tremity of the fleshy albumen.—Shrubs or small trees, with petioled undivided
or lobed leaves. Petioles sometimes furnished with appendages exactly
similar to stipules. Flowers white, in terminal cymes; the marginal
ones sometimes sterile and radiant.
§1. Flowers all similar and fertile: corolla rotate.—L entago, DC.
* Leaves entire, serrate, toothed.
1. V. nudum (Linn.): leaves somewhat coriaceous, oval, oblong, or lanceolate,
dotted beneath with brownish scales, glabrous above; the margin
crenulate or entire ; petiole somewhat margined ; cymes pedunculate: fruit
ovoid.
“• Claytoni : leaves broadly oval, oblong-obovate, or oblong, obtuse or
slightly acuminate, entire or obscurely crenulate; the veins rather prominent
beneath— V. nudum, Linn. ! spec. 1. p. 268 (pi. Gronov. !): “Mill. ic. t.
274;” W illd .! spec. 1. p. 1487V Mickx. ! fi. 1. p. 178; B o t mag t. 2 ^ 1 ;
L ll. sk. 1. p. 375 ; Torr. ! fi. 1. p. 319; Bigel. fi. Bost. ed. 2. p. 116 ; D C .'
prodr. 4. p. 325 ; Darlingt.fi. Cest. p. 203. V. squamatum, Wats, dendr.
B n t. t. 24 ?
. P- anguslifolium: leaves lanceolate and oblong-lanceolate, often acute, entire
or obscurely crenulate-denticulate, the veins slightly prominent beneath.
—V. nitidum, Ait. Kew. [ed. 1) 1. p. 371? V. pyracanthifolia, Schwein. !
herb.
7- cassinoides: leaves ovate, slightly obovate, or oblong, often abruptly
acuminate, the margins crenate-serrate or undulate ; the veins not prominent
beneath.—V. cassinoides, L in n .! spec. ed. 2. p. 384 (excl. syn. except of
Duham.) ; Pursh,fl. 1. p. 202 ; DC. ! prodr. 4. p. 326 ; not of Michx. V.
nudum, Hook.! fi. Bor.-Am. l.p . 279. V. pyrifolium, Pursh, l. c .; Torr.!
fi. 1. p. 318 ,* Bigel. 1. e .; not of Poir., Desf. Sc DC. V. squamatum,
Willd. ! enum. l .p . 327 ; “ Wats, dendr. Brit. t. 24.”
Swamps, a. Massachusetts and Southern part of New York! to Florida!
and Louisiana. /3. North Carolina! to Georgia! and New Orleans! y.
Northern portion of Pennsylvania and New York ! to Canada ! Saskatcha-
wan, and Newfoundland! May-June.—Stem 6-12 feet high ; the bark ash-
gray. Leaves variable in form, size &c. on the same individual, usually
2-4 inches long, turning blackish in drying ; the lower surface at first clothed
with scaly dots, the upper at length somewhat shining. Cyme as large as
in the Laurustina (V. Tinus): peduncle 1-2 inches long. Fruit about 3J
lines long, slightly compressed, dark blue, with a glaucous bloom, pointed,
sweetish and edible when ripe; the nucleus or stone (seed of some authors)
much compressed, slightly convex on one side, and with a shallow groove on
the other.—Our var. (3. is only a narrow-leaved form of V. nudum: the more
northern plant (var. y, which is the original V. cassinoides) appears somewhat
different; but we can find no permanent characters by which to distinguish
it.
2. V. prunifolium (Linn.): leaves roundish-oval, broadly ovate or ob-
m&te, coriaceo-membranaceous, obtuse or with a slight abrupt point, finely
■serrate with appressed or uncinate teeth, glabrous; petiole with a slight and
•even margin; cymes sessile; fruit oblong-ovoid.—Linn. ! spec. 1. p. 268 ;
Miehx.l fi. 1. p. 178 ; Pursh, fi. 1. p. 201 ; “Duham. arb. [ed. non.) 2. t.
•38; Wats, dendr. Brit. t. 23;” Ell. sk. 1. p. 365; Torr.! fi. 1. p. 318;
Guimp., Otto, &f Ha-yne, Kobe. t. 101; Hook. 1. c .; Darlingt. 1. c. V. Can-
adense glabrum, Paul. ! V. pyrifolium, Poir. diet. 5. p. 658 ; Desf. cat. hort.
Par., ed. 3.p. 404 ; DC. ! prodr. 4. p . 325. Mespilus prunifblia Virginiana
&c, Pluk. aim. t. 46, f . 2.
(3. ferrugineum: lower surface of the petiole and midrib when young
covered with reddish-brown wool.
Dry woods and thickets, Canada? and Southern part of New York ! and
Pennsylvania! to Georgia. (3. N. Carolina! and Georgia! to Louisiana!
and Arkansas ! May.—Shrub or tree 8—20 feet high, with numerous abortive
branches or spurs. Leaves 1 to nearly 3 inches long, mostly rounded; the
petiole more distinctly margined in the upper thdn in the lower leaves, about
half an inch long; in var. (3. clothed with deciduous reddish pubescence or
tomentum, which consists of chaff-like laciniate scales rather than proper
hairs. Cyme about 3 inches in diameter. Fruit nearly half an inch long
(in j3. more roundish than in the northern plant), bluish-black when ripe,
glaucous, compressed : the nucleus much compressed.—Black Haw. Sloe.
3. V. Lentago (Linn.): leaves ovate, conspicuously acuminate, finely
serrate with sharp slightly uncinate teeth, somewhat membranaceous, glabrous;
the lower surface and particularly the midrib and (undulate) margined
petioles dotted with minute scales when young ;, cymes sessile • fruit
ojal.—Linn.! spec. l.p . 268; Michx. ! fi. l . p . 178; Ell. sk. 1. p. 365 ;
Wats, dendr. Brit. t. 21; Torr.! fi. 1. p. 318; Bigel. fi. Bost. ed. 2. p.
116 ; D C .! prodr. 4. p. 325 ; Hook. 1. c .; Darlingt. fi. Cest. p. 325.
Woods and banks of. streams, Canada ! (from the Saskatchawan) and
throughout the Northern States!_ to Kentucky! and the mountains of Georgia.
May.—Tree 15-20 feet high. Leaves usually broadly ovate or oval,
about 3 inches long, sometimes slightly cordate ; the petiole 6-8 lines long
sometimes -covered, as well as the midrib, with rusty scales. Cymes widely
spreading. Fruit somewhat compressed, half an inch long, bluish-black
when ripe, with a glaucous bloom; the pulp thin and sweetish: nucleus
broadly oval, nearly flat on both sides.
4. V. obovatum (Walt.): leaves obovate or cuneate-obovate, (small) glabrous,
somewhat coriaceous, shining above, mostly obtuse, entire, or often
acutely denticulate above the middle ; cymes sessile ; fruit ovoid-globose
H EM ! ], 1G ’’ Foir- dict■ 5-P- 668>' Pursh, fi. l.p. 201; LU. sk. l .p . 366 ; Lodd. bot. cab. t. 1476 ; DC. ! prodr. 4. p 326 V
cassinoides M ill. diet. no. . 9? (not of Linn.) ; W illd .! spec. 1. p. 1491
(™clr fy n -h enum. p . 3 2 7 ; A lic h x .! fi. l . p . 179. V. laevigatum A it S t P “* Uc-;
Shady banks of rivers, &c._ Virginia to Georgia! and Florida! April-
lla y . fehrub 2 8 feet high, with numerous branches, which are dotted when
young with minute scales. Leaves l- l£ inch long, and 3-8 lines wide, on
short petioles, often minutely dotted beneath; those of the flowering branches
mostly entire; those of the sterile branches frequently acute and sharply denticulate
or toothed. Cymes small. Fruit about one-third of an inch long
iP I v V l i ! ^ Slaucous'11blac1k> sweetish.—Readily distinguished small shining leaves, small and somewhat simple cymes, by its. See. ^
5. V. ellipticum(Hook.); leaves elliptical, with 3-5 parallel veins, obtuse,
coarsely serrate, chiefly towards the summit; the lower surface, particularly
the veins, very hirsute; petiole short; cymes pedunculate, dense; ovary
mther very^hairy or glabrous; fruit oval-globose (blaek). Hook. fi. Bor.-
Shady woods of the Oregon, Douglas, Nuttall /—A low shrub. Leaves
bout 2 inches long, having from 3 to 5 principal nerves springing from
lloo/tf86’ ° Vary clothed Wlth lonfl hairs i in one specimen quite^lfbrous.
6. V. dentalum [Linn.): leaves roundish-ovate, often slightly cordate
coarsely and sharply toothed, acute or somewhat acuminate, appearing plil