Commercial Statistics. Price of plants, in the London nurseries, ls. 6d. each, and seeds 6s. a quart; at Bollwyller, 2 francs; and at New York,

25 cents.

7. L. (B.) DIOSPY'RUS Pers. The Diospyrus-like Laurel, or Bay. Identification. Pers. Syn., 1. p. 450.; Bot. Mag., t. 1470.; where Dr. Sims states that Persoon's epithet, Diospy rus, is an abbreviation of Michaux's one of diospyröldes. Synonymes. L. Euósinus Diospyrus Nutt. Gen., 1. p. 259. ; L. diospyröldes Michx. Fl. Bor. Amer., 1. p. 243. ; ? L. melissæfolia Walt. Fl. Car., 134. Dr. Sims Bot. Mag., t. 1470.) states that he has not much doubt that the L. melissæfolia Walter is identical with this species; and he adds that Mr. Fraser, who was the friend of Walter, and editor of his work, always considered it as such, and has remarked that "the leaves are not at all like those of the balm; but it was, probably, the scent, not the form, that suggested the appellation."

Engravings. Bot. Mag., t. 1470.; and our fig. 1172.

Spec. Char., &c. Habit low, surculose, twiggy. Leaves oblong-oval and entire, the under side veiny and pubescent, deciduous. Flower buds and pedicels villous. Sexes dioecious. Fruit large. (Nutt. Gen., i. p. 259.) A running twiggy shrub, 2 ft. or 3 ft. high, in its native swamps, in Virginia and Carolina; introduced in 1810. Leaves opaque, oblong-oval, attenuated towards the base, entire, the under side veiny and pubescent, deciduous. Scales of the buds purple, villous. Younger branches villous. Sexes dioecious. Flower buds and pedicels villous. Flowers disposed in sessile umbeled groups, 3-5 in a group. Perfect stamens 9. Gland-like bodies large, orange yellow. Fruit larger than that of L. Benzoin, oblong-ovate, scarlet, upon thick and distinct pedicels Cotyledons large, thick, oily, attached by near their base to the remainder of the embryo. (Nutt. Gen., i. p. 259.) It is what may be deemed the male sex that is represented in Bot. Mag., t. 1470., and our fig. 1172.; and in the text of the Bot. Mag. is the following interesting information by Dr. Sims, on the structure of its flowers. There were 9 perfect stamens, and an imperfect ovary; and 6 glands on short pedicels, resembling so many little yellow mushrooms, with a warty pileus: the anthers had 2 cells each. (Bot. Mag.) L. Pseudo-Benzoin Michx. is supposed by Dr. Sims (Bot. Mag., t. 1471.) to be either identical with, or a slight variation from, this species. The only plant which we have seen bearing the name of L. Diospyrus is at White Knights, where it so closely resembles L. Benzoin, as to leave no doubt in our mind that Dr. Sims's conjecture was right.

8. L. (B.) ESTIVALIS L. The summer Laurel, or Willow-leaved Bay. Identification. Lin. Sp., 529.; Syst., 384.; Mart. Mill, No. 24.; Willd. Sp. Pl., 2. p. 485. Synonymes. L. enérvia Mill. Dict., No. 8.; L. Euósmus æstivalis Nutt. Gen., 1. p. 259. ; Pond bush, Amer.; Sommer Lorbeer, Ger.

Engraving. Catesb. Car., 2. t. 28.

Spec. Char., &c. Leaves oblong-acuminate, entire, glabrous, veiny, deciduous. Flowers in umbels. Sexes polygamous. (Nutt. Gen., i. p. 259.) Dr. Sims has noted, incidentally, in the Bot. Mag., t. 1470., that there are two different specimens of the L. æstivàlis in the Banksian herbarium; that one of them, the flowering specimen from Jacquin's herbarium, is evidently a specimen of the L. geniculata Bot. Mag., t. 1471.; and that the other, in the leaves, is similar to the L. Diospyrus Bot. Mag., t. 1470. Farther, Dr. Sims has noted, t. 1471., that it is not easy to say to which species L. æstivàlis really belongs, and that if Linnæus had meant the character of supra-axillary branches to describe that the buds are produced below the branches, and not in the axils of them, it is as applicable to the allied L. Diospyrus and L. geniculata. (Bot. Mag., t. 1470.) A shrub, about 6 ft. or 8 ft. high, a native of Virginia, in the swamps which intersect the pine barrens. Introduced in 1775. There was a plant in the Horticultural Society's Garden, some years ago, which is since dead.

9. L. GENICULATA Michx. The knee-flexed-branched Laurel, or Bay. Identification. Michx. Fl. Bor. Amer., 1. p. 244.; Pers. Synops., 1. p. 450.; Walt. Fl. Car., p. 133. ; Pursh Fl. Amer. Sept., 1. p. 276.; Bot. Mag., t. 1471.

Synonymes. L. Euósmus geniculata Nutt. Gen., 1. p. 259. ; L. æstivalis Willd. Sp. Pl., 2. p. 484., according to Pursh.

Engravings. Bot. Mag., t. 1471.; and our fig. 1173.

Spec. Char., &c. Branches divaricate and flexuous. Leaves cuneate-oblong, mostly obtuse, about 1 in. long, in many instances less than half an inch wide, entire, glabrous, except upon the under side near the base. Flowers in terminal small umbels, that are upon con

spicuous footstalks and smooth. Anthers unequally 4-celled. Sexes polygamous. (Nutt. Gen.,i. p. 259.) Nuttall adds that this kind grows from 8 ft. to 12 ft. high, and that the branches are flexuous, grey, smooth, and so remarkably divaricated as to give a characteristic appearance to the pods which they border; and that its native localities are, invariably, sandy swamps, and the margins of lagoons, from Virginia to Florida. Dr. Sims has noted that the zigzag direction and deep colour of the branches distinguish the L. geniculata at first sight; and that he could not perceive in its bark any of the aromatic scent so remarkable in most of the genus, and which is so clearly perceptible in L. Benzoin. Pursh states that the flowers are yellow, and the berries globose and scarlet. We received a plant of this species from Bartram's Botanic Garden, in 1831: it appeared very distinct; but, owing to the crowded state of our garden, and the want of moisture, it died in the summer of 1834. Price of plants, at New York, 1 dollar.

App. I. Half-hardy Species of Lauracea.

Cinnamomum Camphora Swt. Laurus Camphora L., the Camphor tree, (N. Du Ham, 2. t. 35.; Bot. Mag., t. 2658 and our fig.1174.) is a native of Japan, and other parts of Eastern India, where it grows to the height of the European lime tree. and makes a fine appearance, from its glossy

shining leaves. The wood is white, with reddish waxy leaves, and the odour of camphor is exhaled from it, and from every other part of the plant. Camphor, and camphor oil, are well known medicines, which are obtained from this tree. Camphor is considered one of the principal diaphoretics, and is of a particularly subtile and penetrating

nature, quickly diffusing itself through the whole human frame. It is used in a great variety of medical preparations. Camphor is obtained from the tree by splitting the wood into small pieces, and distilling it with water in an iron retort, covered with an earthen or wooden pot, in the hollow of which hay or straw is placed, to which the camphor adheres as it rises with the steam of the water. It is at first of a brownish white, and in very small particles, but, after being redistilled, it is compressed into the lumps which we see in the shops. The camphor used in Europe is chiefly imported from Japan. Camphor oil is obtained by making an incision in the trunk of the tree, and inserting a small tube of reed, through which the sap exudes, from which the oil is obtained by skimming In British gardens the camphor tree is commonly kept in green-houses or cold-pits; and we have no doubt whatever, that, with a moderate degree of protection, it would live against a conservative wall, C. verum Swt.; Laúrus Cinnamomum L.; L. Cássia Bot. Mag., 1636.; and our fig. 1175.; the

cinnamon tree, is a native of the Island of Ceylon, and other parts of the East; and it has been introduced into South America, and the Isle of France, where it is cultivated for the bark. It is commonly considered as a stove plant, but it has ripened seeds in the conservatory of M Boursault, at Paris, from which young plants have been raised, in 1827, 1828, and 1829, and these plants have stood the winter in the open air there for several years, with very little protection. It well deserves a trial, therefore, against a conservative wall, in British gardens.

C. Cássia D. Don; Laúrus Cássia L.; L. Cinnamomum Bot. Rep.; Persea Cássia Spr.; the Wild Cinnamon, Bot. Rep., t. 596., which is a native of Ceylon, where it grows to the height of 50ft. or 60 ft., with large spreading branches, is thought to be nothing more than C. vèrum in a wild state.

Other ligneous plants belonging to this order, natives of Japan, Mexico, the Cape of Good Hope, and of New South Wales, and usually kept in green-houses, will be found enumerated in our Hortus Britannicus. Most of them, we have no doubt, could make a much better appearance against a flued conservative wall, than ever they can do in a house.

CHAP. XCIV.

OF THE HALF-HARDY LIGNEOUS PLANTS BELONGING TO THE ORDER PROTEA CEE.

ALL the plants of this order are ligneous; and, with very few exceptions, are natives of Australia, and the Cape of Good Hope. Many species have been introduced, belonging to upwards of SO 1176

genera; and, doubtless, there are a great number of these, particularly the natives of New Holland, which would stand the winters of the climate of London against a conservative wall.

Banksia littoralis R. Br. is a native of New Holland, where it forms

a bush 8 ft. high, A plant stood against a wall in the Horticultural Society's Garden, from 1832 till it was killed by the severe spring of

1836.

B. oblongifolia Cav., Bot. Cab., 241., stood out with us at Bayswater for four years, but was killed in the spring of 1836.

Grevillea rosmarinifolia Cun. (fig. 1176.) is a very elegant plant, a native of New South Wales, where it grows to the height of 4 ft. or 5 ft. A plant has stood out in front of the stove at Kew, since 1826, flowering freely every year.

G. acuminata R. Br. (figs. 1177, 1178.) is also a native of New South Wales, and is considered equally hardy with G. rosmarinifolia.

Hakea aciculàris R. Br., Vent. Malm., S.; H. suaveolens R. Br. ; and H. pugioniformis R. Br., Bot. Cab., $53., and our fig.1179.; have stood out in the Horticultural Society's Garden since 1832.

It is probable that most of the species belonging to this order are equally hardy with those above enumerated; and we should have no hesitation in asserting that, against a flued wall, with straw hurdles to be set against it during severe weather, and taken off for an hour or more every fine day, all the Proteàce might be exhibited in the climate of London in greater vigour and beauty than they are in their native country. This may be thought a bold assertion; but, as it holds good in the case of Erica and Pelargonium, we see no reason why, if the same care were applied, the same should not follow in the case of all the plants of this very interesting order.

1179

CHAP. XCV.

OF THE HARDY LIGNEOUS PLANTS OF THE ORDER THYMELA CEE. THESE belong to two genera, Dáphne L. and Dírca L., which have the following characters:

Ovary

DAPHNE L. Calyx inferior, somewhat salver-shaped; in most, of some other colour than that of the leaves, and, from its shape and colour, resembling a corolla: segments of its limb 4, deep, ovate, or oblong, imbricate in æstivation. Stamens 8, in two rows; the filaments with but a short part distinct from the tube of the calyx; the anthers not prominent beyond it. solitary. Ovule solitary, pendulous. Style very short. Stigma capitate. Fruit an ovate carpel, pulpy externally. Seed 1, pendulous. Shrubs. Inner bark silky. Most of the kinds evergreen. Leaves entire, in most alternate; if not alternate, opposite. Flowers terminal or axillary, mostly in groups, highly fragrant. The whole plant, in most, perhaps in all, intensely acrid and dangerous. (Smith Eng. Flora; Lindl. Nat. Syst.; Brown Prod., and observation.)

DIRCA L. Calyx inferior, funnel-shaped, ending in 4 (Du Hamel has stated in the "essential character" 5) unequal teeth: it is of a pale yellow colour, and hence, and from its figure, resembles a corolla. Stamens 8, arising from the middle of the calyx, and prominent beyond its tip, unequal. Ovary solitary. Style thread-shaped, extending a little beyond the stamens. Stigma a simple point. Fruit a dry carpel. Seed 1, pendulous. D. palustris L. is the only species described; and is a low shrub, that has upright branches, a very tough bark, and flowers 3 together. (Du Ham., Bot. Reg., Lindl. N. S., and observation.)

GENUS I.

DA'PHNE L. THE DAPHNE. Lin. Syst. Octándria Monogýnia. Identification. Lin. Gen., 192.; Juss. Gen. Pl., 77.; Lam. Ill., t. 290.; Smith Eng. Flora, 2. p. 228. Synonyme. Thymela'a Tourn. Inst., t. 366., Gartn., t. 39.

Derivation. Daphne is asserted by Lindley, and some other botanists, to have been the Greek name of the Ruscus racemosus, or Alexandrian laurel, into which it is fabled that Daphne was changed. "Why the name has been applied to the shrubs now called Daphne, it is not easy to say." (Lindl. Bot. Reg., t. 1177.) It is stated in Rees's Cyclopædia, under Laúrus, that L. nóbilis "is certainly the Daphne of Dioscorides, and, consequently, the classical laurel. It is still called by the same name among the modern Greeks;" this is also the popular belief (See St. Pierre's E'tudes de la Nature, Lempriere's Class. Dict., &c. &c.) Supposing the Daphne to have been the Laúrus nóbilis, or bay tree, it is easy to account for its being applied to this genus, the D. Mezèreum being formerly called the dwarf bay in England; and nearly all the species retaining the names of laureole and laureola in France and Italy.

Description, &c. Undershrubs, evergreen and deciduous, natives chiefly of Europe, but partly also of the cooler parts of Asia, including Japan and China. The odour of some of the species is very agreeable; and the bark of all of them is acrid. They are all beautiful, and rather difficult to propagate, except by seeds. The price of plants, in the London nurseries, is from 1s. to 2s. 6d. for all the sorts, except D. Mezèreum, and D. Laurèola, which are 6d. each.

A. Leaves deciduous.

≈ 1. D. MEZE`REUM L. The Mezereon Daphne, or common Mezereon. Identification. Lin. Sp. Pl., p. 509.; Willd. Sp. Pl, 2. p. 415.; Mill. Dict., n. 2.; Smith Eng. Flora, 2. p. 228.; Lodd. Cat., ed. 1836.

Synonymes. Spurge Olive, Spurge Flax; Flowering Spurge, Parkinson; Dwarf Bay, Gerard; Laureole femelle, Bois gentil, Mézèreon, Bois joli, Fr.; gemeiner Seidelbast, or Kellerbalz, Ger.; Peperachtige Daphne, Dutch; Laureola femina, Biondella, Camelia, Ital.'; Laureola hembra, Span.

Derivation. Mezereum and Mezereon are said to be derived from madzaryon, the Persian name for this shrub.

Engravings. Eng. Bot., t. 1381.; Ed. Fl. Dan., t. 268.; and our fig. 1180.

Spec. Char., &c. Leaves lanceolate, deciduous. Flowers distributed over the branches in threes mostly, and in pairs and fours, expanded before the leaves are protruded. A native of the woods of northern Europe. (Willd., Smith, and obs.) Found in woods, but rare, in the south and west of

England; growing to the height of 4 ft., and flowering in February, March, or April. Varieties.

D. M. 2 flore albo has white flowers and yellow fruit.

D. M. 3 autumnale. - This is a remarkably distinct variety, not fastigiate in its mode of growth, but spreading; also with larger leaves than the species, and producing its flowers in autumn. These are very seldom succeeded by fruit, as might be expected from the season at which they are produced. It is a most desirable shrub, being commonly covered with its gay pinkish blossoms from November to March. It is rare in the nurseries about London; and is principally propagated by the Messrs. Backhouse of York.

Description, &c. The mezereon is a well-known shrub, much valued in our gardens and shrubberies for the beauty both of its flowers and fruit. It produces its agreeably fragrant flowers in February or March, before the leaves; when, as Cowper has beautifully expressed it, its branches are

"Though leafless, well attired, and thick beset

With blushing wreaths, investing every spray." Task, book v.

The whole shrub is poisonous to human beings, though the berries are a favourite food for finches, and other birds, more especially the robin. The bark is powerfully acrid: it is used in France for forming setons or slight blisters, and is very efficacious in cases where it is thought desirable to produce a slight serous discharge, without raising a large blister. When either the bark or berries are chewed, they produce violent and long-continued heat and irritation in the mouth and throat. The mezereon is sometimes used in medicine; but it requires to be administered by a skilful hand. When the berries have been eaten by children or others, accidentally, the best remedies are oil, fresh butter, linseed tea, milk, or some other kind of emollient, to allay the violence of the inflammation. The branches of this plant afford a yellow dye. The mezereon is of very easy culture. It is generally propagated by seeds; which, if suffered to get dry before they are sown, will remain two years in the soil; but which, if sown in autumn immediately after gathering them, generally come up the following spring. The best time for transplanting this shrub is in October, as it begins to vegetate very soon after Christmas. It thrives most in a loamy soil, and in an open situation; and, when it is properly treated, and has room, it will in 8 or 10 years form a bush 5 ft. or 6 ft. high, and 7 ft. or 8 ft. in diameter. There is a plant in the arboretum of Messrs. Loddiges, 6 ft. high. Price of plants, in the London nurseries, 50s. a hundred; and of the autumn-flowering variety, 1s. 6d. a plant at Bollwyller, 50 cents a plant: and at New York, 20 cents, and of the white-flowered variety, 50 cents.

2. D. ALTA'ICA Pall. The Altaic Daphne.

Identification. Pall. Fl. Ross., 1. p. 58. t. 35.; Willd. Sp. Pl., 2. p. 422.; Sims in Bot. Mag., t. 1875.; Lodd. Cat., ed. 1836.

Synonymes. Daphné altaique, Laureole de Tartarie, Fr.; Sibirischer Seidelbast, Ger. Engravings. Pall. Fl. Ross., 1. t. 35.; Bot. Mag., t. 1875.; Bot. Cab., t. 399.; and our fig. 1181. Spec. Char., &c. Leaves obovate-lanceolate, glabrous. Flowers sessile, in terminal umbels, about 5 in an umbel. (Sims in Bot. Mag., t. 1875.) Bark reddish brown in colour. Leaves oblong, broader towards the upper extremity, and narrowed downwards, of a somewhat glaucous and yellowish green, the latter colour prevailing most while they are young. Flowers white, and scentless; produced in May and June. Lobes of