RHAMNACE^ 



663 



of the interior valleys of southern California and on Cedros Island and the Santa 

 Barbara Islands. Passing into 



Rhamnus crocea, var. insularis, Sarg. 



A form with less prominently toothed leaves, rather larger flowers, with shorter 

 and broader calyx-lobes, a less deeply divided style, and larger fruits. This is a tree 



often growing to the height of 25-30, flowering later than thetirdinary form, and 

 not uncommon on the islands of the Santa Barbara group and on the mountains 

 of the adjacent mainland. A form (var. pilosa, M. K. Curr.) with narrow re volute 

 leaves and densely pilose throughout, inhabits the Santa Maria valley of the moun- 

 tains near San Diego. 



2. Rhamnus Caroliniana, "Walt. Indian Cherry. 



Leaves deciduous, elliptical-oblong or broadly elliptical, acute or acuminate, 

 wedge-shaped or somewhat rounded at the base, remotely and obscurely serrate or 

 crenulate, densely coated when they appear with rusty brown tomentura, and at 

 maturity membranaceous, dark yellow-green above, paler below, glabrous or some- 

 what hairy on the lower surface, 2'-6' long, 1' to nearly 2' wide, with prominent 

 yellow midribs and about 6 pairs of conspicuous yellow primary veins, turning yel- 

 low in the autumn before falling; their petioles slender, pubescent, ^ to nearly V 

 long; stipules nearly triangular. Flowers appearing from April to June when the 

 leaves are almost fully grown, on slender pedicels about ^ ^ong, in few-flowered 

 pubescent umbels, on peduncles varying from ^'-^' in length; calyx 5-lobed, with a 

 narrow turbinate tube and triangular lobes; petals o, broadly ovate, deeply notched 

 at the apex and folded round the short stamens; ovary contracted into a long co- 

 lumnar style terminating in a slightly 3-lobed stigma. Fruit ripening in September 

 and sometimes remaining on the branches until the beginning of winter, globose, ^' 

 in diameter, black, with thin sweet rather dry flesh and 2-4 nutlets; seeds obtuse at 

 the apex, rounded on the- back, reddish brown, about ^' long. 



A tree, 30-40 high, with a trunk 6'-8' in diameter, small spreading unarmed 

 branches, and slender branchlets light red-brown and puberulent or covered with a 

 glaucous bloom when they first appear, becoming slightly angled, gray, and glabrous, 

 and marked by the small horizontal oval leaf-scars during their second season; more 

 often a tall shrub, with numerous stems lo-20 high. "Winter-buds naked, hoary- 



