214 Arahacee—A raha. 
medicinal properties, but of no special merit as ornamental 
plants. 
2. FATSIA. 
Spinescent or unarmed small trees or shrubs with large 
palmately-lobed leaves. Flowers in umbellate racemes or 
panicles. Petals valvate. Fruit compressed laterally. Only 
three species are included here, two of which are occasionally 
grown. 
1. F. Japonica, syn. Ardlia Siebéldii, A. papyrifera. Rice 
Paper Tree.—A very handsome and distinct small but rather 
tender tree with large palmate deciduous leaves densely 
covered with a stellate pubescence. A native of Formosa. 
2. F. hérrida, syn. Panax horridum.—a very spiny thick- 
stemmed shrub with palmately-lobed cordate petiolate prickly 
leaves and terminal inflorescence. A native of North America. 
Eleutherocéccus senticésus is a recently introduced prickly 
shrub from North-eastern Asia. It has palmately divided 
deciduous leaves on very long petioles, and small dicecious 
umbellate flowers; male lilac and female yellow. It is re- 
ported to be quite hardy. 
3. HEDERA. 
Climbing evergreen shrubs with simple leaves. Flower- 
umbels paniculate. Petals valvate, with an eqnal number 
of stamens. Secds with ruminated albumen. The derivation 
of the name is obscure, but supposed to be from the Celtic 
hedra, a cord, in allusion to the stems. There is an Australian 
species with pinnate leaves, and all the other forms are referred 
to one species by some botanists, and by others they are grouped 
under several different names. The extreme varieties are very 
distinct and readily recognised, but there are some intermediate 
forms which are not so easily disposed of. The Ivies are found 
throughout the north temperate and warm regions of the Old 
World, and some of the forms are local, which has led to their 
receiving names indicative of the countries they inhabit, whilst 
others have been less appropriately named. Without commit- 
ting ourselves on the species question, we will enumerate a few 
of the most distinct forms. It should be remembered that the 
leaves on young plants and on flowering branches are often very 
different from the bulk. Ivies rarely flower in the creeping 
form, or when climbing until they have reached the summit 
