THE BUCKTHOKX. THE PKIVET. 353 



bright green leaves of a fine lustre. It is abundant in 

 Plymouth County in Massachusetts, around New Bed- 

 ford, and in Connecticut. It it highly prized in orna- 

 mental grounds and by florists, who bind it into their 

 bouquets and garlands of cut flowers. The leaves of 

 this plant have some pleasant bitter properties, and were 

 used by our predecessors as a substitute for the tea plant, 

 under the name of Apalachian tea. 



THE BUCKTHORN. 



THE Buckthorn would hardly deserve mention in these 

 pages, except that it is very generally employed for clipped 

 hedge-rows, in the suburbs of our cities. It is a native 

 both of Europe and America, though as it is seen only 

 in grounds which have formerly been cultivated, or near 

 them, it was probably introduced. It attains the height 

 of a small tree. It is without any beauty, having a thin 

 foliage that falls early and is never tinted. Its black 

 shining berries are the only ornament it possesses, and its 

 only merit is that of patiently enduring the shears of the 

 gardener. 



THE PRIVET. 



THE Privet is a much handsomer shrub of an allied 

 family. Its foliage is more delicate, both in hue and 

 texture, not so thin, and almost evergreen. It has be- 

 come extensively naturalized in our woods, and is dis- 

 tinguished by its clusters of white flowers in summer and 

 its black, shining berries in autumn. It is abundant in 

 all lands once tilled which have become wild, in the vicin- 

 ity of our old towns, and was probably introduced at an 

 early period for an ornamental hedge plant. 



S -,- 



