in Extra-Tropical Countries. 47 



Atropa Belladonna, Linn<*. 



The " Deadly Nightshade." Southern and Middle Europe and 

 Western Asia. A most important perennial medicinal herb. The 

 highly powerful atropine is derived from it, besides another alkaloid, 

 belladonnine. 



Audibertia polystachya, Bentham. 



California. A shrub, attaining a height of 10 feet; keeps the bees 

 roaring with activity about its flowers for honey during the whole 

 spring (A. J. Cook). The same can be said of A. Palmeri (Gray) 

 and some other species. 



Avena elatior, Linn. (Arrhenatherum elatius, Beauvois.) 



The tall Meadow-Oat-grass. Europe, Middle Asia, North-Africa. 

 Indigenous in Norway to lat. 68 11' (Schuebeler). This grass 

 should not be passed altogether on this occasion, although it becomes 

 easily irrepressible on account of its wide-creeping roots. It should 

 be chosen for dry and barren tracts of country, having proved to 

 resist occasional droughts better than rye-grass. Mr. J. L. Dow 

 regards it as one of the very best of grasses for sandy soil. Yields 

 more green feed in the southern states of North- America during 

 winter than most other grasses (Loring). The bulk yielded by 

 it is great; it submits well to pasturing, and gives two or three crops 

 of hay annually; it is however not so much relished by animals as 

 many other grasses. 



Avena fatua, Linn. 



Wild Oat. Europe, Northern Africa, Northern and Middle Asia, 

 eastward as far as Japan. The experiments qf Professor Buckman 

 seem to indicate, that our ordinary cultivated Oat (Avena sativa, L.) 

 is descended from this plant. Cultivated in California for fodder, 

 but requiring early cutting, as it matures and sheds its seed in July. 

 For this reason it is also hard to exterminate it in grain-fields, where 

 it sometimes proves quite troublesome, except by change of crops. 



Avena flavescens, Linn. ( Trisetum flavescens, Beauvois. ) 



Yellowish Oat-grass. Europe, Northern Africa, Middle and 

 Northern Asia, eastward as far as Japan. . One of the best of 

 perennial meadow-grasses, living on dry soil; fitted also for alpine 

 regions. Lawson observes, that it yields a considerable bulk of fine 

 foliage, and that it is eagerly sought by sheep, but that it thrives 

 best intermixed with other grasses. It likes particularly limestone- 

 soil, where it forms a most valuable undergrass, but is not adapted 

 for poor sand, nor will it stand well the traversing of grazing animals 

 (Langethal). 



Avena pratensis, Linn. 



Meadow-Oat-grass. Europe, Northern Asia. Indigenous in Nor- 

 way, to lat. 66 40' (Schuebeler). It thrives well on dry clayey 

 soil, is well adapted also for alpine mountains, where it would readily 



