drabble (2)

i. [Etym. doubtful.] To fish for barbels with a rod and long line pa ed through a piece of lead. Formerly, the genus was so defined as to include nearly or quite thirty species. The well-known Dracæna draco, or Dragon-tree, requires to be studied in its native country, the Canary Islands. Commencing as an unbranched endogen with linear entire evergreen sheathing leaves, which leave annular scars as they fall annually, it continues to advance slowly to maturity, the proce , it is said, taking twenty-five to thirty years. Then the leaf scars are gradually obliterated, and branches begin to be put forth. Next a glorious panicle of inflorescence appears at the apex of the stem, the individual flowers of which, however, are small and greenish-white. At an indefinitely long period it begins to decay, which in some cases it does so slowly that it seems as if death would never supervene. The celebrated Dragon-tree of Teneriffe was one of the wonders of the world. Be then court in 1402 or 1406 described it as old and hollow. It had changed but little from that time till its destruction in 1867. ( Dragon's - blood tree .) It was between 70 and 75 feet high, with a circumference at the base of about 46%. D. draco furnishes one of the resins called Dragon's-blood (q. v.). The tree called D. ter minalis , mentioned by Lindley and others as furnishing the Ti plant of the Sandwich Islands, was next named Cordyline terminal is , and is now denomi nated Calo drac on terminal is.