172 LEGUMINOS^ 



of Europe, and the northern rocky coasts of Africa ; and these afford a richer 

 colour than either of our own kinds. 



Evelyn remarks of our ornamental evergreen shrub (Rhamnus alaternus), 

 that its " honey-breathing blossoms afford a marvellous relief to bees," as 

 they open in early spring ere flowers are nimierous. The same praise might 

 be awarded to the flowers of our Alder Buckthorn, which are particularly 

 grateful to these insects. Charcoal made from the wood of this tree is con- 

 sidered of much value in the manufacture of gunpowder. Croats eat the 

 leaves voraciously. The shrub is from six to ten feet high. 



Order XXV. LEGUMINOS^— PEA AND BEAN TRIBE. 



Calyx 5-cleft, with the odd lobe in front; petals very unequal, 5, and 

 papilionaceous ; stamens 10, their filaments either uniting into a tube, or 

 forming two sets of 9 and 1 ; ovary, style, and stigma, single ; seed-vessel a 

 2-valved, sometimes imperfectly-jointed pod, or legume ; seeds on the upper 

 seam of the pod- valves ; leaves alternate, mostly compound and pinnated, 

 having stipules, and often with tendrils. This is a very large and important 

 Order of plants, and one with which all are familiar. The butterfly-shaped 

 blossoms characterize a large number, and, with a few exceptions, they have 

 pods and pinnate leaves. Four thousand seven hundred species of this Order 

 laave been described by botanists, varying from small herbaceous plants, like 

 our Vetches, to trees like the Laburnums and Eobinias of our shrubberies, or 

 those immense Locust-trees, whose trunks are so large that fifteen Indians 

 with outstretched arms cannot encompass one of them. Many are highly 

 ornamental to our gardens ; such are the Sweet-peas, Lupins, Milk-vetches, 

 the Coronillas, and a variety of flowers ; and the descriptions given by 

 travellers of the forests of other lands have made us familiar with such plants 

 as the magnificent Coral-trees, whose crimson flowers climb to the top of the 

 highest trees ; with the Bauhinias, whose snake-like stems are festooned with 

 richest blossoms ; and with the airy foliage and golden bloom of the Mimosas, 

 which cast a charm over many a barren spot. But our own landscape owes 

 much of its summer beauty to leguminous plants. The golden Broom and 

 prickly Gorse, the tangling Vetches, the ruddy Clover, the crimson Saintfoin, 

 and the yellow lotus, contribute, with many more, to the grace and loveliness 

 of our rural scenery. The field of Beans sends its fragrance afar, and those 

 of Tare and Lucerne wave before the summer gale, yielding their foliage to 

 the cattle, and giving seeds to the wild birds. 



Very valuable products of commerce are furnished by the leguminous 

 tribe. The Indigo {Indigofera tindoria) is grown largely, both in the East 

 and West Indies, for the use of the dyer. The Liquorice {Glycyrrhiza) is 

 much cultivated in Spain, whence we derive our largest quantity. It has 

 also been grown in the neighbourhood of London, and was formerly cultivated 

 at Pontefract, in Yorkshire. Stow mentions that the planting and growth 

 of "Licorish" began about the first year of Elizabeth's reign. One hundred 

 weight of the root will afford twenty-eight pounds of the extract commonly 

 called Spanish liquorice, which is used in lozenges and pectoral medicines, as 

 well as by the brewers of porter. 



