259. INDIAN CHERRY (_Rhamnus caroliniana_ Walt.) or yellow buckthorn, a
shrub or small tree, fairly common in rich, low woods and limestone
slopes. Leaves: glossy, dark green, 2 to 5 in. long and 1 to 2 in. wide,
rounded at base and acute or acuminate at tip, margins obscurely
serrate, veins yellow, evenly spaced and prominent on the under side;
turning dark purple or yellow in autumn, tardily deciduous on young
trees. Twigs: with naked winter buds small and pointed. Flowers: in May,
inconspicuous, usually dioecious. Fruit: size of small peas, containing
2 to 4 seeds; scattered, on short stems; red in summer, turning black in
autumn. Wood: hard, light brown, close-grained and brittle.
[Illustration: 259 Indian cherry]
260. NEW JERSEY TEA (_Ceanothus ovatus_ Desf.) or RED-ROOT; a shrub 1 to
3 feet high, common on dry uplands of woods, meadows and roadsides.
Leaves: veins depressed above and prominent beneath as in the other two
local members of this family, lowest pair longest, not dark and glossy
above, 1 or 2 in. long, less than half as wide. Twigs: slender,
retaining stems and whitish fruit “cups” in winter. Flowers: tiny,
white, fragrant, in small, dense, rather cone-shaped clusters; the 5
petals and 5 sepals all white and incurved, petals forming a hood from
which anthers project; in April. Fruit: small, three-lobed, white,
ripening in summer. K (p. 216.)
[Illustration: 260 New Jersey tea; fruit]
261. RATTAN VINE or SUPPLE-JACK (_Berchemia scandens_ Trel.) a fairly
common, high-climbing, woody vine of low woods. Leaves: similar to
Indian cherry except much smaller, 1 to 2 in. long. Stems: smooth,
greenish, pliable, tough, very slender when young, becoming several
inches thick in old age. Flowers: small, greenish-white, in small
panicles. Fruit: oval, blackish, about ¼ in. long, containing one seed.
B (Vol. II, p. 502).
[Illustration: 261 rattan vine]