ICOSANDRIA— MONOGYNIA. Piunus. 357 



for the most part tipped with a sharp straight thorn. Leaves 

 from lateral, alternate, originally axillary, buds, and becoming 

 likewise alternate, on the young branches protruded from thence, 

 broadly lanceolate, rather tapering at each end, sometimes el- 

 liptical, serrated, downy beneath, at least when young, in which 

 state their edges are incurved. Scales of the buds imbricated, 

 concave, entire, brown ; the innermost fringed, greenish. FL 

 from different buds near the others, in pairs, on simple stalks 

 not much longer than the calyx. Petals pure white. Fruit glo- 

 bular, very sour and austere, usually black ; in /3 yellowish, or 

 waxy with a red tint; in y said to be red. There are several 

 varieties of the black sort, differing in size and flavour, some of 

 them very good even in a recent state, and all more or less ex- 

 cellent when dressed. 



5. P. spinosa. Sloe, or Black-thorn. 



Flower-stalks solitary. Leaves lanceolate, smooth. Branches 

 thorny at the end. 



P. spinosa. Linn. Sp. PL 681. MWd. v. 2. 997. Fl. Br. r>28. 



Engl. Dot. V. 1 2. t. 842. Woodv. Med. Bot. t. 8-i. Hook. Scot. 15 1 . 



FL Dan. t. 926. 

 P. n.lOSO. HalLHisf.v.2.27. 

 P. sylvestris. Bank. Pin. 444. Rail Syn. 462. Ger Em. 1497./. 



Trag. Hist. 1016./. Fuchs. Hist. 404. /. Ic. 229. /. Matth. 



Valgr. v. 1 . 24 1 ./. Corner. Epit. 1 65. /. 



In hedges and thickets common. 



Shrub. March, April. 



A rigid bushy shrub, with sharp spinous branches ; the bark blackish, 

 a little glaucous and polished. Leaves much smaller than the last, 

 scarcely an inch long ; the earlier ones obovate ; all smooth, ex- 

 cept when very young. Fl. pure white, copious, earlier than the 

 leaves, solitary, on short simple stalks, each from a small bud at 

 the bases of the leaf-buds. Calyx spreading. Pet. with scarcely 

 any claws. Fr. globular, black, rather larger than a black cur- 

 rant, acid, astringent, and very austere, not eatable except 

 when baked or boiled with a large proportion of sugar. The 

 juice, inspissated over a slow fire, is a substitute for the Egyp- 

 tian Acacia, or Indian Catechu. In some form or other, this 

 juice is said to be used in factitious or adulterated Port wine. 

 The leaves also are reckoned among the adulterations of tea in 

 England. They possess, in fact, a portion of that peculiar aro- 

 matic flavour which exists in Spircea Ulmaria, p. 368, the Ameri- 

 can Gaultheria, and some other plants, and which resembles the 

 more delicate perfume of green tea. A water distilled from the 

 blossoms of the Sloe is said to be used as a medicinal vehicle ni 

 Switzerland and Germany ; but it surely is not very safe or 

 wholesome. 



