^20 



know, all that exist in this country. It is a valuable addition 

 to the Ash-leaved Berberies, or Mahonias as some call them, 

 and is by no means unlike B. tenuifolia, from which however 

 it differs in the leaflets being spiny toothed. 



THE BALSAM POPLARS. 



The hardiness and beauty of many of these trees render 

 their history of considerable interest to planters, especially as 

 it appears that much confusion exists respecting their real 

 names. We therefore extract from the Gartenzeitung the fol- 

 lowing revision of them by Dr. Fischer of St. Petersburgh. 



29. PopuLUs balsamifera, L. (in part) and of all authors 



except Pallas; Mich. Arh. Forest., de VAmer. sept. vol. 2. 



t. 98. f. 1. Dii Ham. Arb. ed. fol. vol. 2. t. 50. Spach in 



Ann. de Soc. Nat. vol. 15. p. SS. Loudon Arh. Brit. 3. 



p. 1673, (in part). 



Tree large, pyramidal, quick growing, bright green, with 

 round ash-coloured branches, thick when adult ; buds swollen, 

 abounding in balsam (resin), smelling like rhubarb. 



Stipules acute, spreading, balsamiferous. 



Petioles in full grown trees long-, half the length of the 

 blade of the leaf, roundish, with a complete open furrow, most 

 shallow at its apex, on the strong young shoots much the 

 shortest for the length of the blade. 



Leaves erect, spreading, flat, variously shaped ; in adult 

 trees oblong, acuminate, generally somewhat contracted for a 

 short distance at the base, never cordate ; three or five- 

 nerved, lateral nerves much slenderer, sometimes triple- 

 nerved ; margin crenated, crenatures flat, in the larger leaves 

 sometimes double, in others almost obsolete, having a gland 

 beneath the apex. Leaves otherwise smooth, coriaceous, 

 bright green and shining above, pale green and opaque be- 

 neath ; veins when old rust-coloured, coarsely reticulated ; 

 those of the strong root-shoots very much elongated, with the 

 base ovate, sometimes slightly cordate, elongate-oblong, acu- 

 minate, nearly always somewhat triple-nerved. 



N.B. This is the common North American Tacamahac 

 Poplar, long since introduced to Europe, and remarkable for 

 the quantity of suckers it throws up all round the stem. 



