Naturalisation in Extra -Tropical Countries. 433 



Rumex vesicarius, Linne. 



Southern Europe, Middle Asia, Northern Africa, An annual 

 herb of the same utility as other sorrels. 



Ruscus aculeatus, Linne. 



Middle and Southern Europe, Northern Africa, South- Western 

 Asia This odd plant serves for forming garden-hedges. The 

 young shoots of this and a few allied plants are edible. 



Russula vesca, Fries. 



Europe. One of the best of mushrooms for the kitchen within 

 the genus Russula, which has representatives in most parts of the 

 globe. Dr. Cooke mentions further as culinary B. lepida and R. 

 virescens (Fries). Professor Morren notes R. integra (Fries) as 

 used among the Belgian champignons. Under any circumstances, 

 mushrooms should only be used when freshly collected or quickly 

 dried. 



Ruta graveolens, Linne. 



The Rue. Mediterranean countries and the Orient. Hardy in 

 Norway to lat. 63 26 '. The foliage of this acrid and odorous shrub, 

 simply dried, constitutes the rue-herb of medicine. The allied R. 

 sylvestris (Miller) is still more powerful in its effect. These plants 

 and others of the genus contain a peculiar volatile oil and a glycosid, 

 the rutin. Fresh they should be handled most cautiously, best 

 with gloves. 



Sabal Adansoni, Guernsent. 



Dwarf Palmetto. South-Carolina, Georgia and Florida. A 

 stemless Fan-palm, with the following congeners, Rhaphidophyllum 

 Hystrix and Washingtonia filifera, attaining the most northerly 

 positions of any American palms. According to Count de Saporta 

 it resists a temperature as low as 17 F. Professor Ch. Naudin found 

 it to endure the frosts in Southern France to 43 20 ' north latitude. 

 This palm does well in marshy places. 



Sabal Palmetto. Loddiges. 



Extends from Florida to North-Carolina, 36 N.L. The stem 

 attains a height of 40 feet. This hardy palm delights on sandy 

 coast-tracts. Stems almost imperishable under water, not attacked 

 by the teredo. 



Sabal umbraculifera, Grisebach. 



West-Indies. Attains a height of 80 feet or occasionally even 

 over 100 feet. Though naturally a tropical Savannah- palm, it has 

 proved even hardier than the orange. A near relative is S. Black- 

 burniana (Glazebrook), a native of Bermuda, where,"' according to 

 Sir John Lefroy, it gains a stem height of 50 feet, and where the 



