886 CHRONOLOGICAL ARRANGEMENT 



247 (Spreng.) ; and known to grow from Sweden to the Pyrenees, Switzerland and Carniolia (Pluk. 

 aim. pi. 173, Engl. bot. pi. 138, Jacq. austr. pi. 392, Scop., Pers., and A. Dec). 



Mentha viridis of Europe and the adjoining portion of Asia. Called in Britain spear-mint or 

 spire-mint from its spiry not capitate inflorescence (Prior), in France " menthe aigue " (Nugent), and 

 termed " menta domestica " by Montigiano — (Targ.) : " spear-mint " is enumerated by Josselyn among 

 the plants introduced by European colonists into New England ; M. viridis was observed by Clayton 

 167 in Virginia ; by myself from 45 North of the White mountains to 40 near Philadelphia, chiefly 

 in wet places along roadsides; by A. Gray, in "wet places, common" in central New York; by 

 Walter, on the Santee in South Carolina; lay Michaux fl. ii. 2, in moist places in Georgia and termed 

 "m. tenuis " (Pers., and Chapman). Eastward, is described by Dodoens pempt. 95 (Linn. sp. pi.), 

 Ray, and Dillenius, but is regarded by Watson as exotic and only naturalized (A. Dec.) ; is known 

 to occur seemingly wild in France, Switzerland, and Germany (Crantz, and Pers.) ; was observed by 

 Chaubard in cool moist places in the Peloponnesus. Clearly by European colonists was carried to 

 the Canaries, South America, and Austral Africa, and "oil of spearmint" and "spearmint water" 

 are employed medicinally as "aromatic and carminative" (Lindl.) : the use of the fresh leaves in 

 preparing drinks called "julaps " is well known in North America. 



"July 16th" (Alst), in Germany, beginning of open war between Charles V. and the Prot- 

 estants. 



"The same year" (Spreng.), arrival of Petrus Belon in the East, on his visit to Constantinople 

 and Egypt, meeting with Aristolochia baetica, Caucalis Orientalis, Ephedra altissima. 



Diospyrus lotus of Northern China. The false lote-tree is called by the Turks " trebison chor- 

 masi"( ....); and the " cerasus trapezuntina " brought from Trebizond according to Belon, — is 

 referred here by C. Bauhin : D. lotus was first planted at Padua by Fallopius, who supposed it to be 

 guaiacum (Gerarde emend.); was received from Constantinople through Busbecke by Malthioli 

 211 ; is termed "guaiacana" by Tournefort inst. 600 ; is described also by Lobel, Caesalpinus, Cam- 

 erarius, Dalechamp, and Pallas pi. 58 ; has become well known throughout the Mediterranean coun- 

 tries (Pers.) ; was observed by Forskal p. xxvi, and Sibthorp, in gardens at Constantinople. Farther 

 East, by Bunge, wild on the mountains of Northern China. 



Cerasus laurocerasus of the East Mediterranean countries. A cherry-laurel, called in Greece 

 " thaphnoeithes " (Sibth.); seen by Belon in the East — (Spreng.), and "in 1576" introduced from 

 Trebizond into Europe by Clusius — (Linn., Pers., and Daubeny) : described also by Camerarius hort. 

 pi. 23 ; termed " laurocerasus " by Tournefort inst. 628 ; observed by Sibthorp in the Peloponnesus ; 

 and continuing under cultivation as far as Britain, where it is called simply laurel (Prior). Its leaves 

 bark and seeds according to Lindley contain " prussic acid, which exists in great abundance in the 

 distilled water : this is a deadly poison." 



Mimosa (Prosofiis) agrestis of Palestine. A twisted thorny shrub observed by Belon near Rama, 

 — by Sieber near Joppa (Spreng.). 



I'huva Orientalis of the mountains of Middle and Eastern Asia. The Chinese arbor-vita clearly 

 "thuia" congeneric with the " arbre de vie de Canade " was seen by Belon in Crete, and apparently 

 wild on the Taurus mountains along the Eastern border of Asia Minor: — T. Orientalis is described 

 by Linnaeus, and Lamarck ill. pi. 787; and is enumerated by Clot-Bey as planted for ornament in the 

 gardens of Egypt. Eastward, was observed by Loureiro ii. p. 580 in Cochinchina ; is known to grow 

 in China (Pers.) ; and was found by Thunberg in Japan, abounding on mount Fakon and called 

 "konote gassiiwa" or "fl no ki." By European colonists, was carried to the environs of Bombay 

 (Graham) ; and to Northeast America, where it has become frequent in gardens, hardly however 

 exceeding the dimensions of a shrub. 



" 1547 A. D." (Steinschn. iii. 30), valves in the veins discovered by Amatus Lusitanus. 



" In the Sixteenth century" (Pouchet), the diamond fast employed for cutting glass. 



" 1548, May 15th " (Alst., and Blair), by Charles V., the Interim book granted to the Protestants ; 

 a formula of religion to be used pending the sessions of the Council of Trent. 



" In this year" (Prior), W. Turner publishing his Names of plants, enumerating Ruta angusti- 

 folia:* — he published his Herbal "in 1551," and died "in 156,8" (Spreng.). 



* Spartina stricta of the seashore of Northern Europe. Called bv Turner cord-grass from seeing 

 the inhabitants of East Friesland "make ropes of that rishe, and thache their houses also wyth the 

 same" — (Prior): S. stricta with " pubescent spikes and pungent leaves" is described by Roth, is 

 known to grow on the seashore of France and Britain (Pers ), and was observed by Brotero as far as 

 Portugal (Steud.; compare A. Dec. g. b. 1052). 



Lycopodium alpinum of the mountains of middle Europe. Called in Britain hca/h-cvpress (Prior), 

 a name " hethe cypres " given by Turner pi. who found it growing among heath on mountains above 

 Bonn in Germany. 



