384 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



ROY 



with lime-water, candied in India. Ttie ordor 

 contains about eight species and four genera, 

 all tall twiners, with broad leaves. 



Royal Bay. Laurus nobilis. 



Royal Fern. See Osmunda regalis. 



Royal Palm. See Oreodoxa regia. 



Roy'dsia. Named in honor of Sir John Royds, 

 of Bengal. Nat. Ord. CapparidacecB. 



A small genus of shrubby plants, with small 

 yellow, very fragrant flowers, natives of the 

 East Indies and the Philippine Islands. R. 

 suaveolens, the only species yet inti'oduced, 

 though forming a rather ramljling bush, is 

 worth cultivating for its delicious fragrance. 

 It is readily increased by cuttings of the young 

 wood. 



Roye'na. A name given by Linnreus in honor of 

 Adriayi von Royen, Professor of Botany at Ley- 

 den. Nat. Ord. Ebenacem. 



A genus of tropical shrubs or low-growing 

 trees, some of which are cultivated in the 

 green-house for their beautiful white flowers 

 and glossy foliage. The wood of the species 

 is of the nature of ebony, but not of sufficient 

 size to make it valuable. 



Rubber Plant. East Indian. The popular name 

 for Ficus elastica. 



Rubber Tree. African. The popular name for 

 La7idolj)hia. 



Rubescent. Reddish, turning red. 



Ru'bia. Madder. From ruber, red ; the color 

 of the roots. Nat. Ord. Rubiacem. 



The perennial species, which are not re- 

 markable for their beautj-, are quite hardj'. 

 There are also some half-hardy shrubs, which 

 are worth cultivating in a green-house for 

 their flowers, which are generally yellow. A 

 red dye is derived from the roots of all the 

 species, but principally from those of R. tinc- 

 torium, which is cultivated as a field-plant in 

 the south of Europe. 



Rubia'ceae. A large and important natural or- 

 der, including Cinchonacece and Galiacece as 

 sub-orders. The latter represents the order 

 in temperate climes, while the former {Cincho- 

 nacecB) constitutes one twenty-seventh of the 

 flowering plants of tropical and sub-tropical 

 regions. Among the valuable products of the 

 order may be mentioned, Coffee, Quinine, 

 Ipecacuanha, White Gambler, etc. Madder, 

 a valuable dye, may also be mentioned. The 

 order comprises about three hundred and 

 forty genera, and nearly four tliousand spe- 

 cies. Bouvardia, Gardenia, Cinchona, Ronde- 

 letia, and Ixora, are well-known examples. 



Rubicund. Blushing; turning rosy-red. 



Rubiginose. BroAvnish rusty-red. 



Ru'bus. Bramble, Raspberry, Blackberrj\ 

 From the Celtic word rub, red ; in reference to 

 the color of the fruit of some of the species. 

 Nat. Ord. Rosacem. 



The species are mostly shrubs, trailing or 

 erect, with prickly stems, bearing edible 

 fruit. The plants of this family, growing in 

 all situations and almost every kind of soil, 

 vary greatly, and are consequently very per- 

 plexing to the botanist ; and so little are 

 authors agreed as to which are species 

 and which merely varieties, that while Ben- 

 tham reckons only five species, Babington 

 enumerates forty-five. It is this tendency to 



RUB 



vary, however, that has given us many of the 

 most esteemed kinds of Blackberries, etc., 

 found in American gardens. The English 

 garden varieties of the Raspberry have all 

 originated from R. Idceus, a native of Europe 

 and Mount Ida in Crete, whence its specific 

 name. The fruit of this species is red. Cul- 

 tivators, however, have obtained varieties 

 with crimson, brown, yellow, and nearly 

 white fruit. The Red Antwerp and the 

 White Antwerp (but which is pale yellow) 

 have been long and favorably known, both in 

 England and the United States ; but they do 

 not survive the winter without pi-otection in 

 our Northern States, and for that reason are 

 little grown at the North. There ax"e now 

 a large number of varieties raised from our 

 native species that possess qualities of good- 

 ness and hardiness that entitle them to uni- 

 versal cultivation, though they are inferior 

 in quality to the foreign kinds. Brinckle's 

 Orange is an American seedling raised by the 

 late Dr. Brinckle, of Philadelphia. It is, how- 

 ever, of foreign parentage, and consequently 

 tender, but the highest flavored of all Rasp- 

 berries. The wild Red Raspberry, R. atri- 

 gosus, common in hedges and on the hillsides 

 throughout the Middle and New England 

 States, closely resembles the European spe- 

 cies. Its fruit is tender and somewhat 

 water}-, but the flavor is fine. Some excellent 

 varieties of this species are under cultivation. 

 The Black Raspberry, commonly known as the 

 Black Cap or Thimbleberry, is R. occidenlalis, 

 a species that is confined wholly to America. 

 It is most common from Virginia north and 

 westward. This species and its varieties 

 bear a pleasant tasted fruit in the greatest 

 abundance with very little care. They are 

 the least troublesome of all Raspberries to 

 grow, inasmuch as they increase themselves 

 from the tips or ends of the shoots, and pro- 

 duce no suckers. There are several varieties 

 of the Black Caps that bear reddish-crimson 

 fruit. A number of hybrid Raspberries have 

 been recently introduced, partaking some- 

 what of the Black Cap characteristics, par- 

 ticularly the peculiarity of rooting from the 

 tips of the green shoots ; and among these 

 the most striking is the Caroline, which is 

 propagated from suckers as well as from the 

 tips of the shoots, plainly showing its hybrid 

 character. It has been said by those unac- 

 quainted with its origin that it is a hybrid 

 between Brinckle's Orange and the Catawissa ; 

 but the originator disclaims any such origin, 

 and the plant itself and its fruit show that the 

 Catawissa was not one of its parents. It was 

 raised in 1877 by S. P. Carpenter, of New Ro- 

 chelle, Westchester county, N. Y., and is a 

 natural cross between Brinckle's Orange (the 

 seed parent) and the Yellow Cap, a variety of 

 R. occidenlalis. The plant is thoroughly 

 hardy, a strong grower, and wonderfully pro- 

 ductive. The fi-uit, when ripe, is a fine 

 salmon color, tender, and of excellent quality, 

 though not equal to the Brinckle. Another 

 of S. P. Carpenter's seedlings is the well- 

 known New Rochelle, a seedling of the Cata- 

 wissa. It is hardy, very productive, and of 

 good quality, being slightly acid. Another 

 Westchester County seedling is the Cuthbert, 

 newly introduced, and which at this time 

 promises to become a leading market variety, 

 being hardy, productive, and of fine quality. 



