LXXX. ilLIA^CEiE : i?u'sCUS. 



1099 



Order LXXX. ilLlA^CE^. 



Ord. Char. Perianth regular, 6-parted. Stamens 6, opposite the segments, 

 and inserted in their bases. Ovarium free. Sti/Ie 1. Capsule 3-celled, 3- 

 valved, with a loculicidal dehiscence. Seeds many, generally flat, packed 

 one above another, in one or two ranks ; testa spongy or dilated. Atbimien 

 fleshy. Embryo straight, having the radicle next the hilum. {G. Don.) 



Leaves simple, alternate or opposite, stipulate or exstipulate, deciduous 

 or evergreen ; with parallel veins. Flowern mostly white. Shrubs mostly 

 evergreen ; natives of Europe, Asia, and America. 

 In British gardens, the only genera which contain hardy ligneous plants 



are two; which are thus contradistinguished : 



^u'scus. Flowers dicecious. Stamens 5, nionadelphous. Style 1. Cells 



of berry 2-seeded. {G. Don.) 

 Yu'ccA. Perianth campanulate. Stamens thickest at top. Stigma sessile. 



Capsule trigonal. Seeds flat. ((r. Don.) 



In our first edition the shrubby species of Asparagus are included, but they 

 are here omitted as not being perfectly hardy. 



Genus I. 



^[M 



/?U'SCUS L. The Butcher's Broom. Lin. Si/st. DioeVia Triandria. 



Identification. Lin. Gen., 634. ; Juss., 42. ; Fl. Br., 1073. ; Tourn., t. 15. ; Lara., t. 815. ; Gsrtn., 

 t. 16. 



Synonymes. Fragon, Fr. ; Mausedom, Ger. ; Rusco, Ital. 



Derivation. It is said to have been anciently called Bruscus, from beux, box, and kelem, holly 

 ( Celtic), box holly ; or from buxus, box. Some suppose it to be derived from russus, flesh- 

 coloured ; alluding to the colour of the fruit. The word ruscus was, however, applied to any 

 prickly plant by the ancient Romans, as ruscus sylvestris, the holly, &c. 



Gen. Char. Perianth 6-parted. Stamens 6, nionadelphous, antheriferous in 

 the male flowers, but naked in the female ones. Sti/le 1. Berry globose, 

 3-celled ; cells 2-seeded. (G.Don.) 



Leaves simple, alternate, exstipulate, evergreen ; alike green on both 

 surfaces. Floiuers rising from the midribs of the leaves ; alwa} s dioecious, 

 except in R. racemosus. Low evergreen shrubs, natives of Europe and 

 Africa. 



Though, in a practical point of view, the species in British gardens are 

 treated as evergreen shrubs, yet, in a strict sense, they are biennial plants, 

 like the raspberry and the bramble. They all thrive in sandy soil, and are 

 readily increased by division of the root. 



n. 1. i?. aculeaVus L. The prickly, or common. Butcher's Broom. 



Identification. Lin. Sp. PI., 1474. ; Eng. Bot., t. -560. ; Eng. Fl., 4. p. 235. ; Hook. Br. Fl., p. 431. 

 Synonymes. R. ?yrtifcMius aculeatus Tonrn. Inst. ; Box Holly, Knee Holly, wild Myrtle, prickly 



Pettigree; Houx Frelon, petit Houx Buis piquant, Fragon epineux, Fragon piquant, Fr. ; Stech- 



ender Mausedom, Ger. ; Rusco, Ital. 

 Engravings. Eng. Bot., t. 560. ; and our fig. 2060. 



Spec. Char., i'^c. Leaves ovate, sharp-pointed, flowering on the upper side, 

 without a leaflet. (Smith.) An evergreen suffi-utescent plant. Britain. 

 Height 1 ft. to 3 ft. Flowers greenish white ; March and April. Berries 

 scarlet ; ripe in the beginning of winter ; very ornamental. 



Varieties. 



n. R. o. 2 roiundifoUus Barrel. Ic. 517., Mart. Mill. R. vulgaris folio 

 ampliore Dill. Elth. 333, 334. t. 251. f. 324. Leaves somewhat 

 larger and rounder than those of the species. 

 B. R. a, 3 ILvus Smith. R. laxus Lodd. Cat. ed. 1836. Leaves elliptic. 



