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praises bestowed upon it as a timber-tree, 

 and was one of the plants which the cele- 

 brated Cobhetton his return from America 

 unsuccessfully endeavoured to cultivate 

 as a profitable speculation in this country. 

 It is largely grown in the "United States, 

 and its "timber is there extensively em- 

 ployed for posts, pales, and similar pur- 

 poses, and also by carpenters and cabinet- 

 makers, and to a more limited extent by 

 shipwrights ; but it is seldom of sufficient 

 size to afford planks suitable for ship- 

 building, its principal use being for the 

 manufacture of treenails,for which it is so 

 admirably adapted, that considerable quan- 

 tities of these ' locust treenails' are ex- 

 ported to this and other European coun- 

 tries. It is also cultivated in the South of 

 France, where it is used for vine-props. 

 The timber is of a yellowish colour, more 

 or less tinged with reddish-brown in the 

 centre. The roots have the taste and smell 

 of liquorice, but are a dangerous poison, 

 and accidents have occurred from their 

 being mistaken for liquorice-roots. [A. S.] 



ROBIN-RUN-IN-THE-HEDGE. Nepeta 

 Gtechoma. 



ROBINSONIA. This genus comprises 

 four species of arborescent Composites, 

 which, with a few others of the same 

 family, give a character to the vegetation 

 of the island of Juan Fernandez. They 

 are branching trees ten to fifteen feet 

 high, having grey bark marked with the 

 semicircular scars of old leaves, these 

 I being sessile, linear or lanceolate, and 

 smooth. The small unisexual flower-heads 

 — not unlike those of some groundsels — 

 are arranged in corymbs or panicles, each 

 head having a bell-shaped involucre of 

 numerous scales united by their margins 

 and enclosing a number of florets, the 

 outer row of which are strap-shaped, the 

 inner tubular. The stamens are imperfect 

 in the fertile flowers, the ovary in the 

 sterile; and the cylindrical achenes are 

 crowned with a single series of rough 

 rappus-hairs. From some of the species a 

 resin exudes which is in repute in Chili 

 and Peru as a remedy for headache. Balbi- 

 sia—a. nearly allied genus from the same 

 island, differing in having three instead of 

 many flowers to each head— is, like this 

 genus, remarkable in the family in having 

 the seed-lobes (cotyledons) rolled inwards. 

 M. Decandolle has dedicated these plants 

 to Defoe's Robinson Crusoe ! (Alexander 

 Selkirk), who was wrecked on the island 

 of Juan Fernandez, [A. A. BJ 



ROBLE. A shipbuilding wood obtained 

 from Catalpa longissima; also Platymiscium 

 platystachyum. 



ROCAMBOLE. Allium Ophioscorodon. 

 —, WILD. Allium Scorodoprasum. 



ROCCELLA. A genus of lichens be- 

 longing to the usneoid section of Parme- 

 liaczK. Like Ramalince, they are flat or 

 cylindrical, and are distinguished by the 

 disk, which is open from the earliest stage 

 of growth, being seated on a carbonaceous 



stratum. The species are of a dull-grey 

 tint, and spring like seaweeds from a little 

 peltate disk. They are valuable dyeweeds. 

 See Orchella Weed, Orchil. 



R. fuciformis is said to be very inferior to 

 R.tinctoria. The latter afforded the first 

 dye for blue British broadcloths, which 

 were once so universally used, and to this 

 was due their purple tints when viewed 

 against the light. [M. J. B.] 



ROCHEA. A genus of Crassidacece in- 

 habiting the Cape of Good Hope, and con- 

 sisting of fleshy shrubs, with opposite 

 connate and quite entire leaves, and urn- 

 bellate-cymose flowers of a white pink or 

 scarlet colour. The calyx is five-lobed ; 

 the five petals are connate, forming a 

 hypocraterimorphous corolla ; the stamens 

 are five in number, and alternate with the 

 petals : there are also five glands and 

 five carpels. Several species are favourites 

 in our gardens, both on account of their 

 strange leaves and bright flowers. [B. S.J 



ROCHELIA. A genus of Boraginacece 

 inhabiting Southern Europe, Northern 

 Africa, and Siberia, and differing from the 

 other genera of the order in the ovaries 

 being only two, adnate to the style. They 

 are small hispid annuals or biennials, with 

 the habit of Echinospermum, and have a 

 five-parted calyx with the tips incurved 

 after flowering; a funnel-shaped five-lobed 

 corolla, closed by five scales at the throat"; 

 and two oblique nuts.adhering to the style 

 and to each other. [J T. S.J 



ROCKCIST. Helianthemum. 



ROCKET. Hesperis ; also Eruca, es- 

 pecially E. sativa. — , BASE. Reseda 

 lutea. — , BASTARD. Brassica Erucas- 

 trum. — , CRESS. Vella. — , DAME'S. 

 Hesperis matronatis. — , DYER'S. Reseda 

 Luteola. — , FALSE. lodanthus. — , 

 GARDEN. Hesperis matronalis ; also 

 Eruca sativa. — , LONDON. Sisymbrium 

 Trio. — , SEA. Cakile maritima. —, 

 WHITE. Hesperis matronalis. — , WIN- 

 TER, or YELLOW. Barbarea vulgaris. 



ROCOU. (Fr.) Annotto, Bixa Orellana. 



RODDON-TREE. A Scotch name for 

 Pyrus Aucuparia. 



RODRTGUEZIA. A small tropical Ame- 

 rican and West Indian genus of epiphytal 

 orchids, with leathery or thin plicate 

 leaves, and a one-sided spiked inflores- 

 cence. Its flowers have spreading nearly 

 equal sepals and petals, the lateral sepals 

 joined beneath the lip, which is entire and 

 clawed, and furnished with a horn at its 

 base and a callosity in the middle; the 

 column is terete and bearded at the apex; 

 and the anther is fleshy and one-celled, 

 containing two pollen-masses attached by 

 an elastic caudicle. [A. S.J 



RODWOOD. A Jamaica name for Lcetia 

 GuMonia. — , BLACK Eugenia pollens. 

 — , RED. Eugenia axillaris. —.WHITE. 

 Calyptranthes Chytraculia. 



ROE A. A genus of Leguminosce of the sub- 



