126 THE TREES AND SHRUBS [LECT. 



But Pliny would seem to have confounded under 

 this name both the Buxus sempervirens and balearica 

 of modern botanists ; for whilst his general descrip- 

 tion agrees with the former, his statement that 

 the trunks of largest size grow in Corsica would 

 lead us to suppose that he had in view the latter. 



Hawkins found the Buxus sempervirens on M. 

 Pindus and in Albania, and Grisebach in Ma- 

 cedonia and Rumelia. It is known by the name 

 of Tlvj-dpi at present, so that it is identified with 

 the Ylv^of of Theophrastus. 



EPHEDRA. 



One climbing shrub of this genus is noticed by 

 Sibthorp in Greece, and by Manetti in Italy. It 

 is common on the borders of the Mediterranean. 

 Dioscorides describes a shrub called Tpdyo? 1 , called 

 also crKopTTLOf and Tpdyavov, chiefly occurring in 

 maritime places, a palm or more in height, being 

 a low shrub, oblong, without leaves, but with small 

 red berries of the size of grains of wheat proceed- 

 ing from its branches, pointed at top, and of an 

 astringent taste. This is supposed by Fraas and 

 others to be the Ephedra distachya of modern 

 botanists. 



The plant named Ephedm by Pliny k has been 

 conjectured to be the same, though some regard it 

 as another species, viz. E. fragilis, if this be distinct 

 from E. distachya, which Grisebach doubts, and 

 as corresponding to the "lirirovpLs of Dioscorides \ 



1 Lib. iv. c. 51. k Lib. xxvi. c. 20. ' iv. 46. 



