The leayes are broad, ovate, and angular, and the fruit is

produced in clustered racemes upon the trunk and old limbs. The figs are sweet and delicate.

The Common Fig (Ficus carica) was originally found in the eastern and western regions of the Mediterranean. It was introduced and has been cultivated in Europe from the most ancient times. They are frequently found growing almost spontaneously in the South of France. Generally growing as a shrub, the Fig can also be found as a tree of four or five feet in height. The leaves vary in form on the same plant. They generally present from three to seven unequal and obtuse lobes. The flowers are unisexual, and placed upon the internal walls of a common receptacle, pierced at the vertex with a small orifice, that protects a large number of imbricated bracts. The male flowers have a calyx composed of three sepals, with three stamens opposed to them, and bilocular anthers that open from within by two longitudinal clefts. The female flowers have a calyx formed of five sepals, and a pistil composed of an upper ovarium, surmounted by a style, that divides itself into two stigmated branches. This ovarium is unilocular, and encloses only one ovule. The fruit ot the botanists (that generally known to the world) is a thick, fleshy, and succulent receptacle, that constitutes the Fig. The fruit we ‘Say, then, is an achenium; and the grain contains under these integuments a fleshy albumen, in which is a recurving embryo. The Arrocarracex, or Bread-fruit tribes, abound in the warmer parts of the world, and many of them are natives of the tropics. They bear so close a resemblance to the Nettle tribes (Urtica), that botanists find it. difficult to separate them by any _ well-defined characteristics. Their chief characters are a very tmpertectly-formed calyx, no corolla, leaves with inconspicuous stipules, a rough foliage, and an acrid milky juice which often contains caoutchouc; the flowers are collected round the head, and the ovules suspended singly from the upper part of the oe Their milk, which is always acrid, acquires properties 0 uf tree (Antiaris) which render them intensely poisonous; that oF can bestance must, therefore, be entirely absent before the fruit whicheaten with safety. This applies even to the Common Fig, in its immature state, when milky, is acrid and unwholesome peebut as the milk disappears, its place is supplied by sugar, and the

The same is probably the case and delicious. becomes wholesome with all the Bread-fruits. would seem to be an inverted Fig. The trees The Bread-fruit size, large rough leaves, stipules like considerable have “stems of ones disposed in stamen-bearing flowers, the the fig, monecious ones in round heads, pistil-bearing spikes, the long club-shaped receptacle round which the fruit become the solid which afterwards receptacle is to the Fig, in which the contradistinction ripens, in -Artocarpus incisa, the Bread of the South- internal and fleshy. Sea Islands, is green, and equal in size to the larger melons. One the fruit free from spines on the surface or seeds variety produces internally;others split into deep lobes, or are covered all over fleshy tops of the calyx. The nuts when with the sharp-pointed principally for roasted are said to taste like chestnuts; but it is the fleshy receptacle that it is valued, and this when roasted becomes soft, tender, and white, and not unlike the crumb of bread when eaten new. half-fabulous poison (Antiaris toxicaria), the The Uvas-rrex tree of Java, was said to be a large tree growing in the midst of a and causing qualities, pestiferous by its own produced desert death to every other plant and animal which came under its influence. To approach the tree for the purpose of wounding its off its juice, was said to be the task of criminals carrying stem and of truth in the fable. There is a measure to death. condemned internally, is in Java, and its juice, taken Upas-tree There is the is a tract of land where and there animal; to any death Speedy circumstances can exist; but the two_ neither plant nor animal The poisoned tract is the crater of a volcano, have no connection. continually—a spot where not even Which emits carbonic acid gas is one of the Artocar- Upas-tree can grow. The the Upas-tree in milky juice, and this juice, as we have abounds pacee, which said, is like many of its congeners, a deadly poison when mingled With the blood. The Prangs (Platanus) are exogenous trees, or shrubs, with palmate deciduous leaves, toothed and stipulate, unisexual naked flowers, in globose catkins, the barren flowers with single stamens mixed with scales. The fertile flowers with one-celled ovary, thick and awl-shaped style. The Oriental Plane (P. orientalis)

is a tree of noble growth, in many respects resembling the Sycamore, with its large palmate leaves. Its wood is fine-grained and hard, and when old it acquires dark veins, somewhat resembling Walnut-tree. P. occidentalis ranges from Mexico to Canada. The Plane-tree is one of the largest trees of temperate regions. Pliny relates that in his time there existed a celebrated Plane-tree in Lycia, the hollow trunk of which formed a kind of grotto, measuring 90 feet in circumference. Its branching arms resembl a little forest; the branches composing it covered an immense ‘space of ground. The hollow of the trunk was carpeted with moss, which gave it still more the appearance of a natural grotto. Licinius Mercianus, the Roman governor of Lycia, gave @ feast in this grotto to eighteen guests. Pliny mentions another Plane-tree which the Emperor Caligula found in the neighbourhood of Velitria, the branches of which were so disposed as to form ‘7 grotto of natural verdure, in which the Emperor dined; fifteen persons. Although the Emperor occupied a part of the tree alone, the guests were all quite at their ease, and the ain were able to perform their offices with perfect convenience. ~

AtCaphyas, inArcadia, eight hundred years after the Trojan War, 4 an old Plane-tree was shown bearing the name of Menelaus a on its bark. It was then said that this prince planted it himself be-: fore his departure for the seat of war. It is also related of the chief of men, Agamemnon, that he planted a Plane-tree at Delphos, we was seen many centuries after the death of the hero. These Asser: tions are probably fabulous; but what makes recitals of this kind somewhat credible, is the fact that, at the present time, ae © trees of an age and dimensions quite extraordinary still exist0the. East. De Candolle, in his “Physiologie Végétale,” records 1° statement of a modern traveller in the East, to the effect, that B 2 the valley of Bussekdere, three leagues from Constantinople, ee the trunk of which was ee 100 feet in height, exists a Plane-tree feet in circumference. The trunk presented an excavation 80 _in cireumference. Its shadow extended over 500 squat’ f: Plate X. is a representation of the Plane-tree of Bujukdere, ae celebrated tree all over the East, although the documents W: would determine its exact age are wanting.

Plate X.—Plane Tree (Platanus orientalis).

TheUrticaland the Euphorbal groups, ranging from the seventy-third to the ninety-fourth natural order in Dr. Lindiey’s system, form the most remarkable tribes in the whole vegetable world. We have briefly traced the history of the Urticaces, and their con- Bread-fruit-tree, the Hemp-plant, thegeners, which include the Mulberry, Fig, and the Plane-trees; the Euphorbias include the strangely-shaped Pitcher-plants. We haveCrowberries, and the seen side by side with these plants, so useful to man, the caustic Upas-tree, and the deadlyStinging Nettle of our own climate, many other plants distinguished by their dangerous properties at some stage of their existence. from the Urtical distinguishable The Evrnorsats are chiefly tribes by their compound consolidated pistil, which exhibits a more complex organisation than the other. They are diclinous Exogens, with scattered flowers, having two floral envelopes, consolidated carpels, ‘axial placente, and large embryo, in many with abundant albumen, but sometimes without. The Euphorbias number no less than two thousand -species, three-eighths of which are natives of intertropical America, sometimes forming trees, bushes, leafless, succu- they are deformed, occasionallyand even weeds; lent plants, resembling the Indian Figs in appearance, but alto-many of them aregether different from them in properties; medicinal, as Ricinus communis, the Castor Oil-plant, and the Crotons.

amentaceousi see are Euapho Exogens, with un om Seteanatropal pages ee Be superioroSieee coriaceous XCI. Scepaceze. aves,and mnns stipules forming the scales of the buds. They{are natives RE

The Starwi ded an ae Euphorbials, with definite suspen’ bik tropal ovules superiorradicle;Howerunisexual, axillary, solitary, and XCII, Callitrichaces. minute, destitute of ¢ yx, and al

The Crowberries arenye xbreePa ak heath-like leaves, without pe a and minute flowers in their axils; they are Arctic plants slightly {XCIII. Empetracez.

, or half shrubbyplants, the stem‘conn Pitcher-plants are herbaceous. bearing both leaves and eal their leaves assume.a most singular develop- XCIV. Nepenthaces. ment, which gives rise to hollow organs—the pitcher.

The Pitcher-plants (Nepenthes) are placed here for the excellent reason that no place more suitable could be found for them. With certain insignificant resemblances to the tribe,

they possess other characteristics which are without parallel. The dilated foliaceous petiole, with its pitcher-shaped termination, and its articulated lid-like lamina, are among the curiosities of the vegetable world. (Fig. 382.)

Fig. 362.—Pitcher Piants. Nepenthes phyllamphora. The petiole P @ p leaves the - at a, and spreads into a flat leafy member, P; it then contrac! and again into a wiry petiole, as a, which performs a revolution,

expands into a hollow pitcher-like organ, p. The lid of the pitcher is the lamina of the leaf, which is articulated with. the pitcher. The pitcher is supposed to be formed by the two margins of a flattened petiole, technically a phyllode. ‘The petiole,’ says Mr. Dresser, “leaves the stem in the form of a flattened leaf, which, after expanding laterally, again contracts, and is continued in the form of a long tendril-like organ, the summit of which becomes hollowed and dilated, and thus forms the body of the pitcher upon the extremity of which the lamina appears as the lid of the vegetable jug.”

QUERNALS.

A sub-division of diclinous Exogens, which comprehends the Oak, the Beech, the Walnut-trees, and some others of the temperate zone. Their unisexual flowers are aments, or catkins, with monochlamydous envelope, an inferior fruit, with Almond-shaped embryo without albumen.

f ir apetalous entary calyx, fruit enclosed in a husk or cup, and nut containing one cell and XCV. Corylacez. The the Oaks, the Haze’; _ the Chestnuts, the Lithocarpus or Stone Oak of Java, among others ie Fi ocera, said to exceed Araucaria in size.

Oak-like Exogens, having a one-celled ovary and one solitary erect } ovule, are trees with a watery orresinous juice; th hiefly American, | a few India: e,is a |XCVI. Juglandacez. Dative ofBPersa, Tne Seinen (aveokkmsctionprotuces an che t and valuable timber. The Engelhartdiasare very numerous.

The Hazen (Corylus avellana) is a monecious shrub, of about twelve feet high. It is common in woods, thickets and copses, and is often planted in belts near hedges, or other fences. The branches are erect, slender, and flexible, with simple alternate leaves, doubly dentated, sometimes superficially lobed, accompanied by two caducous stipules. The male flowers are disposed in pendent catkins of from one to three, disposed at the extremity of the branches, or upon the short lateral shoots. These catkins begin to green towards the end of autumn, before the fall of the leaf, and they flourish to the end of winter, when the development of the new leaves takes place. The male flowers, contained between two little scales, have five stamens, with unilocular anthers pening from without. The female flowers are composed of a

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