9 3 8 A R B O R E T U M E T F R U T I C E T U M B I U T A N N I C U M .
green shrub, with numerous cylindrical
wand-like branches, articulated,
and furnished at each articulation
with two small linear
leaves. . South of France and
1718. ¿ '.d is tà c h y a .
17-17. d is ta c h ja .
Spain, in sandy soils on the seashore.
Height 3 it. to 4 ft. Introduced
in 1730. Flowers
whitish ; June and July. Berries red ; ripe in August.
As far as we have observed, justice has never been done to this, or any
other species of JS'phedra, in British gardens. The fruit becomes succulent,
Hke that of the mulberry, with a slightly acid and yet sugary and agreeable
taste, and might be cultivated for the dessert.
tt. 2. E . m o n o sta 'c iiy a L , The one-spiked Ephedra, or Small shrubby
Horsetail.
1749. E . monostàchya.
Identification. Lin. Sp., 1472. ; Ait. Ilo rt. Kew., 3. p. 116. ; N. Du XIam., 3.
Synonymes. E. polygonoldes Pall. Ross. ; Ephèdre mineure, Ephèdre de
' Sibérie, Fr.
The Sexes. There nre maie plants a t Messrs. Loddiges’s.
Engravings. Dend. Brit., t. 142. ; and our figs. 1749. and 1750. of the male
plant.
Spec. Char., 4c- Peduncles many. Catkins
solitary. {Lin.) An evergreen shrub, m.uch
smaller, and hardier than E . -distàchya. Siberia,
near salt springs, and in saline wastes ;
and, according to Pallas, common in the
southern parts of Russia, from the Don and
the Volga to theL eira; Persia and India.
Height 1 ft. to 2 ft. Introduced in 1772.
Flowers whitish ; June to July. Berries red ;
ripe in August and September.
The Kergisi use the ashes of the wood of the jE^phedra for snuff.
O rder L X X V I . T A X A 'C E iE .
O r b Ch a r . Floral buds consisting of numerous imbricate scales. Floiuers
dioecious.— Male flowers dh'^oscd in catkins, each consisting of a scale, ancl
a 2 - or many-celled anther, the cells dehiscing longitudinally.— Female
flowers solitary, naked or bracteate. Nut, or seed, solitary, surrounded
at its base by a disk, which at length becomes fleshy, ancl conceals the
greater portion or the whole of the nut, and forms with it what may be
called a succulent drupe, except in Torrcya, where the nut is not surrounded
by any disk, but by dry scarcely increasing scales. Thc nut or seed is
- ' X l ........ i
covered by a crustaceous testa. Embryo in the axis of the albumen. Radicle
at tlie apex of the seed, having an organic connexion with tlie albumen.
(G. Don.)
Lcaves simple, alternate or distichous, exstipulate, evergreen or deciduous ;
mostly linear.— Trees or shrubs; natives of Europe, Asia, and North
America.
The genera are three, which are tlius characterised : —
YaXus. Dicecious. Anthers of 4— 6 cells. Nut, or seed, surrounded by a
fleshy cupular disk.
T o r r e ' y « 4 . Dicecious. Anther 8 -celled. Seed n o t surrounded by a fleshy
disk, but by scales.
Salisbu'r/«4. Dicecious. Anthers 2 -celIed. Seed, or nut, covered by the fleshy
persistent disk.
G enus I.
7’’A'XUS L . T h e Yliw. Lin. Syst. Dice'cia Monadélphia.
Identification. Lin. Gen., 532. ; Juss., 412. ; Fl. Br., 1086. ; Tourn., t. 362. ; Lam., t. 829. ; Gærtn.,
t. 81. ; N. D u Ham., 1. p. 61. ; Rich. Mém. Conif., p. 131. t. 2.
Derivation. From toxon, a bow ; being formerly much used in making them : or ftom taxis, a rrangement;
from th e leaves being arranged on the branches like th e teeth of a comb: or from
toxicum, poison ; though Pliny says th a t poison {toxicum) was so named from this tree, which was
considered poisonous. T h e derivation of the term Yew is supposed to be from th e Celtic word
iw, sometimes pronounced if, and signifying verdure ; alluding to th e yew being an evergreen :
and this will also explain the French name, if.
Gen. Char. Male fl-ower consisting of anthers upon short pedicels, at the
top of a column that has imbricate scales at the ba.se. Anthers with 4,5, 6 ,
or rarely more, 1 -celled lobes, attached to the connectivum, whose tip is a
horizontal shield, lobed at the edge ; its lobes corresponding in number and
place with those of the anthers, and covering them ; the cells opening
longitudinally. — Female flower an erect ovule, perfect at the tip; with
an unobvious annular disk at its base; and, exterior to this, investing
imbricate scales. Fruit the disk at thc base of the ovule, which becomes
a fleshy open cup. Seed like a nut.
Leaves simjde,alternate, exstipulate, evergreen; linear, acute, rigid, more
• less 2 -rowed in direction. Flo Flowers whitish.J ' ' ’ ^ Fruit "
red, pulpy. — Low
trees and shrubs, evergreen ; natives of " Europe," ope
Asia, and North America.
Propagated by seeds or layers, in common soil.
1 1. T. b a c c a ' t a L . The berried, or cowwon, Yew.
Identification. Lin. Sp. FL, 1472. ; Eng. Bot., t. 746.
Synonymes. Táxus, No. 1663., Hall Hist. 2. p. 322. ; If, Fr. ; Ifenbaum, Ihcnbaum, or Eihenbaum,
Ger. ; Taxo, Jtal. ; Texo, Span. , , , ,
The Sexes. Tlie yew being almost always raised from seed, th e male and female plants may be supposed
to be nearly equally distributed, both in natura l woods and in artificial plantations. Boiii
sexes are sometimes found on th e same tree . As far as we have been able to observe, says White
of Selborne, the male tree becomes much larger than the female one.
Engravings. Eng. Bot., t. 746. ; N. D u Ham., I. t. 19. ; the plates of this tree in Arb. B n t., 1st
edit., vol. viii. ; and o u r^ g . 1752.
Spec. Char., f r . Leave.s 2-rankeil, crowded, linear, flat. Receptacle of the
barren floweis globular. (Smith.) An evergreen tree. Europe genc-
1 ally ; in loamy soils and shady situations. Height 20 ft. to 3 0 ft., rarely
4 0 ft. Flowerswhite; March and Api-il. Fruit red; ripe in September.
Varieties.
Î Ï . b. 2 fastigiàta. T. fastigiàta Lindl. ; T. hibêrnica Hook., Lodd.
Cat. ed. 1836; (the plate of this tree in Arh. Brit., 1st edit., vol.
viii. ; and our f g . 1761.) the upright, or Florence Court, Yew; the
Ii-ish Yew. Uiscoverod wild at the former place about 1780.—
This is a very (list net variety, readily distinguished from the species