FOREIGN AND MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES. 



when they first come are thin, semi-transparent, 

 and a clear light green; at the same time peep 

 out little tufts of purple flowers, with white 

 petals; and in the autumn the plant seems 

 on fire with the rich red of the foliage, more 

 rose-colored, and not less intense, than that 

 of the most scarlet of Oaks. Sir William 

 Hooker tells us that the species is found wild on 

 the Great Rapids of the Columbia river, and is 

 common along the north-west coast of North 

 America, between lat 43° and 49°. Mr. Douglas 

 observes that it is exclusively confined to the 

 woody mountainous country that skirts the 

 shores, and there, among the pine forests, it 

 forms almost impenetrable thickets. The branch- 

 es are pendulous and crooked, often taking root, 

 as is the case with many species of the genus 

 Ficus. Bark smooth, green when young, white 

 when fully grown. The wood is fine, white, and 

 close-grained, very tough and susceptible of a 

 good polish. From the slender branches of this 

 tree the native tribes make the hoops of their 

 scoop-nets, which are employed for taking sal- 

 mon at the rapids, and in the contracted parts 

 of the river. It is -said to form a tree 20 to 40 

 feet high. — Paxton's Flower Garden. 



Acer villosttm. — A noble tree, from the 

 Himalayas, with the aspect of a Sycamore. It 

 was introduced by Messr.s. Osborne and Co., 

 of the Fulham Nursery. Dr. Wallich tells us 

 that this is a very large tree, inhabiting the high 

 Alps of India, approaching towards those of 

 perpetual snow in Sirmore and Kamaon, ripen- 

 ing its fruits in November, at which time " the 

 very fragant flowers also begin to appear." Dr. 

 Royle says it is only "seen with pines and 

 birches on the loftiest mountains, wliich are for 

 many months covered with snow." In its gen- 

 eral appeai'ance this may be compared to the 

 common Sycamore, but is a much finer looking 

 tree, its leaves being thicker, greener, and lar- 

 ger; besides which, they are covered with a 

 close fur on the underside, although smooth 

 above; in the autumn they assume a peculiar 

 nankeen tint. The plants in the possession of 

 Messrs. Osborne and Co. have not yet blossom- 

 ed; but our Herbarium tells us that the " fra- 

 grant" flowers come out in close panicles, cover- 

 ed with long yellowish hairs. Undoubtedly this 

 is one of the finest hardy deciduous trees yet 

 introduced. It is to be" hoped that India will 

 soon yield us her other alpine Sycamores, of 

 which there are three, viz: 1. J. st'erculiaceum, 

 Wallich, found near the summit of Mount Shco- 

 pore, and very like ^. villosum, except that it 

 is nearly destitute of hairs. The trunk of this 

 is said to be three feet in diameter, and the 

 flowers white. 2. ./?. caudatum, Wallich, so 

 called because the palmate leaves have the lobes 

 extended into tails. In this the leaves are 

 scarcely more than three-lobed, and are sharjjly 

 and doubly serrated Dr. AVallich says it is a 

 of the highest regions of Nepal, towards 



ossain Than, as also of Sirmore and Kamaon. 

 Royle found it growing in company with J. 



villosum. It is a remarkable and handsome 

 species. 3. ji. cultratum, Wallich, the leaves 

 of which are heart shaped, and deeply divided 

 into seven much acuminate undivided lobes, be- 

 sides being much smaller and thinner than in 

 the two preceding species. It is "a larger tree, 

 native of the regions towards the Himalaya, in 

 Kamaon and Srinaghur." Dr. Royle, who also 

 found it, says that its wood '• is white, light, 

 and fine-grained." Dr. Wallich suggests its 

 being allied to the Jlcer pictum, of Japan, to 

 which we must add that it is little different from 

 Bunge's Acer truncatum, from Northern China. 

 Paxton's Flower Garden. 



The Cedron Tree of Panama. — A tree, 

 which has attained great celebrity, is that called 

 Cedron (Simaba Cedron, Planch.) The most 

 ancient record of it which I can find is in the 

 "History of the Buccaneers." an old work 

 published in London, in the year 1699. Its use, 

 as an antidote for snakes, and place of growth, 

 are there distinctly stated ; but whether on the 

 authority of the natives, or accidentally dis- 

 covered by the pirates, does not appear. If the 

 former was the case, they must have learned it 

 while on some of their cruizes on the Magda- 

 lena. for in the Isthmus the very existence of the 

 tree was unsuspected until about 1845, when 

 Don Juan de Ansoatigui ascertained, by com- 

 parison, that the Cedron of Panama andDarien 

 was identical with that of Carthagena. The 

 virtues of its seeds, however, were known, years 

 ago, from those fruits imported from the Mag- 

 dalena, where, according to Mr. William Pur- 

 die, the plant grows in profusion about the vil- 

 lage of San Pablo. In the Isthmus it is gen- 

 erally found on the outskirts of forests in al- 

 most every part of the country, but in greater 

 abundance in Darien and Veraguas, than in 

 Panama. The natives hold it in high esteem, 

 and always carry a j)iece of the seed about with 

 them. When a person is bitten, a little, mixed 

 with water, is aj)plied to the wound, and about 

 two grains scraped into brandy, or, in the ab- 

 sence of it. into water, is administered internal- 

 ly. By following this treatment the bites of the 

 most venomous snakes, scorpions, centipedes, 

 and other noxious animals, have been unattend- 

 ed by dangerous consequences. Doses of it have 

 also proved highly beneficial in cases of inter- 

 mittent fever. The Cedron is a tree, from 12 

 to 16 feet high ; its simple trunk is about 6 inch- 

 es in diameter, and clothed on the top with long 

 pinnated leaves, which give it the appearance 

 of a Palm. Its flowers are greenisli, and the 

 fruit resembles very much an nnri])e Peach. 

 Each seed, or cotyledon I should rather say, is 

 sold in the chemists' shops of Panama f^)r two 

 or three reals (about Is. or Is. 6d. English,) 

 and sometimes a much larger price is given for 

 them. — Hooker's Journal of Botany. 



Vegetation of Borneo: Ascent of Kini- 

 Balu. — The following interesting remarks are 

 from a letter received by a correspondent from 



