408 Select Plants for Industrial Culture and 



Plantago lanceolata, 



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. 



Plantago Psyllium, Linn. 



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), P. ovata (Forskael), and P. arenaria 

 (Waldstein and Kitaibel). These species could be easily naturalised 

 ii on sandy coast-land. 



Platanus occidentalis, Catesbye.* 



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

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

 Height reaching usually about 100 feet, but instances are on record 

 of a height of 160 feet having been attained, with a stem-circum- 

 ference of 48 feet at 4 feet from the ground, according to Mr. Rob. 

 Ridgway and Prof. T. Meehan ; diameter of stem at times to 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 [Robb]. 

 The tree likes alluvial river-banks, and has been successfully planted 

 in morassy places, absorbing miasmatic effluvia. 



Platanus orientalis, Linn6.* 



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 

 and other kinds of cabinet-work. Propagation from seeds or 

 cuttings. Growth in height at Port Phillip 30-40 feet in 20 years. 

 An evergreen plane was mentioned already by Plinius as occurring 

 in Candia [Sir J. Hooker], and has lately been re-discovered. 



