ROB 



ROB 



broad in the middle, drawing to a point at each 

 end, smooth, of a lucid green, and pretty thick 

 consistence, on long slender footstalks, and 

 placed at pretty great distances on the branches : 

 the flowers in long bunches, from the side and 

 at the end of the branches, each on a slender pe- 

 duncle near half an inch long : calyx scarlet : 

 stamens eight, longer than The calyx : berry 

 roundish, with a thin pulp, outwardly scarlet 

 changing to purple; inclosing one roundish hard 

 seed. It resembles the preceding very much, 

 but is wholly smooth; but the leaves are pur- 

 plish about the edge, and the flowers red on the 

 outside. It is a native of the West Indies, flow- 

 ering most part of the year. 



The third rises with a climbing woody stalk 

 to the height of twenty feet, covered with a 

 dark gray bark : the leaves are oval-laneeolate, 

 near three inches long, and an inch and half 

 broad, smooth, entire, on short footstalks : the 

 flowers come out in long bunches from the side 

 of the branches, shaped like those of the second 

 sort. The berries are blue, of the same size 

 with those of the other. It is a native of the 

 West Indies. 



Culture. — These plants may be increased by 

 seeds procured from the places where they are 

 natives, sowing them as soon as they are ob- 

 tained, in pols filled with fresh light earth, 

 plunging them in a hot-bed when in summer, 

 but in the tan-bed of the stove in the autumn or 

 winter. The earth should be well moistened 

 during the summer season, but very sparingly in 

 the winter. They should be carefully preserved 

 in these situations till the seeds vegetate, which 

 is often a great length of time, of course the pots 

 should not he disturbed. 



When the plants have attained about two 

 inches in growth, they may be removed into se- 

 parate small pots, filled with light loamy mould, 

 plunging them into a hot-bed, shading them 

 till fresh rooted. 



They afterwards require the management of 

 other stove exotic plants. 



They may likewise sometimes be raised by 

 layers and cuttings, assisted by the heat of the 

 bark hot-bed. 



After these plants have been preserved in the 

 stove of the hot-house till they have attained a 

 good growth and strength, they are capable of 

 being preserved in moderate warmth in winter, 

 and in the warmest part of summer in the open 

 air, in a warm sheltered place. 



They afford variety among other potted ever- 

 green stove plants. 



ROBINIA, a genus comprising plants of the 

 hardy deciduous tree and shrub sorts, with 

 tender kinds for the stove. 



It belongs to the class and order Diadelphia 

 Decandria. and ranks in the natural order « I 

 Papilionacece or Legiuimiosce. 



The characteis are : that the calyx is a one- 

 leafed 'perianth, small, bell-shaped, four-cleft : 

 the three lower toothlets more slender ; the up- 

 per fourth toothlet wider, scarcely cmargiuate 

 to the naked eye, all equal in length : the co- 

 rolla papilionaceous : standard roundish, larger, 

 spreading, blunt : wings oblong, ovate, tree, 

 with a very short blunt appendix ; keel almost 

 seroiorbicular, compressed, blunt, the length of 

 the wings: the stamina have diaddphous fila- 

 ments, (simple and nine-cleft) ascending at top : 

 anthers roundish : the pistilluni is a cylindrical, 

 oblona germ : style filiform, bent upwards : 

 stigma villose in front at the top of the style : 

 the pericarpium is a legume large, compressed, 

 gibbous, long: the seeds few, kidney-form. 



The species cuhivatedare: \.R. Pseud- Acacia, 

 False or Common Acacia: 2. R. hispida', Rose 

 Acacia, or Robinia ; 3. R. Caragana, Siberian 

 Abrupt-leaved Robinia; 4. R.frutescens> Sbjub- 

 by Robinia; 5. R. pygmeea. Dwarf Robinia; 

 6. R. spinosd, Thorny Robinia; 7- R- viulacea, 

 Ash-leaved Robinia; 8. R. mitis, Smooth In- 

 dian Robinia. 



It grows very fast whilst young, so that in a 

 few years from seed, the plants rise to eight or 

 ten feet high, and it is not uncommon to see 

 shoots of this tree six or eight feet long in one 

 summer: the branches are armed with strong 

 crooked thorns : the leailets eight or ten 

 pairs, ovate, bright green, entire, sessile : the 

 flowers come out from the side of the branches 

 in pretty long bunches, hanging down like those 

 of Laburnum : each flower on a slender pedicel, 

 white, and smelling very sweet : they appear in 

 June, and when the trees are full of flower, 

 make a line appearance and perfume the air 

 round them ; but they seldom continue more 

 than a week. It is a native of North America, 

 where it grows to a very large size, and the wood 

 is much valued for its duration. 



There is a variety which has no thorns on the 

 branches, but which is easily known at first 

 sight by its peculiar appearance. 



""And' the Echinated, or Prickly-podded Ame- 

 rican False Acacia, in w hich the pods arc much 

 shorter, and closely beset with short prickles, 

 but in other respects agiees with the common 

 sort. 



The second species rises in its native situation 

 sometimes to the height of twenty feet, but in 

 this climate seems to be of low growth ; the 

 branches spread out near the ground, and pro- 

 duce their flowers very young : the young- 

 branches, and also the peduncles and calyxes are 



