Naturalisation in Extra-Tropical Countries. 277 



observes that sheep are exceedingly fond of it, feeding it off to the 

 ground, whence it sprouts again. Mr. Herbert Westenhall says that 

 on some arid pastures of the Wimmera it is late in the summer almost 

 the only feed. It seems free from noxious properties. 



Lactuca sativa, C. Bauhin.* 



Southern Asia. The ordinary annual Lettuce, in use since remote 

 antiquity. It is not without value for medicinal purposes, especially 

 as a sedative. L. Scariola (Linne) seems to be the wild state of 

 the garden-lettuce, and is a native of all the countries around the 

 Mediterranean Sea. Messrs. Dippe in Quedlinburg devote exclu- 

 sively 130 acres to the culture of lettuce merely for seed. Mons. 

 Vilmorin notes the seeds to retain their power of germination for 

 about five years. L. altissima (Bieberstein) is a variety attaining 

 a height of 9 feet. All yield lactucarium. Succeeds also in 

 equinoctial latitudes, thus thriving also fairly well in the hot and 

 moist depressions of the Malayan Peninsula [H. N. Ridley]. It 

 ripens seed even in the hot desert-regions of Central Australia, but 

 can also be successfully grown up to the North Cape. Picridium 

 vulgare (Desfontaines) of the countries at the Mediterranean Sea is 

 there occasionally consumed as lettuce. L. pereunis (Linne) is there 

 a pot-herb [Naudin]. 



Lactuca virosa, Linn& 



Middle and South-Europe, North- Africa, Middle-Asia. A biennial. 

 The inspissated juice particularly of this lettuce forms the sedative 

 lactucarium. 



Lagenaria vulgaris, Seringe. 



The " Bottle Gourd." Supposed to be a native of Tropical Asia 

 and Africa, and perhaps also Australia, but certainly indigenous in 

 South-America before the advent of the Spaniards. An annual 

 climber, rather a plant of curiosity than of utility in the rural sense 

 of the word, but cultivated in India for making calabashes and also 

 employed in medicine. A variety occurs with edible fruits, which 

 when cooked in an unripe state are very palatable. A particular 

 Lagenaria occurs as indigenous in Chili ; it has unlike L. vulgaris 

 always spherical fruits of enormous size, which when excavated are 

 used as buckets, baskets and even for supports of ferry-floats. 

 [Acosta, Molina, Philippi]. 



Lantana crocea, N. Jacquin. 



Central America. One of the most graceful and ornamental 

 plants for low hedges, flowering all through the year, and not apt 

 to spread detrimentally, as do some of its tropical congeners. All 

 the species are of some medicinal value. 



