18-2 
BRITISH WILD FLOWERS. 
some of the species were so flexible as to be used by the ancient Romans for tying bundles of fagots and other 
things, as we now use the branches of some kinds of Willow. The genus is placed in the Linnasan class Pen- 
tandria, on account of its five stamens ; and in the order Trigynia, from its three styles. 
1.—THE WAY-FARING TREE. (Viburnum Lantana, Lin.) 
Synonyme. —Meal Tree. I Specific Character. —Leaves heart-shaped, serrated, veiny; downy 
Engravings. —Eng. Bot., t. 331 ; 2nd ed., t. 442. | beneath. ( Smith .) 
Description, &c. —This species is common in woods and hedge-rows in every part of England. It is a 
thickly-branched shrub, or small tree, which grows to a larger size in Scotland and the north of England than 
in the south, and which is most abundant on calcareous soils. The flowers, which appear in June, are whitish; 
and the fruit, which is a berry, is first red and afterwards black. The young shoots and under-surface of the 
leaves are thickly covered with tufts of down, which has given rise to the name of Meal Tree. The following 
beautiful lines, addressed to this tree, are by William Plowitt :— 
“ Way-faring tree ! what ancient claim 
Hast thou to that right pleasant name ? 
Was it that some faint pilgrim came 
Unhopedly to thee, 
In the hrown desert’s weary way, 
Mid toil and thirst’s consuming sway, 
And there, as ’neath thy shade he lay, 
Blest the way-faring tree. 
Or is it that thou lovest to show 
Thy coronets of fragrant snow, 
Like life’s spontaneous joys that flow 
In paths by thousands beat ? 
Whate’er it be, I love it well; 
A name, methinks, that surely fell 
From poet, in some evening dell, 
Wandering with fancies sweet.” 
2.— THE GUELDER-ROSE. (Viburnum Opulus, Lin.) 
Engravings. —Eng. Bot., t. 332 ; 2nd ed., t. 443. 
Specific Character. —Leaves lobcd. Foot-stalks beset with glands. (Smith.) 
Description, &c. —This beautiful tree, or rather shrub, which is so well known in gardens, is only found in 
a wild state in moist woods, and hence it is called in some country places the Water Elder. The Germans call it 
the Snow-ball Tree, from its balls of snowy flowers, which are produced in erect cymes. The fruit is a roundish 
berry, and is produced in drooping clusters. This shrub is common in every part of England where the ground 
is moist, and its flowers appear early in June. The following beautiful lines on this tree are by Cowper:— 
* * * * “ The snow-flower tall, 
Throwing up into the darkest gloom 
Of neighbouring Cypress or more sable Yew, 
Her silver globes, light as the foaming surf 
That the wind severs from the broken wave.” 
GENUS V. 
THE ELDER. (Sambucus, Lin.) 
Lin. Syst. PENTANDRIA TRIGYNIA. 
Generic Character. — Calyx five-cleft. Corolla rotate, five-lobed. Stamens five. Berry three-seeded. Upright deciduous shrubs, with 
pinnated leaves, and cymose flowers. ( Lindley .) 
Description, &c. —There are only two species of this genus natives of Britain, and only one of them is at 
all common. The name of Sambucus is derived from a Greek word, signifying a musical instrument, in the 
