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_Specific Character and Synonyms._
CYTISUS _Laburnum_ racemis simplicibus pendulis, foliolis ovato-oblongis. _Linn. Syst. Veg. p. 666. ed. 14. Murr._ _Ait.
Hort. Kew. V. 3. p. 49._
LABURNUM arbor trifolia anagyridi similis. _Bauh. hist. 2. p. 361._
LABURNUM. Beane Trefoile. _Park. Parad. p. 438._
[Ill.u.s.tration: No 176]
Of the Laburnum, our nurseries afford two princ.i.p.al varieties, the broad and narrow-leav'd; the latter (which is the one here figured) Mr. MILLER was induced to make a species of under the name of _alpinum_; it certainly differs very materially from the broad-leav'd one, yet is most probably only a seminal variety; the Laburnum figured in its wild state by Professor JACQUIN, in his _Flora Austriaca_, has much broader leaves than ours, no mention is made by him of its being subject to vary.
Both MILLER and HANBURY recommend the Laburnum to be cultivated not only as an ornamental but as a timber tree, the wood having a very close grain, a good colour, and bearing a high polish;[6] they urge in its favour, that it is very hardy, a quick grower, and one that will thrive in almost any soil; the latter says, it will become a timber tree of more than a yard in girt: whatever success may attend its cultivation for the more useful purposes, as a hardy, deciduous, ornamental tree, it has long been the pride of our shrubberies and plantations.
It blossoms in May, and is usually very productive of seeds, by which it may be propagated most readily.
Hares and rabbits being fond of its bark, do great damage to plantations of Laburnum, especially in severe weather; I remember somewhere to have read, that these animals will not touch a tree if soot has been placed about it; perhaps, a circle drawn round the base of the tree with the new coal tar, which has a powerful smell of long duration, might keep off these noxious animals.
The Professor does not mention the precise height which he had observed these trees to attain in North-America, but it is evident that they acquire a considerable thickness, as the wood of the root as well as the body of the tree is manufactured into various utensils by the natives, and by the Indians into spoons in particular, whence it has obtained the name of the _Spoon Tree_.
The leaves have been found to prove poisonous to kine, horses, and sheep, but the deer are observed to brouse on them with impunity.
PETER COLLINSON, Esq. who was highly instrumental in enriching this country with the native plants of North-America, is said to have introduced this elegant species about the year 1734.
With us it succeeds best when planted with a northern aspect, well sheltered, in a soil composed of loam and bog earth, in a situation moderately moist, where the air is perfectly pure.
Being with difficulty propagated by suckers or layers, it is most commonly raised from American seeds.
[177]
KALMIA GLAUCA. GLAUCOUS KALMIA.
_Specific Character and Synonyms._
KALMIA _glauca_ foliis oppositis oblongis laevigatis, subtus glaucis, margine revolutis, corymbis terminalibus, ramulis ancipitibus.
_Ait. Hort. Kew. V. 2. p. 64. tab. 8._
[Ill.u.s.tration: No 177]
This species (much inferior in size to the _latifolia_, as it rarely exceeds two feet in height) is a native of Newfoundland, where it was discovered by Sir JOSEPH BANKS, Bart. and by him introduced to this country in the year 1767.
It is of course not described by Mr. MILLER, nor is it mentioned the in the 14th edition of LINNaeUS'S _Syst. Vegetab._ by Professor MURRAY; in the _Hort. Kew._ of Mr. AITON, it is both described and figured.
It flowers in April and May, is propagated in the same manner and requires the same treatment as the _latifolia_.
[178]
HYPERIc.u.m CORIS. HEATH-LEAV'D. ST. JOHN'S-WORT.
_Cla.s.s and Order._
POLYADELPHIA POLYANDRIA.
_Generic Character._
_Cal._ 5-phyllus. _Petala_ 5. _Nect._ 0. _Capsula._
_Specific Character and Synonyms._
HYPERIc.u.m _Coris_ floribus trigynis, calycibus serrato-glandulosis, foliis subverticillatis. _Linn. Syst. Veget. ed. 14. Murr. p. 702._
CORIS lutea. _Bauh. pin. 280._
CORIS legitima, Ericae similis. _Hon. Belli, ep. 1. ad Cluj. Clus. op. V.
1. p. 299._
CORIS. _Matthioli 939._
[Ill.u.s.tration: No 178]
There is an elegance and neatness in most of this tribe, and none possess those qualities in a greater degree than the present species, which is a charming little evergreen, admirably adapted for the greenhouse, as it forms a pretty bulb, and flowers during most of the summer.
It grows spontaneously in the South of Europe, and many parts of the Levant; HONORIUS BELLUS, in his epistle CLUSIUS (_vid. Clus. op_.) describes it as growing on the hilly parts of the island of Crete.
Mr. LEE, of Hammersmith, received it about four years since from the Crimea.
It is propagated by cuttings.
[179]
FUMARIA GLAUCA. GLAUCOUS FUMITORY.
_Cla.s.s and Order._
DIADELPHIA HEXANDRIA.
_Generic Character._
_Cal._ diphyllus. _Cor._ ringens. _Filamenta_ 2, membranacea, singula _Antheris_ 3.
