172 SELECT PLANTS FOR INDUSTRIAL CULTUBE 



Lithospermum hirtum, Lehmann. 



North American Alkanna. A showy perennial herb ; the root 

 yields a red dye. 



Lithospermum longiflorum, Sprengel. -\x 



North America. A red pigment can also be extracted from 

 the root o this species. 



Livistona Australia, Martius. 



East Australia. The only Palm Tree in Victoria, occurring in 

 East Gippsland (in the latitude of Melbourne), and there 

 attaining a height of 80 feet. The young leaves can be plaited 

 as a material for cabbage-tree hats. Some of the Indian Livis- 

 tonas may be equally hardy ; their stems often tower above 

 the other forest trees. 



Livistona Chinensis, R. Brown. 



South China and Japan. A very decorative Fan Palm, hardy 

 in the lowlands of Victoria. 



Livistona Marise, F. v. Mueller. 



Central and West Australia, barely within the tropics. This 

 noble Fan Palm attains 40 feet in height and is likely to prove 

 very hardy. 



Lolium perenne, Linne.* 



Europe, North Africa, Western Asia. The perennial Rye 

 Grass, mentioned here for the sake of completeness. L. Italicum 

 (Al. Br.), the Italian Rye Grass, seems to be only a variety. 

 One of the most important of all pasture grasses, also almost 

 universally chosen for lawn culture. It produces an abundance 

 of seeds, which are readily collected and easily vegetate. It 

 comes early to perfection. Nevertheless the produce and 

 nutritive powers are considerably less than those of Dactylis 

 glomerata, Alopecurus pratensis, and Festuca elatior; but it 

 pushes forward earlier than the last-mentioned grass, while 

 the ripening of seeds is less defective than in Alopecurus. 

 At the London Sewerage Depot 60 tons of Rye Grass were 

 obtained from one acre (Mclvor) . Rye Grass, though naturally 

 living but a few years, maintains its ground well by the ease 

 with which it disseminates itself spontaneously. Several sorts, 

 which can scarcely be called varieties, are under cultivation. 

 Rye Grass stands the dry heat of Australian summers well. It 

 is likely to spread gradually over the whole of the Austra- 

 lian continent, and may play an important part in pasture 



