chap. xxvj. mVcE/E. fi'tis. 477 



^f 3. M. austr&lis Swt. is a native of New Holland, introduced in 1810, and said to "grow, in its 

 native country, to the height of 20 ft. 



*£ 4. M. japuiiica (i. Don is a green-house species, growing 30 ft. high, which has not yet been 

 introduced ; and M. Buckhyun Rot/le is a species of which little seems to be known. 



All the species of Melia, being deciduous trees, without visible buds, are peculiarly eligible for 

 growing against a conservative wall ; because, by the application of heat artificially, and by pre- 

 venting (which can be done by thatching the ground) the rain from falling on the soil under the 

 trees at the end of summer, the wood may be ripened to such a degree as to enable it to stand our 

 winters with very little or no protection. 



CHAP. XXVI. 



OF THE HARDY LIGNEOUS PLANTS OF THE ORDER FITA'cEjE. 



Thalamiflorous. (77. B.) Calyx small. Petals 4 or 5, inserted on the out- 

 side of a disk surrounding the ovarium; in aestivation, turned inwards at the 

 edge in a valvate manner. Stamens equal in number to the petals, inserted 

 upon the disk that surrounds the ovarium ; filaments distinct or slightly co- 

 hering at the base. Anthers versatile. Ovarium 2-celled. Fruit a pulpy berry. 

 Seeds 4 or 5, fewer by abortion ; embryo erect ; albumen hard. Climbing 

 shrubs, with tumid separable joints. Leaves with stipules. Properties, acidity 

 and sugar. (Lindl. Introd. to N. S., and Key?) The species are trailing and 

 climbing shrubs, and they include the grape vine, which may be considered 

 as the type of the order. " The genus Fitis is found in the equinoctial parts 

 of the Old and New Worlds, extending into both the temperate zones ; as, 

 southwards, to the Cape of Good Hope and New Holland ; and, northwards, 

 to Japan and North America, as well as from the plains of India to the defiles 

 of Caucasus." (Royle, Illustr., p. 144.) The genera which contain hardy 

 species are two, which are thus distinguished : — 



Fi v tis. Calyx 5-toothed. Style wanting. Berry, 2-celled, 4-seeded. 

 Ampelo / psis. Calyx nearly entire. Petals 5. Stamens 5. Style 1, crowned 



by a capitate stigma. 

 CVssus. Calyx nearly entire. Petals 4. Stamens 4. Ovary 4-c ell ed. 



Genus I. 



LSJ 



rPTIS L. The Grape Vine. Lin. Syst. Pentandria Monogynia. 



Identification. Lin. Gen., 284; Dec. Prod., 1. p. 633. ; Don's Mill., 1. p. 695. 

 Synonymes. Giud, Celtic ; Vid, Span. ; Vigne, Fr. ; Weill, Ger. 



Gen. Char. Flowers hermaphrodite, dioecious or trioecious. Calyx commonly 

 5-toothed. Petals 5, cohering at the top, separating at the base, and de- 

 ciduous. Stamens 5. — Climbing shrubs, deciduous, with leaves simple, lobed, 

 or serrated, sometimes compound, and small greenish yellow flowers in 

 thyrsoid racemes. {Dec. Prod. y '\. p. 633.) The species are deciduous climb- 

 ers, one of which has long been celebrated in the Old World as the grape 

 vine; and all the others are natives of North America. The varieties of 

 the first species have been described at length by Du Hamel in France, 

 Don Roxas de Clemati in Spain, and Sickler in Germany; and the species 

 and varieties of North America by Rafinesque. 



1 1. V. vin^fera L. The wine-bearing Vine. 



Identification. Lin. Spec, 293. ; Dec. Prod., 1. p. 633. ; Don's Mill., 1. p. 695. 



Synonymes. Vigne, Fr. ; gemeiner Weinstock, Ger. 



Engravings. Dull. Arb. Fr., 2. t. 16. ; Jacq. Ic, 1. p. 53. ; and o\xx fig. 139. 



