KEW GARDEN MUSEUM. j} 385 
dried by the Hill-men (Himalaya) in India, as Raisins are prepared. 
The curious irritable nature of the stamens is known to most observers 
of nature. 
Common Berberry. Berberis vulgaris, Z. Europe. Wood and 
bark and root (very yellow in colour in the natural state). Yield a 
yellow dye, and, according to Dr. Ure, the solution of the root is em- 
ployed in the manufacture of Morocco-leather. The pretty orange-red 
oblong berries make an excellent preserve. 
Berberis tinctoria, Lesch. Wood and fruit. Neilgherries. Led by 
analogy, no doubt, M. Leschenault had the wood of this Neilgherry 
Berberry analysed by M. Vauquelin, and it was ascertained to con- 
tain the yellow colouring principle in a greater state of purity than our 
own Berberry ; and it is, according to Dr. Royle, inferior to few woods 
for dyeing a yellow colour. Subsequent investigations have shown 
that this species is referable to the B. aristata, De Cand. of Nepal, 
etc., very nearly indeed allied to our B. vulgaris: a warmer and drier 
climate may be considered to have improved the dyeing principles. 
Ord. SARRACENIACER. SIDESADDLE-FLOWER FAMILY. 
Though no peculiar properties are known to exist in this Family, the 
remarkable structure of its foliage cannot fail to strike attention. It 
is peculiar to the New World, and was long supposed to be limited 
to one genus, Sarracenia, of which the species are confined to North 
America and extend from Canada to Florida, growing in swampy 
places. The curious genus Darlingtonia, D. Californica of Dr. Torrey, 
has recently been discovered at the head-waters of the Sacramento, 
Northern California, while Heliamphora nutans, Benth., inhabits British 
Guiana. The leaves of all are remarkable for their tubular charac- 
ter, the main portion forming a long tube, dilated upwards, while a 
kind of hood covers the mouth in a greater or less degree. These - 
tubes contain water, which attracts vast numbers of insects, that enter 
and perish; so that the leaves are commonly seen to be more or less 
full of dead insects. Their ingress is aided by a lining of inverted 
short hairs, which by their very direction discourage the captives’ egress. 
The leaves in the Museum are those of 
Red Sidesaddle-flower. Sarracenia rubra, Wait. 
Purple Sidesaddle-flower. Sarracenia purpurea, L.; and - 
Parrot's beak Sidesaddle-flower. Sarracenia psittacina, oe 
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