smooth, deeply lohed.—Jacq. hort. Vind. 2. t. 120; W illd.sp.l. p. 1132;
Michx.! fi. 1. p. 155; DC. prodr. 2. p. 4; Ell. sk. 1. p. 293; T o r r.! fi.
1. p. 261. E. Caroliniensis & latifolius, Marsh, arhusi. p. 43.
8.? leaves glabrous, often obtuse at the base; peduncles 2- 3-flowered,
(“ flowers pentandrous,” Nutt.)—E. occidentalis, N u tt.! mss. E. atropur-
pureus ? Hook. fi. Bor.-Am. 1. p. 119.
In shady woods, Upper Canada I to Florida! west to Kentucky . and
Missouri! fi. Oregon, in dark woods, Douglas, Nuttall! June-July,
Shrub 4-12 feet high; the branches slightly 4-sided. Leaves 2-5 inches
long. Petals dark purple. Capsule crimson when mature. Seeds nearly
white, invested with a bright red succulent aril.—Burning-bush. Spindle-
tree.
2. E. Americanus (Linn.): branches Smooth, 4-sided; leaves varying
from elliptical-lanceolate to oval-obovate, on very short petioles ; rather obscurely
serrate, glabrous; peduncles 1—3-flowered; parts of the flower mostly
in threes or fives; petals roundish-obovate; capsules depressed-globose,
verrucose-echinate.— Willd. sp. 1. c .; Walt. Car. p. 102; Michx. ! 1. c.;
Duham. arb. 3. t. 9; Ell. sk. 1. p. 292 ; DC. 1. c .; Hook. 1. c. ; Darlingt.
fi. Cest. ed. 2. p. 150. E. sempervirens, Marsh, arbust. p. 43. a b
a. erect; leaves oval or elliptical-lanceolate, the uppermost often slightly
falcate, mostly acuminate, acute or obtuse (rarely subcordate) at the base.
(i. leaves narrowly elliptical or oblong, slightly falcate, the margin minutely
serrate. .
y. trailing and often rooting; leaves ovate-lanceolate.—E. Americanus p.
sarmentosus, Nutt. gen. 1. p. 154. , , .
i. trading and rooting; leaves obovate or oval-obdvate, obtuse or sligntly
acuminate, acute at the base.—E. obovatus, N u tt.! 1. c.; DC. 1. c.
In moist woodlands, Canada! to Florida! and west to Misspun. May—
June.—Branches slender, green. Leaves 1—2 inches long, coriaceous, nearly
evergreen in the Southern States. Parts of the flower mostly m threes or
fives. Segments of the calyx very short and roundish. Petals greenish-yellow,
tinged with purple. Capsule deep crimson when mature, slightly angled,
densely muricate or warty ; the dissepiments and aril scarlet. Seeds smaller
than in the preceding, 1-3 in each cell.—Both species are very ornamental
in autumn when the fruit is ripei—Straw-berry-tree. Burning-bush.
3. E . angustifolius (Pursh): branches 4-sided; leaves linear-elliptical
and elongated, subsessile, rather falcate, almost entire; peduncles mostly 1-
flowered; sepals always five ; fruit verrucose-muricate. Pursh, fi. 1. p. 168.
In shady woods, Georgia, Lyon ex Pursh.—Specimens of this plant which:
we have seen in the herbaria of Muhlenberg and Collins certainly appear
different from E. Americanus; but the characters of the leaves will probably
not be found constant, and there seems to be no other difference.
4. OREOPHILA. Nutt. mss.
Sepals 4, united below into a short turbinate calyx-tube, persistent. Petals-
4 inserted under the edge of the disk, roundish, somewhat concave, spreading.
Stamens 4, alternate with the petals, inserted into the margin of the
broad and flat nearly entire disk, which covers the ovary and adheres to the
throat of the calyx-tube: filaments rather short: anthers roundish. Ovary
immersed in, but free from the calyx-tube, the summit coherent with the disk,,
2-celled, with 2 erect collateral ovules in each c e ll: style very short: stigma
capitate, obscurely 2-lobed. K Fruit an oval, coriaceous, compressed, 2-celled,,
2-seeded (or by abortion 1-seeded) capsule. Seed erect, rather- large, with.
a lacerated membranous aril at its base.” Nutt.—A low excessively branched
evergreen shrub, with small crowded, mostly opposite, entire or remotely
serrulate leaves, and minute axillary subsolitary flowers.
O. myrtifolia (Nutt.! mss.)—Ilexmyrsinites, P u rsh ! fi. 1. p. 119. My-
ginda myrtifolia, Nutt.! gen. 1. p. 109; DC. prodr. 2. p. 14; Hook. fi.
Bor.-Am. 1. p. 120, t. 41. (opt.)
Subalpine hills, N. W. Coast, Menzies; and throughout the Rocky Mountains,
Lewis ! Douglas, Nuttall!—“ The whole plant scarcely 2 feet high,
densely branched, covering the steep sides of bushy hills, very leafy. Leaves
varying from roundish-oval to linear-oblong, half an inch to above an inch in
length, coriaceous, glabrous, shining above, sometimes with numerous, sometimes
with small and sparse or obsolete serratures ; the taste slightly bitter
and astringent, very similar to that of black tea, or to that of Ilex vomitoria,
for which it was mistaken by its discoverer, the indefatigable Menzies. Peduncle
very short, 1-3-flowered: pedicels 2-bracteolate, slender. Flowers
monoecious. The whole aspect of the plant is that of Phillyrea media; while
its true affinity iswithCelastrus, from which it differs much in habit: a lacerated
membrane takes the place of the fleshy aril. Nutt."—Pursh described this
plant very badly. Hooker has [given an excellent description and figure,
which leaves nothing to be desired except as to the fruit and seeds (which
have now for the first time been obtained by Nuttall); he suspects it should
be removed from Myginda. Arnott observes (in prodr. Ind. Or. 1. p. 155.)
that “ M. ilicifolia, myrsinoides, and myrtifolia, having a bilocular ovary with
two erectovules in each cell, form a distinct genus, as has already been remark-
ed.by Kunth” ; but most probably our plant is not a congener of the West Indian
M. ilicifolia. The flowers are said by Nuttall to be monoecious; but
this is at least not uniformly the case in our specimens : and perfect flowers
are also represented in the detailed figure of this plant given by Sir Wm.
Hooker.
O r d e r XLYI1. RHAMNACEÆ. Jass.
Calyx 4-5-eIeft, with a valvate aestivation. Petals distinct, cucul-
late or convolute, narrowed at the base, inserted upon the throat o f
the calyx, sometimes wanting. Stamens equal in number to the petals
and opposite them : anthers introrse or versatile, rarely 1-celled.
Ovary o f 2 -4 united carpels, 2-4-celled, free from, or usually cohering
with, the tube o f the calyx, or more or less immersed in the fleshy peri-
gynous disk : ovules solitary in each cell, erect : styles more or Jess
connate : stigmas simple, usually distinct. Fruit free or commonly
more or less cohering with the calyx, fleshy and indéhiscent, or with
the carpels dry and at length separable. Seeds erect, anatropous, not
arilled : albumen fleshy, or rarely none. Embryo about as large as
the seed : radicle short : cotyledons large, flat;—Trees or shrubs, the
branches often thorny. Leaves simple, alternate (or rarely opposite),
usually with minute stipules. Flowers small, mostly whitish or greenish,
sometimes by abortion dioecious, monoecious, or polygamous : in florescence
various.