84 CASHEW FAMILY. 



30. MELIACE.a3, MELIA FAMILY. 



Trees, chiefly with pinnately compound dotless leaves, stamens 

 twice as many as the petals and united up to or beyond the anthers 

 into a tube, and a several-celled ovary with a single style ; almost 

 all tropical, represented in Florida and farther south by SwiETk- 

 NIA. MAHOGANF, the MAHOGANY-TREK, and by an exotic shade- 

 tree at the South, viz. 



1. MELIA. (Old Greek name of the Ash, transferred to a widely different 

 tree.) Calyx 5 - G-parted. Petals 5 or G, linear-spatulate. Filaments united 

 into a cylindrical tub? with a 10- 12-dcft mouth, enclosing- as many anthers. 

 Fruit a globose berry-like drupe, with a bony 5-celled stone, and a single seed 

 in each ceil. Flowers in large compound panicles. 



M. Azedaracll, PUIDE-OF-INDIA or CHINA-TRICE. A favorite shade- 

 tree at the S., 30 -40 high, with twice pinnate smooth leaves, ovate and 

 pointed toothed leaflets, of a deep green color, and numerous fragrant lilac-col- 

 ored flowers, in spring, succeeded by the yellowish fruity 



31. ANACARDIACE^I, CASHEW FAMILY. 



Trees or shrubs, with resinous or acid, sometimes poisonous, often 

 colored or milky juice ; alternate leaves without stipules ; small 

 flowers with sepals, petals, and stamens 5 ; and a 1-celled 1 -ovule J. 

 ovary bearing 3 styles or stigmas, represented by the genus 



1. RHUS, SUMACH. (Ancient nain".) Flowers polygamous or dioe- 

 cious, sour-times perfect, whitish or greenish, in terminal or axillary panicles. 

 Stamens inserted under the edge or between the lobes of a flattened disk in 

 the bottom of the calyx. Fruit ;; small dry or berry-like drupe, the solitary 

 seed on a curved stalk rising from the bottom of the cell. (The astringent 

 leaves of some species are used for dyeing and tanning, those of R. coiu.v- 

 KIA in S. Europe for morocco leather. The juice of some Japanese species 

 yield their famous lacquer; the fruit of another a sort of wax.) 



1 . Cultivated from Europe, with simple entire leaves : not poisonous. 

 R. Cotinus, SMOKE-TREE or VENETIAN SUMACH. Shrub 5 -9 high, 

 smooth, with obovate leaves on slender petioles, loose panicles of flowers in early 

 summer, followed rarely by little half-heart-shaped fruits : usually most of the 

 flowers are abortive, while their pedicels lengthen, branch, and bear long plumy 

 hairs, making large and light, feathery or cloud-like bunches, either greenish or 

 tinged with red, which are very ornamental. The same or one very like it is 

 wild in Alabama. 



2. Native species, with compound leaves of3 31 leaflets. 



* Poisonous to the touch for most people, the juice resinous : flowers in slender axil- 

 lary panicles, in summer : fruit smooth, wliite or dun-color. 



R. Toxicod6ndron, POISON IVY or POISON OAK. Common in low 

 grounds, climbing by rootlets over rocks, &c., or ascending trees ; leaflets 3, 

 rhombic-ovate, often sinuate or cut-lobed, rather downy beneath. A vile pest. 



R. venen&ta, POISON SUMACH, P. ELDER, or P. DOGWOOD. In swampy 

 ground; shrub 6 -18 high, smooth, with pinnate leaves of 7 - 13 obovate 

 entire leaflets, and very slender panicles. More virulent than the foregoing. 

 * * Not poisonous : fruit red and beset with reddish hairs, very acid. 



i Leaves pinnate : flowers whitish, in large and vert/ compact terminal, panicles, 

 in early summer, succeeded by a compact mass of crimson fruit. 



R. typhina, STAGHORN SUMACH. Shrub or tree, on hillsides, &c., 10 - 

 30 high, with resiiious-milky juice, brownish-yellow wood, velvety-hairy 



