Naturalisation in Extra-Tropical Countries. 289 



worked and takes a good polish. It is employed for house-building 

 inside, for bridges, cheap furniture, implements, shingles, pumps, 

 wooden-ware, boat-building, and a variety of other purposes. On 

 account of its uniformity and freedom from knots and its disinclina- 

 tion to warp or shrink, much used in Canada for railway-cars and 

 carriage-building, chiefly for the panelling [Robb]. The bark yields 

 about 8 per cent, tannin. As this tree is difficult to transplant, 

 it should be grown on the spot, where it is to remain. Professor 

 Meehan observes, that it is of quicker growth than the Horse-Chest- 

 nut tree and many Maples. In forest valleys of the colony Victoria 

 plants gained in a few years a height of over 20 feet [Ch. French]. 

 The flowers yield to bees much honey ; indeed Mr. Langstroth speaks 

 of the Tulip-tree as one of the greatest honey-producers in the 

 world ; as its large flowers expand in succession, new swarms will 

 sometimes fill their hives from this source alone. A variety of this 

 seems to occur as indigenous in China. 



Ldthospermum canescens, Lehmann. 



North- American Alkanet. This, as the vernacular name indicates, 

 offers a dye-root. 



Lithospermum hirtum, Lehmann. 



North- American Alkanna. A showy perennial herb ; the root 

 yields a red dye. 



Lithospermum. angustifoliiim, Michaux. (L. longiflorum, Sprengel.) 



North- America. A red pigment can also be extracted from the 

 root of this species. 



Livistona Australis, Martius.* 



East- Australia. The only Palm-tree in Victoria, occurring in East- 

 Gippsland (in the latitude of Melbourne), and there attaining a height 

 of about 80 feet. It endures the winters of South-France to 40 32' 

 north lat. ripening germinable seeds [Naudin]. The young leaves 

 can be plaited as a material for cabbage-tree hats. The seeds (of 

 which about 200 are contained in one pound) retain their vitality far 

 better than those of the Australian Ptychospermas. The germinating 

 power of Palm-seeds will be much longer retained if they are kneaded 

 into a mixture of clay and cow-dung [H. Wendland]. This palm can 

 be transferred from its native haunts to very long distances for growth, 

 by previously separating the main portion of the root from the soil, 

 and leaving the plant for some months on the original spot, so as to 

 remove it finally with new rootlets, retaining much soil. Some of 

 the Indian Livistonas may be equally hardy ; their stems often tower 

 above the other forest-trees. 



