ROB 



ROB 



broad in the middle, drawing to a point at each 

 end, smooth, of a lucid green, and pretty thick 

 consistence, on long slender footstalks, and 

 placed at pretty great distances on the branches : 

 the flowers in long bunches, from the side and 

 at the end of tlic branches, each on a slender pe- 

 duncle near half an inch long : calyx scarlet : 

 stamens eight, longer than the caivx : berry 

 roundish, with a thin pulp, outwardly scarlet 

 changing to purple ; inclosing one roundish hard 

 seed. It resembles the preceding very much, 

 but is wholly smooth ; but the leaves are pur- 

 plish about the edge, and the flowers red on the 

 outside. It is a native of the West Indies, flow- 

 ering niost part of the year. 



The third rises with a clinibing woody stalk 

 to the height of twenty feet, covered with a 

 dark grav bark : the leaves are oval-lanceolate, 

 near three inches long, and an inch and half 

 broad, smooth, entire, on short footstalks : the 

 flowers come out in long bunches from the side 

 of the blanches, shaped like those of the second 

 sort. The berries are blue, of the same size 

 with those of the other. It is a native of the 

 West Indies. 



Culture- — These plants may be increased by 

 seeds procured from the places where they are 

 natives, sowing them as soon as thev are ob- 

 tained, in pots tilled with fresh light earth, 

 plunging them in a hot-bed when in sunniier, 

 but in the tan- bed of the stove in the autumn or 

 winter. The earth should be well moistened 

 during the summer season, but very sparinglv in 

 the winter. They should be carefully preserved 

 in these situations till the seeds vegetate, which- 

 is often a great length of time, of course the pots 

 should not be disturbed. 



When the plants have attained about two 

 inches in srowth, they may be removed into se- 

 parate small pots, filled with light loamy mould, 

 plunging them into a hot-bed, shading them 

 tdl fresh rooted. 



Thev afterwards require the management of 

 other stove exotic plants. 



They may likewise sometimes be raised by 

 lavers and cuttings, assisted by the heat of the 

 bark hot-bed. 



After these plants have been preserved in the 

 stove of the hot-house till they have attained a 

 good growth and streneth, they are capable of 

 being preserved in moderate warmth in winter, 

 and in the warmest part of summer in the open 

 air, in a warm sheltered place. 



They afibrd variety among other potted ever- 

 green stove plants. 



ROBINIA, a genus comprismg plants of the 

 bardy deciduous tree and shrub sorts, with 

 tender kinds for the stove. 



It belongs to the class and order Diadelph'a 

 Dcccnidria, and ranks in the natural order of 

 PapiUonaccce or Legumino^cB. 



The characters are : that the calyx is a one- 

 leafed perianth, small, bell-shaped, four-cleft : 

 the three lower toothlets more slender ; ihe up- 

 per fourth toothlet wider, scarcely emarginate 

 to the nnked eye, all equal in length : the co- 

 rolla papilionaceous : standard roundish, larger, 

 spreading, blunt : wings oblong, ovale, free, 

 with a very short blunt appendix ; keel almost 

 semiorbicular, compressed, blunt, the lengtli of 

 the wings : the stamina have diadclphous fila- 

 ments, (simple and nine-cleft) ascending at top : 

 anthers roundish : the pistiUum is a cylindrical, 

 oblong germ: style filiform, bent upwards: 

 stigma villose in front at the top of the style : 

 the periearpiuni is a legume large, conipiessed, 

 gibbous, long: tjie seeds few, kidney-form. 



The species cultivated are; \.R. Pseud- ylcacia, 

 False or Common Acacia ; 2. R. hispida, Rose 

 Acacia, or Robinia ; 3. R. Caragana, Siberian 

 Abrupt-leaved R(jbuiia ; 4. R.J:ulesle7ls,S\\vuh- 

 hy Robinia; 5. R. p.'gmfpa. Dwarf Robinia; 

 G. R-. sphiusa, Thorny Robinia; 7. R- violarea, 

 Ash-leaved Robinia ; 8. R. milis, Smooth la* 

 dian Robinia. 



It grows very fast whilst young, so that in a 

 few years from seed, the plants rise to eight or 

 ten feet hiiih, and it is not uncommon to see 

 shoots of this tree six or eight feet long in one 

 summer: the branches are armed with strong 

 crooked thorns : the leafiets eight or ten 

 pairs, ovate, bright green, entire, sessile : the 

 iiowers come out from the side of the branches 

 in pretty long bunches, hanging down like those 

 of Laburnum : each flower on a slender pedicel, 

 white, and smelling very sweet: they appear in 

 June, and when the trees are full of tJower, 

 make a fine appearance and perfume the air 

 round them ; but they seldom continue more 

 than a week. It is a native of North America, 

 where it grows to a very large size, and the wood 

 is much valued for its duration. 



There is a variety which has no thorns on the 

 branches, but which is easily known at first 

 siiiht by its peculiar appearance. 



""v^nd the Echinated, or Prickly-podded Ame- 

 rican False Acacia, in which the pods are much 

 shorter, and closely beset with short prickles, 

 but in other respects agrees with the common 

 sort. 



The second species rises in its native situation 

 sometimes to the height of tv.enty lect, but in 

 this climate seems to be of low growth; the 

 branches spread out near the ground, and pro- 

 duce their flow crs very young : the young 

 brancheSj and also the peduncles and calyxes are 



