PreLea. XXXII ZANTHOXYLACE. | 201 
2. O. vionacEa. Violet Wood Sorrel. 
Acaulescent, smooth; scape umbelliferous; pedicels subpubescent; fis. 
nodding ; tips of the cal. fleshy; sty. shorter than the outer stamens.—An elegant 
species, in rocky woods, &c., throughout the U.S. Bulbscaly. Scape nearly 
twice taller than the leaves, 5—8/ high. Leaves palmately 3-foliate, sometimes 
none ; leaflets nearly twice as wide as long, with a very shallow sinus at the 
vety broad apex. Umbel of 3—9 drooping flowers. Petals large, violet-colored, 
striate. May. . 
_»3. O. stricta. Yellow Wood Sorrel. 
‘Caulescent; st. branching, erect ; ped. umbelliferous, longer than petioles ; 
sty. as long as the inner stamens.—() Fields, U.S. and Can. The plant varies 
in height, from 3—8’ or more, according to the soil. Stem leafy, round, smooth, 
succulent. Leaves palmately 3-foliate, numerous, scattered on long stalks. 
Umbels on long, axillary stalks, about the length of the petioles. Flowers 
small, yellow, appearing all summer. Capsules sparingly hirsute, with spread- 
ing hairs, 
4. O. cornicuLtATa. Ladies’ Wood Sorrel. 
Caulescent ; st. creeping, radicating, diffusely branching; /fts. pubescent; 
ped. 2 or more-flowered, shorter than the petioles; pet. cuneiform, erose at the 
apex; sty. long as the inner stamens.—Grows in cultivated grounds, U. 8. and 
Can. Resembles the last, but “‘is undoubtedly distinct.” Robbins. Stems leafy, 
prostrate, a foot or more in length. Sepals pubescent, half as long as the emar- 
ginate, yellow petals. Capsules densely and closely pubescent. May, and after. 
Orpver XXXII. ZANTHOXYLACEAR. - 
Trees or shrubs, without stipules. 4 
Lvs. alternate or opposite, pinnate, rarely simple, with pellucid dots. 
Fis. regular, polygamous, gray, green, or pink. Sep. 3—9, small, cohering at the base. 
Cor.—Petals longer than the sepals, of the same number or 0. a8 he 
Sta. alternate with petals, of the same number, seldom twice as many; in the pistillate flowers either 
—— orimperfect. Anthersintrorse. _ . yl 
Ova. usually of the same number as sepals, stipitate, distinct or united. 
. baccate, membranaceous or drupaceous, or 2-valved capsules. 
Genera 20, species 110, chiefly of tropical America, only 2 genera being native in the United States. — 
Properties.—Bitter, aromatic and stimulant; properties residing chiefly in the bark. 
Conspectus of the Genera. 
trees, with 21—41-foliate leaves. 1 -  e  PE W Sets Pn 3 
Unarmed ? shrubs, with 3-foliate leaves. . ; : ae é eae oak - Ptelea. 2 
Prickly shrubs. RP et ns te : . Zanthorylum. 1 
1 ZANTHOXYLUM. 
Gr. ZavSos, yellow, évAov, wood; from the color of the wood. 
® Calyx inferior, 5-parted ; corolla 0; stamens 3—6; pistils 3—5; 
carpels 3—5, l-seeded; © like the $ but wanting the stamens; & 
like the $ but wanting the pistils——Leaves pinnately 3—5-foliate. 
*Z. Americanum. Miller. (Z. fraxineum. Willd.) Prickly Ash. 
Prickly ; Ufts. ovate, subentire, sessile, equal at the base; wmbels axillary.— 
A shrub 10 or 12f high, found in woods in most parts of the U.S. The branches 
are armed with strong, conical, brown prickles with a broad base. Leaflets 
about 5 pairs with an odd one, smooth above, downy beneath; common petioles 
with or without prickles. Flowers in sma!] dense umbels, axillary, greenish, 
appearing before the leaves. The perfect und the staminate ones grow upon 
the same tree, and the pistillate upon a separate tree. The bark is bitter, aro- 
Ha Soe and stimulant, used for rheumatism and to alleviate the tooth-ache. 
pr. May. 
2. PTELEA. 
2 & S Sepals 3—6, mostly 4, much shorter than the spreading 
petals ; @ stamens longer than the petals and alternate with them, 
very short and imperfect in ¢; ovary of 2 united carpels; styles 
