1296 ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM. PART I 
C. comdsum L’Herit. in Lin. Trans., 1. p. 180., Willd, Sp. Pl., 2. p. 927.; and C. Pdnderi L’ Hérit. ; 
are described by botanists, and registered in Sweet’s Hortus Britannicus as introduced ; but we are 
not aware of their being in the country. 
App. I. Half-hardy Species of Polygonacee. 
Brunntchia cirrhisa Gertn. Fruct., 1. t 45. f. 2., is a tendriled climber, a 
native of Carolina, with alternate, cordate, acuminate leaves, and flowers 
in panicled racemes. It was introduced in 1787, and is occasionally met with 
in old coliections ; for example, in the Cambridge Botanic Garden. 
Rumer Lundria L., Pluk. Alm., 252, 253., isa native of the Canaries, with 
roundish glaucous leaves, which has been occasionally found in green-houses, 
since the days of Parkinson. It grows to the height of 5ft. or 6ft. in the 
Cambridge Botanic Garden; and produces its greenish flowers in June and 
July. There are two other African suffruticose species recorded in our Hor- 
tus Britannicus ; and there is a plant in the Horticultural Society’s Garden, 
from Moldavia, which has twining stems, and of which a portion is repre- 
sented in fig. 1167. It grows against a wall with an east aspect, and, though 
frequently killed down during winter, never fails to spring up vigorously the 
following spring. 
Polggonum adpréssum R. Br., Bot. Mag., t. 3145., the Macquarrie Harbour 
vine, is a native of Van Diemen’s Land, principally on the sea shore, about 
Macquarrie Harbour. It is an evergreen climber or trailer, growing to 
the height of 60 ft.; flowering from May to August ; and ripening its fruit 
in December and January. The flowers are axillary, and are succeeded by 
racemes of fruit, which, at first sight, resemble grapes. ‘‘ The seed of all 
the polygonums, which is a small hard nut, is known to be wholesome, 
(buck-wheat, for example) ; but in P. adpréssum the seed is invested with 
the enlarged and fleshy segments of the calyx, which gives to each fruit the 
appearance of a berry : some acidity in this fruit renders it available for 
tarts.” (Bvt. Mag., April, 1832; see also Gard. Mag., vol. viii. p.347., and 
vol. xi. p. 341.) This plant was introduced in 1822; and, though considered 
as requiring the green-house, yet we have little doubt it would live against 
a conservative wall, or as a trailer on dry rockwork, in peat soil, in a warm 
situation. The extraordinary rapidity of its growth might perhaps recom- 
mend it for the same purposes as the cobcea, and other rapid-growing 
climbers. 
CHAP. XCIII. 
OF THE HARDY AND HALF-HARDY LIGNEOUS PLANTS OF THE ORDER 
LAURA‘CEE. 
Tuis ‘order is distinguished from all others by the following short charac- 
teristics : — Anthers opening by valves which curve upwards ; carpels solitary 
and superior; and ovules pendulous. (Lind/. Nat. Syst.of Bot.) The only 
other order treated of in our work, in which there is an analogous mode of 
opening in the anthers, is Berberdcee. The species are chiefly trees, some of 
them shrubs, natives of Asia and North America, and one of them of the 
south of Europe. 
Genus I. 
LAU’RUS Plin. Tue Lauren, or Bay, Tree. Lin, Syst. Enneandria. 
Monogynia. 
Identification. Pliny, on the authority of C. G. Nees von Esenbeck in Lindl. Nat. Syst. of Bot., 
p. 202. ; Lin. Gen., No. 503., in part ; and so of most other botanical authors, 
Synonymes. Sassafras aud Benxoin, ¢. G. Von Esenbeck ; Daphné, Greek. 
Derivation From aus, praise; in reference to the ancient custom of crowning the Roman con- 
querors with laurel in their triumphal processions. There appears some doubt of the Latrus 
n6bilis being the Laurus of the Romans, and the Daphné of the Greeks. (See Daphne.) As, however, 
nothing certain is known of the subject, we have followed the popular belief ; and, in the history 
given below of the Latrus ndbilis, we have treated it as if identical with the Daphné of the Greeks. 
Gen. Char., §:c.’ Sexes polygamous, or dicecious. Calyx with 6 sepals. Stamens 9; 
6 exterior, 3 interior, and each of them having a pair of gland-like bodies: 
