VIRGINIAN SUMACH. . 185 



5. R. T. cocciNEA. Scarlet-jiowered Sumach, with dioecious sexes, leaves glau- 

 cous beneath, flowers red, and fruit of a rich, velvety crimson. 



Geography and History. The Rhus typhina is found in a wild state in 

 almost every part of North America, from Canada to Texas, and even west of 

 the Rocky Mountains. It was cultivated in England, by Parkinson, in ]629, 

 and is now common in most of the European gardens and collections. 



Soil, Culture, S^c. This species, or its varieties under notice, grows abun- 

 dantly, both in cultivated and in uncultivated tracts. In woodlands, it is found 

 near the margins of open glades ; and, in arable fields, suitable for growing corn, 

 it is more common than in low meadows. In some parts of the country it flour- 

 ishes like a weed, and a field left uncultivated for a few years, becomes overrun 

 with it from berries which have been disseminated by birds, or other natural 

 causes; and, when the ground is again brought into tillage, the roots prove a 

 great impediment to the plough. This shrub, like all others of the genus, is 

 easily propagated by seeds or by cuttings of the roots. As it is of an open, irreg- 

 ular growth, and of not many years' durability, it should never be placed where 

 it is intended to serve as a screen. The most striking situation in which it can 

 be placed, is when standing alone on a lawn. If trained to a single stem, it 

 forms an interesting little tree, and well deserves to be cherished, from its large 

 and beautiful foliage, its varied colours in autumn, and its spikes of dark-red 

 fruit, which diversify the scenery of a northern winter. 



Properties and Uses. On cutting the stem of this shrub, a yellowish, resinous 

 juice flows out from between the bark and wood. One or two of the outer cir- 

 cles of the wood are white, but those innermost, are of a yellowish-green, or 

 orange-colour, having a strong aromatic odour. It contains a soft pith, of a 

 brownish colour, and is frequently more than half of an inch in diameter. The 

 wood and leaves are used in tanning the finer kinds of leather, and the roots are 

 prescribed as a febrifugal medicine. The branches, boiled with the berries, 

 afibrd a black, ink-like tincture ; and the berries i;nay be employed alone for 

 dyeing red. They are eaten by children with impunity, though they are very 

 sour. Professor Rogers, in " Silliman's Journal," observes that they contain a 

 large portion of malic acid, and are used as a substitute for lemons in various 

 preparations of domestic economy, and in medicine. 



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