In the neighbourhood of London, the elder tree is much encouraged in the hedges of market-gardens, and in places that could not be profitably occupied by other fruit trees. There are also fields or orchards planted with the elder in different parts of Kent, entirely for the sake of its fruit, which is brought regularly to market, and sold in immense quantities for making wine. The price of these berries is from 4s. to 6s. a bushel; and the wine made from them is much drunk in cold weather, in London, by artisans, &c., mulled, as a cordial. It is also frequently brought to table hot, with strips of toasted bread, in farm-houses, after supper, during the winter. The poetical allusions to this tree nearly all relate to mournful subjects, as it was considered by the ancients to be emblematical of death and sorrow; probably, because it was said to produce a narcotic stupor in those who slept beneath its shade, and sometimes to occasion death. It was also once supposed to be the tree Judas hanged himself on. (See p. 658.) Soil, Situation, &c. The elder will not thrive except in a good soil, kept somewhat moist; and it will not flower and fruit abundantly, unless the situation be open, and fully exposed to the light and air. The plant roots so readily from cuttings and truncheons, that, where the soil is tolerably moist, a plantation may be made at once, by the use of the latter, instead of employing rooted plants. Statistics. In the environs of London, there are some old elder trees in the orchards of farmhouses, and in the hedges of market-gardens; but we do not recollect to have seen any above 25 ft. high. In Kensington Gardens, and also at Purser's Cross, are trees upwards of 30 ft. high. In the Horticultural Society's Garden, there are plants which, in 10 years, have reached the height of 30 ft. In Pembrokeshire, at Golden Grove, a tree, 30 years planted, is 25 ft. high. In Rutlandshire, at Belvoir Castle, one, 25 years planted, is 24 ft. high. In Scotland, in Haddingtonshire, at Tynningham, a tree, 100 years planted, is 18 ft. high, the diameter of the trunk 10 in., and of the head 27 ft. In Fifeshire, in Danibristle Park, 12 years planted, it is 12 ft., and the diameter of the trunk 6 in. In Ireland, in Fermanagh, at Florence Court, 40 years planted, it is 50 ft. high, the diameter of the trunk 2 ft. 4 in., and of the head 30 ft. In Galway, at Cool, there is a tree 28 ft. high, the diameter of the trunk 1 ft., and of the head 22 ft. 2. S. CANADE'NSIS L. The Canadian Elder. Identification. Lin. Sp., 385.; Don's Mill., 3. p. 426.; Lodd. Cat., ed. 1836. Engravings. Schmidt Baum., 2. t. 142.; and our fig. 776. Spec. Char., &c. Frutescent. Leaves pinnate or sub-pinnate. Leaflets about 4 pairs, and an odd one; oblong, oval, stiffish, acuminated, more or less pubescent beneath, sometimes appendiculated at the base. Cymes of 5 main branches. Flowers said to be almost scentless. Berries deep bluish black. (Don's Mill., iii. p. 436.) A native of North America, from Canada to Carolina, in swamps and near hedges; and throughout Canada, as far as the Saskatchawan; where it forms a shrub, growing from 4 ft. to 6 ft. high. It was introduced in 1761, and flowers from July till August. It is not uncommon in collections; where it forms a bush, in foliage resembling the common elder, but it is less hardy, and never assumes any thing of a tree character. From the suffruticose character of the branches, and the comparative tenderness of the plant, it is only fit for dug shrubberies in favourable situations. a. Species of Sambucus belonging to this Subdivision, not yet introduced. S. palmensis Link (Don's Mill., 3. p. 437.) is a native of the Island of Palma, in the Canaries, and a species of which very little is known. Smericana Presl, S. subalpina Cham. et Schlecht., is a native of Mexico, with a suffruticose stem, and leaves rather hairy beneath. S. peruviana H. B. et Kunth, S. suaveolens Willd., has an arboreous stem, with white flowers and black berries, like those of the common elder, of which it may possibly be only a variety. It is a na tive of Peru, on the Andes, in cultivated places, at the elevation of 4000 ft., where it grows from 12 ft. to 20 ft. high. Identification. Lin. Sp., 386.; Don's Mill., 3. p. 438.; Lodd. Cat., ed. 1836. Spec. Char., &c. Shrubby. Leaves pinnate. Pe- Leaflets 5, membranous, oblong, acuminated, serrated, unequal at the base. tioles glabrous. Panicle ovate. pale green, pretty smooth. Flowers of a whitish green colour. Fruit red or scarlet when ripe. (Don's Mill., iii. p. 438.) A native of the middle and south of Europe and Siberia, on the mountains; where it forms a large shrub, or low tree, growing from 10 ft. to 12 ft. high. It was introduced in 1596, and flowers in April and May. This tree has a splendid appearance when covered with its panicles of fine, large, scarlet fruit. Captain S. E. Cook, who found it in abundance in Spain, informs us that the panicles of fruit resemble miniature bunches of grapes of the most brilliant scarlet; and that, when in perfection, he thinks it the most beautiful wild fruit he has ever seen. Its large leaves, with their deeply serrated pinnæ, are also very ornamental. It grows as freely as the common elder, and deserves a place in every collection; though it is very seldom found, in British gardens, of such a size as to display its beauty. We should think it would succeed if budded on the common elder; and, as that species is abundant in many places, plants might be trained to a single stem, and budded with S. racemòsa, standard high. Price of plants, in the London nurseries, 1s. 6d. each; and at Bollwyller, 50 cents. Variety. 777 S. r. 2 laciniata Koch in Dec. Fl. Fr. Supp., p. 3000.- Leaflets jagged. A native of the 4. S. (R.) PU'BENS Michx. The downy Elder. Identification. Michx. Fl. Bor. Amer., 1. p. 181.; Don's Mill., 3. p. 438. Synonymes. S. racemòsa Hook. Fl. Bor. Amer., 1. p. 279., but not of Lin.; S. pubescens Lodd. Cat. Spec. Char., &c. Shrubby. Leaves pinnate. Leaflets 5, membranous, ovatelanceolate or oblong, acuminated, serrated, pubescent, but chiefly on the under side. Panicle thyrsoid. Berries red. Flowers whitish. Closely resembling S. racemòsa, of which it is probably a variety. (Don's Mill., iii. p. 438.) It is a native from Carolina to Canada, on the highest mountains, as far as the Saskatchawan. There are plants in the Horticultural Society's Garden, and in the arboretum of the Messrs. Loddiges. Variety. S. (r.) p. 2 heptaphylla. — Leaves larger than those of the species. Leaflets 7. Sir W. J. Hooker received specimens from the Rocky Mountains, and more especially from the Pacific, remarkable for the great size and length of their leaflets; and for there being almost constantly seven upon each rachis: but he says, "I do not find that these, or the eastern state of the plant, can in any way be distinguished from the European S. racemosa." (Fl. Bor. Amer., i. p. 579.) It is a native of North America, on the east side of the Rocky Mountains, and on the shores of the Columbia, near Fort Vancouver, and at its confluence with the sea. C. Leaves bipinnate. S. ebulöides Desf., Don's Mill., 3. p. 438.; Phyteùma bipinnata Lour.; is a native of China, with suffruticose stems, white flowers, and perforated 3-celled fruit. Neither it, nor the following species, have yet been introduced. S. phyteumoides Dec. Prod., 4. p. 323.; Phyteuma cochinchinensis Lour; has suffruticose stems, and leaflets serrated and wrinkled, with small 1-seeded berries. Three other species are described in Don's Miller, as natives of China and Japan, but requiring to be examined into, as it is not certain that they belong to the genus. GENUS II. VIBURNUM L. THE VIBURNUM. Lin. Syst. Pentandria Trigýnia. Identification. Lin. Gen., p. 370.; Gært. Fruct., 1. t. 27.; Adans. Fam., 2. p. 501.; Schkuhr. Handb., t. 81.; Dec. Prod., 4. p. 323.; Don's Mill., 3. p. 438. Synonymes. O'pulus, Vibúrnum, and Tinus, Tourn. Inst., p. 607. t. 376. and 377.; Viburnum and O'pulus, Moench Meth., p. 505. Derivation. According to Vaillant, the word Viburnum is derived from the Latin word vico, to tie; on account of the pliability of the branches of some species. Viburna, in the plural, appears to have been applied by the ancients to any shrubs that were used for binding or tying. Description, &c. Shrubs. Leaves opposite, petiolate. Corymbs of flowers terminal. Flowers usually white, but sometimes verging to rose colour. Natives of Europe, and of part of Asia; of easy culture and propagation in British gardens. V. Lantana, V. O'pulus, and V. Tinus are supposed to have been known to the Greeks and Romans. Virgil mentions the viburnum, and contrasts it with the tall cypress; but it is uncertain to what species he alludes. The genus was divided by Tournefort into three genera: Vibúrnum, Tìnus, and O'pulus, which form our three sections. §i. Tinus Tourn. Synonymes. Lentàgo Dec. Prod., 4. p. 324.; Vibúrnum Manch Meth., p. 505. Sect. Char., &c. stigmas 3 sessile. Leaves quite entire, or toothed, style almost wanting; 1. V. TINUS L. The Laurustinus. Identification. Lin. Sp., 383.; Dec. Prod., 4. p. 324.; Don's Mill., 3. p. 438.; Lodd. Cat. ed. 1836. Synonymes. V. lauriforme Lam. Fl. Fr., 3. p. 363.; Tinus Tourn. Inst., p. 607. t. 377.; Tinus laurifolia Borkh. in Rom. Arch., 1. pt. 2. p. 20.; the Laurestine, wild Baie Tree, Gerard; Viorne, Laurier, Tin, Fr.; Lorbeerartiger Schneeball, or Schwalkenstrauch, Ger. Derivation. Laurustinus is from laurus, a laurel, and tinus, the Latin name of the plant; the word laurus being added by old authors, from the supposition that this shrub belonged to the same family as the Laúrus nóbilis, or sweet bay. Lorbeerartiger is laurel-like. Engravings. N. Du Ham., 2. t. 37.; Bot. Mag., t. 38.; Spec. Char., &c. Leaves ovate-oblong, quite entire, permanent; having the ramifications of the veins beneath, as well as the branchlets, furnished with glandular hairs. Corymbs flat. Flowers white, but rose-coloured before expansion, and sometimes afterwards for a little time. Berries dark blue. (Don's Mill., iii. p. 438.) A native of the south of Europe, and north of Africa; where it is a shrub, growing from 8 ft. to 10 ft. high. It was introduced in 1596; and, in the neighbourhood of London, continues flowering from December till March. Varieties. V. T. 2 hírta Ait. Hort. Kew., ii. p. 166.; V. Tìnus Mill. Dict., No. 4., Clus. Hist., i. p. 49. No. 1.; V. lùcidum Mill., Pers., and Schultes, Clus. Hist., i. p. 49. No. ii.- Leaves oval-oblong, hairy beneath and on the margins. The flowers of this variety appear in autumn, and continue on the shrub all the winter. A native of Portugal and Spain, and the vicinity of Nice. This is very distinct, from the comparative roundness of its leaves, and the hairiness both of the leaves and branches. V. T. 3 lucida Ait., 1. c. Leaves ovate-oblong, glabrous on both surfaces, shining. The cymes, as well as the flowers and leaves, are larger than those of the common sort, and seldom appear till the spring. When the winters are sharp, the flowers are killed, and never open unless they are sheltered. This is quite a distinct variety, with fewer and more spreading branches than the common kind, and much larger leaves, which are shining. There is a subvariety of it with leaves more or less variegated with white. It is a native about Algiers, and on Mount Atlas. A plant of this variety, at Balruddery, the seat of the Earl of Meath, near Bray, was, in 1825, 10 ft. high, and 120 ft. in circumference. (Dub. Phil. Journ,, i. p. 438.) V. T. 4 virgata Ait., 1. c., Clus. Hist., No. iii., with a fig. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, pilose on the margins, as well as on the under surface. It is a native of Italy, about Rome and Tivoli, &c. V. T. 5 stricta Hort. has a somewhat erect and fastigiate habit. There is a handsome plant of this variety in the Horticultural Society's Garden, which, in 1835, was 6 ft. high. There is also a variegated subvariety. Description, &c. The laurustinus, in its different varieties, forms tufted truly evergreen shrubs, prolific in flowers; and in airy situations on dry soils, where they have room to attain a large size, they become the most conspicuous ornaments of British gardens during winter and early spring. They do not thrive well in the smoke of cities; nevertheless they are to be seen nowhere finer than in the front gardens of small villas, from 5 to 20 miles from the metropolis; where they are in flower from November till April, and sometimes also during April, May, and June. Its blossoms are white, and so abundant as to give a gay appearance to the plants even in midwinter, an effect which is greatly heightened by the lively shining green of the foliage, and by the varied and picturesque forms of the compact tufting of the branches. These plants are admirably adapted for forming flower-garden hedges, and for varying the low iron palisades, pales, or brick walls, which separate the front gardens of street and suburban houses. The leaves, however, in these cases, should be removed as soon as they fall; as, when they dry, they have a remarkably fetid odour. In its native country, the laurustinus is invariably found in dry soils of some depth and substance; and it does not appear that it delights in the shade of other trees, like the common laurel, the holly, and the box. In British nurseries, it is frequently, for expedition's sake, increased by layers; but all the varieties are readily propagated by cuttings, taken off in autumn, and planted in a sandy soil, on a northern border. In two years, these cuttings will form saleable plants of the smallest size. The variety V. T. lucida, being somewhat more difficult to strike than the others, is generally increased by layers. Price of plants, in the London nurseries, from 6d. to 1s. each; at Bollwyller, from 50 cents to 2 francs. A. Half-hardy Species of Viburnum belonging to the Section Tinus. V. rugosum Pers., V. Tinus var. stricta Ait., V. strictum Link, V. rígidum Vent., (Bot. Reg., t. 376.; Bot. Cab., t. 859. and our fig. 779.) is a frame shrub very like V. Tinus, but differing in the leaves, which are longer and hairy all over. It is a native of the Canaries; and was introduced in 1795; flowering from De cember to March. Trained against a wall, it grows to the height of 6 ft., and requires little or no protection. ii. Viburnum Tourn. Synonymes. Lentàgo Dec. Prod., 4. p. 424.; Vibúrnum Moench Meth., p. 505. Sect. Char., &c. Leaves deciduous. All the flowers fertile, and equal in shape and size, except in V. lantanöides. Corolla rotate. Fruit oval. 2. V. LENTA GO L. The Lentago, or pliant-branched, Viburnum. Identification. Lin. Sp., p. 384.; Dec. Prod., 4. p. 325.; Don's Mill., 3. p. 440.; Lodd. Cat., ed. 1836. Synonymes. Tree Viburnum, Canada Viburnum; Viorne à Rameaux pendans, Viorne luisante, Fr. ; Birn Blätteriger Schneeball, Ger. ; Canadische Schwalkenbeer Strauch, Schwalken Strauch, Hayne Engravings. Wats. Dend. Brit., t. 21.; Schmidt Baum., 3. t. 176., ex Roem. et Schultes Syst., 6. p. 637.; our fig. 780.; and the plate in Vol. II. Spec. Char., &c. Leaves broad-ovate, acuminated, sharply serrated, glabrous. Petioles with narrow curled margins. Corymbs terminal, sessile. Flowers white. Fruit black. Serratures of leaves hooked a little, and somewhat cartilaginous. (Don's Mill., iii. p. 440.) A native of North America, from New England to Carolina, among hedges and on the borders of woods; and found throughout Canada to the Saskatchawan; forming a shrub from 6 ft. to 10 ft. high. It was introduced in 1761, and flowers in July. In British gardens, it forms a robust shrub, or a handsome small tree, flowering freely, and producing abundance of fruit, which is greedily eaten by birds; and, from the smallness of its size, and other properties, this species is a very desirable one for the pleasure-grounds of small suburban gardens. It is propagated by layers, or by seeds; and the two following sorts appear to us to be nothing more than varieties of it. Price of plants, in the London nurseries, ls. 6d. each; at Bollwyller, 1 franc; and at New York, 25 cents. 3. V. (L.) PRUNIFOLIUM L. The Plum-tree-leaved Viburnum. Identification. Lin. Sp., 383.; Dec. Prod., 4. p. 325.; Don's Mill., 3. p. 440.; Lodd. Cat., ed. 1836. Synonyme. V. Lentàgo Du Roi. Engravings. Wats. Dend. Brit., t. 23.; Pluk. Alm., t. 46. f. 2.; N. Du Ham., 2. t. 38. ; and the plate of this species in Vol. II. Spec. Char., &c. Leaves roundish-obovate and oval, glabrous, rather membranous, crenately serrated, ending in a short acumen. Petioles marginate, glabrous. Cymes sessile. Berries ovate or roundish. Flowers white, as in the rest of the species. Berries dark blue. (Don's Mill., iii. p. 440.) It is a native of North America, from New England to Carolina, in hedges and fields; and also of Canada, about Lake Huron; where it forms a shrub, growing to the height of 8 ft. or 10 ft. It was introduced in 1731, and produces its flowers in May and June. In British gardens, it is generally a large shrub, or, when trained to a single stem, a very handsome small tree, of considerable durability. Price of plants as in V. Lentàgo; and imported American seeds are 1s. per packet. 4. V. (L.) PYRIFOLIUM Poir. The Pear-tree-leaved Viburnum. Identification. Poir. Dict., 5. p. 658.; Dec. Prod., 4. p. 325.; Don's Mill., S. p. 440.; Lod. Cat., 1836. Engravings. Dend, Brit., t. 22. ; and our figs. 781. and 782. Spec. Char., &c. Leaves ovate, acutish, glabrous, subserrated. Petioles smooth. Corymbs somewhat pedunculate. Flowers white. Berries ovate-oblong and black. 781 Resembles the preceding species, but is 5. V. (L.) NU 'DUM L. The naked-corymbed Viburnum. Identification. Lin. Sp., 383.; Dec. Prod., 4. p. 325.; Don's Mill., 3. p. 440.; Lodd. Cat., ed. 1836. Synonyme. V. pyrifolium Poir. Engravings. Wats. Dend. Brit., t. 20.; Mill. Icon., 274.; and our fig. 783. Spec. Char., &c. Leaves oval-oblong, angular at the base, bluntish, with revolute obsoletely crenulated margins, quite glabrous. Petioles beset with scale-like scurf or down. Corymbs pedunculate, not involucrate. Flowers whitish. Berries globose, black, or dark blue. (Don's Mill., iii. p. 440.). |