246 Select Plants for Industrial Culture and 



Grevillea robusta, Cunningham.* 



A stately lawn-tree, indigenous to the sub-tropical part of East- 

 Australia, rising to 150 feet, of rather rapid growth, and resisting 

 drought in a remarkable degree ; hence one of the most eligible trees, 

 even for desert-culture, though naturally a silvan plant. Cultivated 

 trees at Melbourne yield now an ample supply of seeds. The wood 

 is elastic and durable, valued particularly for staves of casks, also for 

 furniture. The richly developed golden-yellow trusses of flowers 

 attract honey-sucking birds and bees through several months of the 

 year. The seeds are copiously produced and germinate readily. 

 Kate of growth in Victoria, 20-30 feet in 20 years. In Ceylon it 

 attained a stem -circumference of 5 feet in eight years. In India it 

 flourishes at elevations from 2,000 to 7,000 feet, and is chosen as a 

 favorite tree for lines of shady walks. 



Grindelia squarrosa, Dunal. 



North-America in the middle-regions, but extending also far north- 

 ward. A perennial balsamic herb, praised for medicinal virtues in 

 its native lands. Several congeners occur from California and Mexico 

 to Chili and Argentina. G. robusta (Nuttall) serves therapeutic pur- 

 poses in California, its use being particularly effective in asthma and 

 bronchial affections [Dr. Gibbons]. Some congeners occur as far 

 south as Chili and Argentina. 



Ghiad.ua angnstifolia, Kunth.* (Bambusa Guadua, Humboldt and Bon- 

 pland.) 



New Granada,, Ecuador and probably others of the Central 

 American States. This Bamboo attains a height of 40 feet, and 

 might prove hardy in sheltered places of temperate low-lands. 

 Holton remarks of this species, that it is, after the plantain, maize 

 and sugar-cane, the most indispensable plant of New Granada, and 

 that it might be called the lumber-tree, as it supplies nearly all the 

 fencing and wood-work of most of the houses, and is besides manu 

 factured into many kinds of utensils. Does well in culture. It is by 

 far the largest of the Guaduas and the loveliest Bamboo as yet grown 

 in British Guiana, where in alluvial ground several congeners exist, 

 some of which seed freely [G. S. Jenman]. Seeds of Bamboo should 

 be gathered in dry weather and from the plants, not from the ground, 

 and be early sown. The Genus Guadua comprises the stoutest of all 

 Bamboos. 



Guadua latifolia, Kunth.* (Bambusa latifolia, Humboldt and Bonpland.) 



One of the tall Bamboos of Central America, whence several other 

 lofty Bamboos may be obtained, among them the almost climbing 

 Chusqueas. This Guadua is stouter than any Indian Bamboo. In 

 tropical America native Bamboos are planted for hedges. G. amplexi- 

 folia (Presl) is an allied species, which extends from Mexico to 

 Venezuela and attains a height of 60 feet. 



