ROB 
r 7. Robinia spinosa, or thorny robinia.—This resembles 
the preceding, but is distinguished by its stiff or thorny 
stipules. It is a shrub above the height of a man. Leaflets 
six or eight, ovate, even. Common petiole woody, the whole 
of it perennial, thorny at the end. Stipules awl-shaped, 
thorny, perennial. The trunk is scarcely an inch and half 
in diameter, with branches often a fathom in length, sub¬ 
divided, twisted and diffused, so as to form a hemispherical 
head, full of branches and thorns. Being covered with 
flowers during the whole summer, it appears very beautiful. 
Seeds oval, greenish, dotted with brown. 
On account of the length and toughness' of the branches, 
and its large stout thorns, this shrub is admirably adapted to 
form impenetrable hedges, and is sufficiently hardy to bear 
our climate. It is a native of Siberia, and also of China ; 
•where, about Pekin, they stick the bushes in clay on the tops 
Of their walls, to prevent persons from getting or looking 
Over them. 
8 . Robinia altagana, or Daurian robinia.—This is a shrub, 
somewhat thorny, about three feet in height. Root sparingly 
branched, having somewhat of the smell and taste of liquo¬ 
rice.’ Stems upright, round, tubercled. Leaves alternate, 
petioled, two inches long; leaflets commonly opposite. 
Flowers axillary, solitary, on longer peduncles, spreading, 
yellow.—Native of Dauria. 
9. Robinia chamlagu, or shining robinia.—This is a dif¬ 
fused smooth shrub. Root somewhat branched, thicker 
than the stems, having a smell approaching to that of liquor¬ 
ice. Stems upright, round, somewhat branched, gray, from 
a yard to a yard and half in height. Branches alternate, like 
the stem, at first upright, then decumbent, with a torn 
cuticle. Shoots angular, with a stipule running down in 
three lines more raised than in the other species, at first 
green; afterwards bay-coloured. Leaves alternate, two- 
paired. Flowers lateral,' solitary, seldom two together, 
obliquely peduneled, pendulous, yellow with the disk of the 
standard green, becoming afterwards blood-red.—Native of 
China, as supposed, where it has the name of chamlagu. 
Introduced in 1773, by Mons. Richard. 
10. Robinia squamata.—Branches round, smooth, with a 
purplish-gray bark, leafy only at top, scaly below the leaves; 
branclilets alternate, four-cornered, with ovate acuminate im¬ 
bricate scales. Leaves alternate, distant, solitary below, or 
two or three together, all petioled, nine-paired.—Native of 
the island of St. Thomas, in America. 
‘ 11. Robinia florida.—This is a very handsome shrub, 
leafless in the time of flowering, when it is quite covered with 
flowers. Branches round, smooth, of a purplish-ash colour, 
smooth. Calyx goblet-shaped, smooth, with the margin 
entire, villose when magnified. Corolla large, purplish, 
with the claws of the petals of the same length with the 
calyx. Germ smooth.—Native of America, in Krabben 
Island. 
'• 12. Robinia halodendron, or salt-tree robinia.—This is a 
small tree or shrub,’commonly the height of a man, irregular, 
very much branched, rigid, leafy only at the ends of the 
branches. Branches subflexuose, alternate, the extreme ones 
striated; the petioles, when old, become thorns, and are 
scattered alternately. Branchlets and leaves from the axils 
of the spines. Leaflets obovate-oblong, hoary with a very 
fine nap, mucronate with a spinule; the common petiole is 
spinescent. Flowers on the upper branches copious, in ra- 
ceihes, commonly of three, but sometimes only of two flowers, 
purplish, smelling sweet. Calyx five-toothed, The whole 
of this shrub is silky.—Native of Siberia, in dry naked salt 
fields by the river Irtis. 
13. Robinia frutescens, or shrubby robinia.—Trunk 
branched from the bottom, with a dusky or greenish-ash- 
coloured bark; there are commonly many lateral shoots or 
suckers from the root. Branches rod-like, pliant, loaded 
with leaves and flowers, of a shining yellowish colour, with 
longitudinal gray nerves, with triple spines. It grows with 
a shrubby stalk eight or ten feet high, sending out several 
branches which grow erect, covered with a smooth yellowish 
bark. The leaves have two pairs of oval pointed leaflets, on 
ROB 143 
short foot-stalks.—Native of Siberia, by the Volga, &c. in 
temperate situations. 
14. Robinia pygmaea, or dwarf robinia.—It is a weak low 
shrub, seldom rising more than three feet high in England ; 
the branches are slender, and are covered with a light bark. 
The leaves are composed of four oblong sessile leaflets; the 
flowers are produced singly upon axillary peduncles; they 
are yellow, and appear in April, but are rarely succeeded by 
seeds' in England.—Native of Siberia, where this elegant 
species begins by the Irtis, in the southern, rocky, open 
parts; becomes more frequent by the Jenisea; and most 
common in the regions beyond the lake Baikal. It rises 
commonly with twigs an ell in height, where it is exposed to 
the firing of the country in spring ; but in the mountains it 
grows with a trunk the height of a man, and the thickness 
of his wrist. The twigs arS very tough and fit for withes; 
and are of an elegant golden colour. 
15. Robinia subdecandra.—This is shrub about a fathom 
in height. Root branched; stem upright; branches alter¬ 
nate, spreading. Leaves" alternate spreading, eight inches 
long.—Native of Abyssinia. 
16. Robinia arnara, or bitter-rooted robinia.—This is a 
shrubby plant, four feet high, without any thorns; branches 
diffused, of a reddish brown colour. Leaflets about five. 
Racemes upright,'long. Calyx flatfish, four-toothed. Co¬ 
rollas violet.—Native of China and Cochinchina. 
17. Robinia flava.—This also is a shrubby plant, but 
only one foot high. Leaves upright. Leaflets seven or 
eight-paired, oblong, subacute, smooth, pale green. Flowers 
white, terminating; with .peduncles in threes, upright, and 
three-flowered. Root simple, woody, thick, yellow, bitter. 
—Native of the northern provinces of China. 
Propagation and Culture. —False or bastard, acacia or 
locust-tree, is generally propagated in the English nurseries, 
by suckers from the roots of the old trees; or by cutting 
off some of the roots, and planting them upon a gentle 
hot-bed. But these are not so valuable as plants raised from 
seeds. 
Sow the seeds on a bed of light earth at the end of March 
or beginning of April. If the bed be well exposed to the 
sun, the plants will appear in five or six weeks, and will 
require no farther care but to keep them clear from weeds. 
The following spring, about the end of March, transplant 
them into a nursery, in rows three feet distant, and a foot and 
half asunder in the rows. After two years more they will be 
fit to transplant where they are designed, to grow. 
The rose-acacia, as it is commonly called, not producing 
seeds in England, is propagated by cutting off - part of the 
roots, and planting them upon a gentle hot-bed, where they 
wil 1 put out fibres and shoots. It should have a sheltered 
situation, and a light moist soil. The Siberian sorts are 
propagated from seeds sown in a shady situation in autumn; 
and then the plants will come up the following spring; but 
if the seeds are sown in the spring, the plants seldom rise the 
same season. The species being tender, cannot be main¬ 
tained in England, unless they are placed in a stove in 
winter. 
ROBINS (Benjamin), an eminent English mathematician 
and philosopher in the 18th century, was born at the city 
of Bath, in the year 1707. His parents were in low circum¬ 
stances, and Quakers by religious profession; consequently, 
they were neither able nor disposed to educate their son in 
that human learning, which the generality of the sect held 
in little estimation. His genius, however, strongly urging 
him to the pursuit of knowledge, with the aid of books he 
became his own instructor, and made an early and surprising 
progress' in various branches of literature and science, and 
particularly in the mathematics. Desirous that he might be 
enabled to continue his pursuits, and that his merits might 
not be buried in obscurity, some friends expressed a wish 
that he could be properly recommended to teach the 
mathematics in London. That they might obtain for him 
such patronage, they sent to the metropolis a specimen of 
his abilities, which was laid before Dr. Pemberton, author of 
the “ View of Sir Isaac Newton’s Philosophy,” who was led 
from 
