DIOECIA— PENTANDRIA. Hamulus. 295 



Woods in Counties of Oxford, and Berks ; not far from Read- 

 ing. Bobart in Rail St/ti. 



Per.? llfarch. 



Biennial? evergreen for one -vinnter, herbaceous. Stems about 

 two feet, round, branched, stiff, slightly fun-owed. Ls. dark 

 green, alternate, spreading, twisted, hard, entire, tipped with a 

 sharp thorn ; bearing a solitarj flower about the middle, on the 

 upper side. Berry globular, large, scarlet. FL in reality, on a 

 foot-stalk, from the bosom of the leaf, yellowish white. 

 Bacon and cheese defended from the mice, by its sharp, prickly 



leaves and boughs placed round them. 



DIOECIA TETRANDRIA. 



VISCUM. Mistletoe. 



J^, album. Common IVliite M. Leaves spear-shaped, 



blunt. Stem forked, with stalkless, intermediate heads, 



of about five flowers. E. B. 1470. Viscum. G. E. 



1350. 

 Parasitical on the Apple-tree, Oak, &c. Near Bland's Court. Sb. 



Ipston. Bx. 

 Small Shrub. May. 

 Stems straddling, repeatedly forked, pale greenish. Ls. opposite, 



entu-e, smooth, permanent, colour of the stem, leathery. FL in 



small, axillary heads, stalkless, yellowish. Antli. pitted over. 



Berry globose, white, semi-transparent, full of clammy pulp. 



Bird-lime from the berries, and bark. The berries eaten by the 

 Thrush, Fieldfare, &c. pass through them, and adhere to the bark 

 of trees, where they vegetate. Plant eaten greedily by sheep. 

 This the sacred plant of the Druids.' Used to dress up churches 

 and houses at Christmas.^ Formerly prescribed in epilepsy. 



DIOECIA PENTANDRIA. 



HU'MULUS. Hop. 

 H. Lupulus. Common Hoj). (One sp. only known.) 

 E. B. 127. Lupus saUctarius. G. E. 885. 



Thickets, hedges. 



Per. June. 



Stems twining, fr-om right to left, angular, rough, leafy. Ls. oppo- 

 site, foot-stalked ; upper heart-shaped, undivided ; lower ones, 

 three, or five-lobed, saw-toothed, veiny, rough. Stip. bent 

 back. Fl. greenish-yellow, pistil-bearing ones, bitter, fragi-ant. 



' See History of Druidism, in Henry's England, vol. i. 

 ' See " Selection from Gent. Mag." vol. i. p. 245. 



