Lutroduction. XIX 
Ribes, Philadelphus, Azalea, Ceanothus Calycanthus, Crategus 
and Bignonia. Japan furnishes us with the beautiful Deutzias, 
Diervillas, Hydrangeas, Pyrus Japonica, Kerria, Forsythia, 
various species of Clematis, ete. From the South of Europe 
and Asia Minor we have Azalea Pontica, Hibiscus Syriacus, 
Cercis Siliquastrum, various Cisti and Leguminosae, including 
the Laburnum, several species of Cytisus, Genista and Spartium. 
Siberia and Northern China furnish us with several noteworthy 
outliers of different families, whose members are chiefly natives 
of warmer regions, such as Kelreuteria paniculata, Ailanthus 
glandulosa, Xanthoceras sorbifolia, Phellodendron Amurense, 
Eleutherococcus senticosus and Fortanea Chinensis: with the 
exception of the first two, these are recent introductions, 
Caragana and Halimodendron are two very hardy genera from 
Siberia. Some of the foregoing extend to Japan, and we have 
also many other very handsome, though mostly tender, de- 
ciduous trees from the same country. Sophora Japonica is 
the best known and the hardiest of them. The beautiful 
forms of Acer polymorphum are, unfortunately, too tender to 
withstand the winters in the greater part of Britain. Amongst 
the remaining deciduous trees from Japan, we may name the 
genera Ulmus, Planera, Pterocarya, Melia, Rhus, Broussonetia, 
and Salix. There are few trees or shrubs from Australasia 
hardy enough to withstand the climate of any part of the 
kingdom, with the exception of the Scilly and Channel] Islands, 
Herbaceous vegetation characterises nearly all temperate 
regions, but more especially the northern. The proportion of 
woody to herbaceous species is much higher in the southern 
hemisphere, and the general appearance of the majority of the 
herbaceous species is very different tc what we are accustomed 
to in our native plants, even in species belonging to European 
genera, Although there are no hardy shrubs fiom New Zea~- 
land, some of the herbaceous plants will succeed in the open - 
air with us, as they are less exposed to the effects of sharp 
frost ; but very few are grown, being for the greater part more 
curious than beautiful. Libertia ixioides is from New Zealand, 
and the magnificent Chrysobactron Rossii is a native of the 
Auckland Islands. Myosotidium nobile is, so far as at present 
known, peculiar to Chatham Island. Doubtless many other 
a2 
