CALYCIFLOR^ 187 



dispersed by birds, and the seeds are also liberated 

 when the capsule splits. 



The Spindle Wood has many other names, such as 

 Ananbeam, Butcher's Prick-tree, Catrash, Cat-tree, 

 Death Alder, Dog-tooth Berry, Dogwood, Foul 

 Rush, Gadrise, Gaiter-tree, Gaten-tree, Gatteridge, 

 Louse-berry, Pincushion, Prick-timber, Skewer-wood, 

 Skiver, Spoke-wood, Witch-wood. 



The wood is used for skewers, pegs, and charcoal 

 for drawing. The fruit is poisonous (hence euonymus, 

 from the name for the Mother of the Furies). The 

 fruit yields a yellow dye, and, with alum, a green 

 dye. The carpels have been known to poison sheep. 

 The shoots are used for pipe-stems in Germany. 



Euonymus EUROPiEUS. — In Fig. 35 note the short- 

 stalked leaves with minute teeth, the flowers in dichoto- 

 nious cymes with four oblong petals. 



23. The Buckthorn Group. 



We have in Britain two species of the Order 

 Rhamnacese. The common Buckthorn, chosen as a 

 type here, has leaves minutely toothed, branches 

 with thorns, four stamens, and is a dioecious plant. 

 In the Alder Buckthorn the flowers are hermaphro- 

 dite, there are five stamens, the leaves are entire, 

 and the branches are thornless. 



There are five hundred species and forty genera of 

 Rhamnaceae, which grow in the zone of trees in all 

 parts of the world. 



