Geography, History, &c. The zelkoua is a native of the country lying between the Black and the Caspian Seas, between lat. 35° and 47°, particularly of Imiretta and Mingrelia; of the north of Persia, and of Georgia. It was first described by Pallas, in his Flora Rossica (published in 1784), under the name of Rhamnus carpinifòlius. In 1782, the elder Michaux undertook " a journey into Persia, under the auspices of Monsieur (afterwards Louis XVIII.), in order to make botanical researches. Having left Ispahan, in order to explore the province of Ghilan, he found this tree in the forests which he traversed before arriving at Recht, a town situated on the Caspian Sea. In this town he had opportunities of remarking the use made of the wood, and of judging how highly it was appreciated by the inhabitants." (Michx. sur le Zelkoua, p. 3.) The first tree introduced into Europe appears to have been planted by M. Lemonnier, professor of botany in the Jardin des Plantes, &c., (see p. 140.) in his garden at Montreuil, near Versailles. This garden was destroyed in 1820; and the dimensions of the tree, when it was cut down, will be found in p. 1410. The oldest tree now existing in France is in the Jardin des Plantes, where, in 1831, it was about 60 ft. high. It was planted in 1786 (when a sucker of four years old), about the same time as the lime trees which form the grand avenue called the Allée de Buffon. There is, however, a much larger zelkoua on an estate of M. le Comte de Dijon, an enthusiastic planter of exotic trees, at Podenas, near Nérac, in the department of the Lot et Garonne. This fine tree was planted in 1789; and, on the 20th of January, 1831, it measured nearly 80 ft. high, and the trunk was nearly 3 ft. in diameter at 3 ft. from the ground. A drawing of this tree, made by the count in the autumn of that year, has been kindly lent to us by M. Michaux ; from which fig. 1250. is an engraving, to a scale of 1 in. to 12 ft. There are several other trees of the zelkoua, at Podenas, nearly as large; and some elms planted thirty years before the zelkouas, and measured at the same time, were only a few inches more in size. In England, the zelkoua appears to have been planted at Kew, and at Syon, probably about the year 1760, when it was first introduced. A tree in the former garden is upwards of 50 ft. high; and, in the latter, the tree of this species figured in our last Volume was, in 1835, when the drawing was made, upwards of 54 ft. high. Properties and Uses. Both the sap-wood and the heart-wood of the zelkoua are used as timber. The sap-wood is white, and very elastic, resembling, in many respects, the wood of the ash. The heart-wood, which comprises at least two thirds of the whole, is reddish, and sometimes of a russet brown. This wood, when cut obliquely, resembles that of the robinia, and presents, like it, numerous interlacements of fibres. It is very heavy, and, when dry, becomes so extremely hard, that it is difficult to drive nails into it with a hammer. In the countries where it is abundant, it is employed for the same purposes as oak; and it is found to be even superior to that wood for furniture. Its colour is agreeable; it is finely veined; and its texture is so compact, and its grain so fine, as to render it susceptible of the highest polish. It has, also, the great advantage of never becoming wormeaten, however old it may be. It is remarkably durable as posts, to stand either in water or in the earth. (Michx. Mém. sur le Zelkoua, p. 9. 17.) Propagation and Culture, &c. The zelkoua is generally propagated by grafting on the common elm; but we are told by M. Michaux that M. le Chevalier Gauba, the French consul at Teflis, who is the proprietor of large forests in Imiretta, has had a great quantity of seeds collected, and sent to France, from which young plants have been raised. When grafted, M. Michaux observes that the operation should be performed as near the collar of the stock as possible; when, if the stocks are in a deep fresh soil, the grafts will push shoots of from 6 ft. to 9 ft. long the first season. Statistics. In the environs of London, the largest tree is at Syon, where, in 1834, it was 54 ft. high, the diameter of the trunk 2 ft. 3 in., and of the head 34 ft.; at Kew, it is upwards of 50 ft. high; in the Horticultural Society's Garden, 10 years planted, it is 20 ft. high. (See the plate of this tree in In Rutlandshire, at Belvoir Castle, 4 years planted, it is 10 ft. high. In France, in the Jardin des Plantes, 55 years planted, it is 58 ft. high, the diameter of the trunk 21 in., and of the head 30 ft.; at Scéaux, 30 years planted, it is 50 ft. high; in the Botanic Garden at Rouen, it is, our last Volume.) 40 ft. high; at Podenas (see fig. 1250.), various trees, 50 years planted, are from 70 ft. to 80 ft. high. In Bavaria, in the English Garden at Munich, 16 years planted, it is 12 ft. high. In Italy, at Monza, near Milan, 18 years planted, it is 18 ft. high. Commercial Statistics. In English nurseries, the plants, being little known, are sold for 2s. 6d. each, and upwards; but, if in demand, the price would not be higher than that of grafted elms, or about 1s. each. At Bollwyller, plants are 1 franc 50 cents each. 2. P. GME LINI Michx. Gmelin's Planera. Identification. Michx. Fl. Bor. Amer., 2. p. 248.; Desf. Hist. des Arbres et Arbriss., 2. p. 446. Synonymes. P. ulmifòlia Michx. Arb. Amer., 3. p. 283. t. 7, North Amer. Sylva, 3. p. 100. t. 130., N. Du Ham. Arb., 7. p. 65. t. 21.; P. aquática Willd. Sp. Pl., 4. p. 967., Pursh Fl. Amer. Sept., 1. P115.; Anonymus aquaticus arbor, &c., Walt. Carol., 230. Engravings. Michx. Arb. Amer., t. 7.; North Amer. Sylva, 3. t. 180.; Du Ham. Arb., ed. nov., 7. t. 21.; and our fig. 1251. Spec. Char., &c. Flowers in heads, opening before the leaves are protruded, and borne on branches or branchlets developed in some previous year. Leaf with an obvious petiole, and a disk ovate-acuminate, equal at the base, and serrate. A shrub, or low tree, even in its native country, rarely more than 20 ft. tree, according to Michaux, "is hard, strong, and seemingly proper for various uses." It is, however, not used for any purpose in America; and the tree is so little esteemed, that it has not received any popular name. It was introduced into Britain in 1816, but is rare in collections; though it might be readily multiplied by grafting on the elm. There are plants at Messrs. Loddiges's. The price, in New York, is 1 dollar per plant. ?P. Abelicea Schultes (Rom. et Schult. Syst. Veg., 6. p. 304., the Abelícea of Clusius) is supposed to belong to this genus. It is described by Clusius as being a large upright tree, with a branchy head, roundish deeply serrated leaves, and greenish black fruit, about the size of a grain of pepper. The wood is hard, reddish, and possesses somewhat of the fragrance of sandal wood. It is a native of Crete, on the mountains; but has not yet been introduced. GENUS III. C'E'LTIS Tourn. THE CELTIS, or NETTLE TREE. Lin. Syst. Polygàmia Monce'cia, or Pentándria Digýnia. Identification. Tourn. quoted by T. Nees ab Esenbeck, in his Gen. Pl. Fl. Germ., fasc. 3. t. 4. Synonymes. Lotus of Lobel and other authors; Micocoulier, Fr.; Züngelbaum, Ger. Derivation. The name of Celtis is said to refer to the tree having been known to the ancient Celts; and the appellation of Nettle Tree relates to the similarity of the leaves to those of some kind of nettle (Urtica). Description. Handsome, much branched, deciduous trees, natives of Europe and North America, varying in size and foliage, but all bearing fruit, which is edible, and, though small, is remarkably sweet, and said to be very wholesome. Some of the species, according to Descemet, are very ornamental; particularly C. crassifolia, the branches of which assume the character of a fan; and C. occidentalis, the branches of which droop like a parasol. The wood of C. austràlis is valuable; but that of most of the other species is too weak to be of any use in the arts. The leaves of all the species, like those of all the species of Diospyros, drop off almost simultaneously, and thus occasion very little trouble to the gardener in sweeping them up. Propagated by layers or seeds. Plants, in the London nurseries, are 1s. 6d. each; at Bollwyller, 1 franc; and at New York, 50 cents. 1. C. AUSTRALIS L. The southern Celtis, or European Nettle Tree. Identification. Lin. Sp. Pl., 1478.; Mill. Dict., No. 1.; Willd. Sp. Pl., 4. p. 993.; Du Ham. Arb., ed. nov., 2. p. 34. t. 8.: Lam. Ill., t. 884. f. 1.; Flore Franç., 3. p. 313.; Duby et Dec. Bot. Gallic., 1. p. 421.; Rom. et Schult. Syst. Veg., 6. p. 305.; Wats. Dend. Brit., t. 105. Synonymes. Lotus árbor Lob. Ic., 2. p. 186.; Lotus sive Celtis Cam. Epit., 155.; Lote tree; Micocoulier austral, Micocoulier de Provence, Fabrecoulier, Fabreguier des Provençaux (see N. Du Ham.); Lotu, Ital. Engravings. Cam. Epit., ic.; Lam. Ill., t. 884. f. 1.; Scop. Del. Flor. Insubr., t. 18.; St. Hilaire Livr., 27. t. 7.; Du Ham. Arb., ed. nov., 2. t. 8.; Wats. Dend. Brit., t. 105.; and our fig. 1252. Spec. Char., &c. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, oblong-lanceolate, or acuminate, argutely serrated, unequal at the base, rough on the upper surface; soft, from down, on the under one. Flowers solitary. Fruit black. Indigenous to the south of Europe and the north of Africa (Willd. Sp. Pl., and Rom. et Schult. Syst. Veg.), also to the west of Asia. A tree, growing to the height of 40 ft. Introduced in 1796; flowering in May, and ripening its fruit in October. Variety. Brotero, in his Flora Lusitanica, mentions a variety, with variegated leaves, that was found wild in Portugal. The 1252 Description. A tree, from 30 ft. to 40 ft. high, with a straight trunk and branched head. The branches are long, slender, and flexible, with a grey bark, spotted with white, and covered with a slight down at the extremities. The bark of the trunk is dark brown. leaves are of a dark green, marked strongly with the nerves on the lower side, and, when young, covered with a yellowish down. They are oval-lanceolate, terminating in a point at the summit, and at the base having one side prolonged down the petiole. The flowers are small, greenish, and inconspicuous; and are produced at the same time as the leaves. The fruit, which, when ripe, is blackish, and resembles a very small withered wild cherry, is said not to become edible till the first frost (see N. Du Ham., vol. ii. p. 35.); and it hangs on till the following spring. It is remarkably sweet, and' is supposed to have been the Lotus of the ancients, the food of the Lotophagi; which Herodotus, Dioscorides, and Theophrastus. describe as sweet, pleasant, and wholesome; and which Homer says was so delicious, as to make those who ate it forget their country. (See Odyssey, lib. ix. v. 93.) The berries are still eaten in Spain; and Dr. Walsh says that the modern Greeks are very fond of them. According to Dr. Sibthorpe, they are called, in modern Greek, honey berries. (See Hogg on the Classical Plants of Sicily, in the Journ. of Bot., 2d ser., p. 204.) The tree grows rapidly, more especially when once established, and afterwards cut down; sometimes producing shoots, in the climate of London, 6 ft. or 8 ft. in length. It bears pruning remarkably well, at every age. Its leaves are very seldom touched by insects, either on the Continent or in England; and the Cóssus Lignipérda and Scólytus destructor, which are so injurious to the timber of many other trees, never touch either that of Céltis, that of Plánera Richárdi, or that of Pyrus Sórbus. C. austràlis is found on both the shores of the Mediterranean, throughout the whole of the south of France, Italy, and Spain. It is particularly abundant in Provence; and there is a celebrated tree at Aix, under which it is said that the ancient sovereigns of Provence delivered their edicts to the people. The European nettle tree is much used in the north of Italy and the south of France, for planting squares and public walks, where it is frequently found from 40 ft. to 50 ft. high, with trunks from 13 ft. to 3 ft. in circumference. The wood of this tree is extremely compact; ranking between that of the live oak and that of the box, for hardness and density. According to Baudrillart, it weighs, when dry, 70 lb. 3 oz. per cubic foot. The wood of the branches is elastic, and so extremely supple, that a piece 5 ft. or 6 ft. long, and 1 in. in diameter, may be made into a circle without breaking. Its compactness renders it susceptible of a high polish; and, when it is cut obliquely across the fibres, it very much resembles satin-wood. It is principally used for furniture, and, by the sculptors in wood, for carving into the statues of saints; but it is also employed for making tubs and cisterns, and the branches for hay-forks. These divers uses, says M. De Cubières, "remind one of the verses of La Fontaine, when he makes his carver in wood exclaim, — "Sera-t-il dieu, table, ou cuvette?" "What shall I make of it? ay, that's the rub; The principal use, however, of the nettle tree, in the south of France, is for making hay-forks; for which use the pliability and toughness of its branches render it particularly suitable. Plantations of the tree, for this purpose, are common near Lyons, and in several parts of the south of France; and in the department du Gard there are about seven acres of rocky ground which would be quite useless for any other purpose, but which are planted with nettle trees, from which above 5000 dozens of hay-forks are made every year, producing a yearly revenue of 25,000 francs. The stem of this tree, when cut over by the ground, throws up thick and vigorous shoots, which make excellent handles for coach whips, ramrods to muskets, and walkingsticks, which have almost the flexibility of a supple-jack. When the trees are intended for this purpose, they are planted in masses very close to one another, in order that they may be drawn up, and increase in length rather than in thickness. The inhabitants of Narbonne, and of the department of Aude, cultivate the nettle tree for these purposes, in the very best soil; and the shoots produced form an article of extensive commerce, under the name of bois de Perpignan, furnishing, according to Baudrillart, whip-handles to all the coachmen in Europe. It is also much used for musical instruments, and for the shafts and axletrees of carriages, the poles of sedan chairs, and the naves of wheels. The root is used for dyeing yellow; the bark for tanning; and an oil is expressed from the stones of the fruit. Statistics. In the environs of London, the largest tree is at Mitcham, in the grounds which fermerly belonged to Mr. Dubois; where the trunk is 6 ft. 8 in. in circumference, and the head 50 ft. in diameter. It bears abundance of fruit every year, as noticed, with other particulars, in p. 63. At Kew, there is a tree 40 ft. high; and one at Kenwood, which, in 40 years, has attained the height of 40 ft., with a trunk 1 ft. in diameter. In Dorsetshire, at Melbury Park, 30 years planted, it is 28 ft. high; the diameter of the trunk is 2 ft., and of the head 21 ft. At Coul, in Cromarty, it is 16 ft. high. Near Dublin, at Terenure, it is 10 ft. high. In France, in the Jardin des Plantes, in Paris, 60 years planted, it is 60 ft. high, the diameter of the trunk 1 ft.; in the Botanic Garden at Toulon, 50 years planted, it is 40 ft. high, and the diameter of the trunk 14 ft.; near Montpelier, there is a tree with a trunk 3 ft. 4 in. in diameter. In Italy, at Monza, 100 years old, it is 70 ft. high; the diameter of the trunk 3 ft., and of the head 72 ft. 2. C. (A.) CAUCA'SICA Willd. The Caucasian Celtis, or Nettle Tree. Identification. Willd. Sp. Pl., 4. p. 994.; Poiret in Encycl. Suppl., 3. p. 688.; Rom. et Schult, Syst. Veg., 6. p. 305. Spec. Char., &c. This is very closely akin to C. austràlis; but it differs in its leaves being more ovate, having the acuminate part shorter, and being glabrous, except in so far as is stated below. The leaves of C. caucásica may be described as follows:- Oblong, acuminate, serrate with large teeth, a |