ICOSANDRIA— MONOGYNIA. Piunus. 357 



for the most ])ait, tipped with a sharp straight thorn. Leaves 

 from hiteral, alternate, originally axillary, buds, and beeoming 

 likewise alternate, on tlie 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 dillerent 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 Bkick- thorn. 



Flower-stxilks solitary. Leaves lanceolatej smooth. Branches 

 thorny at the end. 



P.spinosa. Linn. Sp. PL 681. mihl. v. 2. 997. FL Br. 528. 



EngL But. V. 1 2. t. 842. JVoodv. Med. BoL t. 8-4. Hook. Scot. 151. 



FL Dan. t. 926. 

 P. n. 1080. HalLHist.v.2.27. 

 W svlvestns. Bauh. Pin. 44 1. Rail Sipi. 462. Gtr. Em. 1497. f. 



frag. Hist. 1016. /. Fuchs. Hist. 404. /. h. 229. /. Matth. 



Valgr. V. 1. 241./. Camer. Fpit. 165./. 



In hedges and thickets common. 



Shrub. March, JpriL 



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 j the earlier ones obovate ; all smooth, ex- 

 cept when very young. 77. 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. witli 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 iiroi)ortion of sugar. The 

 juice, inspissated over a slow fne, is a substitute for the Kgyj)- 

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

 juice is said to be used in faclilif)us 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 Spir<ra llmaria,]). .'^68, the Ameri- 

 can (iauHhrria,nm\ 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 in 

 Switzerl.md and (icrmai)) , but it surely \^ not very safe vr 

 wholesome. 



