. . I
„ü*
acute a t both ends, branches loose. R . flexuòsus MUl. No. 6 , P ro fessor
2060. ü . a cu le àtu s .
Martyn thinks, is probably this variety.
The stems do not flower till the second year ; after which they die down to
the ground, like those o fth e raspberry, and some species of Nmilax and Jspa-
ramis. The leaves are a continuation of the branches ; equally firm and
equally durable, as they never drop off, but die along with the branch, or
frond. The roots are thick, fleshy, white, branching at the crown, and afterwards
twining about each other, and putting out frequent
fibres, like those of the asparagus ; oblique, and striking
deep into the ground. The female flowers are succeeded
by bright red berries, which are almost as large as wild
cherries, and of a sweetish taste ; having two large
orange-coloured seeds in each, gibbous on one side, flat
on the other, and extremely hard. The green shoots
are cut, bound in bundles, and sold to the butchers for
sweeping tlieir blocks ; whence the popular English
name of butcher’s broom. I t is also used, in London,
by the manufacturers of cigars, &c,, for sprinkling the
saline liquor over the tobacco leaves. The tender young j
shoots, in spring, are sometimes gathered and eaten by
the poor, both in England and France, like those of
asparagus. Planted under trees or shrubs, the rtflscus
aculeàtus will spread into large clumps, especially in loamy
soil ; and, as it retains its leaves all the winter, it has a good effect as a low
undergrowth, more especially as it will live in situations so shady as to be
unfit for almost any other plant.
J, 2. R . h y p o p h y 'l lu m L . The under-leaf Ruscus, or broad-leaved
Bu tch er’s Broom,
JdenUficatmn. Lin. Sp„ 1474. ; Ait. Hort., ed. 2., .5. p 420.
Svnonvmes. M. la tiß lln s , &c., Tourn. Inst. 79. i L au ru s alcxandrlna
Lob. Adv., 4‘C. .509. ; Fragon sans Foliole, F r. ; b re itb iattn g er Mäusedorn,
Ger. I Bonifaccia Ilnl.
Engravings. Bot. Mag., 2040. ; and o u r * . 2061.
Spec. Char., f r . Flowers produced underneath the
leaves. (W illd .) A low evergreen shrub. Italy
and Africa. Height 2 ft. to 3 ft. Introduced in
1683. Flowers whitish ; May and June. Berries
red, about the size of those of the common ju n iper
; ripe in September and October.
Variety.
A t'S., h. 2 trifoliàtum. R . trifoliàtus M ill. No. 5.
— Leaves ovate-acuminate, placed by threes,
with flowers on their tipper sides. It is a native
of Zante, and some other of the Greek
islands, where it grows about 2 ft. high.
2061. R . hypophyllum.
S 3. R. (ii.) //y p o g i.o ’ssum L . The Under-tongue Ruscus, or doubleleaved
Butcher’s Broom.
Identiticalion. Lin. Sp., 1474. ; Ait. Hort. Kew., 5. p. 421.
Svnonvmes. R . angustifolius, Ac. T am n . In s t. 79.; ifypogWssum
Lob. Adv. 284. ; Uvulària Bru n f. 3. 96, 97. ; Fragon a Fohole, Fr. ;
Zungen Mäusedorn, Ger. ; Lingua pagana, Ita l.
Engravings. Lob. Adv. ic ., 638. ; Barrel, ic.. 250. ; Blackw., t. 128. ;
and our * . 2062.
Spec. Char., f r . Leaves floriferous underneath, with
leaflet. (W tlld .) A low evergreen shrub. Italy,
Idria, Hungary ; and Africa, about Algiers. Height
8 ft. to 10 ft. Introduced in 1596. Flowers pale
yellow ; April and May. Berries red, almost as
large as those of Ä . aculeàtus ; ripening in winter. 2062. n.
LXXX. ü l i a ' c e æ : yu 'cca. 1101
4, R. RACEMo'sus L . The racemose Ruscus, or Alexandria Laurel.
Identification. Lin. Sp., 1474. ; Ait. H o rt. Kew., ed. 2 ., 5 . p. 421.
Synonymes. R . angustifblius, fructu _summis ramulis, &c., Tourn. Inst. 79. D m H am. Arb. 4. ;
Fragon á Grappes, F r . ; Trauben Mäusedorn, Ger. ; L auro ideo, Itat.
Engravings. Dend. Brit., 1 .145. 5 o u r/^ -. 2063. to our usual scale ; a n d /g . 2064. of th e natural s
Spec. Char., S/c- Flowers hermaphrodite, produced at
the ends of the branches. (Willd.) A low evergreen
shrub. Portugal. Height 4 ft. Introduced
in ] 739. Flowers greenish
yellow; May. Berries red, with a
round coriaceous white disk at the
base ; ripening during winter.
According to some, this species is
supposed to be the plant with which
the ancients crowned their victors ;
but, though the stalks are flexible
i enough to wreath easily, and the leaves
resemble those represented on ancient
busts, yet the fruit being terminal, does
not agree nearly so well with the fruit
represented in the crowns on these
busts as that of the .Laurus nobilis,
which is axillary, and resembles th a t shown in the
coronal wreaths of classical sculpture.
G e n u s II.
2063. i i . racemòsus.
2064. A. racemòsus.
YU'CCA L. T h e Y u c c a , or A d am ’s N e e d l e , Lin. Syst.. Hexândria
Monogynia.
Identification. Lin. Sp., 456. ; Ait. Hort. Kew., ed. 2., 2. 291. ; N. Du Ham., 3. 145.
Derivalion. T h e name of th e plant in Peru.
Gen. Char. Perianth campanulate, 6-parted, regular. Stamens 5, thickest
at top. Anthers small. Stigmas sessile. Capsule oblong, bluntly trigonal ;
3-celled, 3-valved, many-seeded. Seeds ^-àX. (G .D o n .)
Leaves simple, alternate, exstipulate, evergreen ; ensiform, pointed.
Flowers \axge, white ; disposed in spikes or panicles, terminal.— Shrubs evergreen,
with the habit of palm trees ; natives of North and South America,
chiefly on the sea coast.
In British gardens, most of the species are somewhat tender. They prefer
a dry and deep sandy soil, or a sandy loam ; and they are readily propagated
by suckers, which are thrown up by the roots, or by side shoots, which are
occasionally produced on tlie stem. They sometimes ripen seeds, wl ich, if
sown immediately after they are gathered, and placed in a moderate h t-bed,
will come up in six weeks. In their native countries, their leaves, eated
like the stalks of hemp or flax, afford a fibre which may be used Uke khat of
those plants, in the manufacture of cloth or cordage ; and the stems, macerated
in water, deposit a feculent matter, from which starch may be procured.
In a floricultural point of view, all the species are highly ornamental ; and
no lawn or flower border ought to be without some of them. As the yucca
grows naturally on the sea shore, it is particularly adapted for marine gardens.
1. Y. G L O R i o ' s A L . The g l o r i o u s Yucca, or Adam’s Needle.
Identiñcation. Lin. Sp., 456. ; Ait. Hort. Kew., ed. 2., 2. p. 291.
Synonymes. Y. canadèna Aid. Hort. F a r. 33. ; F. índica, h e ., B a r r . R a r. 70. 1. 1194. ; F., or Yúcca,
peruana Ger. Emac. 1543. ; F . nbva gloriósa, &c.. Lob. Adv. 2. p. 507. ; th e superb Yuccaj Yunca
nain ; Yucca à Feuilles entières, Fr. ; prächtiger Yukka, Ger.
Engravings. Bot. Mag., t. 1260. ; and o u r /g . 2065.