iv. Stems unarmed, round.

15. S. LANCEOLATA L. The lanceolate-leaved Smilax. Identification. Lin. Sp. Pl., 1460.; Willd. Sp. Pl., 4. p. 783.; Lour. Coch., 683.; Ait. Hort. Kew., ed. 2., 5. p. 390.; Pursh FL Amer. Sept., 1. p. 250. Synonyme. S. non spinòsa, &c., Cat. Car.

Engraving. Catesb. Car., 2. t. 84.

Spec. Char., &c. Stem unarmed, round. Leaves unarmed, lanceolate. (Willd.) A climbing shrub, with a short, very branchy stem, and smooth, entire, 3-nerved leaves, and red berries. Catesby found this species in Carolina, hanging from the branches of lofty trees, to which it had attached itself. The leaves are long, narrowed at both ends, thick, stiff, and shining, with a very conspicuous rib down the middle. They are alternate at very considerable distances. The flowers, which are of a greenish white, are produced at the ends of the branches, in small tufts; and are succeeded by globular, mucilaginous, red berries, each containing one very hard round stone. These berries serve as food for birds. It is a native of Virginia, Carolina, and Cochin-China; in which last country it was discovered by Loureiro; and it was introduced from America in 1785, by Mr. William Young.

16. S. VIRGINIA'NA Mill. The Virginian Smilax. Identification. Mill. Dict., No. 9.; Mart. Mill., No. 20.; Lodd. Cat., ed. 1836. Engraving. Pluk. Phyt., t. 110. f. 4.

Spec. Char., &c. Stem prickly, angular. minate. (Mill.) This species is somewhat open ground at Messrs. Loddiges's.

Leaves lanceolate, unarmed, acutender; but there are plants in the

17. S. PU BERA Willd. The downy Smilax. Identification. Willd. Sp. Pl., 4.; Ait. Hort. Kew., ed. 2., 5. p. 390.; Pursh Fl. Amer. Sept., 1. p. 250. Synonyme. S. pumila Walt. Car., 244.

Spec. Char., &c. Stem unarmed, round. Leaves oblong, acute, cordate, indistinctly 5-nerved; soft and pubescent beneath. Berries oblong, acute. (Willd.) A climbing shrub, a native of North America. Introduced in 1806, by Mr. John Lyon, who found it in shady woods in Carolina and Georgia. According to Walter, the berries are white. We have not seen the plant.

App. i. Kinds of Smilax which are either not introduced, or of which we have not seen the Plants.

S. ovata Pursh Fl. Amer. Sept., 1. p. 249., has the stem subarmed; the leaves smooth, ovate, 3-nerved, and very shining on both sides; berries black. A native of Georgia, near Savannah, flower. ing in July.

S. álba Pursh, 1. c., p. 250. Stem subarmed, slightly angular; leaves 3-nerved, lanceolate, coriaceous, glabrous; berries white. Found by Walter, in sandy ground on the edge of rivulets, in Carolina; flowering in June.

S. pandurata Pursh, 1. c., p. 251. smooth and shining on both sides. flowering in July.

Stem prickly; leaves ovate, fiddle-shaped, acuminate, 3-nerved;
Found by Pursh, in sandy woods, from New Jersey to Carolina;

S. nigra W. and S. catalónica Poir. are natives of Spain, from which country they were brought to England in 1817. The first is probably a black-berried variety of S. áspera.

S. hórrida Desf. is a native of North America, introduced in 1820.

S. glauca Walt. is a native of North America, introduced in 1811; and is probably a variety of S. Sarsaparilla.

S. alpina W. is a native of Greece, introduced in 1820.

CHAP. CXVI.

OF THE HARDY AND HALF-HARDY LIGNEOUS PLANTS BELONGING TO THE ORDER LILIA CEÆ.

THE only genera containing hardy ligneous plants, in the order Liliàceæ, belong to the section Asparageæ, and are as follows:

ASPARAGUS L. Corolla six-parted, erect; the three inner petals reflexed at the tip. Berries 3-celled, 2-seeded.-Suffruticose plants, climbing and erect. Natives of Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Ru'scus L. Flowers unisexual. - Male. Calyx 6 sepals. Corolla none. Nectary central, oval, and perforated at the apex.-Female. Calyx, corolla, and nectary like those of the male. Style 1. Berry 3-celled. Seeds 2.-Evergreen shrubs, with inconspicuous flowers, which are borne on the leaves. Natives of Europe and Africa. YU'CCA L. Corolla bell-shaped and spreading. Style none. Capsules 3celled.-Aloe-like shrubs,, with very long, lanceolate, sharp-pointed leaves, and tall spikes of bell-shaped flowers. Natives of North and South America.

GENUS I.

ASPARAGUS L. THE ASPARAGUS. Lin. Syst. Hexándria Monogynia. Identification. Lin. Gen., No. 424.; Reich., 457.; Schreb., 573.; Tourn., 154.; Gærtn., 16.; Juss., 41.; Ait. Hort. Kew., ed. 2., 5. p. 273.; Mart. Mill.

Synonymes. Sarmentàccæ, part of, Juss., Nees von Esenbeck; Asperges, Fr.; Spargel, Ger.; Coralcruyt; Dutch; Sperage, Old English; Corruda, Span.

Derivation. According to some, from a, not, and sparassō, to tear; from the prickles not being very strong: or from asper, rough, and gustus, a taste; in allusion to the common asparagus being rough, and yet eaten as food. Gerard says that the Latins used the word asparagi to signify the young shoots or sprouts of any plant; and that this was applied to asparagus, because it is only the young shoots of the common asparagus that are eaten. Coral-cruyt signifies coral-wort, from the corallike appearance of the berries.

Description, &c. Slender-stemmed suffruticose plants; natives of Europe and Africa, not remarkable for beauty. All the species grow freely in deep dry sandy soil, at the base of a wall with a southern exposure; and they are propagated by division of the root. They are seldom met with, except in botanic gardens.

1. A. SCANDENS Willd. The climbing Asparagus. Identification. Willd. Sp. Pl., 2. p. 152.; Ait. Hort. Kew., ed. 2., 2. p. 273.

Spec. Char., &c. Stem unarmed, twining. Leaves lanceolate and sickleshaped. (Willd.) A suffruticose, climbing, evergreen shrub; a native of the Cape of Good Hope. Introduced by Mr. Fr. Masson, in 1795. There is a plant against the conservative wall in the Horticultural Society's Garden, which was planted out in 1831.

2. A. A'LBUS L. The white Asparagus.

Identification. Lin. Sp. Pl., 449.; Reich., 2. 70.; Raii Hist., 684, 685.; Mart. Mill., No. 7.; Ait. Hort. Kew., 2. p. 279.; Lodd. Cat., 1836.

Synonymes. A. spinosus, &c, Park, Theat., p. 455. ; A. sylvéstris, &c., Ger. Emac., p. 1611.; Corrùda tértia Clus. Hist., 2. p. 178.; Wild Thong Sperage.

Engravings. Park. Theat., p. 455. f. 5.; Ger. Emac., 1111. f. 5.

Spec. Char., &c. Prickles solitary. Branches angular, flexuose. Leaves fascicled, triquetrous, awnless. (Willd.) Stems shrubby, 3 ft. or 4 ft. high, with very white bark, and armed with strong thorns, which are single, and come out just below each tuft of leaves. The stems continue several years, and put out many branches, with short narrow leaves; and these continue green all the winter, if the plants are screened from severe frost. It is a native of Spain and Portugal, but has been long in cultivation in British gardens. According to Gerard, it is mentioned by Belon in his Singularities, &c., lib. i. cap. 18., as growing in Candy; that is, Candia. Parkinson, in 1640, first mentions its being cultivated in Britain. He calls it the " asparagus with cruell sharpe thornes," and says that it grows " in rough uneven places, very plentiful about Lishborne, in the common wayes, and by the river Tagus, and in many other places, both in Spain and Portugall, and in Candy like

wise; but it will hardly endure our cold climate." Messrs. Loddiges's.

There are plants at

■ 3. A. APHY'LLUS. The leafless, or prickled Asparagus. Identification. Lin. Sp. Pl, 450.; Reich., 2. 70.; Mart. Mill., No. 10.; Ait. Hort. Kew., No. 11. Synonymes. Corrùda altera Clus. Hist., 2. p. 178.; A. petræ`a, Prickly Roche Asparagus, Park. Theat. Engraving. Park. Theat., 454. £. 4.

Spec. Char., &c. Stem regular, shrubby. Leaves or spines awl-shaped, diverging. (Willd.) A shrub, with many weak irregular shoots, which have no leaves, but, instead of them, are armed with short stiff spines, in fascicles of 4 or 5 together, and spreading out from each other every way. The flowers are small, and greenish; and the berries, which are larger than those of the common sort, are black when ripe. A native of the south of Europe. Introduced in 1640. We observed it, in 1819, common in the hedges by the road sides, in various parts of Tuscany.

Variety.

A. a. 2 créticus fruticosus, &c., Tourn. Inst., i. 273.
ligneous than the species.

Somewhat more

4. A. (A.) ACUTIFO`LIUS L. The acute-leaved Asparagus.

Identification. Lin. Sp., 449.; Reich., 2. 70.; Mart. Mill., No. 8.; Ait. Hort. Kew., ed. 2., 2. p. 275. Synonymes. A. Corrùda Scop. Carn., No. 417., Vill. Dauph., 2. p. 275.; 4. fòl, acutis Bauh. Pin., 490.; A. sylvestris Cam. Epit., 260., Matth., 349.; A. petræus Ger. Emac., 1110., Raii Hist., 683.; Corrùda 1. Clus. Hist., 2. 177., Bauh. Pin. Hist., 3. 726.

Spec. Char., &c. Stem unarmed, angular, shrubby Leaves needle-shaped, rather rigid, perennial, mucronate, equal. (Willd.) This species has crooked shrubby stems, with white bark, which rise 4 ft. or 5 ft. high, but have no spines on them; the leaves come out in clusters, like those of the larch they are very short, and in sharp prickles. Scopoli thinks that this may be the same as Linnæus's A. aphyllus; what are above called leaves, being, in fact, only spines, which are con sidered by botanists as abortive shoots. It is a native of Spain and Portugal, and was cultivated before 1759, by Miller. We have not seen the plant.

5. A. HORRIDUS L.

The horrid-spined Asparagus.

Identification. Lin. Syst., 333.; Reich., 2. 70., Supp., 203.; Mart. Mill., No. 9.
Synonyme. A. hispánica Tourn. Inst., 300.

Spec. Char., &c. Stem shrubby, five-cornered. Prickles four-cornered, compressed, striated. The spines of this plant are said to be 2 in. or 3 in. in length, whence the name. It is a twining shrub, and was introduced in 1800. We have not seen the plant.

GENUS 11.

RU'SCUS L. THE BUTCHER'S BROOM. Lin. Syst. Dice'cia Triándria. Identification. Lin. Gen., 534.; Juss., 42.; Fl. Br., 1073.; Tourn., t. 15.; Lam., t. 815.; Gærtn.,

t. 16.

Synonymes. Fragon, Fr.; Mäusedorn, Ger.

Derivation. It is said to have been anciently called Bruscus, from beur, box, and kelem, holly (Celtic), box holly; or from buxus, box. Some suppose it to be derived from russus, flesh-coloured; alluding to the colour of the fruit. The word ruscus was, however, applied to any prickly plant by the ancient Romans, as ruscus sylvestris, the holly, &c.

Description, &c. Though, in a practical point of view, the species in British gardens are treated as evergreen shrubs, yet, in a strict sense, they are biennial plants, like the raspberry and the bramble. Popularly, they are evergreen undershrubs, and one a climber. They have stiff sharp-pointed leaves, on which the flowers and fruit of the plant are produced, except in R. racemòsus. Natives of Britain and other parts of Europe, and of Africa. Soil and culture the same as those of Smilax and Asparagus. Though the berry contains the rudiments of several seeds, they are generally all abortive but one. Sphæria atrovirens and S. Rúsci Fr. are occasionally found upon the different species of this genus.

1. R. ACULEATUS L. The prickly, or common, Butcher's Broom. Identification. Lin. Sp. Pl., 1474.; Willd. Sp. Pl., 4. p. 874.; Fl. Br., p. 1073.; Eng. Bot., t. 560.; Hook. Scot., p. 288.; Woodv. Suppl., t. 237.; Mill Illust., t. 96.; Bull. Fr., t. 243.; Engl. FL, 4. p. 235.; Hook. Br. Fl., p. 481.; Lindl. Synop., p. 270.; Mart. Mill, No. 1.; Ait. Hort. Kew, ed. 2., 5. p. 420.; Desf. Hist. des Arb., &c., 1. p. 11.; Lodd. Cat., ed. 1836; Bon Jard., ed. 1837. Synonymes. Ruscus, No. 1238., Hall. Hist., 2. p. 116., Raii Syn., 262., Trag. Hist., p. 919., Matth. Valgr., 2. p. 555., Cam. Epit., p. 935., Bauh. Hist., 1. p. 579., Bauh. Pin., 470.; Myrtacántha Lob. Ic., 657.; R. f. Brúscus Ger. Emac., p. 907.; R. myrtifolius aculeatus Tourn. Inst., Shaw Afric, No. 518., Du Ham. Arb., 2. 236. t. 57.; Rúscus Dod. Pempt., 744.; Box Holly, Knee Holly, wild Myrtle, prickly Pettigree; Houx Frelon, petit Houx, Buis piquant, Fragon épineux, Fragon piquant, Fr.; Stechender Mäusedorn, Ger.

Engravings. Woodv. Suppl., t. 237.; Mill. Illust., t. 96.; Bull. Tr., t. 243.; Lob. Ic., 637.; Eng. Bot., t. 560.; and our fig. 2387.

Spec. Char., &c. Leaves ovate, sharp-pointed, flowering on the upper side, without a leaflet. (Smith.) An evergreen suffrutescent plant, a native of Britain; flowering in March and April, and ripening its berries in the beginning of winter.

Varieties.

R. a. 2 rotundifolius Barrel. Ic., 517., Mart. Mill.; R. vulgàris fòlio ampliore Dill. Elth., 333., 334. t. 251. f. 324.; has the leaves somewhat larger and rounder than those of the species.

■ R. a. 3 láxus Smith; R. láxus Lodd. Cat., ed. 1836. - Mr. Fairbairn, gardener to the Company of Apothecaries at Chelsea, presented to the Linnæan Society, in 1796, a specimen of Rúscus which had been long in cultivation in the garden under his care, but had till then been overlooked. The leaves were elliptic, acute at both ends, and the branches loose. From the last circumstance, Sir James Edward Smith gave it the name of R. láxus. (See Lin. Trans., iii. p. 334.; and Eng. Fl., iv. p. 235.) R. flexuòsus Mill. No. 6., Professor Martyn thinks, is probably this variety.

Description, &c. Suffruticose plants, with tough, stiff, round, green, striated stems, from 1 ft. 6 in. to 3 ft. in height, sending out from the sides many short branches. The stems do not flower till the second year; after which they die down to the ground, like those of the raspberry, and some species of Smilax and Asparagus. The leaves are a continuation of the branches; equally firm, and equally durable, as they never drop off, but die along with the branch, or frond. The leaves are numerous, and of the same size and shape as those of the myrtle, but very stiff, and ending in short prickly points: they are alternate, about in. long, and in. broad near the base; ovate, quite entire, and sessile. From the middle of the leaf above, comes out a single flower, on a very short pedicel: it is small and yellowish-green, or purplish. When it first appears, which is about March or April, it is of the size and shape of a small pin's head; and, when it is fully expanded, which is in May or June, it is composed of three outer sepals, which are widish, and three narrower sepals, which are within the others, and are like rays ending in a narrow point: the last three some botanists consider as petals. The roots are thick, fleshy, white, branching at the crown, and afterwards twining about each other, and putting out frequent fibres, like those of the asparagus; oblique, and striking deep into the ground. The circumstance of the flower being produced on the leaf, without any apparent stalk, is so remarkable, that it has led some botanists to suppose that the leaves are, in fact, only expanded branches, or, rather, footstalks to the flowers. According to Woodward, as quoted by Professor Martyn, " the flower does not properly grow out of the leaf, but on a pedicel springing from the bosom of the leaf, which is immersed beneath the outer coat, whence it may with ease be dissected." The female flowers are succeeded by bright red berries, which are almost as large as wild cherries, and of a sweetish taste; having two large orange-coloured seeds in

2387

each, gibbous on one side, flat on the other, and extremely hard. It is a native of Europe, but not of the more northern parts. It is also found in Asia and Africa. In England, it is common in woods and hedges, in Norfolk, Suffolk, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Essex, and Middlesex. It is often found in the neighbourhood of London, and was formerly abundant on Hampstead Heath, and at Norwood in Surrey. It has also been discovered in Cambridgeshire, in the New Forest in Hampshire, and in Kent. It is rare in Scotland, but has been found in Bothwell Woods near Glasgow, and in Sheldon Woods near Ayr. It is not found in Ireland. It is very common in Italy, where it is frequently made into besoms; and the hucksters, both in Italy and Germany, place boughs of it round their bacon and cheese, to defend them from mice; whence, perhaps, the German name of mäusedorn. It is also used in Brittany, to make little brooms, or scrubbing-brushes, to clean the inside of the kitchen utensils. In England, the green shoots are cut, bound in bundles, and sold to the butcher's for sweeping their blocks; whence the popular English name of butcher's broom. It is also used, in London, by the manufacturers of cigars, &c., for sprinkling the saline liquor over the tobacco leaves. The tender young shoots, in spring, are sometimes gathered and eaten by the poor, both in England and France, like those of asparagus; and the branches, with ripe fruit on them, were formerly stuck up in sand, with the stalks of the common peony and wild iris (Iris fœtidíssima), full of their ripe seeds, which altogether made a show in rooms during winter. Planted under trees or shrubs, the Rúscus aculeatus will spread into large clumps; and, as it retains its leaves all the winter, it has a good effect as a low undergrowth, more especially as it will live in situations so shady as to be unfit for almost any other plant. The root is of a bitterish taste, and was formerly much used in medicine as an aperient and diuretic, particularly in cases of dropsy.

2. R. HYPOPHY'LLUM L. The under-leaf Ruscus, or broad-leaved Butcher's Broom.

Identification. Lin. Sp., 1474.; Reich., 4. 284.; Desf. Atlan., 374.; Hist. des Arb., &c., 1. p. 11. ; Mart. Mill., No. 2.; Willd. Sp. Pl., 4. p. 879.; Ait. Hort., ed. 2., 5. p. 420.

Synonymes. R. latifolius, &c., Tourn., Inst., 79.; Laúrus alexandrina Lob. Adv., &c., 509., Bauh. Hist., Raii Hist., 663. 2.; L. a. Chamadaphne Col., &c., 1. par. 1. p. 364. f. 1.; L. a. genuina Park. Theat., 700. 1.; L. Chamadaphne vèra Dioscóridis, Park. Theat., 700. 2.; L. a. áltera Matth. 841., Tourn. Ic., 862.; L. a. vera Clus. Hist., 278., Rai Hist., 663. 3.; Fragon sans Foliole, Fr.; breitblättriger Mäusedorn, Ger.

Engravings. Tourn. Ic.; Colum. Ic.; Bot. Mag., 2040.; and our fig. 2388.

Spec. Char., &c. Flowers produced underneath the leaves. (Willd.) The roots of this species have large knotty heads, with

long thick fibres, like those of the preceding kind. The stalks are tough and flexible, rising about 2 ft. high. Leaves stiff, ovate-oblong, ending in points; more than 2 in. long, and almost 1 in. broad; placed alternately. The flowers, which appear in May and June, are small and inconspicuous, and are produced on the under surface of the leaf, close to the midrib; the female flowers being succeeded by small red berries, about the size of those of the common juniper. The stems die down the second year, like those of the preceding species. It is a native of Italy and Africa, and was cultivated in 1683, by Mr. James Sutherland. There are plants at Messrs. Loddiges's.

Variety.

R. h. 2 trifoliatum, R. trifoliatus Mill. No. 5., has ovate-acuminate leaves, placed by threes, and flowers on their upper sides. It is a native of Zante, and some other of the Greek islands, where it grows about 2 ft. high.

3. R. (H.) HYPOGLO'SSUM L. The Under-tongue Ruscus, or doubleleaved Butcher's Broom.

Identification. Lin. Sp., 1474.; Scop. Carn., 1231.; Desf. Atlan., 374.; Mart. Mill., 3.; Willd. Sp. Pl., 4. p. 875.; Alt. Hort. Kew., 5. p. 421.; Lodd. Cat., ed. 1836.