ViscuM. LXX. LORANTHACE^. 297 



* * Flowers umbellate. Involucre irleaved, petaloid, 



6. C. FLORIDA. Flou^ering Dog-wood. 



Arboreus ; Zra. opposite, ovate, acuminate, entire ; /s. small, in a close, 

 cymose nmbel or head, surrounded by a very large, 4-leaved, obcordate involu- 

 cre. — A tree from 20 — 30f in height, very ornamental when in flower. Woods, 

 U. S. and Can. The wood is very hard and compact, covered with a rough 

 bark, which is extremely bitter, and used in medicine as a tonic. The leaves, 

 which at flowering-time are but partially expanded, are acutely ovate, nearly- 

 smooth, veiny, pale underneath. The true flowers are inconspicuous, greenish- 

 yellow, but the involucre is very large and showy, of veiny, white, obovate 

 leaves, ending in a callous point, which is turned up or down so abruptly as to 

 give an emarginate appearance to the leaf. Drupe red. May. 

 7. C. Canadensis. Low Cornel or Dog-ioood. 



Herbaceous, low ; upper Ivs. whorled, v-einy, on short petioles ; st. simple. 

 —A small, handsome plant, common in woods, nearly throughout N. Am. N. 

 of lat. 39°, remarkable for its large, white involucre. Rhizoma creeping, woody. 

 The flowering stems erect, 4 — 8' high, bearing 2 small stipules in the middle, 

 and a whorl of 6 leaves at the top, two of which are larger, placed a little lower 

 and opposite. An umbellate cyme of flowers arises from the centre of the whorl, 

 and with its large, showy involucre of 4 white leaves, might easily be taken for 

 a single flower. They are succeeded by a bunch of red berries. The barren 

 stems support a whorl of 4 equal leaves. May, Jn. 



Order LXX. LORANTHACE^.— Loranths. 



St. parasitical, half-shrubby, dichotomous. 



Lvs. evergreen, opposite, fleshy, without stipules. 



Fls. dicecious and small, whitish or ereenish-yellow, sometimes perfect and brilliant. 



Cal. adnate to the ovary in perfect tfower, limb 3— 5-cleft or obsolete. . 



Cor. of 3— 4 or 8 petals, cohering in a tube, sometimes distinct, inserted into the epigynous disK. 



Sra. as many as the petals and opposite to them, or to the sepals when the pet. are 0. 



Ova. l-Lelled, with a single suspended ovule. Sty. simple or 0. 



Fr. baccate, with one anatropous seed. 



Genera 23, species 412, about equally distributed throughout the tropical regions of Asia and Anierica. 

 They possess the remarkable property of rooting firmly on other plants and living upon their juices. 

 They are slightly astringent. 



VISCUM. Tourn. 

 ^' or 9 c?.— c? Calyx with 4 (3—5) triangular, erect segments, val- 

 vate in sestivation ; anthers as many as the sepals, and inserted oo 

 them ; corolla 0. 9 Limb of the calyx obsolete ; petals 4, fleshy, epi- 

 gynous ; stamens ; stigma sessile ; berry fleshy, 1 -seeded. — Lvs. very 

 rarely alternate or scale-like. 



V. FLAVEscENs. Ph. (V. album. Walt. V. verticillatum. Nutt.) Misscltoe. 



Branches opposite, sometimes verticillate, terete ; lvs. cimeate-obovate, 3- 

 veined, obtuse ; spikes axillary, solitary, about as long as the leaves ; berrus 

 white, semi-transparent.— A yellowish green, succulent parasite inserted on the 

 branches of aged trees, N. J. W. to la. and the Southern States ! Stems 1— 1 Jt 

 high, rather thick, much branched. Leaves 9—16" by 4—9", smooth and eritire, 

 on short petioles. Flowers small, sterile ones mostly 3-parted. Berry with d 

 viscous pulp. Apr. May. 



