269 



and inflammation in those who cut 

 it down. Even touching the plant, 

 or smelling it, will in many cases 

 produce eruptions and swellings all 

 over the body. The plant is not 

 very handsome, but the leaves be- 

 come of a brilliant red in autumn. 

 R. Coridria, the Elm-leaved Su- 

 mach, and li. copallina, the gum- 

 copal tree, resemble H. ty plana ; 

 and R. rad\cans, the poison-oak, 

 and R. Toxicodendron, the poison- 

 vine, are poisonous plants, natives 

 of North America, resembling R. 

 venenata. All the kinds of Rhus 

 are of easy culture in any loamy 

 soil ; and they may be all propagated 

 by cuttings or layers. Several of 

 the kinds may have their branches 

 pegged down, and a little earth 

 strewed over them, when they will 

 strike root. 



Ribbon Grass. — ArundoDbnax 

 var. versicolor. 



Ri'bes. — Grossulacece. — The Cur- 

 rant. — The ornamental kinds of 

 Ribes which have been introduced 

 into British gardens since the com- 

 mencement of the present century, 

 are now some of our most beautiful 

 shrubs. They are all quite hardy, 

 and will grow without any trouble 

 being taken with them, in any com- 

 mon garden - soil. The following 

 kinds are those most deserving of 

 cultivation for their flowers : — Ribes 

 rtiveum, the snowy-flowered goose- 

 berry, has white pendulous flowers, 

 and dark purple fruit, the flavour 

 of which is verj- agreeable ; R. spc- 

 cidsum, the Fuchsia-flowered goose- 

 berry, has scarlet flowers, with very 

 long projecting stamens, somewhat 

 resembling those of the Fuchsia, 

 and the leaves sub -evergreen ; R. 

 spicatum, the tree-ciirrant, which 

 forms an erect fastigiate- growing 

 shrub, six or eight feet high, with 

 upright spikes of red fruit ; R. mul- 

 tiflbrum, a most beautiful plant, has 



long drooping racemes of greenish 

 flowers, and large handsome leaves; 

 R. ptunctdtum, an evergreen species, 

 has shining leaves and golden yellow 

 flowers, which are succeeded by red 

 fruit ; R. fl&ridum, the flowering 

 black currant, has loose racemes of 

 greenish-yellow flowers, and black 

 fruit; R. cerenm, the wax-leaved 

 currant, has leaves which are nearly 

 round, and appear thinly covered 

 with white wax ; R. sanguineum, 

 the red-flowered black currant, is a 

 beautiful and well-known species, 

 of which there are several varieties ; 

 and R. aureiim, is the yellow-flow- 

 ered black currant. All these kinds 

 are very beautiful ; but the most 

 ornamental are Ribes sanguineum, 

 and its varieties or allied species, 

 R. gJutinbsum, with pale-pink flow- 

 ers, and R. malvdceum, with lilac 

 ones, and also the dark-red variety, 

 R. s. atro-rubens. R. subvestitum, 

 has dark-purple flowers. It is a 

 native of California. There are also 

 several kinds of R. ailreum, all of 

 which are well deserving of cultiva- 

 tion. All the kinds of Ribes are 

 easily propagated by cuttings, or by 

 seeds, which most of the kinds ripen 

 in abundance ; and one kind, Ribes 

 punctdtum, sends up suckers. They 

 are generally quite hardy ; and R. 

 pv.nctatum, being a native of Chili, 

 succeeds best against a wall. R. 

 sanguineum, and its allied species, 

 are natives of California, and, like 

 j all the plants from that country, 

 1 they are very liable to die ofi*, if the 

 collar of the root be exposed to the 

 sun. Thus, a fine healthy plant of 

 Rtbes sanguineum, several feet high, 

 and covered "wdth flowers, will often 

 wither and die away without any 

 apparent cause ; but if the facts 

 connected with it be closely exam- 

 ined, it will generally be found that 

 the ground in which the plant grows 

 has become quite dry and powdery 



