great many seeds were sent over by Mr. Douglas, a number of which were distributed by the Horticultural Society; and the plants produced from them have varied in the colour of their flowers, from pale pink to deep red. The plants, also, seed freely in this country; and hence a number of varieties have been originated by nurserymen, independently of R. (s.) malvàceum and R. (s.) glutinosum, which differ from the species, not only in the shades of colour of their flowers, but also in their leaves. The variety I which has the darkest-coloured flowers is R. s. àtro-rùbens. Varieties. R. (s.) 2 glutinosum Benth. Hort. Trans., 2d ser. 1. part 6.; R. augústum Dougl. MS. and our fig. 740., has the foliage destitute of down, and slightly viscous. The racemes are rather larger than in the species, and of a very pale rose-colour. 740 741 R. (s.) 3 malvàceum Benth., 1. c., and our fig. 741., has the leaves rough and hispid on the upper side, and clothed underneath with a whitish cottony down. The racemes of flowers are shorter and closer; and each flower is almost sessile on the common stalk. In colour, the flowers are rather darker than those of R. (s.)glutinòsum, and have more of a lilac tinge. R. s. 4 àtro-rùbens Hort. has the flowers and racemes rather smaller, and of a much deeper and darker red, than those of the species. Plants of this variety, in the Horticultural Society's Garden, when in flower, are strikingly distinct. a. Species or Varieties of Ribes belonging to the Division C of the Section Ribèsia, which have not yet been introduced. 40. R. A`TRO-PURPUREUM Meyer. The dark-purple-flowered Currant. Identification. Meyer in Led. Fl. Ross. Alt. Ill., t. 231.; Fl. Alt., 1. p. 268.; Don's Mill., 3. p. 191. Engraving. Led. Fl. Ross. Alt. Ill., t. 231. Spec. Char., &c. Stem erect. Leaves pubescent, nearly orbicular, cordate, 3-5-lobed; lobes acute, serrated. Racemes drooping. Pedicels exceeding the bracteas. Calyxes campanulate, ciliated. Berries glabrous, and bractless; dark purple, and the size of those of the common currant. (Don's Mill., iii. p. 191.) A native of Altaia, on mountains and subalpine places on the river Ursal; and also at the river Tscharysch. A shrub, growing from 4 ft. to 6 ft. high, and producing its flowers in April and May. Varieties. R. a. 1.- Flowers deep purple. Leaves rather; pubescent beneath, but smooth and glabrous above, as well as the branches. R. a. 2. — Leaves rather pubescent beneath, but hispid from bristles above, as well as the petioles and stems. Found near the river Volschoi Ulegumen. R. a. 3.- Flowers paler. Leaves pubescent above, but most so below. Branches smooth. § iv. Symphócalyx Dec. Derivation. From sumphuō, to grow together, and kalux; in reference to the sepals of the calyx of the species belonging to this section. Sect. Char. The calyxes tubular, and yellow. The racemes many-flowered. 41. R. AUʼREUM Pursh. The golden-flowered Currant. Spec. Char., &c. Quite glabrous. Leaves three-lobed. 742 soils, from the Great Falls of the Columbia River, to the mountains, and on the southern branches. A shrub, growing 6 ft. or 8 ft. high; flowering in April and May. Introduced in 1812. Varieties. R. a. 1 præ cox Lindl. in Hort. Trans., R. a. 2 villosum Dec. Prod., iii. p. 483.; R. a. 3 serótinum Lindl., 1. c.; and our |