Naturalisation in Extra-Tropical Countries. 97 



Cassia acutifolia, Delile. 



Indigenous or now spontaneous in Northern and Tropical Africa 

 and South- Western Asia. Perennial. The leaflets merely dried 

 constitute part of the Alexandria-and also Tinnevelly-senna. The 

 active principle of senna namely, cathartic acid occurs also in the 

 Coluteas and in Coronilla varia, according to C. Koch. The senna- 

 cassias have within Australia particularly well succeded in the 

 Eastern sub-tropical coast-regions. 



Cassia ang-ustifolia, Valil. 



Northern and Tropical Africa and South- Western Asia, indigenous 

 or cultivated. Perennial. Yields Mecca-senna, also the Bombay- 

 and some of the Tinnevelly-senna. 



Cassia artemisioides, Gaudichaud. 



Sub-tropical and extra-tropical Australia. The species of this 

 series of the genus are shrubby, and considered valuable for arid 

 and sandy sheep-runs as affording feed. They brave intense heat, 

 and are adapted for rainless regions. 



Cassia fistula, Linne. 



Southern Asia. The long pods of this ornamental tree contain an 

 aperient pulp of pleasant taste and of medicinal value. It is also 

 used in the manufacture of cake-tobacco. Traced by Sir Jos. 

 Hooker to the slopes of the Central Himalayas. 



Cassia BZarilandica, Linne. 



An indigenous senna-plant of the South -Eastern United States 

 of North- America. Perennial. 



Cassia obovata, Collation. 



South-Western Asia ; widely dispersed through Africa as a native 

 or disseminated plant. Perennial. Part of the Alexandra-senna 

 and also Aleppo-senna is derivdd^from this plant ; less esteemed 

 and less collected than the other species. It furnishes also Italian, 

 Tripolis, Senegal and Tanacca senna. 



Castanea sativa, Miller.* (C. vulgaris, Lamarck ; C. vesca, Gaertner.) 



The Sweet Chestnut-tree. South-Europe and Temperate Asia, 

 as far as Japan, where a variety with larger fruits is cultivated, a 

 variety with smaller fruits extending to North-America. Professor 

 Schuebeler records that even in Norway at latitude 58 15' a chest- 

 nut-tree attained a height of 33 feet with a stem 4 feet in circum- 

 ference ; in a shrubby state it is found as far north as 63. It 

 reaches an enormous age ; at Mount Etna a tree occurs with a stem 

 204 feet in circumference. At other places trees are found 10 feet 

 in diameter, solid to the centre. The tree does not readily admit 

 of transplantation ; likes granitic soil. It bears still in the low 



