458 Select Plants for Industrial Culture and 



Don]. The wood one of the very best for gunpowder. ' Recommended 

 by Sir Joseph Hooker to be grown on the coppice-system for this 

 purpose. The bark is valuable as a cathartic ; yields also a yellow 

 dye. R. purpurea (Edgeworth) is an allied Himalayan species. 



Rhamnus Grseca, Reuter. 



Greece. From this shrub and to no less extent from the allied R. 

 prunifolius (Sibthorp) are derived the green dye-berries collected in 

 Greece, according to Dr. Heldreich. These shrubs grow on stony 

 mountains up to 2,500 feet. 



Rhamnus infectoria, Linne. 



On the Mediterranean Sea and in the countries near to it. Hardy 

 still at Christiania. The berry-like fruits of this shrub are known in 

 commerce as Graines d' Avignon and Graines de Perse, and produce a 

 valuable dye, green or yellow, according to treatment. Other species 

 seem to supply a similar dye-material ; for instance, R. saxatilis, L., 

 R. amygdalina, Desf., R. oleoides, L., R. tinctoria, W. and K., all 

 from the regions at and near the Mediterranean Sea. 



RhapidophyllTim Hystrix, Wendland and Drude. (Chamcerops Hystrix, 

 Eraser.) 



The Blue Palmetto of Florida and Carolina. A hardy dwarf Fan- 

 Palm. 



Rhapis flabelliformis, Linne fil. 



China and Japan. This exceedingly slender palm attains a height 

 of only a few feet. The stems can be used for various small imple- 

 ments. It is one of the best plants for table-decorations. It bears 

 the climate of the South of France to 40 32' N. lat. [Naudin]. 



Rhaponticum acaule, De Candolle. 



On the Mediterranean Sea. A perennial herb. The root is edible. 



Rheum australe, D. Don.* (R. Emodi, Wallich; J?. Webbianum, Royle.) 



Himalayan regions up to 16,000 feet. From this species at least 

 a portion of the medicinal Rhubarb is obtained, its quality depending 

 much on the climatic region and the geological formation, in which 

 the plant grows. Shoulfl we wish to cultivate any species here for 

 superior medicinal roots, localities in our higher and drier alpine tracts 

 should clearly be chosen for the purpose. Hayne regards the presence 

 of much yellowish pigment in the seed-shell as indicating a good 

 medicinal rhubarb-plant. As much as 5 Ibs. of the dried drug are 

 obtainable from a single plant several years old. An important 

 orange-red crystalline substance, emodin, allied to chrysophanic acid, 

 occurs in genuine rhubarb. Medicinal rhubarb-root is now also grown 

 in England, The Himalayan R. Moorcroftianum (Royle) yields also 



. a purgative root. 



