THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 7 



is the w^estern analogue of Aralia spinosa, the hercule's 

 club of my boyhood days in southern Indiana, where the 

 school-boys were wont to dig ginseng the Panax of Lin- 

 asus, and carry it in their pockets for the agreeable aroma. 



Ours is a densely prickled shrub of five to ten feet in 

 height, seldom branching having but one apical bud which 

 sends out five to eight broad palmately lobed leaves on 

 stout petioles. The shrub makes but six to ten inches of 

 growth yearly, therefore the leaves are crowded close to- 

 gether, giving the appearance of a palm to a cluster of 

 clubs. Every part of the plant is densel}' spinescent, 

 leaves, midrib, petiole as well as the stem and in place of 

 an auxiliary bud the spines grow more thickly. To give 

 them the more space, the attachment of the petiole is nar- 

 row but it grows well up and around on the sides in order 

 to support the heavy leaves. As the petiole stands at an 

 angle of 35° and the prickles at that of 90° for the first 

 season they are very much appressed, but eventually as- 

 sume the same position as the others. 



The inflorescence is terminal in densely paniculate um- 

 bels of white flowers. The fruit is a laterally compressed 

 drupe of a beautiful red color resembling a coral bead. 

 Since the growth is from an apical bud or rather within 

 the bud of leaves a flower bud developes late in the flower- 

 ing season, and when the seasonal growth is closed, next 

 year's bud forms under the peduncle ; as it developes, it 

 pushes the old peduncle "off the stool," as it were. 



Several plants of this order belong to tropical coun- 

 tries, — one beautiful specimen from Japan — but they must 

 be cared for under glass. None of them are prickly ; so 

 what is the use of the abattis of spines where there are no 

 ants or other thieves ? The flowers have a strong odor 

 and are fertilized by flies. Aralia Californica is a coarse 

 herb of the southern coast countries of California. It is 

 strongly armatic herb dearly prized by the native Spanish 

 mother in her domestic ministrations under the name of 

 Chu-cha-pa^-za. The earlier settlers of Minnesota dug 

 enough "sang" from their claims to pay for the land at 



