MYRTACEJE. 129 MYRTUS. 



/ 



35. GLEDI'TSCHIA. 



Flowers polygamous. Ptrfccl fi. — Calyx 4-cleft; corolla 

 4-petaled ; stamens 6 — 8; legume long, compressed. Slam- 

 inatef. — Calyx 3-leaved ; petals 3; stamens 6. Pistillate 

 f. — Calyx 5-leaved ; petals 5 ; legume as above. 



Named in honor of John G. Gleditsch of Leipzig, a distinguished botanical 

 writer, about 1750. 



G. tri^a'nthus. 



Branches armed with thick, triple spines ; leaves pinnate, of linear-oblong 

 leaflets; legumes very long, compressed. This fine tree is rarely found na- 

 tive in the Atlantic States, but belongs peculiarly to the Western. It is ac 

 casionally, and deserves to be generally cultivated for ornament and shade. 

 In favorable circumstances it will attain the hight of 70 feet, with a trunk 

 undivided half its length, and 3 or 4 feet in diameter. The thorns with which 

 the branches are armed in a most formidable manner, are 2 — 3 inches long, 

 ligneous, often having 2 secondary thorns branching from tlie sides. The 

 foliage is light and elegant. Flowers small, white, succeeded by flat, crook- 

 ed, hanging pods 12 — 18 inches in length, and of a dull red color, remaining 

 on the treelong after the leaves are fallen. They contain flat, brown, hard 

 seeds, and a fleshy substance which is at first very sweet, but becomes sour. 

 June. Honey Locust. 



ORDER LI. MYRTACE^. The Myrtle Trihe. 



Cat. — Adherent below to the compound ovaiy, the limb 4 — 5-cleft, valvate. 



Cor. — Petals as many as the segments of the calyx. 



Sea. — Indefinite. Anthers introrse. Style and stigma simple. 



Fr. — With many seeds. 



A fine order of trees and shrubs, distinguished by its opposite, exstipulate, dotted, entire 

 leaves, generally with a vein running close to the margin. Native of warm or torrid coun- 

 tries, especially of S. America and the E. Indies. 



Properties. A fragrant or pungent volatile oil, residing chiefly in the pellucid dotting of 

 the leaves pervades the order. The Caryophyllus aromaiicus, native of Arabia, a tree 

 about "20 feet in hight, yields the clove {dou Fr. a nail) which is the dried floiver. Cajeput 

 oil is distilled from the leaves of the Melaleuca Cajcpiiu, native of the E. Indies. A kind 

 of g-K?ra kino is obtained from Eucalyptus resinifera, :il<n a native of India. The root of the 

 Pomegranate yields an extract which is an excellent vermifuge. — All the genera are exotic 

 with us. — iVIany of them are higlily ornamental in culture. 



Ge7icra. 

 Fruit 2 — 3-celled. Leaves evergreen, with a marginal vein, . . . Myrtus. 1 

 Fruit many-celled. Leaves deciduous, without the marginal vein, . . Punica. 2 



1. MRYTUS. 

 Calyx superior; petals 5; berry 2 — 3-celled, many-seeded. 



Gr. jU/t'goi', perfume. 



M. commu'nis. 



Flowers soYitary; invohicra 2-\ea.ved; leaves ovate. This popular shrub is 

 a native of S. Europe. In our climate it is reared only in houses and conser- 

 vatories. Among the ancients it was a great favorite for its elegance of form, 

 and its fragrant, evergreen leaves. It was sacred to Venus, The brows of 

 bloodless victors were adorned with myrtle wreaths, and at Athens it was an 



