1899.] KssAYs. 35 



Among the shrul)s, one of the iiiosit l)eaatit"ul is the lied Bud 

 or Judas tree (the Cera's siliqiiastrum) which grows in profu- 

 sion on every hillside. As you descend the Bosphorus in the 

 early spring, the n:iountain slopes on either side from the 

 water's edge to the very summit are ablaze with its bright pale 

 red blossoms, while interspersed are the beautiful flowers of the 

 almond. The buds are withered and used with other raw vejje- 

 tables by the natives in salads, to which they lend a charming 

 color and flavor. 



The lihamnus pal iurus or buckthorn is the common hedge in 

 Asia Minor and forms a most impenetrable hedge. It is cov- 

 ered with spines which stand in pairs, one being straight and 

 pointed and very sharp, the other hooked, so that once 

 any portion of a person's dress is caught, the whole soon 

 becomes engaged and it is very difficult to tear oneself loose. 

 Like the "wait a bit thorns" of Africa, once caught, there is 

 no hurry in getting away. It is popularly believed to be the 

 plant from which our Saviour's crown of thorns was made. It 

 (litters very materially from the Spina chrisfi in the membran- 

 ous wing surrounding the seed-vessels. In fact these seed- 

 vessels are its most marked characteristic, for when fully ripe, 

 they hang in profuse clusters of a vivid light-green or yellow, 

 giving the tree the appearance of being clothed with rich 

 flowers. 



The strawberry tree or arbutus belongs to the heath family or 

 ericacene, to which belongs our common trailing arbutus. The 

 s[)ecies, I am inclined to think, is the unedo, but I am not cer- 

 tain. At any rate it is the one mentioned by Virgil in his Third 

 Eclogue, — " Moisture is grateful to the sown corn ; the arbute 

 to weaned kids ; the limber willow to the teeming cattle." It 

 is a shrub eight to ten feet tall, with fruit fleshy, Ave celled, 

 many seeded, dotted with little projections having the resem- 

 blance of a strawberry. The leaves are smooth and shining, 

 oblong-lanceolate, more or less serrated. The flowers are 

 white, growing in clusters, but each separate flower bearing a 

 resemblance to a lily of the valley. The fruit of all the species 

 seems to possess a narcotic influence, and wine is made in Cor- 



