Chapter XXXII. 



From Buckthorns to Prickly-pears. 



The twenty first order includes two families, the buckthorns, 

 of which there are two species, and the vines, with four grape- 

 vines and one Virginia creeper. 



Dwarf alders. The alder-leafed buckthorn, or dwarf alder, 

 is a shrub found growing in swamps and recognized by its 

 plum-shaped alternate leaves, in the axils of which small flowers 

 arise. There are no petals, and the calyx is urn-shaped with 

 four or five teeth at the margin. The stamens are borne on 

 the calyx between its notches. The fruit is berry-like, contain- 

 ing three nutlets within. The character of the fruit and the 

 structure of the flower easily distinguish this shrub from others 

 which might be mistaken for it. 



New Jersey teas. Besides the buckthorn, there are two 

 varieties of New Jersey tea or redroot, one of which is pretty 

 abundant throughout the state, while the other is less com- 

 mon. These plants are small shrubs, the two species be- 

 ing distinguished by the shapes of the leaves. One, the 

 American redroot, has ovate, while the other produces lance- 

 head-shaped oblong leaves. In both varieties the flower is very 

 similar to that of the buckthorn. The calyx-parts are fused 

 together at their base and have five notches at the margin. 

 Between these notches the stamens are borne, five in number, 

 while under each stamen arises a curious ladle-shaped petal of 

 a white color. The black fruits are dry and deeply three- 

 grooved, and when mature they separate longitudinally into 

 three hard nutlets. The American redroot is more abundant 

 in dry woods, while the smaller redroot prefers rocky places, 

 barren soil, dry hillsides or bluffs, or the tops of knolls in the 

 rolling prairie. The name, "New Jersey tea," arises from the 

 use of the plant in place of tea by American soldiers during the 

 Revolution. 



