692 



APPENDIX. 



distributed over the country. Mr. Douglas described 

 it OS a magnificent tree, attaining the height of 140 

 feet, and four feet in diameter. Its prickly cones are 

 large ; so are the seeds, which are eaten by the natives 

 of those countries, and are pleasant to the taste. The 

 tree is perfectly hardy, and well endures our severest 

 winters. The wood is whitish, and rather soft, espe- 

 cially in situations where its growth is rapid. Fig. 4. 

 — Firms pinea, tlie stone-pine, p. 464. This is the 

 pine of Claude Lorraine's Italian landscapes. Fig. 5. 

 — Cedrus deodara, the deodar, from the mountains of 

 northern India, equal, if not superior in beauty to the 

 cedar of Lebanon, of which some eminent botanists 

 now consider it to be a variety. The wood is com- 

 pact and durable. The gates of the celebrated temple 

 of Somnauth are constructed of deodar ; as those of 

 Solomon's temple were, and those of St. Peter's at 

 Kome are, of the cedar of Lebanon. Fig. 6. — A hies ex- 

 celsa or Clanbrassiliana, Lord Clanbrassil's spruce-fir, 

 very generally considered only as a variety, although 

 by some ranked as a species, which certainly its ap- 

 pearance and growth would warrant as very different 

 from any other spruce, being a low compact bush, of 

 from three to four feet high, with short, numerous 

 branches, closely covered with leaves, which are sel- 

 dom more than one-fourth of an inch long. Intro- 

 duced to Britain by Lord Clanbrassil ; the date and 

 locality uncertain, but supposed to be from the Le- 

 vant. Fig. 7. — Pima OouUeri, or Dr. Coulter's pine, 

 a native of the western coast of North America, ex- 

 tending from 40° to 43° north ; also on a range of 

 low hills from the Rocky Mountains towards the sea 

 at Cape Orford, of Vancouver, where it was dis- 

 covered by the late distinguished botanical collector, 

 Mf. David Douglas, in 1826, when he sent home 

 seeds to the London Horticultural Society, where it 

 was raised and distributed to the various collections. 

 It was met with more recently by Dr. Coulter on the 

 mountains of St. Lucia, at an elevation of nearly 

 4000 feet above the level of the sea. That gentleman 

 likewise sent home fresh seeds of it to various gardens, 

 where it has been raised. It is perfectly hardy, and 

 is said to attain a height of 100 feet, with a circum- 

 ference of 12 feet. From its rapid growth, the wood 

 is not expected to be valuable; but the tree is highly 

 ornamental, either in the pinetum or singly on the 

 lawn or park. — For other figures, see Index or List 

 of Plates. . 



PLATE XVin. 



A BBAZILIAN FOBEBT. 



Meyen and Von Martins state that a characteristic 

 feature in Brazilian forests is the variety and profu- 

 sion of cUmbing plants. By the commingling of 

 their branches, they bind themselves closely to the 

 wood of the tree which supports them. In this pro- 

 cess the strength of the original root of the parasite 

 becomes weakened, and as a counterpoise, the stem 

 sends down air-roots, and thus this tenacious and 

 vigorous race continually acquire fresh strength and 

 fr'eedom. "In proportion (says Meyen) to the ma- 

 jestic beauty of a primeval forest, is its fearful gran- 

 deur when in conflict vrith the wild elements. To 



be in such a forest during a violent hunicacs, id 

 described as more fearful than to struggle with tha 

 raging waves in the open sea. When the boisterous 

 wind catches hold of the tops of the gigantic trees of 

 these natural forests, and shakes the branches and 

 trunks against each other, the air is filled with a fear- 

 ful rushing, thundering, rattling, and crashing. Even 

 the strong hanas (climbing plants) are torn .isunder, 

 and the broken branches and stems fall to the ground. 

 The rain, at first warded off by the thick canopy of 

 foliage, now falls in torrents ; almost all the inhabi- 

 tants of the forest betray their fear by mournful howl- 

 ing and crying ; the apes, the large bats, and the 

 whole host of birds call loudly together, and the 

 croaking of the tree-frogs and others of this family, 

 sometimes like the sound of a drum, discloses the 

 misery of the moment." 



The forms of the palm, the musa, the arborescent 

 glasses, fig-trees, orchids, and other parasites and 

 climbing plants, determine the character of the vege- 

 tation of this as of other portions of the equatorial 

 zone. 



Dr. Von Martins describes the bush-ropes of the 

 Brazilian forests on the Organ Mountains, as clinging 

 round the trees, and hanging down from them in 

 graceful festoons. These ropes yield a milky or yel- 

 lowish juice when wounded, and probably belong to 

 the dogbanes or asclepiads. The twining plants, 

 decorated with beautiful green leaves, consist of spe- 

 cies of banisteria, smilax, serjania, and bignonia, 

 voluptuously interlaced and entangled. 



PLATES XIX.— XXI. 



MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



For page of description, see Index or List of Plates. 



PLATE XXII. 



MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



Ipeoacuan (Cephcelis ipecacuanha), a plant of the 

 cinchona tribe, with an annulated root, which is the 

 ipecacuan of the pharmacopoeias. It is emetic and 

 diaphoretic— For other figures, see Index or List of 

 Plates. 



PLATES XXIII., XXIV. 



BPIOB PLANTS. 



For page of description, see Index or List of Plates. 



PLATES XXV., XXVL 



QUM PLANTS. 



Gdm Olibandm, the product of Bomettta serrcaa, 

 a native of India, called also Libanus thurifera. Oli- 

 banum is chiefly used as a grateful incense ; but it 

 possesses also stimulant, astringent, and diaphoretic 

 properties. Arabian frankincense has also been said 

 to be the produce of the same tree, but this is uncer- 

 tain. GuTTA PEBOHA is the produce of Iionandra 

 gutta, a native of Singapore, Borneo, and other Malay 

 islands. It is a large tree, with spongy wood, and 

 leaves of a leathery texture, green on the upper, and 

 orange-yellow on the lower surface. The Malays 

 destroy the trees in order to get at the juice, instead 

 of collecting it from incisions made in the growing 



