480 | CXIV. THYMELACEA. _ Dire 
June.—The whole plant is more or less oily, and is greedily devoured by cattle. 
Sometimes called Buffalo Oil. 
a NESS 
The name of a nymph, according to Linneus. 
Flowers dicecious-polygamous. of Calyx 5-parted; stamens 5—10, 
inserted around a glandular disk; pistil 0. .$ Q Calyx 5-parted; 
stamens 5 or 0; pistil 1; drupe inferior; nut 1-seeded— Tvees. 
1. N. MuLtirLoRA. Walt. (N. villosa. Michz.) Pepperidge. Tulepo. Gum 
Tree.—Lwvs. oblong, obovate, very entire, acute at each end, the petiole, 
midvein and margin villous; fertile ped. 3—6-flowered; nut short, obovate, 
obtuse, striate-——This tree is disseminated throughout the U.8.; it is found 
30—70f! high, the trunk 1—3f! in diameter, with horizontal branches forming 
a pyramidal summit. The bark is light gray, similar to that of the white oak, 
and, like the next species, broken into hexagons. Leaves tough and firm, 2— 
5’ long, and 3 as wide, often with1 or more blunt teeth. Flowers small, green- 
ish, in small clusters on a long, branching peduncle, the fertile ones succeeded 
by a few deep blue, oblong drupes. The wood is white, fine-grained, rather 
soft, the texture consisting of interwoven bundles of fibres, rendering it very 
difficult to split. It is therefore useful for beetles, naves of wheels, hatters’ 
blocks, &c. Jn. 
2. N. aquatica. (N. biflora. Walt.) Water Tulepo or Gum Tree. 
“ Tvs. oblong-ovate, entire, acute at both ends, smooth; fertile ped. 2-flow- 
ered ; drupe short, obovate; nut striate.—This tree grows in swamps, in certain 
sections of the Northern and Middle States. The trunk when full grown is 
30—50f high and 15—20’ in diameter, the bark divided by deep furrows into 
hexagons. Leaves alternate, smooth, 2—4’ in length. Flowers small and 
obscure, the fertile ones producing a fruit of a deep blue color, growing in 
pairs on a common stalk which is shorter than the leaves. The wood is dark 
brown, similar in quality and uses to the last. Jn.” Micha. abr. 
Orver CXIV. THYMELACEA®.—Dapunaps. 
Shrubs with a very tenacious bark, alternate or opposite, entire leaves and perfect flowers. 
Cai. free, tubular, colored, limb 4 (rarely 5)-cleft, imbricated in estivation. A [as many. 
Sza. definite, inserted into the calyx and opposite to its lobes when equal to them in number ; often twice 
Ova. solitary, with lovule. Style1. Stigma undivided. 
Fy. hard, dry, drupaceous. Albwmen 0 or thin. 
Genera 38, species 300, very abundant in Australasia and S. Africa, sparingly disseminated in Europe 
and Asia. The only North American genus is that which follows. 
Properties.—The bark is acrid and caustic, raising blisters upon the skin. It is composed of interlaced 
fibres which are extremely tough, but easily separable. The -bark tree (Lagetta) of Jamaica is par- 
ticularly remarkable for this property. 
Genera. 
’ Speen Stamens exserted. Diércd. 1 
Corolla limb ? spreading. Stamens included. Daphne. 2 
1 DIRCA. 
Gr. dipka, a fountain; the shrub grows in wet places. 
Calyx colored, tubular, with an obsolete limb ; stamens 8, unequal, 
longer than, and inserted into the tube; style 1; berry 1-seeded.— 
Lis. alternate, simple. F'ls. expanding before the leaves. 
D. pauustris. Leather-wood. : 
Lvs. oblong-ovate or obovate; fs. axillary, 2—3 in a hairy, bud-like in- 
volucre.—A shrub, 5f in height, when full grown, U. S. andCan. The flowers 
appear in April and May, much earlier than the leaves. They are small, 
yellow, funnel-shaped, about 3 together, issuing from the same bud. Leaves 
entire, on short petioles, pale underneath. Stamens much longer than the 
sepals, alternately a long and a short one. Berry oval,small, red. Every part 
of this shrub is very tough. The twigs furnish “ rods for the fool’s back,” the 
bark is used for ropes, baskets, &c. 
ee — 
