102 AUSTRALIAN BOTANY. 



grain adapts itself to the vicissitudes of clime and tempera- 

 ture, it can be cultivated over a wider geographical range 

 than any other cereal, reaching its greatest perfection, 

 however, in the temperate zone. Many valuable varieties 

 have been produced by careful cultivation. The barley 

 grass (Hordeum murinum)^ which is a fair fodder plant as 

 long as not in seed, is said to be the principal foster plant 

 of the dreaded ' red rust.' 



Bat and BaU Tree.— ENDI ANDRA VIRENS. (Natural 

 Order, Laurine^e.) See chapter 'Australian Vegetation,' 

 p. 91. 



Bay Tree. — LAURUS NOBILIS. (Natural Order, 

 Laurine^e.) P. 30. — This beautiful evergreen shrub is a 

 native of Southern Europe, where it ranges from 20 to 60 

 feet in height, but persistently retains its shrubby habit ; a 

 fact accounted for by its very free production of suckers. 

 The leaves have a peculiar but agreeable aromatic taste, 

 and are largely used for culinary purposes. An oil is 

 obtained from the berries, both by boiling and expression. 

 It must not be confused with the plant generally grown in 

 Australian gardens as the Laurel. The latter belongs to 

 quite a different order — Rosacese. See Laurel. 



Bean. — FAB A VULGARIS. (Natural Order, Legu- 

 mixos.e.) Pp. 2, 51, 54, 182. ---This very common and 

 useful vegetable belongs to the sub-order Papilionaceae 

 (butterfly-flowered), so named from the shape of its flowers. 

 It is an annual, growing to a height of between 3 and 4 feet. 



Beet.— BETA VULGARIS and B. CICLA. (Natural 

 Order, Chenepodiaceje.) 



Bird's Nest Fern,— ASPLENIUM NIDUS. (Natural 

 Order, Filices.) See chapter ' Australian Vegetation,' p. 90. 



