178 ARBORESCENT VARIETY OF JUNIPERUS COMMUNIS, 



kindly forwarded to me to help out my notes on the Junipers, 

 for publication in the Proceedings. It is dated January 5th, 1895 : 



DEAR DR. SOMERS, 



On reference to Endlicher's Synopsis Conifer arum, published 

 at Cracow, in 1847, I find that he describes four forms of 

 Juniperus cominunis, viz. : 



(a) vulgaris. Shrubby, with spreading branches and 

 spherical berries. 



(b) Hispanica. With ascending straight branches, and 

 egg-shaped berries. 



(c) Caucasica. With divaricate spreading, somewhat pend- 

 ent branches, leaf clusters or verticils distant from each other, 

 berries ovate. 



(d) arbor escens. With ascending straight fastigiate 

 branches, forming a top. 



In Koch's Synopsis Florae, Germanicce, edition of 1844. 

 Juniperus communis is described as shrubby (fruticosus) erect, 

 becoming arborescent. 



In the English Cyclopedia (Nat. Hist., vol. iii, p. 311,) it is 

 stated that juniper occasionally becomes a small tree. 



The French dictionaries give the name Genevre, Juniper ; 

 Genevrier, Juniper tree. The name of the old town of Geneva 

 is said to be derived from the juniper, as are obviously the names 

 in modern European languages of the fermented liquor called 

 Geneva, obtained from juniper berries, and the distilled spirit 

 from grain flavored with these berries, called Holland gin, the 

 latter being a contracted corruption of Geneva. 



In the Flora Rossica of Petrus 8. Pallas, a large folio of 

 magnificent colored drawings, published at St. Petersburg, in 

 1784, by command by Catherine II, the Juniperus com- 

 munis, is described as growing in sterile, sandy places and 

 wood}^ hills throughout the Russian empire, frequent in the 

 northerly and temperate regions, occurring also in the southern 

 mountain tracts, as in the Taurian Chersonese, about Sudak, 

 Balaklava, Lambat, and Sebastopol Harbour, also in the 



