( i5 ) 



ped upon arid rocks , in whose crevices the 

 roots barely find nourishment enough to sus- 

 tain the abject existence of the plant. 



On the branches of the Olive , and on the 

 trunk of the young tree, the bark is smooth 

 and of an ashy hue. When the epidermis is 

 removed, the cellular integument appears of 

 a light green. On old trees the bark upon the 

 trunk and upon the base of the principal 

 limbs is brown, rough and deeply furrowed. 

 In the spring and autumn , when the sap is 

 in motion, the bark is easily detached from 

 the body of the tree. 



The wood is heavy, compact, fine-grained 

 and brilliant. The alburnum is white and 

 soft, and the perfect wood is hard, brittle, 

 and of a reddish tin|t, with the pith nearly 

 effaced, as in the Box. It is employed by 

 cabinet-makers to inlay the finer species of 

 wood which are contrasted with it in colour, 

 and to form light, ornamental articles, such 

 as dressing-cases, tobacco-boxes, etc. The 

 wood of the roots, which is more agreeably 

 marbled , is preferred. The Olive was classed 

 by the ancients among the hard and durable 

 species of wood, such as the Ebony, the 



