Chapter D: MEZEREUM, L. Shrub 1--3 deg. high, with purple-rose-colored (rarely

white) flowers, in lateral clusters on shoots of the preceding year, before the lanceolate very smooth green leaves; berries red.--Escaped from cultivation in Canada, Mass., and N. Y. Early spring. (Nat. from Eu.)

ORDER 95. ELAEAGNACEAE. (OLEASTER FAMILY.)

_Shrubs or small trees, with silvery-scurfy leaves and perfect or dioecious flowers_; further distinguished from the Mezereum Family by the erect or ascending albuminous seed, and the calyx-tube becoming pulpy and berry-like in fruit, strictly enclosing the achene.

1. Elaeagnus. Flowers perfect. Stamens 4. Leaves alternate.

2. Shepherdia. Flowers dioecious. Stamens 8. Leaves opposite.

1. ELAEAGNUS, Tourn.

Flowers perfect. Calyx cylindric-campanulate above the persistent oblong or globose base, the limb valvately 4-cleft, deciduous. Stamens 4, in the throat. Style linear, stigmatic on one side. Fruit drupe-like, with an oblong, 8-striate stone.--Leaves alternate, entire and petioled, and flowers axillary and pedicellate. (From [Greek: e)lai/a], _the olive_, and [Greek: a)/gnos], _sacred_, the Greek name of the Chaste-tree, _Vitex Agnus-castus_.)

1. E. argentea, Pursh. (SILVER-BERRY.) A stoloniferous unarmed shrub (6--12 deg. high), the younger branches covered with ferruginous scales; leaves elliptic to lanceolate, undulate, silvery-scurfy and more or less ferruginous; flowers numerous, deflexed, silvery without, pale yellow within, fragrant; fruit scurfy, round-ovoid, dry and mealy, edible, 4--5'' long.--N. W. Minn. to Utah and Montana.

2. SHEPHERDIA, Nutt.

Flowers dioecious; the sterile with a 4-parted calyx (valvate in the bud) and 8 stamens, alternating with as many processes of the thick disk; the fertile with an urn-shaped 4-cleft calyx, enclosing the ovary (the orifice closed by the teeth of the disk), and becoming berry-like in fruit. Style slender; stigma 1-sided.--Leaves opposite, entire, deciduous; the small flowers nearly sessile in their axils on the branches, clustered, or the fertile solitary. (Named for _John Shepherd_, formerly curator of the Liverpool Botanic Garden.)

1. S. Canadensis, Nutt. Leaves elliptical or ovate, nearly naked and green above, silvery-downy and scurfy with rusty scales beneath; fruit yellowish-red, insipid.--Rocky or gravelly banks, Vt. and N. Y. to Mich., Minn., and north and westward. May.--Shrub 3--6 deg. high, the branchlets, young leaves, yellowish flowers, etc., covered with rusty scales.

2. S. argentea, Nutt. (BUFFALO-BERRY.) Somewhat thorny, 5--18 deg. high; leaves cuneate-oblong, silvery on both sides; fruit ovoid, scarlet, acid and edible.--N. Minn. to Col., and westward.

ORDER 96. LORANTHACEAE. (MISTLETOE FAMILY.)

_Shrubby plants with coriaceous greenish foliage, parasitic on trees_, represented in the northern temperate zone chiefly by the Mistletoe and its near allies; distinguished from the next family more by the parasitic growth and habit, and by the more reduced flowers, than by essential characters.

1. Phoradendron. Anthers 2-celled. Berry globose, pulpy. Leaves foliaceous.

2. Arceuthobium. Anthers a single orbicular cell. Berry compressed, fleshy. Leaves scale-like, connate.

1. PHORADENDRON, Nutt. FALSE MISTLETOE.

Flowers dioecious, in short catkin-like jointed spikes, usually several to each short fleshy bract or scale, and sunk in the joint. Calyx globular, 3- (rarely 2--4-) lobed; in the staminate flowers a sessile anther is borne on the base of each lobe, transversely 2-celled, each cell opening by a pore or slit; in the fertile flowers the calyx-tube adheres to the ovary; stigma sessile, obtuse. Berry 1-seeded, pulpy. Embryo small, half imbedded in the summit of mucilaginous albumen.--Yellowish-green woody parasites on the branches of trees, with jointed much-branched stems, thick and firm persistent leaves (or only scales in their place), and axillary small spikes of flowers. (Name composed of [Greek: pho/r], _a thief_, and [Greek: de/ndron], _tree_; from the parasitic habit.)

1. P. flavescens, Nutt. (AMERICAN MISTLETOE.) Leaves obovate or oval, somewhat petioled, longer than the spikes, yellowish; berries white.--On various deciduous trees, N. J. to S. Ind., Mo., and southward.

2. ARCEUTHOBIUM, Bieb.

Flowers axillary or terminal, solitary or several from the same axil. Calyx mostly compressed; the staminate usually 3-parted, the pistillate 2-toothed. Anthers a single orbicular cell, opening by a circular slit. Berry compressed, fleshy, on a short recurved pedicel.--Parasitic on Conifers, glabrous, with rectangular branches and connate scale-like leaves; flowers often crowded in apparent spikes or panicles, opening in summer or autumn and maturing fruit the next autumn. (From [Greek: a)/rkeuthos], _the juniper_, and [Greek: bi/os], _life_.)

1. A. pusillum, Peck. Very dwarf, the slender scattered or clustered stems 3--10'' high, usually simple, olive-green to chestnut; scales obtuse; flowers solitary in most of the axils; fruit narrowly oblong, 1'' long.--On _Abies nigra_; N. New York; Hanover, N. H. (_Jesup_).

ORDER 97. SANTALACEAE. (SANDALWOOD FAMILY.)

_Herbs, shrubs, or trees, with entire leaves; the 4--5-cleft calyx valvate in the bud, its tube coherent with the 1-celled ovary, which contains 2--4 ovules suspended from the apex of a stalk-like free central placenta which rises from the base of the cell, but the (indehiscent) fruit always 1-seeded._--Seed destitute of any proper seed-coat. Embryo small, at the apex of copious albumen; radicle directed upward; cotyledons cylindrical. Stamens equal in number to the lobes of the calyx, and inserted opposite them into the edge of the fleshy disk at their base. Style 1. A small order, the greater part belonging to warm regions.

1. Comandra. Flowers perfect, in umbel-like clusters. Low herbaceous perennials.

2. Pyrularia. Flowers dioecious or polygamous, in short spikes or racemes. Shrub.

1. COMANDRA, Nutt. BASTARD TOAD-FLAX.

Flowers perfect. Calyx bell-shaped or soon urn-shaped, lined above the ovary with an adherent disk which has a 5-lobed free border. Stamens inserted on the edge of the disk between its lobes, opposite the lobes of the calyx, to the middle of which the anthers are connected by a tuft of thread-like hairs. Fruit drupe-like or nut-like, crowned by the persistent calyx-lobes, the cavity filled by the globular seed.--Low and smooth (sometimes parasitic) perennials, with herbaceous stems from a rather woody base or root, alternate and almost sessile leaves, and greenish-white flowers in terminal or axillary small umbel-like clusters. (Name from [Greek: ko/me], _hair_, and [Greek: a)/ndres], for _stamens_, in allusion to the hairs on the calyx-lobes which are attached to the anthers.)

1. C. umbellata, Nutt. Stem 8--10' high, branched, very leafy; leaves oblong, pale (1' long); _peduncles_ several and _corymbose-clustered at the summit, several-flowered_; calyx-tube conspicuously continued as a neck to the dry _globular-urn-shaped fruit; the lobes oblong; style slender_.--Dry ground, common. May, June. Root forming parasitic attachments to the roots of trees.

2. C. pallida, A. DC. _Leaves narrower, more glaucous and acuter, linear to narrowly lanceolate_ (or those upon the main stem oblong), all acute or somewhat cuspidate; _fruit ovoid, larger_ (3--4'' long), sessile or on short stout pedicels.--W. Minn. to S. W. Kan., and westward.

3. C. livida, Richardson. _Peduncles_ slender, _axillary, 3--5-flowered_, shorter than the oval leaves; calyx-tube not continued beyond the ovary, _the lobes ovate; style short_; fruit pulpy when ripe, red.--Newf., N. Vt., sandy shores of L. Superior, and northward.

2. PYRULARIA, Michx. OIL-NUT. BUFFALO-NUT.

Flowers dioecious or polygamous. Calyx 4--5-cleft, the lobes recurved, hairy-tufted at base in the male flowers. Stamens 4 or 5, on very short filaments, alternate with as many rounded glands. Fertile flowers with a pear-shaped ovary invested by the adherent tube of the calyx, naked at the flat summit; disk with 5 glands; style short and thick; stigma capitate-flattened. Fruit fleshy and drupe-like, pear shaped; the globose endocarp thin. Embryo small; albumen very oily.--Shrubs or trees, with alternate short-petioled and deciduous leaves; the small greenish flowers in short and simple spikes or racemes. (Name a diminutive of _Pyrus_, from the shape of the fruit.)

1. P. pubera, Michx. Shrub straggling (3--12 deg. high), minutely downy when young, at length nearly glabrous; leaves obovate-oblong, acute or pointed at both ends, soft, very veiny, minutely pellucid-punctate; spike small and few-flowered, terminal; calyx 5-cleft; fruit 1' long. (P. oleifera, _Gray_.)--Rich woods, mountains of Penn. to Ga. Whole plant, especially the fruit, imbued with an acrid oil.

ORDER 98. EUPHORBIACEAE. (SPURGE FAMILY.)

_Plants usually with a milky acrid juice, and monoecious or dioecious flowers, mostly apetalous, sometimes achlamydeous (occasionally polypetalous or monopetalous); the ovary free and usually 3-celled, with a single or sometimes a pair of ovules hanging from the summit of each cell; stigmas or branches of the style as many or twice as many as the cells; fruit commonly a 3-lobed capsule, the lobes or carpels separating elastically from a persistent axis and elastically 2-valved; seed anatropous; embryo straight, almost as long as and the flat cotyledons mostly as wide as the fleshy or oily albumen._ Stipules often present.--A vast family in the warmer parts of the world; most numerously represented in northern countries by the genus Euphorbia, which has very reduced flowers within a calyx-like involucre.

[*] Flowers all without calyx, included in a cup-shaped calyx-like involucre,--the whole liable to be mistaken for a single flower.

1. Euphorbia. Involucre surrounding many staminate flowers (each of a single naked stamen) and one pistillate flower (a 3-lobed pistil).

[*][*] Flowers with a calyx, without involucre.

[+] Seeds and ovules 2 in each cell; flowers monoecious.

2. Pachysandra. Flowers in basal spikes. Calyx 4-parted. Stamens 4, distinct.

3. Phyllanthus. Flowers axillary. Stamens 3, united.

[+][+] Seeds and ovules 1 in each cell.

[a.] Flowers apetalous, in cymose panicles (2--3-chotomous); stamens 10, erect in the bud.

4. Jatropha. Calyx corolla-like, the staminate salver-form; armed with stinging hairs.

[b.] Flowers in terminal racemes or spikes. Stamens inflexed in the bud. Stellate-downy or scurfy, or hairy and glandular; leaves mostly entire.

5. Croton. Flowers spiked or glomerate. Ovary and fruit 3- (rarely 2--4-) celled.

6. Crotonopsis. Flowers scattered on the branchlets. Ovary and fruit 1-celled.

[c.] Flowers in axillary spikes or racemes (except n. 9), apetalous (except n. 7). Stamens 8 or more; anthers erect in the bud.

7. Argythamnia. Petals and sepals 5. Stamens 10--15, united. Styles bifid, linear.

8. Acalypha. Calyx 4- (3--5-) parted. Stamens mostly 8. Fertile flowers in the axils of leafy bracts. Stigmas finely dissected.

9. Ricinus. Racemes terminal, subpanicled. Calyx 3--5-parted. Stamens very numerous; the filaments repeatedly branched. Styles 2-parted.

[d.] Flowers apetalous, in racemes or spikes pistillate at base. Stamens 2 or 3. Styles simple.

10. Tragia. Flowers racemose. Calyx-lobes valvate in bud. Hirsute or pubescent.

11. Stillingia. Flowers spicate. Calyx-lobes imbricate in bud. Fertile bracts glanduliferous. Glabrous.

1. EUPHORBIA, L. SPURGE.

Flowers monoecious, included in a cup-shaped 4--5-lobed involucre (_flower_ of older authors) resembling a calyx or corolla, and usually bearing large thick glands (with or without petal-like margins) at its sinuses. Sterile flowers numerous and lining the base of the involucre, each from the axil of a little bract, and consisting merely of a single stamen jointed on a pedicel like the filament; anther-cells globular, separate. Fertile flower solitary in the middle of the involucre, soon protruded on a long pedicel, consisting of a 3-lobed and 3-celled ovary with no calyx, or a mere vestige. Styles 3, each 2-cleft; the stigmas therefore 6. Pod separating into 3 1-seeded carpels, which split elastically into 2 valves. Seed often caruncled (ours only in Secs. 5 and 6).--Plants (herbs in the United States), with a milky acrid juice. Peduncles terminal, often umbellate-clustered; in the first section mostly appearing lateral, but not really axillary. (Named after _Euphorbus_, physician to King Juba.)

[A.] _Glands of the involucre with petal-like, usually white or rose-colored, margins or appendages; these almost obsolete in n. 1._

Sec. 1. ANISOPHYLLUM. _Leaves all opposite, short-petioled, small, oblique at base; stipules awl-shaped or scaly and often fringed, persistent; stems much branched, spreading or usually procumbent; involucres solitary in the forks or in terminal or pseudo-lateral clusters, small, with 4 glands; seeds ash-colored (except in n. 10); annuals._

[*] _Seeds smooth and even; leaves entire; whole plant glabrous._

1. E. polygonifolia, L. Prostrate-spreading; _leaves oblong-linear_, obtuse, mucronate, slightly cordate or obtuse at base (4--8'' long); stipules setaceously divided; peduncles in the forks, as long as the petioles; lobes of the involucre longer than the _minute not appendaged glands_; pods obtusely angled; seeds ovate (over 1'' long, the largest of this section).--Sandy shores of the Atlantic and of the Great Lakes.

2. E. Geyeri, Engelm. Procumbent; _leaves oblong-ovate_, obtuse, slightly mucronate, mostly acutish at base, lowermost cordate (3--6'' long); stipules setaceously divided; peduncles as long as the petioles, at length in loose foliaceous lateral clusters; glands with _narrow white or red appendages_; pods acutely angled; seeds ovate, acute at one end (1/2'' long).--Sandy soil, Ill. to Wisc., Minn., and Kan.

3. E. petaloidea, Engelm. Resembling the last, but half-erect and spreading; _leaves longer, narrower, retuse or emarginate_; peduncles longer than the petioles; involucres larger, _the broadly campanulate appendages much larger and conspicuous_; pod obtusely angled; seeds nearly 1'' long.--From Iowa and Mo., westward.

4. E. serpens, HBK. Stems filiform, prostrate, and often rooting; _leaves round-ovate_, obtuse or cordate at base (only 1/2--11/2'' long); _stipules membranaceous, triangular_; peduncles much longer than the petioles, at length in loose foliaceous lateral clusters; glands of the very small involucre with _minute crenulate appendages_; pods acutely angled; seeds obtusely angled (1/2'' long or less).--Rich soil, Ill. and Iowa to Kan., and southward. Rarely adv. eastward.

[*][*] _Seeds minutely roughened or transversely wrinkled or pitted; leaves more or less serrulate, smooth or often hairy._

5. E. serpyllifolia, Pers. Glabrous, prostrate-spreading; _leaves obovate-oblong_, narrowed at the very oblique base, sharply serrulate toward the obtuse apex (3--6'' long, often with a red spot); stipules lanceolate, fimbriate; peduncles as long as or longer than the petioles, at length in loose foliaceous lateral clusters; glands of the small involucre with narrow somewhat toothed appendages; pods sharply angled; _seeds acutely quadrangular, slightly cross-wrinkled_, often pitted (nearly 3/4'' long).--Wisc. to Mo., and westward.

6. E. glyptosperma, Engelm. Glabrous (or very rarely puberulent), erect-spreading; _leaves linear-oblong_, mostly falcate, very unequal at base, slightly serrulate toward the obtuse apex (2--5'' long); stipules lanceolate, setaceously divided; peduncles as long as the petioles, in dense foliaceous lateral clusters; glands of the very small involucre with narrow crenulate appendages; pods sharply angled; _seeds sharply 4-angled and with 5 or 6 sharp transverse wrinkles_ (1/2'' long).--Ont. to Wisc., Ill., Mo., and westward.

7. E. maculata, L. Prostrate; stems puberulent or hairy; _leaves oblong-linear_, very oblique at base, serrulate upward, more or less pubescent or sometimes smoothish (4--6'' long), usually with a brown-red spot in the centre; stipules lanceolate, fimbriate; peduncles as long as the petioles, in dense foliaceous lateral clusters; glands of the small involucre minute, with narrow slightly crenate (usually red) appendages; pods acutely angled, puberulent; _seeds ovate_ ({2/5}'' long), _sharply 4-angled and with about 4 shallow grooves across the concave sides_.--Open places, roadsides, etc., common.

8. E. humistrata, Engelm. Procumbent, puberulent or hairy; _leaves elliptical or obovate_, very oblique at base, serrulate toward the apex, sparsely hairy underneath (4--9'' long, sometimes with a brown spot above); stipules lanceolate, fimbriate; peduncles rather shorter than the petioles, in dense scarcely foliaceous lateral clusters; _involucre cleft on the back_, its (red or white) appendages truncate or crenate; pods sharply angled, puberulent; _seeds ovate, obtusely angled, minutely roughened_ (1/2'' long).--Rich soil, Ind. and W. Tenn. to Minn. and Kan.

9. E. Preslii, Guss. Smooth or with scattered hairs, ascending or erect (1--2 deg. high); leaves oblique at the obtuse or slightly cordate base, ovate-oblong or oblong-linear, sometimes falcate, serrate (1/2--11/2' long), often with a red spot or red margins; stipules triangular; peduncles longer than the petioles, collected in loose leafy terminal cymes; _appendages entire_, larger and white, or smaller and sometimes red; _pod glabrous, obtusely angled; seeds ovate, obtusely angled, wrinkled and tubercled_ (1/2'' long), blackish. (E. hypericifolia of _Man._, not _L._)--Common throughout the U. S. east of the plains.

Sec. 2. ZYGOPHYLLIDIUM. _Leaves opposite, on short petioles, not oblique, with stipular glands; stems dichotomously branched, erect; cymes terminal; involucres with 5 glands; seeds tuberculate._

10. E. hexagona, Nutt. Somewhat hairy (1 deg. high or more); branches striate-angled; leaves linear-lanceolate, entire; involucre hairy without and within; glands with green ovate-triangular appendages twice their length; capsule smooth; seeds ovate.--Iowa to Tex., west to Col. and Montana.

Sec. 3. PETALOMA. _Uppermost leaves with conspicuous white petal-like margins, whorled or opposite, the others scattered; erect annuals, with leaves equal at base and entire, and with lanceolate deciduous stipules; involucres 5-lobed, in an umbel-like inflorescence._

11. E. marginata, Pursh. Stem stout (2--3 deg. high), erect, hairy; leaves sessile, ovate or oblong, acute; umbel with 3 dichotomous rays; glands of the involucre with broad white appendages.--Minn. to Mo., west to Col., also spreading eastward to Ohio, and frequently escaped from gardens, where it is often cultivated for its showy broadly white-margined floral leaves.

Sec. 4. TITHYMALOPSIS. _Only the uppermost leaves whorled or opposite; erect perennials, with entire leaves equal at base; stipules none; involucres mostly 5-lobed, in the forks of the branches and terminal; inflorescence umbelliform._

12. E. corollata, L. Glabrous or sometimes sparingly hairy (2--3 deg. high); leaves ovate, lanceolate, or linear, entire, obtuse; umbel 5- (3--7-) forked, and the forks again 2--3- (or rarely 5-) forked; involucres long-peduncled, with showy white appendages (appearing like petals), the lobes minute and incurved; pod slender-pedicelled, smooth; seeds thick (1'' long or more), ash-colored, slightly uneven.--Rich or sandy soil, N. Y. and N. J. to Fla., west to Minn. and La., also adventive in Mass. July--Oct.

[B.] _Glands of the involucre without petaloid appendages._

Sec. 5. POINSETTIA. _Involucres in terminal clusters, 4--5-lobed, with few (or often solitary) cup-shaped glands; erect annuals, with variable, entire, dentate, or sinuate leaves, all or only the upper ones opposite; the uppermost often colored, especially at base; stipules small and glandular._

13. E. dentata, Michx. Erect or ascending, hairy (1 deg. high); leaves ovate, lanceolate, or linear, petioled, coarsely toothed (1--2' long), _only the lowest alternate_, the upper often paler at base; involucres almost sessile, with 5 oblong dentate lobes, and one or sometimes more _short-stalked glands_; seeds ovate-globular, slightly tubercled.--Rich soil, Penn. to Tenn., Iowa, E. Kan., and southward. July--Sept.

14. E. heterophylla, L. Erect (1--3 deg. high), glabrous; _leaves alternate_, petioled, ovate-fiddle-shaped and sinuate-toothed, or lanceolate or linear and entire, often only those of the branches linear; the upper usually with a red base; involucres about the length of the peduncle, with 5 ovate incised lobes and a single or few and _almost sessile glands_; seeds nearly globular, tubercled.--Slopes and rocky soil, Minn. to W. Ill., Iowa and Mo.

Sec. 6. TITHYMALUS. _Involucres in a terminal dichotomous or commonly umbelliform inflorescence, 5- or usually 4-lobed, with as many flat or convex entire or crescent-shaped glands; seeds carunculate (except n. 15); ours ascending or erect, and mostly glabrous, without stipules._

[*] _Perennials with entire leaves, all or only the upper opposite; involucres long-peduncled in a dichotomous inflorescence, mostly with 5 transversely oblong glands; seeds without caruncle._

15. E. Ipecacuanhae, L. Stems many from a very long perpendicular root, erect or diffusely spreading (5--10' long), forking from near the base; leaves varying from obovate or oblong to narrowly linear, almost sessile, glabrous; peduncles elongated (1/2--1' long); pod long-pedicelled, obtusely angled, nearly smooth; seed ovate, white, sparsely marked with impressed dots.--Sandy soil, near the coast; Conn. to Fla.; also barrens of S. Ind.

[*][*] _Leaves scattered, only the floral in the umbelliform inflorescence whorled or opposite and of a different shape; glands mostly 4._

[+] _Leaves serrulate or rarely entire; glands transversely oval, obtuse._

[++] _Seeds smooth and even; pod warty or rough._

16. E. Darlingtonii, Gray. Tall _perennial_ (2--4 deg. high); _leaves entire, minutely downy beneath_; those of the stem lanceolate-oblong from a narrow base; the floral oval, very obtuse; the upper roundish-dilated with a truncate base; umbel 5--8-rayed, then simply forked; _pod minutely warty_; large globular seed with a small caruncle.--Copses, N. Y. and Penn., to the mountains of N. C. July--Sept.

17. E. obtusata, Pursh. Erect _annual_ (1--2 deg. high); _leaves oblong-spatulate_, minutely serrulate, _smooth, all obtuse_; upper ones cordate at base; floral ones ovate, dilated, barely mucronate; umbel once or twice divided into 3 rays, then into 2; _involucre with naked lobes_ and small stipitate glands; _styles distinct_, longer than the ovary, erect, _2-cleft to the middle_; pod beset with long warts.--Damp woods, Va. to S. C., west to Iowa and Kan. May--July.

E. PLATYPHYLLA, L. Erect _annual_ (8--18' high); upper _stem-leaves lanceolate-oblong, acute_, cordate at base, minutely serrulate, mostly _with scattered hairs beneath_; floral ones triangular-ovate, subcordate; umbel 5-rayed; _involucre with ciliate lobes_ and large sessile glands; _styles_ longer than the ovary, _united at base, slightly 2-cleft_; pod covered with depressed warts.--Along the St. Lawrence and Great Lakes to Mich. June--Aug. (Adv. from Eu.)

[++][++] _Seeds rugose or reticulated; leaves serrulate; annuals._

18. E. dictyosperma, Fischer & Meyer. Stem erect (8--18' high); _leaves_ oblong- or obovate-spatulate, smooth, all obtuse and _obtusely serrate_; upper ones cordate at base; floral ones roundish-ovate or obscurely heart-shaped, slightly mucronate; umbels once or twice 3-forked, then 2-forked; involucre with nearly naked lobes and _small almost sessile glands_; styles shorter than the ovary, spreading or recurved; _pod warty; seeds delicately reticulated_.--Prairies and roadsides, Md. to Minn., Ala., and westward. May--July.

E. HELIOSCOPIA, L. Stems ascending (6--12' high), stout; _leaves all obovate_ and very rounded or retuse at the end, _finely serrate_, smooth or a little hairy, those of the stem wedge-shaped; umbel divided into 5 rays, then into 3, or at length simply forked; _glands orbicular, stalked; pods smooth and even; seeds with coarse honeycomb-like reticulations_.--Waste places, eastward and along the Great Lakes to Mich. July--Sept. (Nat. from Eu.)

[+][+] _Leaves entire; glands crescent-shaped or 2-horned._

[++] _Seeds smooth and dark-colored; perennials, with running rootstocks._

E. ESULA, L. Stems clustered (1 deg. high); _leaves lanceolate or linear, the floral_ (yellowish) _broadly heart-shaped_, mucronate; umbel divided into many rays, then forking; _glands short-horned_ (brown); pods smoothish and granular.--Mass., western N. Y., and Mich.; rare. (Adv. from Eu.)

E. CYPARISSIAS, L. Stems densely clustered (6--10' high); _stem-leaves linear, crowded, the floral heart-shaped_; umbel many-rayed; _glands crescent-shaped_; pods granular.--Escaped from gardens, common. (Nat. from Eu.)

E. NICAEENSIS, All. _Stout and tall_ glabrous perennial; _leaves oblong or oblong-lanceolate_, the floral broadly heart-shaped, mucronate; terminal umbel many-rayed, the rays forking; glands short-horned; _pods finely wrinkled_.--A rare escape; Binghampton, N. Y. (Adv. from Eu.)

[++][++] _Seeds sculptured, ash-colored; pod smooth; annuals or biennials._

E. PEPLUS, L. Erect or ascending (5--10' high); _leaves petioled_, thin round-obovate, the upper floral ones ovate; umbel 3-rayed, then forking; glands long-horned; lobes of the _pod 2-wing-crested_ on the back; _seeds 2-grooved on the inner face, pitted on the back_ (scarcely over 1/2'' long).--Waste places, N. Eng. to N. J. and western N. Y. (Adv. from En.)

19. E. commutata, Engelm. Stems branched from a commonly decumbent base (6--12' high); _leaves_ obovate, obtuse; the upper all _sessile_, the upper floral ones roundish-dilated, broader than long; umbel 3-forked; glands with slender horns; _capsule obtusely angled; seeds ovate, pitted all over_ (1'' long).--Along streams and shady slopes, Md. to Fla., Minn., and Mo.

[*][*][*] _Glabrous annual or biennial with entire opposite and decussate leaves, an umbelliform inflorescence, and short-horned glands._

E. LATHYRIS, L. Stem stout (2--3 deg. high); leaves thick, linear or oblong, the floral oblong-ovate and heart-shaped; umbel 4-rayed, then forking.--Sparingly escaped from gardens, N. Eng. to N. C. (Adv. from Eu.)

2. PACHYSANDRA, Michx.

Flowers monoecious, in naked spikes. Calyx 4--5-parted. Petals none. _Ster. Fl._ Stamens 4, separate; filaments long-exserted, thick and flat; anthers oblong-linear. _Fert. Fl._ Ovary 3-celled; styles 3, thick, awl-shaped, recurved, stigmatic down their whole length inside. Ovules a pair in each cell, suspended, with the rhaphe dorsal (turned away from the placenta). Capsule deeply 3-horned, 3-celled, splitting into 3 at length 2-valved 2-seeded carpels.--Nearly glabrous, low and procumbent perennial herbs, with matted creeping rootstocks, and alternate, ovate or obovate, coarsely toothed leaves, narrowed at base into a petiole. Flowers each 1--3-bracted, the upper staminate, a few fertile ones at base, unpleasantly scented; sepals greenish or purplish; filaments white (their size and thickness giving the name, from [Greek: pachu/s], _thick_, and [Greek: a)ne/r], used for _stamen_).

1. P. procumbens, Michx. Stems (6--9' long) bearing several approximate leaves at the summit on slender petioles, and a few many-flowered spikes along the base; the intervening portion naked, or with a few small scales.--Woods, mountains of Ky., W. Va., and southward. March--May.

3. PHYLLANTHUS, L.

Flowers monoecious, axillary. Calyx usually 5--6-parted, imbricated in the bud. Petals none. Stamens mostly 3, erect in the bud, often united. Ovules 2 in each cell of the ovary. Capsule depressed; each carpel 2-valved, 2-seeded. Seeds not carunculate.--Leaves alternate, 2-ranked, with small stipules. (Name composed of [Greek: phy/llon], _leaf_, and [Greek: a)/nthos], _blossom_, because the flowers in a few species are borne upon leaf-like dilated branches.)

1. P. Carolinensis, Walt. Annual, low and slender, branched; leaves obovate or oval, short-petioled; flowers commonly 2 in each axil, almost sessile, one staminate, the other fertile; calyx 6-parted; stamens 3; styles 3, each 2-cleft; glands of the disk in the fertile flowers united in a cup.--Gravelly banks, E. Penn. to Fla., west to S. Ind. and Ill. July--Sept.

4. JATROPHA, L.

Flowers monoecious, rarely dioecious, in a terminal open forking cyme; the fertile ones usually in the lower forks. Calyx corolla-like, in the staminate flowers often salver shaped, 5-lobed; in the pistillate, 5-parted, imbricated or convolute in the bud. Corolla of 5 distinct or apparently united petals, or none. Glands of the disk opposite the calyx-lobes. Stamens 10--30, in 2 or more whorls; filaments monadelphous at base. Ovary mostly 3-celled; styles 3, united below, their summits once or twice forked. Capsule 3-celled, 3-seeded, separating into 3 two-valved carpels. Seed carunculate.--Perennial herbaceous or shrubby plants, chiefly tropical, with alternate mostly long-petioled palmately-veined leaves, and stipules.--Our species is of the section CNIDOSCOLUS, with apetalous flowers, the staminate corolla salver-form, and the plants mostly armed with stinging bristles. (Name said by Linnaeus to be formed of [Greek: i)atro\n], _a remedy_, and [Greek: pha/go], _to eat_.)

1. J. stimulosa, Michx. (TREAD-SOFTLY. SPURGE-NETTLE.) Herbaceous, from a long perennial root, branching (6'--2 deg. high); leaves roundish-heart-shaped, 3--5-lobed nearly to the base, on long petioles; the divisions entire or acutely toothed, cut, or even pinnatifid, often discolored; flowers white, fragrant, 9'' long or more; filaments 10, monadelphous only at the woolly base, or the outer set almost distinct. (J. urens, var. stimulosa, _J. Muell._)--Dry sandy soil, Va. to Fla. and La. June--Sept.

5. CROTON, L.

Flowers monoecious, rarely dioecious, mostly in terminal spike-like racemes or spikes. _Ster. Fl._ Calyx 5- (rarely 4--6-) parted; the divisions lightly imbricated or nearly valvate in the bud. Petals usually present, as many, but mostly small or rudimentary, hypogynous. Glands or lobes of the disk as many as and alternate with the petals. Receptacle usually hairy. Stamens 5 or more; filaments with the anthers inflexed in the bud. _Fert. Fl._ Calyx 5--10-cleft or parted, nearly as in the staminate flowers; but petals none or minute rudiments. Ovary 3- (rarely 2--4-) celled, with a single ovule in each cell; styles as many, from once to thrice 2-cleft. Capsule separating into as many 2-valved 1-seeded carpels. Seeds carunculate.--Stellate-downy, or scurfy, or hairy and glandular plants, mostly strong-scented; the fertile flowers usually at the base of the sterile spike or cluster. Leaves alternate, or sometimes imperfectly opposite, with or without obvious stipules. ([Greek: Kroto/n], the Greek name of the Castor-oil Plant, of this family.)

[*] _Sterile flowers with 4-parted calyx, as many petals, a 4-rayed disk and 8 stamens; fertile flowers with 5-parted calyx, very minute rudimentary petals, and the 3 styles 2-cleft._

1. C. glandulosus, L. Annual, rough-hairy and glandular (1--2 deg. high), somewhat umbellately branched; leaves oblong or linear-oblong, obtusely toothed, the base with a saucer-shaped gland on each side; fertile flowers capitate-clustered at the base of the sterile spike, sessile in the forks and terminal.--Open waste places, Va. to Iowa, E. Kan. and southward.

[*][*] _Sterile flowers with 5-parted calyx, as many glands alternating with the petals, and 10--14 stamens; fertile flowers with 7--12-parted calyx, no petals, and the 3 styles twice or thrice 2-parted._

2. C. capitatus, Michx. Annual, densely soft-woolly and somewhat glandular (1--2 deg. high), branched; leaves long-petioled, lance-oblong or elongated-oblong, rounded at base, entire; petals obovate-lanceolate, densely fimbriate; fertile flowers several, capitate-crowded at the base of the short terminal sterile spike.--Barrens, N. J. to Ga., west to S. Ind., Iowa, and E. Kan. July--Sept.

[*][*][*] _Sterile flowers with unequally 3--5-parted calyx, as many petals and scale-like glands, and 3--8 stamens; fertile flowers with equally 5-parted calyx, no petals, 5 glands, and 2 sessile 2-parted stigmas._

3. C. monanthogynus, Michx. Annual, whitish-stellate-pubescent and rusty-glandular; stems (1--2 deg. high) slender, erect, below often umbellately 3--4-forked, then repeatedly 2--3-forked or alternately branched; leaves oblong-ovate or narrowly oblong, entire, often acutish (6--12'' long, about twice the length of the petioles); flowers in the forks, the sterile few on the summit of a short and erect peduncle, the fertile few and clustered or mostly solitary on short recurved peduncles; ovary 2-celled; fruit often by abortion 1-celled and 1-seeded; the seed broadly oval.--Barrens and dry prairies, S. Ind. to N. C. and Fla., west to E. Kan. June--Sept.

[*][*][*][*] _Dioecious; calyx equally 5-parted; petals none; stamens 10 or more; styles twice or thrice dichotomously 2-parted._

4. C. Texensis, Muell. Annual, covered with a close canescent stellate pubescence, dichotomously branched or spreading (1--2 deg. high); leaves narrowly oblong-lanceolate to linear; staminate spikes or racemes very short, often sessile; capsule stellate-tomentose and somewhat muricate.--Mo. and Kan. to Ala., Tex., and westward.

6. CROTONOPSIS, Michx.

Flowers monoecious, in very small terminal or lateral spikes or clusters, the lower fertile. _Ster. Fl._ Calyx equally 5-parted. Petals 5, spatulate. Stamens 5, opposite the petals; filaments distinct, inflexed in the bud, enlarged at the apex. _Fert. Fl._ Calyx unequally 3--5-parted. Petals none. Glands (petal-like scales) 5, opposite the sepals. Ovary 1-celled, simple, 1-ovuled, bearing a twice or thrice forked style. Fruit dry and indehiscent, small, 1-seeded. Seed without caruncle.--A slender low annual, with alternate or opposite short-petioled linear or elliptical lanceolate leaves, which are green and smoothish above, but silvery hoary with starry hairs and scurfy with brownish scales underneath, as well as the branches, etc. (_Croton_ and [Greek: o)/psis], _appearance_, for a plant with the aspect and general character of Croton.)

1. C. linearis, Michx.--Dry sandy soil, N. J. to Fla., west to Ill. and Kan. July--Sept.--Fruit about 1'' long.

7. ARGYTHAMNIA, P. Browne.

Flowers monoecious. Calyx 5-parted, valvate in the staminate flowers, imbricate in the pistillate. Petals alternate with the calyx-lobes and with the prominent lobes of the glandular disk. Stamens 5--15, united into a central column in 1--3 whorls. Styles 1--3-cleft. Capsule depressed, 3-lobed. Seeds subglobose, roughened or reticulated, not carunculate.--Erect herbs or undershrubs, with purplish juice, and alternate usually stipulate leaves. (Name from [Greek: a)/rgyros], _silver_, and [Greek: tha/mnos], _bush_, from the hoariness of the original species.)

1. A. mercurialina, Muell. Stem erect, nearly simple (1--2 deg. high), sericeous; leaves sessile, oblong-ovate to lanceolate, entire, pubescent with appressed hairs or glabrate, somewhat rigid; raceme many-flowered, exceeding the leaves; ovary sericeous; capsule appressed-pubescent.--Kan. to Ark. and Tex.

8. ACALYPHA, L. THREE-SEEDED MERCURY.

Flowers monoecious; the sterile very small, clustered in spikes, with the few or solitary fertile flowers at their base, or sometimes in separate spikes. Calyx of the sterile flowers 4-parted and valvate in bud; of the fertile, 3--5-parted. Corolla none. Stamens 8--16; filaments short, monadelphous at base; anther-cells separate, long, often worm-shaped, hanging from the apex of the filament. Styles 3, the upper face or stigmas cut-fringed (usually red). Capsule separating into 3 globular 2-valved carpels, rarely of only one carpel.--Herbs (ours annuals), or in the tropics often shrubs, resembling Nettles or Amaranths; the leaves alternate, petioled, with stipules. Clusters of sterile flowers with a minute bract; the fertile surrounded by a large and leaf-like cut-lobed persistent bract. ([Greek: A)kale/phe], an ancient name of the Nettle.)

[*] _Fruit smooth or merely pubescent; seeds nearly smooth._

1. A. Virginica, L. Smoothish or hairy (1--2 deg. high), often turning purple; leaves ovate or oblong-ovate, obtusely and sparsely serrate, long-petioled; sterile spike rather few-flowered, mostly shorter than the large leaf like palmately 5--9-cleft fruiting bracts; fertile flowers 1--3 in each axil.--Fields and open places, N. Eng. to Ont. and Minn., south to the Gulf. July--Sept.

Var. gracilens, Muell. Leaves lanceolate or even linear, less toothed and shorter-petioled; the slender sterile spike often 1' long, and much surpassing the less cleft or few-toothed fruiting bracts.--Sandy dry soil, R. I. and Conn. to Fla., west to Ill., E. Kan. and Tex.

[*][*] _Fruit echinate with soft bristly green projections; seeds rough-wrinkled._

2. A. Caroliniana, Ell. Leaves thin, ovate-cordate, sharply and closely serrate-toothed, abruptly acuminate, long-petioled; sterile spikes short, axillary; the fertile ones mostly terminal and elongated, their bracts deeply cut into many linear lobes.--N. J. to Fla., west to Ohio, Kan., and Tex.

9. RICINUS, Linn. CASTOR-OIL PLANT.

Flowers in racemose or panicled clusters, the fertile above, the staminate below. Calyx 5-parted. Stamens very numerous, with repeatedly branching filaments. Styles 3, united at base, each bifid, red. Capsule large, 3-lobed, with 3 large seeds.--A tall stately annual, with very large alternate peltate and palmately 7--11-cleft leaves (often 1--2 deg. broad). (The ancient Roman name of the plant.)

R. COMMUNIS, L.--Cultivated extensively for ornament, and sparingly escaped in Md., Mo., and southward. Very variable.

10. TRAGIA, Plumier.

Flowers monoecious, in racemes, apetalous. _Ster. Fl._ Calyx 3--5- (chiefly 3-) parted, valvate in the bud. Stamens 2 or 3; filaments short; anther-cells united. _Fert. Fl._ Calyx 3--8-parted, persistent. Style 3-cleft or 3-parted; the branches 3, simple. Capsule 3-celled, 3-lobed, bristly, separating into three 2-valved 1-seeded carpels. Seeds not carunculate.--Erect or climbing plants (perennial herbs in U. S.), pubescent or hispid, sometimes stinging, with mostly alternate stipulate leaves; the small flowered racemes terminal or opposite the leaves; the sterile flowers above, the few fertile at the base all with small bracts. (Named for the early herbalist _Bock_, latinized _Tragus_.)

1. T. innocua, Walt. _Erect_, paniculate-branched, _softly hairy-pubescent_ (6--12' high); _leaves_ varying from obovate-oblong to narrowly linear, _acute at base_, obtusely or sinuately few-toothed or lobed, sometimes entire, _short-petioled or sessile_, paler beneath; sterile calyx usually 4-parted; stamens 2. (T. urens, _L._)--Dry sandy soil, E. Va. to Fla. and La. May--Aug.--Not stinging.

2. T. nepetaefolia, Cav. _Erect or reclining_ or slightly twining, hirsute with stinging hairs; _leaves ovate-lanceolate or triangular-lanceolate_, or the lower ovate, _all somewhat cordate or truncate at base_, coarsely cut-toothed, _short-petioled_; sterile calyx usually 3-parted and stamens 3. (T. urticaefolia, _Michx._)--Virginia (_Pursh_), and common southward to Fla. and Tex., Mo., Kan., and westward.--T. STYLARIS, Muell., of the southwest, which is reported from Kan., may be distinguished by its 4--5-parted sterile calyx, 4--5 stamens, and elongated styles.

3. T. macrocarpa, Willd. _Twining_, somewhat hirsute; _leaves deeply cordate_, ovate, mostly narrowly acuminate, sharply serrate (3--5' long), all but the uppermost _long-petioled_; pod 1/2' broad. (T. cordata, _Michx._)--Ky. to Ga., Fla., and La.

11. STILLINGIA, Garden.

Flowers monoecious, aggregated in a terminal spike. Petals and glands of the disk none. Calyx 2--3-cleft or parted; the divisions imbricated in the bud. Stamens 2 or 3; anthers adnate, turned outward. Style thick; stigmas 3, diverging, simple. Capsule 3-celled, 3-lobed, 3-seeded. Seed carunculate.--Smooth upright plants with the alternate leaves mostly 2-glandular at base; the fertile flowers few at the base of the dense sterile spike (rarely separate); the bract for each cluster with a large gland on each side. (Named for _Dr. B. Stillingfleet_.)

1. S. sylvatica, L. Herbaceous (1--3 deg. high); leaves almost sessile, oblong-lanceolate, serrulate; glands of the spike saucer-shaped.--Sandy and dry soil, Va. to Fla., west to Kan. and Tex. June--Sept.

ORDER 99. URTICACEAE. (NETTLE FAMILY.)

_Plants with stipules, and monoecious or dioecious or rarely (in the_ Elm Family) _perfect flowers, furnished with a regular calyx, free from the 1-celled (rarely 2-celled) ovary which forms a 1-seeded fruit; the embryo in the albumen when there is any, its radicle pointing upward; stamens as many as the lobes of the calyx and opposite them, or sometimes fewer._ Cotyledons usually broad. Stipules often deciduous.--A large order (far the greater part tropical).

Tribe I. ULMEAE. Flowers mostly polygamous, upon the last year's branches. Anthers erect in the bud, extrorse. Styles or stigmas 2. Fruit a winged samara or nut-like. Seed suspended. Embryo straight.--Trees, with alternate serrate pinnately veined leaves and fugacious stipules.

1. Ulmus. Flowers preceding the leaves. Ovary 1--2-ovuled. Fruit winged all around.

2. Planera. Flowers appearing with the leaves. Ovule one. Fruit wingless, nut-like.

Tribe II. CELTIDEAE. As in Tribe I., but the dioecious-polygamous flowers upon branches of the same year; anthers introrse; fruit a drupe; embryo curved.

3. Celtis. Ovary 1-ovuled. Flowers appearing with the leaves. Leaves 3-nerved at base.

Tribe III. CANNABINEAE. Flowers dioecious; the sterile racemed or panicled; the fertile in clusters or catkins, the calyx of one sepal embracing the ovary. Filaments short, erect in the bud. Stigmas 2, elongated. Ovary 1-celled, with a pendulous ovule, forming a small glandular achene in fruit. Embryo curved or coiled.--Erect or climbing herbs, with watery juice, mostly opposite lobed or divided leaves, persistent stipules, and a fibrous inner bark.

4. Cannabis. Fertile flowers spiked-clustered. Leaves 5--7-divided. Erect.

5. Humulus. Fertile flowers in a short spike forming a membranaceous catkin in fruit. Leaves 3--5-lobed. Climbing.

Tribe IV. MOREAE. Flowers unisexual, racemose, spicate or capitate; calyx becoming fleshy or juicy in fruit. Anthers inflexed in the bud. Style undivided or 2-parted, filiform; ovule pendulous; fruit an achene, embryo curved.--Trees or shrubs, with milky juice, alternate leaves, and fugacious stipules.

6. Maclura. Sterile flowers in loose racemes; fertile in globose heads. Leaves entire.

7. Morus. Fertile and sterile flowers in separate spikes. Leaves dentate, 3-nerved.

Tribe V. URTICEAE. Flowers unisexual. Filaments indexed in the bud. Style or stigma simple. Ovary 1-celled, with an erect ovule, forming an achene in fruit. Embryo straight.--Herbs with watery juice, tough fibrous bark, and opposite or alternate leaves; often armed with stinging hairs.

[*] Calyx in the fertile flowers of 2--5 separate or nearly separate sepals.

[+] Plant beset with stinging bristles.

8. Urtica. Sepals 4 in both fertile and sterile flowers. Achene straight and erect, enclosed by the 2 inner and larger sepals. Stigma capitate tufted. Leaves opposite.

9. Laportea. Sepals 5 in the sterile flowers, 4 in the fertile, or apparently only 2. Stigma long-subulate. Achene very oblique, deflexed, nearly naked. Leaves alternate.

[+][+] Plant wholly destitute of stinging bristles. Leaves alternate.

10. Pilea. Sepals 3 or 4, those of the fertile flowers unequal, all or all but one small. Achene partly naked, straight and erect. Stigma pencil-tufted. Smooth and shining.

[*][*] Fertile calyx tubular or cup-shaped, enclosing the achene. Unarmed.

11. Boehmeria. Flower-clusters spiked, not involucrate. Style long and thread-shaped, stigmatic down one side. Leaves opposite, serrate.

12. Parietaria. Flowers in involucrate-bracted clusters. Stigma tufted. Leaves alternate, entire.

1. ULMUS, L. ELM.

Calyx bell-shaped, 4--9-cleft. Stamens 4--9, with long and slender filaments. Ovary 1--2-celled, with a single anatropous ovule suspended from the summit of each cell; styles 2, short, diverging, stigmatic along the inner edge. Fruit a 1-celled and 1-seeded membranaceous samara, winged all around. Albumen none; embryo straight; the cotyledons large.--Flowers polygamous, purplish or yellowish, in lateral clusters, in our species preceding the leaves, which are strongly straight-veined, short-petioled, and oblique or unequally somewhat heart-shaped at base. Stipules small, caducous. (The classical Latin name.)

[*] _Flowers nearly sessile; fruit orbicular, not ciliate; leaves very rough above._

1. U. fulva, Michx. (SLIPPERY or RED ELM.) Buds before expansion soft-downy with rusty hairs (large); leaves ovate-oblong, taper-pointed, doubly serrate (4--8' long, sweet-scented in drying), soft-downy beneath or slightly rough downward; branchlets downy; calyx-lobes and stamens 5--9; fruit (8--9'' wide) with the cell pubescent.--Rich soil, N. Eng. to Dak., and southward. March, April.--A small or middle-sized tree (45--60 deg. high), with tough reddish wood, and a very mucilaginous inner bark.

[*][*] _Flowers on slender drooping pedicels, which are jointed above the middle; fruit ovate or oval, fringed-ciliate; leaves smooth above, or nearly so._

2. U. Americana, L. (AMERICAN or WHITE ELM.) _Buds and branchlets_ glabrous; _branches not corky_; leaves obovate-oblong or oval, abruptly pointed, sharply and often doubly serrate (2--4' long), soft-pubescent beneath, or soon glabrous; _flowers in close fascicles_; calyx with 7--9 roundish lobes; _fruit glabrous_ except the margins (1/2' long), its sharp points incurved and closing the notch.--Moist woods, especially along rivers, in rich soil. April.--A large and well-known ornamental tree, variable in habit, usually with spreading branches and drooping branchlets.

3. U. racemosa, Thomas. (CORK or ROCK ELM.) _Bud-scales downy-ciliate_ and somewhat pubescent, as are the young branchlets; _branches often with corky ridges_; leaves nearly as in the last, but with veins more simple and straight; _flowers racemed_; fruit much as in the last, but rather larger.--River-banks, S. W. Vt. to Ont. and central Minn., south to Mo. and Ky. A large and very valuable tree.

4. U. alata, Michx. (WAHOO or WINGED ELM.) _Bud-scales and branchlets nearly glabrous; branches corky-winged_, at least some of them; leaves downy beneath, ovate-oblong and oblong-lanceolate, acute, thickish, small (1--21/2' long); calyx-lobes obovate; fruit downy on the face at least when young.--Va. to S. Ind., S. Mo., and southward. March. A small tree.

2. PLANERA, Gmelin. PLANER-TREE.

Flowers monoeciously polygamous. Calyx 4--5-cleft. Stamens 4--5. Ovary ovoid, 1-celled, 1-ovuled, crowned with 2 spreading styles which are stigmatose down the inner side, in fruit becoming coriaceous and nut-like, not winged. Albumen none; embryo straight.--Trees with small leaves, like those of Elms, the flowers appearing with them, in small axillary clusters. (Named for _J. J. Planer_, a German botanist.)

1. P. aquatica, Gmel. Nearly glabrous; leaves ovate-oblong, small; fruit stalked in the calyx, beset with irregular rough projections.--Wet banks, N. C. to Ky., S. Ill., and southward. April. A rather small tree.

3. CELTIS, Tourn. NETTLE-TREE. HACKBERRY.

Flowers monoeciously polygamous. Calyx 5--6-parted, persistent. Stamens 5--6. Ovary 1-celled, with a single suspended ovule; stigmas 2, long and pointed, recurved. Fruit a globular drupe. Embryo curved, nearly enclosing a little gelatinous albumen; cotyledons folded and crumpled.--Leaves pointed, petioled, inequilateral. Stipules caducous. Flowers greenish, axillary, the fertile solitary or in pairs, peduncled, appearing with the leaves, the lower usually staminate only, fascicled or racemose along the base of the branches of the season. (A name of Pliny's for an African species of Lotus.)

1. C. occidentalis, L. (SUGARBERRY. HACKBERRY.) _Leaves reticulated_, ovate, cordate-ovate and ovate-lanceolate, taper-pointed, usually conspicuously and sharply so, more or less oblique at base, _sharply serrate_, sometimes sparingly so or only toward the apex, scabrous but mostly glabrous above, usually soft-pubescent beneath, at least when young; fruit reddish or yellowish, turning dark purple at maturity, its peduncle once or twice the length of the petiole.--Woods and river-banks, N. Eng. to Minn., and southward. April, May.--A small or sometimes large tree, with the aspect of an Elm, bearing sweet and edible fruits as large as bird-cherries, at first obovate, ripe in autumn; the flesh thin. Very variable in the form, texture, etc., of the leaves.--Var. PUMILA, Gray. Low and straggling (4--10 deg. high); leaves thin when mature, and smooth, _slightly acuminate_. River-banks, on rocks, from Maryland southward.

2. C. Mississippiensis, Bosc. _Leaves entire_ (rarely few-toothed), _very long taper-pointed_, rounded at base, mostly oblique, thin, and smooth; fruit small.--Ill. to Tenn., and southward. A small tree with warty bark. (Addendum)--Celtis Mississippiensis. Common in low river-bottoms of W. Mo. (_F. Bush_); described as having a very smooth trunk, like a sycamore, and soft yellowish brittle wood, not coarse-grained as in C. occidentalis.

4. CANNABIS, Tourn. HEMP.

Flowers dioecious; the sterile in axillary compound racemes or panicles, with 5 sepals and 5 drooping stamens. Fertile flowers spiked-clustered, 1-bracted; the calyx of a single sepal enlarging at the base and folded round the ovary. Achene crustaceous. Embryo simply curved.--A tall roughish annual, with digitate leaves of 5--7 linear-lanceolate coarsely toothed leaflets, the upper alternate; the inner bark of very tough fibres. (The ancient Greek name, of obscure etymology.)