84 CASHEW FAMILY. 



30. MELIACE^l, 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 SWIETE- 

 NIA MAHOGANI, the MAHOGANY-TREE, 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 - 6-parted. Petals 5 or 6, lincur-spatulate. Filaments united 

 into a cylindrical tube with a 10- 12-cleft mouth, enclosing as many anthers. 

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

 in each cell. Flowers in large compound panicles. 

 M. Azedarach, PRIDK-OF-INDIA or CHINA-TRKE. 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 fruit? 



31. ANACAKDIACEJE, CASHEW FAMILY. 



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

 colored or milky juice ; alternate leaves without stipules ; small 

 flowers with sepais, petals, and stamens 5 ; and a 1-celled 1-ovulud 

 ovary bearing 3 styles or stigmas, represented by the genus 



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

 cious, sometimes 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 n 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 lor dyeing and tanning, those of R. CORIA- 

 RIA 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. C6tinus, SMOKE-TREE or VEXKTIAN 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 oV 

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

 wild in Alabama. 



2. Native species, n-ith compound /<tir<* <>/':}-:}] leaflets. 



* Poisonous to tlic tonr/i for most /H<O/>/I\ tin- jnin rrsi,/o:is : flir< r.s in s/ciulrr ii.ril- 

 /tirij i><iiii<->ffi, in sniiiiiii / : fruit MUXt/l, ir/iit<- or dun-Color. 



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

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

 rhombic-ovate, often sinuate or cut-Iob-d, rather downy beneath. A \ ile pest. 



R. Venenata, POISON Si M v< n, P. KI.MKH. or P. Dociwooi). In swampy 

 ground; shrub <> -1,S hi.u r h, smooth, with pinnate leaves of 7 - \:\ obovate 

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

 # # Nut jHiisoiuins : fruit rl tiinf Ixsil ir/tli rxfdisfi Imirs, tvry arid. 



+- Leaves pinnate : //<///> irliiti^li, in /<ir>/f and very compact terminal 



in null/ siniuiHr, xiicr(/<t/ lit/ u co/ii/Kirt miififi <>/' crimson fruit. 



II. typhina, Si AHIIOKN Sr>i \( ii. Shrub or tree, on hillsides, c., 10- 

 30 hij:h, with resinous-milky j 



uice, brownish-yellow wood, velvety-hairy 



