538 THE VEGETABLE WORLD. 
their diversity of appearance; the Leucadendrons, of which one 
species, L. argentium (the Silver-tree), rises to the height of from 
thirty to forty feet, its branches charged with lanceolate leaves 
nearly white and silvery, and of silky appearance, with heads of 
bright yellow flowers; the Hricee, with rigid, evergreen, whorled 
leaves, and monopetalous flowers, of which this seems to be the 
natural home. We may add to our summary the Helichrysums 
and Gnaphaliums, the corymbiferous composites, better known as 
’ Immortelles; the Mesembryanthemums, or Ice plants; the Stapelias, 
of grotesque appearance, with star-like flowers ; the leafless Ascle- 
piads, with angular fleshy stem and showy flowers, but somewhat 
foetid odour; the Phylicas, a genus of Rhamnads, somewhat resem- 
bling Heaths, with abundant evergreen foliage flowering in small 
cottonous heads of white flowers; and last, by no means least, the 
Pelargoniums, of which an infinite variety, the result of culture, 
are known. Add to these the Oxalids, the evergreen Sparmannia, 
whose white flowers, stamens with purple filaments and irritable 
anthers, are so ornamental in Orangeries. 
It is upon the sandy coast of this curious botanical region that 
such plants as the Stapelias, Iridew, Ice plants, and Diasmos 
abound. The Heaths and Crassulads grow upon the slopes of the 
mountains. 
The cultivated plants are the Cereals, most of the fruits and 
legumes of Europe, the Sorghums of Caffreland, the Banana, the 
Tamarind, and the Guava-tree. 
AMERICA. 
Vegetation is richer and more varied in America than in any 
other part of the globe. Beginning with North America, we find 
its Polar vegetation quite analogous to that of Europe and Asia 
under the same latitudes. The same kind of trees are found there, 
The Willow, Birch, and Poplar, exposed to the persistent action 
of the cold, become stunted bushes; and even the same herbaceous 
forms of Saxifrages, Mosses, and Lichens prevail. : 
Without dwelling on the Arctic regions, then, we may divide 
this immense country into two regions: one of which, descending 
as far as 36°, may be called the Northern region; the other, One ae 
