6 THE TREES AND SHRUBS [LECT. 



where plantations of Palm-trees extend almost 

 to the dimensions of a forest, being cultivated to 

 supply the churches of Italy with branches for 

 Palm Sunday. 



The Walnut is the largest of the class of trees 

 mentioned by Pliny as producing edible nuts. Only 

 one species, the Juglans regia, appears to have been 

 known in ancient days, and from the names given 

 to it of Persicum and Basilicum, Pliny infers that it 

 originally came from Persia. Even the Filbert, 

 which from its abundance in the district round 

 Abellinum (now Avellano) , in Campania, was called 

 Nux Abellina, came originally from Pontus, and was 

 thus sometimes called Nux Pontica. 



The Almond, Amygdalus communis, now so com- 

 mon in Italy, seems hardly to have been known in 

 the time of Cato, unless he alludes to it by the 

 name of the Greek nuts, which from the epithet 

 acriores applied to them, may seem to have been 

 intended for the Bitter Almond. Columella speaks 

 of the Almond by the name of Nux Graca. 



I next proceed to describe the Forest trees noticed 

 by ancient writers. Pliny divides them into two 

 classes, the glandiferous and the pitch-bearing ; the 

 former including all the Catkin-bearing trees, or 

 Amcntacca, known to the ancients, the latter most 

 of the Coniferoe. 



We shall see, however, that there are many which 

 cannot be included in either division. 



The glandiferous seem to be comprehended under 

 the common name of Quercus or Robur. Thus Pliny 



