370 Select Plants for Industrial Culture and 



highly fragrant volatile oil on distillation. The tree under very 

 favorable circumstances attains a height of 80 feet ; it is largely 

 pervaded by a bitter peculiar principle, which occurs also in other 

 species. 



Planera aquatica, Gmelin. 



South-Eastern States of North- America. An elm-like tree, 

 which can be chosen for plantations in wet localities. The wood 

 is hard and strong. 



Plantag-o lanceolata. Limit'. 



Europe, Western Asia, Northern Africa. The Rib-herb or Plan- 

 tain-herb. This perennial weed gets disseminated readily, and is 

 recommended by some ruralists, though neither by Langethal nor 

 Morton, as valuable on very poor pasture -land. The allied P. media 

 (L.) is of similar use, and so perhaps P. major (Camerarius), all of 

 equal geographic range ; the seeds are much liked by cage-birds. 



Plantag-o Psyllium, Linne. 



Countries around the Mediterranean Sea, extending to Austria 

 and Persia. An annual herb. The seeds render water very mucil- 

 aginous, and come thus into requisition for the preparation of silk- 

 ware, for imparting gloss to coloured paper and for cotton-printing, 

 irrespective of some medicinal utility [Wiesner]. The same may be 

 said of P. cynops (Linne) and P. arenaria (Waldstein and Kitai- 

 bel). These species could be easily naturalised on sandy coast- 

 land. 



Platanus occidentalis, Catesbye.* 



The true Plane-Tree of Eastern North-America ; also known as 

 Buttonwood. More eligible as an avenue-tree than as a timber-tree. 

 Height reaching about 100 feet ; diameter of stem at times co 14 

 feet. Wood dull-red, light, not readily attacked by insects ; used 

 in the manufacture of pianofortes and harps ; cuts into very good 

 screws, also presses, dairy-utensils, windlasses, wheels and blocks. 

 The young wood is silky- whitish and often handsomely mottled 

 [Bobb]. The tree likes alluvial river-banks, and has been success- 

 fully planted in morassy places, absorbing miasmatic effluvia. 



Platanus orientalis, Linne.* 



The genuine Plane-Tree, extending from South-Europe to Middle 

 Asia. Hardy in Norway to lat. 58 8' [Schuebeler]. One of the 

 grandest trees for lining roads and for street-planting, deciduous 

 like most other planes, rather quick of growth. Attains a height 

 of 90 feet and a stem-circumference of occasionally 70 feet, reaching 

 an age of over 800 years. It resists the smoke in large towns, such 

 as London, better than any other tree, growing vigorously even 

 under such disadvantage. The wood is well adapted for furniture 



