133 SELECT PLANTS FOR INDUSTRIAL CULTURE 



the roadsides o Egypt. The shady crown extends to a width 

 of 120 feet. Attains an enormous age. A tree at Cairo, which 

 legends connect with Christ, still exists. Seven men with out- 

 stretched arms could hardly encircle the stem. 



Fitzroya Patagonica, J. Hooker.* 



Chili, as far south as Chiloe. The Alerce of the Chilians. 

 Grows on swampy, moory places. A stately tree, 100 feet 

 high. The diameter of the stem reaches sometimes the 

 extraordinary extent of 15 feet. The wood is almost always 

 red, easily split, light, does not warp, stands exposure to the air 

 for half a century, and in Valdivia and Chiloe almost all build- 

 ings are roofed with shingles of this tree (Dr. Philippi) . The 

 outer bark produces a strong fibre, used for caulking ships. 

 Like Libocedrus tetragona, this tree should be extensively 

 planted in unutilised swampy moors in the mountains. 



Flacourtia Eamontchi, 1'Heritier. (F. sapida, Roxburgh.) 



India up to Beloochistan. This and F. cataphracta (Roxb.) 

 form thorny trees with somewhat plum-like fruits. With 

 other species they can be adopted for hedge copses. 



Flemingia tuberosa, Dalzell. 



Western India. The tubers of this herb are said to be edible. 

 Another species, F. vestita, is on record as cultivated in North - 

 Western India for its small esculent tubers. 



Flindersia australis, R. Brown. 



New South Wales and Queensland. With Araucaria Cunning- 

 hami and Ficus Gamer ana, the tallest of all the jungle trees of 

 its localities, attaining 150 feet. Bark scaly, stem with a 

 diameter to 8 feet. Timber of extraordinary hardness (Ch. 

 Moore) . A noble tree for avenues. Rate of growth, accord- 

 ing to Mr. Fawcett, about 25 feet in eight years. 



Flindersia Oxleyana, F. v. Mueller. 



The Yellow Wood of New South Wales and Queensland. Its 

 wood used for staves as well as that of F. australis, Tarrietia 

 argyrodendron, Stenocarpus salignus, Castanospermum aus- 

 trale. Mr. Hartmann mentions that F. Oxleyana attains a 

 height of 150 feet and supplies one of the finest hard woods for 

 choice cabinet-work. Other species occur there, among which 

 F. Bennettiana is the best for avenue purposes. 



Flueggea Japonica, C. Richard. 



China and Japan. The mucilaginous tubers can be used for 



