CHINESE MULBERRY. 35 



eius acknowledge their indebtedness for the prosperity 

 and solidity of their empire. 



The tree grows vigorous, upright, and beautiful ; the 

 leaves large, soft, and tender, are petiolate, cordate, 

 acuminate, serrated towards the summit, marked with 

 nerves, always entire; their tipper surface is convex or 

 curled, of a deep and beautiful shining green. The 

 form and dimensions of the leaf vary in different soils. 

 In a dry and arid soil they are of diminished size, their 

 form elliptical, and without the heart-shaped indenta- 

 tion at the base, their breadth being six inches, and 

 their length eight; but in a light, rich, and friable soil, 

 the produce of the foliage is most abundant, the leaves 

 large and cordiform, extraordinary ^ucirnens having 

 sometimes measured more than a foot in breadth, and 

 fifteen inches in length. 



" Each male flower has a calyx of four concave, oval, 

 membranous leaflets ; four stamens, with filaments ac- 

 companied with a tridentate appendage ; anthers sagit- 

 tate, bilocular. Each female has an ovary, terminated 

 by two divergent styles; the ovary is unilocular, con- 

 taining a single pendant seed, which is frequently blast- 

 ed or imperfect." 



It is sometimes called the Perrottct mulberry, in hon- 

 or of M. Perrottet, Agricultural Botanist, and Travel- 

 ler of the Marine and Colonies of France, who has in- 

 troduced this plant to Europe. M. Perrottet had been 

 sent out by the government of France on a voyage of 

 botanical research, a national ship having been provided 

 especially for his use. It was first discovered by him at 

 Manilla, the capital of the Philippine islands, whither it 

 had been brought by the Chinese from China, as a tree 

 of ornament as well as of eminent usefulness. The 

 Chinese are justly entitled to the credit of its introduc- 

 tion hither, as to all the islands of the Asiatic archi- 



