THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 5 



over, stem, leaf and seed pods ; the other is mostly a dull, 

 dark red, stems, young growth, and underside of leaves, 

 while the racemose clusters of seed pods are of the richest 

 crimson. 



Ricinus is more than beautiful ; it is grand. The great 

 leaves are shaped like a star, rich, dark green and glossy 

 on the upper surface and red or purplish underneath in the 

 red species. The racemes of pistillate blossoms are as 

 thick as a man's wrist, Avith the small, scarlet flower set 

 on the apex of the big seed pods, the small, cream-colored 

 staminate floAvers on the same stem just below. 



The stamens are in great clusters and bear a quantity 

 of fine, dry pollen, but are avoided by insects. I have 

 heard it said that a Ricinus plant by a -window will keep 

 all flies away from a room, but I am rather skeptical on 

 this point. The plants are pollinated by the help of the 

 wind, however, and are anything but the feeble, delicate 

 things I used to nurse in the cold climate; thej^ grow 

 sturdy and strong and wax tall and broad, keeping on 

 year after year, till they are veritable trees. 



It is said to be a native ot Africa and so must have 

 been introduced here, but I never saw anything with a 

 more at-home air and a wider grasp of territory. It is 

 never weedy looking, as how could it be with those mag- 

 nificent leaves ? and is always quite the aristocrat in what- 

 ever neighborhood it is pleased to locate. 



Besides looking grand, those leaves have Some odd 

 characteristics: the edges are sharply serrate, and each 

 tooth has a minute cup, and on the base of the ribs and 

 along the leaf stems are little warts. These serve to sup- 

 ply the leaf w^ith water, instead of the usual hairs. 



A wilted leaf will become perfectly fresh if the serrate 

 margin is put into water, without the petiole. 



Even the seeds are exquisite. They are the size of 

 white beans, a glossy, dark gray, dotted all over with 

 white, and I have seen long chains of them, made by the 

 children, that anybody might covet. 



Some day I am going to have a Ricinus tree just out- 



