236 



ART.OIIETIIM AND FRUTICETUM. 



PAirr III. 



Beard, B'mdwith. Ilic common Virtjin's Bower, the wild Climber, the great wild Climbc; CI6- 

 iiiatitc hrulante, (;i6matite des I laics, I'Herbe aiix Giicux, la Vioriie dcs I'auvres, Fr. ; Genieine 

 Waldrebe, Her. 



Dfrivalion. This plant was called /'His sylvt'stris (the wood vine) by Dioscorides ; and the name 

 ol Viliilba wai given to It by Dodonajus, proliably "n account of the whi'e appearance of tlie plant 

 when covered with its seeds in autumn, which whiteness arises from the hairy tails of the carpels. 

 It was called ('. latitWia by Kay and Bauhin, from its broad- leaved variety ; Vi6rna by 1,'Obpl 

 anA others, from via, a way, and ornarf, to ornament, in alhision to its ornamental appearance 

 by the wayside ; and /Ttis nigra by I'liehsius, from the dark colour of the bark of its yoiinn 

 shoots. Gerard fjave it the name of tlie Traveller's Joy ; because of i:8 " lieckins; and adornin-,' 

 the ways and hedges where people travel; and thereupon," he says, " I have naineil it (he travel- 

 ler's joy." (l/r/bnl,hy Johnson, p. HSO.) Tlie name of Old Man's Beard Is very approi)ri.ite to 

 the white and hairy appearance of the tails of the carpels ; and Bindwith, from the shoots being 

 used instead of thrise of willows for tying np plants. Tlie French name of Cleniatitc hrulante has 

 reference to the acrid properties of the plant ; and Climatitc des Hnics to its growing Renerally in 

 hedges. The nameof /'//cr/jrauj- Oucux refers to the employment of it by the beggars in France, 

 who use it to make ulcers in their arms and legs, for the purpose of exciting compassion, curing 

 themselves afterwards by the anplication of the leaves of the beet. La Viorne tics Pnuvrrs alludes 

 to the same practice, viornc being evidently derived from Vi6rna. (Did. Gin. des Eaux W Forits,\. 

 p. G4!l.) 



Fni;ravi>i^s. Jacq. Austr., 4. t. 308. ; Kng. But., 61-2. ; Willd. Abr., t. 113. ; and oury?^. 12. 



Spec. Char. Leaves pinnate, Icallets ovate-lanceolate, aeiiininated, cordate 

 at. tlie base, partly cut. rcihuicles forked, shorter than the leaves. {Doii.t 

 Mill.., i. p. 4.) Flowers white, rrom July to September. Britiiin. 

 Height 20 ft. 



Varieties. 



1 C. 2 V. integrata. The entire-leaned White Vine Clemati.t. 

 1 C. virginianu L., to be hereafter described, is considered by some 

 to be only a variety of C. Vitaiha. Tt was cultivated under the 

 name ofC. canadensis by Miller, who says tlint " it is very like 

 the common sort, but with broader leaves, and rather more tender, 

 the seeds not ripening in England unless the season be very warm." 

 Description. The stems are woody, 



more so than those of any other 



species, angular, climbing to the 



height of -20 ft. or 30 ft. or upwards, 



and hanging down from rocky cliifs, 



ruins, or the branches of trees; or 



being supported by,and forming tufts 



on, the upper surface of other shrubs, 



or low trees, which they often so 



completely cover as to have the ap- 

 pearance of bushes at a distance. 



The footstalks of the leaves are 



twined ai)out whatever object they 



approach, and afterwards become 



hard and persistent, like the tendrils 



of a vine. The leaves are either 



(juite entire, or unequally cut ; 



sometimes very coarsely so. The 



jianicles tire axillary and terminal, 



many-fiowered and downy. The 



llowers are of agreenish-white colour 



wilh little show; but they have a 



sweet almond-like scent. " The 



seeds," Smith observes, "have long, 



wavy, feathery, and silky tails, forming beautiful tufis, most conspicuous in 



wet weather. ' [The water on the twigs and branches, which form the back- 

 ground to the carpels, rendering them darker than they are in dry weather.] 



'J'hey retain their vegetative principle for many years, if kept dry." {Eng. 



Flora, iii. p. 39.) 



Geography. C. Vitalba is found throughout the middle and south of 



Europe, in the Grecian Archipelago, and in the north of Africa, about 



Tripoli. One or more varieties of it have been found in North America, and 



apparently another in Nepal. (See Dec. Sijst., i. p. 140.) The topograpliy 



of this plant in Britain, according to II. C. Watson, extends to Devonshire in 



the south, and 53° north latitude. According to some, it is found in Scotland ; 



