XXII. iiHAMNACE^: JiHAMNUS. 



171 



green ; feather-nerved ; the stipules never converted into prickles. Flowers 

 axillary, aggregate, often unisexual. Fruit not eatable, generally black, 

 rarely red or yellow. 



Deciduous or evergreen shrubs, with the tips of their branches often be- 

 coming spines. One or two species have the habit of low trees, and some of 

 them are sub-procumbent or procumbent ; all of them, except the latter, being 

 distinguished by an upright stiff mode of growth, and numerous strong thorns 

 in their wild state ; whence the name of ram, or buck, thorn. The flowers 

 in all the species are inconspicuous ; but R. yllaternus and its varieties are 

 most valuable evergreen shrubs, and several of the other species are oi-na- 

 mental, both from their fohage and their fruit ; the latter of which is also 

 useful in dyeing. All the species are easily propagated by seeds or layers, and 

 most of them by cuttings ; and they will all grow in any soil that is dry. They 

 all vary much in magnitude by culture, in common with most plants which, in 

 a wild state, grow in arid soils. 



i. Marcorella Neck. 



Synonymes. ^hamnus and ^laternus of Tourn. 



Sect. Char. Flowers usually dicEcious, and 5-cleft. Fruit a berry, with 3 

 seeds, or, from abortion, 2 seeds. Seeds deeply furrowed, with the raphe 

 in the bottom of the furrow. Leaves usually permanent ; coriaceous, and 

 glabrous. {Dec. Prod., ii. p. 23.) 



Evergreen Shrubs. 





245. iih4mnus ^lat^miu 



A. Alate'rnus Tourn. Flowers racemose, 5-cleft. 

 1. R. ^late'rnus L. The Alaternus. 



Identification. Lin. Spec, 281. : Eiec. Prod., 2. p. 23. ; Don's 



Mill, 2. p. 30. 

 Synonymes. yiflaternus Phill^rea Mill. Diet. No. I.; Alaterna, Ital. 

 Derivniion. From alternus, a generic name adopted from Dios- 



corides, designating tiie alternate position of tiie leaves. 

 Engravings. Mill. Diet., t. 16. f. 1. ; N. Du Ham., 3. p. 42. 1. 14. ; 



and our Jig. 245. 



Spec. Char., c^c. Leaves ovate-elliptical, op lance- 

 olate, coriaceous, quite smooth, serrated. Flowers 

 dioecious, disposed in short racemes. {Bon's Mill.) 

 An evergreen shrub. South of Europe and 

 North of Africa. Height 10 ft. to 20 ft. Intro- 

 duced in 1 629. Flowers green, without any corolla ; 

 April to June. Berry black ; ripe in October. 

 Varieties. 



* R. A, 2 baledrica Hort. Par. The iJhamnus rotundifolius of Du- 

 mont. Leaves roundish. We take this as the first variety, assuming 

 the species to be what is called R. 

 A. latifolia, which is the commonest 

 variety in British nurseries. 

 R. A. 3 hispdnica Hort. Par. (Our ^g. 

 246.) Leaves ovate, a little toothed. 

 R. A. 4 angustifolia. R. Clijsii Willd. 

 (Mill. Icon., t, 16. fig. 2. ; and our 

 Jig. 247.) Leaves long and narrow. 

 This variety is so distinct, that it is by 

 many authors considered as a species. 

 It is of remarkably rapid growth. 

 There are two subvarieties of it, the 

 gold-striped, and the silver-striped ; 

 both of remarkably free growth, 

 i R. A. 5 foliis maculdtis. Leaves blotched with yellow. 

 j R .4. .wgu.tifMia. R. A. 6 foliis aureis. Leaves edged with yellow. 



'24C. R. A. hisp&nicA* 



