BOX OF ECONOMIC PLANTS. 57 



on a spike, and have long projecting straight stamens, T^hich 

 impart to it the appearance of a bottle brush. The flowers of 

 several species of Callistemon., a genus of the same family, are 

 also so called. 



Bottle Gourd {Lagenaria mtlgaris), a climbing plant of the 

 Gourd family (Cucurbitaceae). This is very common throughout 

 the tropics and sub-tropics of both hemispheres, and has been 

 introduced into the West Indies. Its fruit, which is sometimes 

 nearly 6 feet long, is shaped like a bottle, and often used as 

 such. The Club Gourd is a variety of this, but more tapering 

 in the form of a club. 



Bottle Tree (Stcrculicc [Delahechea] rupestris), a tree of the 

 Sterculia family (Sterculiacese), native of JSTorth-East Australia. 

 It is allied to the Gouty stem tree (Adansonia Gregorii), noticed 

 under Baobab, being thickened below, tapering upwards or often 

 swoUen in the middle to the extent of 30 or 40 feet in circum- 

 ference, with an apparently small tree growing out of its apex, 

 so that it has been compared to the neck of a bottle. The 

 gouty stem is soft and porous, and contains much mucilaginous 

 gum, which is readily obtained by pressure, and is used as an 

 article of food by the natives. It is also called Barrell Tree. 



Box-berry. {See ShaUon.) 



Box Thorn {Lycmm larharwn), a twiggy rambling shrub 

 of the Nightshade family (Solanacese), of rapid growth, native 

 of countries bordering on the Mediterranean. It is often seen 

 covering arbours in cottage gardens in this country. Its leaves 

 resemble those of the Chinese tea tree, which led to its being 

 brought into notice about one hundred years ago by the then 

 Duke of Argyle as a substitute for tea, for which reason it re- 

 ceived the name of the Duke of Argyle's tea tree. 



Box Trees. — There are several different kinds of trees 

 known by this name, the first and most important being jBuxus 

 sempervirens, a small evergreen tree of the Spurgewort family 

 (Euphorbiaceae), native of Europe and the temperate coun- 

 tries of Asia, supposed to be indigenous in this country on 

 Box -hill, in Surrey. It attains the height of from 10 to 30 



