35G 



ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM. 



PART III. 



n. 1. /'oi,y'(;ala CnAM.EBi''xus L. The "Dwarf Box Po\y<j:a.\vLy or Jiox-lefived 

 MUlcu'ort. (Jacq. Aust., t. 233.; Sims, Bot. Mag., t. 31G.;and onr Jig. 77.) 



Described as haviiiR fruticosc.branclied, procumbent stems, with oblong- 

 lanccolatc mucroiialed leaves ; the racemes 1— 'i-flowered ; the keel of 

 the flower creste<l. It forms a little evergreen tuft, the leaves being like 

 those of the dwarf box ; and the yellowish flowers, which are slightly 

 tipped with purjile, resembling at a distance those of the order I-egumi. 

 nutuc. It is a native of mountainous woods in many parts of Kurope, 

 particularly in those of Germany and Switzerland. In rocky situations, 

 ft seldom exceeds Gin. in height; but in heath soil, or in sandy loam 

 enriched with leaf mould, it will grow to the height of a foot and up- 

 wards, flowering freely every year. This plant has been in cultivation 

 in liritish gardens since l(ij8. Miller says that the seeds, which are with 

 difficulty obtained from abroad, do not vegetate till they have been a 

 whole year in the ground ; unless they are sown soon after they are ripe, 

 which is in August or September, in which case they will come up the 

 following spring. It is readily propagated, however, by division of the 

 plant, as it throws up suckers in abundance. This plant succeeds very 

 well in most gardens, in a shady situation, and in peat soil kept rather 

 moist. Intermixed with GauUher/a prociimbens, Mitchells rfepens, 

 Linnw"n boreillis, and other dwarf.growing shrubs, Pol^gala Chama;buxus will form a rich margin 

 to American groups. The price, in the Lf)n(lon nurseries, is Ms. a hundred ; it being frc<iuentiy sold 

 in quantities for forming edginge to beds of peat-carth plants. 



• 2. The half hardy Pulygalas are evergreen shrubs, natives of the 

 Cape of (iood Hoiie ; and in Britain they are generally treated as green- 

 house plants, though some of them have stood against a wall, with pro- 

 tection during winter : and so great is their beauty during summer, that, 

 we think, whoever has a conservative wall ought to jilace some of them 

 against it. Above twenty Cape species have been introduced ; hut the 

 most common are, P. oppositifdlia L. {Bot. Jit-g., t. 6.36.), which is a native 

 of the mountainous part of the Cape, and tolerably hardy ; P. opposi- 

 tifo/ia miijor IJig. 7K.), called by some P. grandifl6ra, which is equally 

 hardy, and is a fine variety ; P. latifjlia Ker, P. myrtifhlia, P. gran- 

 dijidra L.odd., P. bracteolata L., P. spcciusa Bot, Mag., and P. a/lc- 

 nuitta Lodd., all fine plants, with bright purple flowers mixed with 

 white, and some of them with red, and all procurable in the ])rincipal 

 London nurseries. Like almost all other Cape shrubs, they grow best 

 in heath soil, or in a mixture of sand and leaf mould ; and, when they 

 are cultivated against a wall in the open ground, great care should be 

 taken not to let their stems be injured by damp in autumn, more espe- 

 cially at the surface of the ground ; or, in technical language, at the 

 collar. There are some trees and shrubs belonging to the order Po\y- 

 galilcea; in the Himalaya ; which, when intrixluccd, will be worth trying 

 against a conservative wall with the Cape species. 





CHAP. XIII. 



of the hardy and half-haudy ligneous species of the order 

 pittospora^cej?!;. 



Distinctive Characteristics. Thalamiflorous. (//. /?.) Sepals 5, petals 5 ; both imbricate in n-stiva- 

 tion. Stamens 5, distinct, alternate with the petals. Ovarium of several cells, with the placenta- in 

 the axis • cells or placenta- 2 or 5 in number, and many-ovuled. Style 1. Stigmas as many ;is thepla- 

 cetita:. Vruit capsular, or berried. Seeds otten covered with a glutinous or resinous pulp. {I.indl. 

 Ill, ti) N. S.) The species containe<i in this order are all ligneous ; and are either trees, or bushy or 

 climbing shrubs, with terminal or axillary flowers, usually of a bell-shape, with a spreading border. 

 They are natives of warm climates ; but some species of Pittosjiorura, liillardiirn, and ScJIlyn, are 

 half-hardy, and suitable for a conservative wall. 



Genus I. 



BILLARDIE^RJ Sm. Tur. Billarthkiia, or AppLF-SF.nnY. Lin.Si/.^f. 

 Pentandria Monogynia. 



Derivation. Named in honour of Jean Jacques Jtili< n La Billaidiirc, a celebrated French botanist, 

 who visited Syria, and afterwards New Holland in D'Entrecastreux's expedition. He was the 

 author of Noiur Unltandur Plantarttm Specimen, and other works. 



