Daphne.] thymelace.e. 437 



and in an adjoining part of Appuldurcombe park, in a wooded hollow just within 

 the wall on the S. side of the park, in both places rather plentifully, 1844. A 

 plant or two near Godshill, on the E. side, 1843. In the patches of copse S.E. 

 and E. of Aldermoor moor, frequent, 1845. In the large copse on the E. bank of 

 Wootton river, by Ash-Lodge farm. Common in the first large coppice on the 

 W. side of Wootton river at its mouth, stretching along the shore towards King's 

 quay, 1846. On the hedgebank by the roadside between Aldermoor heath and 

 Smallbruok farm, 1845. Very frequent, and in some parts even abundant, in the 

 large irregular copse between Ninham farm and the Newport road (called 

 Puckett's ?), as well as in the adjoining coppices and hedgebanks. On the high bank 

 by the roadside between Merston and Arreton, near the former (on green? sand), 

 in some plenty, 1845. On Watch-house point, and on slipped clay-banks and in 

 woods by the sea at the Priory, 1846. By the Pulpit Book, and" wood between 

 Sleephill and St. Lawrence, Albert Hambrough', Esq. !!'. In St. Boniface copse 

 (opposite St. Boniface cottage), in considerable plenty, Miss Hadfield ! 



W. Med. — On Carisbrooke-castle hill, amongst the trees on the East and North 

 sides, sparingly, and amongst bushes at the upper end of the plantation of beeches 

 in Stopler's copse, between Yarmouth and Thorley, 1846. 



An elegant evergreen shrub, from about 2 to 4 feet high, quite glabrous. Root 

 of several long stout fibres, covered with a thick, fleshy and succulent bark. 

 Stems one or more, erect, or when numerous often spreading and ascending at the 

 base, seldom above the thickness of the finger, nearly simple or with a few long, 

 slender, erect, rounded and very tough branches, that are leafless and scarred 

 below, aud covered like the stem with a thick extremely acrid bark, and a smooth 

 ash-gray cuticle. Leaves persistent, leathery, scattered towards the extremities of 

 the branches, crowded at their summits into spreading circular tufts, remarked as 

 giving a palm-like aspect to this shrub, partly a little drooping and recurved at 

 their tips, ohovato-lanceolate, or attenuated into their petioles so gradually as to 

 be broadest considerably above the middle, 4 or 5 inches long, dark shining green 

 above, paler beneath, obscurely veined, with a strong midrib, their margins quite 

 entire and slightly inflexed. Flowers half-hidden amongst the leaves, in short, 

 lax or drooping, axillary clusters of from 6 to 10 or more, very shortly pedicellate, 

 pale yellowish green, with a sweet saffron or cowslip scent, very perceptible in 

 . moist mild weather. Perianth half an inch in length, slender, cylindrical, the 

 limb cleft into 4 short, ovate, rather acute, spreading segments, each flower sub- 

 tended by a greenish, ovato-oblong and concave bract, shorter than the flower and 

 deciduous. Slainens included, in two distant rows on the tube of the perianth ; 

 anthers orange-coloured, as is the coarse globular ^o//e» ,• 4 of them just visible at 

 the mouth of the tube, 2-celled, introrse. Style extremely short; stigma peltato- 

 capitate, bristly. Ovary smooth. Fruit (drupe) bluish or purplish black, ovoid, 

 about 4|- lines in length, very juicy. Seed (nut) dark green, obovoid, pointed at 

 one end, the albumen very acrid. 



The Spurge Laurel is universally cultivated in gardens and shrubberies for its 

 rich dark-green foliage, where it forms a low but spreading tufted bush, superior 

 perhaps in beauty to the equally common but foreign D.pontica, distinguished by 

 its brown bark, ovato-elliptical leaves, erect terminal racemes and very long acu- 

 minate perianth-segments. Daphne Laureola thrives well on cold clay soils and 

 under the drip of trees ; is a great lover of shade, the leaves assuming a sickly 

 yellow and curled appearance on exposure to sun in the open border. It is much 

 sought for by nurserymen as a stock on which to graft the less hardy species, 

 whereby its existence in our hedges and thickets is often endangered. The Kev. 

 G. E. Smith tells me that the Spurge Laurel is collected in large quantity from 

 the woods in Sussex, by persons who go at stated periods round the country for 

 that purpose, and supply the markets at Portsmouth and Chichester, where it is 

 sold as a horse medicine, but he was unable to ascertain in what manner or for 

 what diseases it was employed, probably, like Hellehorus fcetidus, as a counter- 

 irritant, for which the bark, from its excessive acrimony, is well adapted. It is 

 however worthy of remark that the pulp of the fruit, which is not very plentifully 

 produced on this side of the water, is perfectly bland and innocuous, whilst the 



