Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 11.djvu/79

* IVY. 63 IWAKURA. plied to a number of climbing, creeping, and trailing plants, among them the English or com- mon ivy, Boston or Japanese ivy, Virginia creep- er, ground-ivy, and poison-ivy. The common ivy (Hedera Helix) is a well-known native of Eu- rope, rare in the northern countries, which has been extensively introduced into the United States. Its long, ci'eeping, branched stem, which climbs on trees and walls to a great lieight, and closely adheres to even very hard substances by means of abundant rootlets which it develops along its whole length, acquires in very aged plants the thickness of a man's neck. Its five- lobed, shining, stalked, evergreen leaves, clothing bare walls with green luxuriance, serve to throw off rain, and the rootlets of the stem extract moisture from tJie walls to which they cling, con- trar3' to a common prejudice that ivy tends to produce dampness in walls. It injures trees principallj' by constriction. The flowering brandies of ivy have ovate, entire leaves, very different from the others. Its small greenish flowers are produced in the beginning of winter, and the small black berries are ripened in the following year. The berries are eagerlj- eaten by many "birds, although they have a pungent taste, and contain a peculiar bitter principle called hederin and an acid called hederic acid, which are also found in a gummy exudation obtained by in- cisions from the stem and occasionally used in varnish-making and in medicine as a depilatory and a stimulant. In Egypt the ivy was sacred to Osiris, in Greece to Bacchus (Dionysus), whose thyrsus was represented as surrounded with ivy; the Romans mingled it in the laurel crowns of their poets. CO.M-MON IVY. Several varieties of ivy are planted for orna- mental purposes, of which that generally known in Great Britain as Irish ivy and on the Euro- pean Continent as English ivy is particularly esteemed for its large leaves and luxuriant growth. It is said to be a native of the Canaiy Isles. Ivy grows readily from cuttings. Hedera umhellifern, referred by some botanists to Os- moxylon amboinense, a native of Amboyna, is said to produce a finely aromatic wood; and Hedera Icrebinlhinacea, bj' some botanists called Beptapleurum steUatum, a Ceylonese species, yields a resinous substance which smells like turpentine. The Boston or .Japanese ivy ( Vitis iiieonstans or Ampelopsis iriciispidata) and the Virginia creeper (Viiis hederacea or Ampelop- sis quinquefolia) belong to the same natural order as the grape. They are shrubby, hardy ornamental climbers, cling by tendrils opposite the leaves, and are especially attractive in their autumnal coloration. The Boston i-y has tbree- lobed or trifoliate leaves, the Virginia creeper five leaflets upon rather long petioles. The Bos- ton ivy clings closely to walls, is of rapid growth, and is one of the best hardy vines for city grow- ing. The ground-ivy (Sepeta (Jlechoina) is a plant of the mint family that trails over the ground. The poison-iy or poison-oak ( Rhus Toxicodendron) somewhat resembles the Virginia creeper in the appearance of its leaves, and is sometimes mistaken for it. Its leaflets, how- ever, are three in number, and are not palmately arranged upon a common leafstalk. This plant possesses an irritant poison, and bathing the affected parts in an alcoholic solution of lead acetate is highly recommended as a remedy. Ac- cording to some botanists, the name Rhus Toxi- codendron should be applied to a small southern shrub, and Rhus radieans to the common form. The German ivy ( (iynoxys cordi folia, or Senecio scandens) is a plant belonging to the family CompositiE. IVY LANE CLUB. A club founded in 1740 by Dr. .lohnson. Its meetings were held at the King's Head, in I'y Lane, London. See Clubs. IVY OWL. A fanciful name for the English tawny owl (Syrium aluco), which frequents ivy- grown ruins. See Owl. IWAKURA, e-wil'koo-ra, Tomomi, Prince (1835-8.3). A Japanese statesman, born in Kioto, of one of the illustrious families of the great Minamoto (q.v. ) clan. He became a Chamber- lain in the Imperial household of the ilikado Komei (1847-66), father of the present Emperor, Mutsuhito (q.v.). He was one of the 88 out of the total number of 136 kuge, or Court nobles, who opposed the opening of the ports to foreign commerce. In the ebb and flow of the troubled politics of the time, Iwakura fell into disgrace and was banished. Later he became the agent and firm ally of the revolutionary leaders, and was the means of carrying tlirough the palace revolution of January, 1868, by which the men in the progressive party got possession of the person of the Emperor and reconstructed the Government. In this Iwflkura became one of the highest officers, and thenceforth one of the chief progressive leaders of the Empire, carrying through the abolition of the feudal system with vigor and wisdom. He never saw a foreigner until middle life: yet as Jlinister of Foreign Affairs he proved himself a match for the for- eign envoys, and in 1872 led the great embassy to the treaty powers of the world to secure if pos- sible some modification of the treaties with them. On his return he opposed the proposed war with Korea, and carried through the measure which commuted the hereditary pensions of the samurai (q.v.), by which the Treasury was relieved of Iiea'y financial burdens and the nation enabled to enter upon a new phase of development. On