Naturalisation in Extra-Tropical Countries. 105 



Ceratonia Siliqua, Linne. 



The Carob-Tree, indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean regions. 

 It attains a height of 50 feet, and resists drought well ; succeeds 

 best on a calcareous subsoil. Wood pale-reddish. The saccharine 

 pods, Algaroba or St. John's Bread, of value for domestic animals ; 

 in some parts of South-Europe even used for human food. The 

 frequent unisexuality of the flowers accounts to some extent for the 

 want of productiveness in fruit of this plant, where but few plants 

 axist and no bees are kept, or this sterility may be traceable to 

 insufficiency of lime or other substance in the soil. Mr. J. S. Edgar 

 noticed the plant to be remarkably fruitful also at the verge of the 

 tropics in East- Australia ; Mr T). E. Martin records the same 

 success from the Wimmera, while in very arid regions of Riverina 

 the fruit is abundantly produced even in seasons of drought. 

 Passed through years of severe drought in Central Australia [Rev. 

 H. Kempe]. The seeds germinate readily. The exportation of the 

 pods for cattle-food from Creta is very large. The fruit is used 

 for a medicinal syrup, an imitation of chocolate and a liqueur 

 [Wittmack]. In some of the Mediterranean countries horses and 

 stable- cattle are almost exclusively fed upon the pods. The meat 

 of sheep and pigs is greatly improved in flavor by this food, while 

 its fattening properties are twice those of oil-cake. The pods con- 

 tain about 66 per cent, of sugar and gum. To horses and cattle 

 6 Ibs. a day are given of the crushed pods, raw or boiled, with or 

 without chaff. The Spanish conquerors took this plant early to 

 Central and South-America. The seeds should by geographic 

 explorers be carried through the central regions of Australia, and 

 be sown on humid spots, particularly in the limestone formation. 

 Instances are on record of a tree having yielded nearly half a ton 

 of pods in a season [Chambers]. 



Ceratopetalum apetalum, Don. 



Extra- tropic Eastern Australia. A beautiful tree with long 

 cylindrical stem, Height reaching 90 feet, diameter 3 feet. Wood 

 soft, light, tough, closely-grained, fragrant, good for joiners' and 

 cabinet-makers' work, locally in request for coachbuilding and 

 therefore called coach-wood by the colonists. 



Cercocarpus ledifolius, Nuttall. 



California. Becomes in favorable spots a tree 40 feet in height, 

 with a stem-diameter of 2^ feet. The wood is the hardest known 

 in California. It is of dark color, very dense, used for bearings in 

 machinery [Dr. Gibbons]. C. parvifolius is of lesser dimensions. 



Cereus Eriselmanni. Parry. 



Utah. A dwarf species, with large scarlet flowers and fruits of 

 strawberry-flavor and refreshing taste. C. Lecomtei attains there 

 the size of a flour-barrel. 



