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.