Spirjea. ROSACEiE. 413 



pended. Fruit (by abortion) of 1-4 dry, coriaceous, indehisccnt ? obli(|ucly 

 obovate-oblong, 1-seeded carpels; " the exocarp a blackish-brown scarcely 

 succulent sldn, furnished with a bloom". {NuU.) Seed obovate, analropous: 

 albumen none. Cotyledons broadly obovate, compressed. — A small tree, 

 " exhaling a faint odor of bitter almonds," with obovate-oblong, entire, mem- 

 branaceous leaves. Stipules none. Flowers (white) in racemes : pedicels 

 bracteate, and usually 1-2-bracteolate ; the bracts and bracteoles linear, 

 elongated, persistent. 



N. cerasiformis (Torr. & Gr. 1. c.) 



Oregon, along the margins of pine woods, &:c., Douglas ! Dr. Scouler ! 

 Dr. Gairdner ! Mr. Tolmie ! NiUtall! also in the back part of N. California, 

 Douglas ! and near St. Barbara, Nuttall ! — Tree with the habit of Amelan- 

 chier Canadensis, and about the same size, with smooth brownish branches. 

 Leaves 3-4 inches in length, apicuJate-mucronatc, tapering towards the 

 base, more or less pubescent; beneath, on short distinct ])etioles. Racemes 

 appearing with the leaves, each from the same bud with a branchlet, usual- 

 ly side by side, drooping, 7-12-flowered : pedicels elongated ; one or both 

 the bracteoles often arising from the base of the caljTC. The fruit, according 

 to Mr. Nuttall, is greediiy eaten by birds, although bitter to the taste, and 

 with the heavy odor of the' bitter almond. — This remarkable genus has been 

 kno-^^-n to us for several years, through flowering specimens communicated 

 by Dr. Scouler ; and on Mr. Nuttall's return with fine fruiting specimens, 

 he acceded to our wish that it should bear the name of Nuttallia ; a name 

 which, as Sir Wm. Hooker justly remarkc, " could not be attached to any 

 plant with greater propriety, than to one inhabiting a district of country 

 where that gentleman has so eminently signalized himself by his recent 

 laborious researches and discoveries." The Nuttallia of Dick, Barton, &c., 

 is in this work reunited to Malva. The affinity of the genus seems to be 

 with Kageneckia and Us allies. The scarcely drupaceous carpels are per- 

 haps ultimately dehiscent. 



5. SPIRjEA. Linn. ; Geertn.fr. t. 69 ; DC. prod r. 2. p. 541. 



Calyx 5-cleft, persistent. Petals 5, obovate or roundish, equal. Stamens 

 10-50, inserted with the petals into the thin disk w^hich lines the calyx -tube. 

 Carpels 3-12, distinct, or rarely united at the base, often somewhat stipitate, 

 follicular, sometimes 2-valved, 1-10-seeded : styles terminal : stigmas ob- 

 tuse or capitate. — Unarmed shrubs or perennial herbs. Leaves alternate, 

 various. Flowers white or rose-color, sometimes by abortion dioecious. 



§ 1. Flowers perfect : disk wholly coherent to the tube of the calyx : carpels 

 large, someichal united at the hose, inflated and divergent: one of the ovules 

 pendulous, the others (1-3) ascending: seeds obovate ; the testa firm, smooth 

 and shining : shrubs, with somewhat lohed stipulate leaves, and simjyle um- 

 belliform corymbs. — Puysocarpos, Camb. 



-A-1. S. opidifolia (Liim.) : leaves roundish, often subcordate, 3-lobcd, doubly 



' serrate, pelioled, nearly glabrous ; corymbs pedunculate, umbel-like, sonie- 



what hemispherical, many-flowered ; pedicels filiform, glabrous or slightly 



pubescent ; carpels 3-5, at length spreading and nmch larger than the calyx. 



^Linn. spec. 1. p. 489 ; Michx. ! fl..\. p. 293 ; Ell. sk. 1. p. 540 ; Sennge, 



