VISCUM. 



leaves, if prefent, Cmple, undivided, entire, on (liort (talks, 

 oppofite as well as the branche-i. Floivcrs in nxillai-y heads 

 or fpikes, feffile or italkcd, generally greenifli and incoii- 

 fpicuous. The fpecics are by no means well underflood. 

 We follow Willdenow, who has given the bell account of 

 them. 



T. V. album. Common Midctoe. Linn. Sp. PI. 145 >• 

 Willd. D. I. Fl. Brit. n. i. Engl. Bot. t. 1470. Mill. 

 Illuftr. t. 87. Woodv. Siippl. t. 270. (Vifcum; Matth. 

 Valgr. V. 2. 161. Camer. Epit. 555. Ger. Em. 1350.) — 

 Leaves lanceolate, obtufe, riblcfs. Stem forked. Flowers 

 five together, in terminal, feflile heads. — Found throughout 

 Europe, on the branches of old apple-trees, hawthorns, 

 lime-trees, oaks, Scotch fir, or the filver fir, as above men- 

 tioned, flowering in the fpring, and ripening its large white 

 berries late in autumn. The plant forms large, fmooth, 

 perennial, bufhy tufts, of a pale green, becoming yellowifh, 

 and therefore mofl; confpicuous, in winter. The Jlem: are 

 round, repeatedly forked. Leaves about an inch, or inch 

 and half, long, thick and leathery, fmooth, tapering down 

 into fliort thick, fooljlalis. Flowers crowded, yellowilh. An- 

 thers Angularly and beautifully dotted, almofl. as large as 

 the petals on which they lie. The fwectifh vifcid pulp of 

 the pearly berries makes an indirtcrent fort of bird-lime. 

 This Mifletoe, the golden bough of Virgil, which was 

 TEneas's pafTport to the infernal regions, and the facred 

 plant of the Druids, ftill retains fome rcfpeft in our churches 

 and kitchens at Chrillmas, intermixed with HoUy, which 

 laft, if we miftake not, is Virgil's Acanthus. 



2. V. macroflachyon. Long-fpiked Mifletoc. .lacq. Coll. 

 V. 2. 109. t. y. f. 3. Willd. n. 2. — Leaves linear-lanceolate, 

 obtufe, riblefs. Spikes axillary, (lender, many times longer 

 than the leaves. Flowers remote. — Gathered by Jacquin 

 on trees in Martinico. Branches and haves fmooth, not 

 unlike the foregoing, but the long, (lender, articulated 



fpikes abundantly diftinguiih this fpecies. The Jlowers are 

 either oppofite, or folitary, having but three petals, at lead 

 the female ones, according to Jacquin. 



3. V. orientate. Eaft Indian Mifletoe. Willd. n. 3. — 

 Leaves elliptic-oblong, obtufe, three-ribbed ; tapering at 

 the bafe. Stalks axillary, aggregate, about three-flowered. 

 — Native of the Eaft Indies. We have fpecimens from the 

 author, as well as from the Rev. Dr. Rottler. The branches 

 are angular when dry. Leaves an inch or more in length, 

 and full half as broad, on (hort ftalks. Flomrrs either 

 folitary or three together, on very fliort ftalks, as well as 

 crowded into a fort of axillary whorls. Berries red. IVill- 

 denniu. 



4. V. paucijlcrum. Hoary Cape Mifletoe. Linn. Suppl. 

 426. Thunb. Prodr. 31. Willd. n. 4. — " Leaves oblong, 

 obtufe, three -ribbed, hoary, fmooth ; tapering at the bale. 

 Flowers axillary, iohtary." — Gathered by Thunberg, at 

 the Cape of Good Hope. The plant is defcribcd as hoary, 

 though not downy. The ribs do not extend beyond the 

 middle of the leaf, and efcapcd tlie obfervation of the 

 younger Linnxus. We have fecn no fpecimcn. 



5. V. ruhrum. Red Mifletoe. Linn. Sp. PI. 145 1. 

 Willd. n. 5. (" V. foliis longioribus, baccis rubris ; Catc(b, 

 Car. V. 2. t. 81.") — " Leaves obovato-lanccolate, obtufe. 

 Spikes axillary, whorled." — Found upon trees in Carolina. 

 Catelby alone appears to have fccii this fpecies. 



6. \. purpureum. Purple Mifletoe. Linn. Sp. Pi. 145 1. 

 Willd. II. 6. (" V. folii:. latioribus, baccis purpureis, pedi- 

 culisinfidentibus ; Cate(b. Car. v. 2. t. 95.") — Leaves obo- 

 vate, obtufe, obfcurely three-ribbed. .Spikcn axillary, 

 Ihorter than the leaves. Flowers oppofite. — Native of Ca- 

 iolina. Berrits purple. 



7. V. buxifolium. Box-leaved White Mifletoe. Willd. 

 n. 7. (V. purpureum 5 ; Linn. Sp. PI. 1451. V. baccis 

 niveis raccmofis, fohis buxi luteis ; Plum. Ic. 256. t. 258. 

 f. 3.) — Leaves obovate, obtufe, finglc-ribbed. Spikes axil- 

 lary, nearly the length of the leaves. Flowtrs oppo/ite. — 

 Native of trees in the Weft Indies. Berries white. We 

 fufpeft this may be the firft Fifcuni in Browne's Jamaica, 

 p. 356, which he millook for the verticillatum of Linnscus, 

 a widely different plant. But Browne's fpecimen has occa- 

 fionally traces of tlirce ribs in the leaves, and he has con- 

 founded with it iheflavens of Swartz. 



8. V. myrlilloitles. Bilberry Mifletoe. Willd. n. 8. — 

 Leaves obovate, obtufe, five-ribbed. Spikes folitary, axil- 

 lary. Flowers whorled. — Native of trees in Martinico. 

 Leaves an inch long, coriaceous, with five ribs, the lateral 

 ones leaft confpicuous. Spiies oppofite, rather longer than 

 the footftalks. Willdenow. We have Weft Indian fpeci- 

 mens anfwering to thcfe charaftcrs, except that the leaves 

 are three inches long, and rather elhptic -lanceolate than 

 obovate. 



9. V. rotundifolium. Round-leaved Cape Mifletoe. Linn. 

 Suppl. 426. Thunb. Prodr. 31. Willd. n. 9. — Leaves 

 nearly orbicular, acute, riblefs. Flowers fomewhat whorled. 

 — Found by Thunberg on trees at the Cape of Good Hope. 

 Willdenow fays the flowers are either folitary, on fimplo, 

 aggregate, axillary (talks ; or many together, on folitary 

 ftalks. 



10. V. antarSicum. AntarAic Mifletoe. Forft. Prodr. 

 70. Willd. n. 10- — " Leaves oblong, tapering at each end, 

 obtufe, riblefs. Clu'fters terminal, of about five fiawers." 

 — Native of trees in New ZeeLind. 



1 1 . V. capenfe. Naked Cape Mifletoe. Linn. Suppl. 426, 

 excluding the fynonym. Willd. n. 11. Thunb. Prodr. 31. 

 — Stem leaflefs, obfcurely quadrangular, roughifh, rugofe. 



Flowers whorled, feflile Gathered at the Cape of Good 



Hope by Dr. Sparrmann. The flem is much branched, 

 jointed, roughilh to the touch, each joint crowned with two 

 fcales, like a Salicornia. Leaves none. Anthers two or 

 four, dotted with minute excavations. Berries oppofite, 

 fometimes three together, felTile, crowiKd with a fmall, an- 

 gular, hardly four-cleft, calyx. 



12. V.vaginatuni. Sheathed Mifletoe. Willd. 11. 12. — 

 " Stem leaflefs, quadrangular. Branches comprelfed, femi- 

 cylindric.il. Joints flieathing." — Gathered by Hamboldt 

 and Bonpland, on trees ou the mountains of Mexico. Stem 

 round below, angular upwards. Joints each crowned with 

 a tubular permanent (heath. Leaves none. Berries in the 

 bofom of the flieaths, oppofite, folitary. Willdenow. 



13. V. opunlioides. Wedge-jointed Mifletoe. Linn. Sp. 

 PI. 1452. Willd. n. 13 ; excluding Plumicr's fynonym. 

 (V. opuntioides, ramulis comprelfis ; Sloane Jam. v. 2. 93. 

 t. 201. f. I.) — Stem proliferous, much branched, leaflels. 

 Joints wcdge-(haped, furrowed, compreflld. — Native of trees 

 in Jamaica, and the ifle of Bourbon. The flat joittts at once 

 diftinguifli this fpecies. Eachjo/n/ is an inch or inch and half 

 long, of a ycUowifli-grcen. " Flowers fmall, terminating 

 each joint, in pairs. Berries white, refembling our Englidi 

 Mifletoe." Sloane. Plumicr's t. 258. f. 1, muft furcly be 

 Cactus pendulus. Ait. Hort. Kew. v. 3. 178, vMich is Caf- 



fylha baccifera of Solander, in Mill. Illuftr. t. 29. 



14. V. obfcurum. Elliptical Cape Mifletoc. Thunb. 



Prodr. 31. Willd. 11. 14 ." Leaves elliptical, fmooth. 



Stem fltrubby." — Gathered at the Cape of Good Hope, 

 on trees, by Thunberg. Nobody die appears to have 

 feen it. 



i$.V. JIavcns. Yellowifli Mifletoc. Swirtz Ind. Occ. 

 266. Willd. n. 15. Purflt a. i ? (V, aliud raccmofuni, 



foliis 



