or less alternate, broadly oval, acuminate, glabrous above, the lower surface
whitish and scabrous with a minute appressed pubescence ; .cymes loose,
spreading; drupes deep blue.—Linn. f . svppl. p. 125 ; L ’Her. ! Corn. p.
10, t.-6 ; Willd. ! spec. 1. p. 664 ; Michx. ! fl. 1. p. 93 ; Tr/rr.! ji. 1.
100 ; Guimpel, Otto, 8f Hayne, holz. t. 43 ; DC-! prodr. 4. p. 2 7 1 ; Dar-
lingt. Jl. Cest. p. 108. C. alterna, Marsh, arhust.
In moist woods and thickets, Canada ! and Northern States! and along
the Alleghanies to the mountains of S. Carolina, and west to Kentucky!
May-June.—A small tree (10-20 feet), with a widely spreading depressed
top, and a smooth yellowish-green bark, which is generally streaked with
oblong white spots or warts. Petioles slender. Flowers cream-color.
2. C. drdnata (L’Her.): branches (greenish) spotted, verrucose; leaves
(large) very broadly oval or orbicular, abruptly acuminate,' tomentose beneath
with.a soft whitish pubescence; cymes rather small, depressed;
drupes ovoid-globose, light blue.—L ’Her.! 1. c. p. 9, t. 3 (bad); Willd. !
1. c .; Guimpel, Otto, 8f Hayne, holz. t. 86; Torr. ! Jl. 1. p. 179 ; Bigel.fi.
Bost. ed. 2. p. 276.. C. rugosa, Lam. diet. 2. p. 115 ? C. tomentulosa.
Michx.! fi. 1. p. 91.
Shady banks of streams, Canada ! to the mountains of Virginia, and west
to Indiana! not abundant. June.—Shrub 4-8 feet high, with straight slender
branches. Leaves 4-5 inches in length, and nearly of the same width,
scabrous above, the veins prominent beneath and sometimes rusty-colored.
Petals ovate, white. Drupe at length whitish (ex L ’Her.), small, tipped
with the persistent style.
3. C. stolonifera (Michx.): stems often reclined and stoloniferous; the
shoots virgate, bright reddish-purple; branches glabrous, a little spreading;
leaves ovate, slightly acuminate, obtuse at the base, scabrous with a minute
appressed pubescence on both sides, whitish beneath ; cymes small, flat,
rather crowded, nearly glabrous; petals ovate; drupes white.—Michx.! Jl.
1. p. 92. C. alba, Wang. Amer. p . 91; Pursh, fl, 1. p. 109; Bigel. fl.
Bost. ed. 2. p. 58; Richards, appx. Frankl. journ. ed. 2. p. 5 ; Hook.! fi.
Bor.-Am. 1. p . 276 (partly). C. alba, partly, L ’Her. 1. c .; Willd. ! 1. c. ;
D C .! 1. c. C. sanguinea, Pursh, l. c. 1 hot of Linn. C. Purshii, Don, syst.
gard. hot. 3. p. 399.
Banks of streams and in sphagnous swamps, Newfoundland! and throughout
Canada! (from lat. 69°, ex Richards.) and the Northern States! to about
lat 42® : west to Ohio! and Missouri. May-June.—Stenas sometimes erect,
5-10 feet high; but usually prostrate and rooting, sending up numerous slender
shoots, clothed with a red sparsely punctate bark. Drupes, globose,
white (lead-colored when fully ripe, ex Richards.): according to Nuttall they
are eaten by the Missouri Indians, and Dr. Richardson remarks that the
bears fatten upon them.—The Comus alba of Linnaeus was established on
the Siberian species, which is quite distinct from the North American plant.
The former (of which we have examined a specimen cultivated in the Garden
of Plants at Paris, under the name of “ C. Sibirica, Loddig. C. alba,
Pallas.”) has lanceolate petals, and thick divaricate or recurved branches.
The latter character has been copied by succeeding authors in their description
of the North American plant, although it is quite inapplicable. According
to Michaux, this species is called.“ Osier rouge” by the Canadians. C.
sanguinea is mentioned by Linnaeus and other authors as indigenous to North
America also: we have never seen a native specimen, neither is it found in
any of the collections from British America; and we presume this to be the
species intended.
4. C. paniculata (L’Her.): branches (grayish) erect, glabrous; leaves
ovate-lanceolate or oval, finely acuminate, acute at the base, scabrous with a
very minute appressed pubescence,' whitish beneath; cymes loose, convex or
usually paniculate, glabrous; petals lanceolate; drupes small, depressed-
globose, white.—L ’Her.! 1. c. p. 9, t. 5 ; Willd.! spec. l .p . 664; Pursh, fl.
1. p. 109; EU. sk. 1. p. 209? ; Torr.! Jl. 1. c .; DC.! 1. c. ; Hook. fi.
Bor.-Am. l .p . 275; Darlingt. f i . Cest.p . 108. C. racemosa, Lam. diet. 1.
c. ? C. candidissima, Marsh, arhust. ex. Darlingt.
Thickets and hill-sides and banks of streams, Canada and Northern States!
to Carolina (ex Pursh, Sp:.): west to the Mississippi. May-June.—Stem
erect, 4-8 feet high, covered with a light grayish bark: that of the young
branches pale1 purplish-brown, dotted. Cymes very numerous, thyrsoid,
elongated in fruit. Calyx-teeth triangular, very short. Ovary canescent.
Anthers yellowish. Drupes about the size of a small pea, when fully
ripe acquiring a slight leaden tinge.—This is a very beautiful plant when in
flower: it is much (and somewhat fastigiately) branched, and bears the
greatest profusion of small pure white blossoms. Notwithstanding the opinion
expressed by Hooker and Darlington, we are confident that no two species of
the genus are more distinct than this and C. stolonifera. It is much more
nearly allied to the succeeding species, which seems to take its place in the
Southern States; where we doubt if C. paniculata occurs, except perhaps in
the mountains.
5. C. stricta (Lam.): branches erect (fuscous), glabrous; leaves ovate or
ovate-lanceolate, nearly glabrous and of the same color both sides, conspicuously
acuminate, rather acute at the base; cymes loose, sometimes a little
paniculate, glabrous; calyx-teeth linear-subulate; petals ovate-lanceolate,
acute; anthers pale blue; drupes subglobose, pale blue.—Lam. diet. 2. p.
116 ; L ’Her. 1. c. p. 8, t. 5 ; Pursh, l, c.; Ell. sk. 1. p. 209; DC. prodr. 4.
p. 272. (sub nom. C. striata.) C. sanguinea, Walt. Car. p. 88? C. eya-
nocarpus, Gmel. syst, veg. 1. p. 257. C. fastigiata, Michx.! fl. 1. p. 92.
In swamps, Virginia to Georgia! April.—Shrub 8-15 feet high, with
brownish branches: branchlets quadrangular. Leaves when young more or
less pubescent, at length glabrous, light green on both surfaces, but very
slightly paler beneath. Cymes more flat than in C. paniculata; and the
flowers larger: the calyx-teeth are also longer. Drupes (ex descr.) blue externally,
the pulp white.—Pursh erroneously gives Canada as a habitat of
this species, We believe it is confined to the Southern States. De Candolle
states it- to be also a native of Mexico.
6. C. asperifolia (Michx.): branches erect, scabrous-pubescent; leaves
oblong-ovate or mostly oval-lanceolate, on very short petioles, acuminate,
hispidly scabrous above, tomentose-pubescent beneath; cymes fastigiate,
scabrous with a minutely hispid pubescence; calyx-teeth” minute; petals
oblong-lanceolate (fruit unknown).—Michx.! fi. l .p . 93; Ell. sk. 1. p. 209.
C. sericea, y. DC.! prodr. 4 .p. 272.
:’ /?. ? branches spreading; leaves mostly larger and ovate; petioles a little
longer.
Dry sandy soil, S. Carolina! Georgia! and. Florida! 0, Kentucky, Dr.
Short! June— This appears to be'a very distinct.species, resembling C.
stricta rather than C. sericea (but our 0. again is near the latter), with small
and usually quite narrow rough leaves. The anthers are blue, or, according
to Elliott, purple.
7. C. sericea (Linn.): branches spreading (purplish); the branchlets, cymes
and petioles lanuginous; leaves ovate or elliptical, acuminate, nearly glabrous
above, silky-pubescent beneath; cymes depressed, crowded; calyx-
teeth lanceolate; petals lanceolate-oblong, obtuse; drupes subglobose, pale
blue.—Linn. mant. p. 199, syst. veg. ed. Murray, p. 159; L'H e r 'i l. c.
p. 5, t. 2; Willd.! spec. 1. c .; Pursh, l. c .; Ell. 1. c. ; Torr.! fl. 1. p. 178 ■
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