502 



RHAMNACEAE. 



VOL. II. 



i. Berchemia scandens (Hill.) Trelease> Supple-jack. Rattan-Vine. Fig. 2822. 



Rhamnus scandens Hill, Hort. Kew. 453. pi. 20. 1768. 

 R. volubilis L. f. Suppl. 152. 1781. 

 Berchemia volubilis DC. Prodr. 2: 22. 1825. 

 Berchemia scandens Trel. Trans. St. Louis Acad. 5 : 

 364. 1889. 



A glabrous high-climbing shrub, with slender 

 tough terete branches. Leaves ovate or ovate- 

 oblong, i '-2' long, \'-i' wide, acute, acuminate, 

 or obtuse and cuspidate at the apex, obtuse or 

 somewhat truncate at the base, dark green 

 above, paler beneath, their margins undulate 

 and sometimes slightly revolute ; veins 8-12 

 pairs ; petioles slender, 2"-5" long ; flowers about 

 li" broad, mainly in small terminal panicles; 

 petals acute ; style short ; drupe 3 "-4" long, 

 equalling or shorter than its slender pedicel, its 

 stone crustaceous. 



In low woods, Virginia to Florida, Kentucky, Mis- 

 souri and Texas. Rattan. March-June. 



2. RHAMNUS [Tourn.] L. Sp. PI. 193. 1753. 



Shrubs or small trees, with alternate pinnately veined and (in our species) deciduous 

 leaves, and small axillary cymose, racemose or paniculate, perfect, dioecious, or polygamous 

 flowers. Calyx-tube urceolate, its limb 4-5-toothed. Petals 4-5, short-clawed, mainly emar- 

 ginate and hooded, or none. Disk free from the 3-4-celled ovary. Style 3-4-cleft. Drupe 

 berry-like, oblong or globose, containing 2-4 separate nutlet-like stones. Seeds mainly obovoid ; 

 endosperm fleshy; cotyledons flat or revolute. [The ancient Greek name.] 



About 90 species, natives of temperate and warm regions. Besides the following, some 10 

 others occur in the western United States and British America. Type species : Rhamnus cathartica L. 



Flowers dioecious or polygamous ; nutlets grooved. 

 Petals present ; flowers mainly 4-merous. 



Leaves broadly ovate ; branches thorny ; drupe with 3 or 4 nutlets. i. R. cathartica. 



Leaves ovate-lanceolate ; drupe with 2 nutlets. 2. R. lanceolata. 



Petals none ; flowers s-merous ; drupe with 3 nutlets. 3. R. alnifolia. 



Flowers perfect ; nutlets smooth. 



Umbels peduncled ; leaves acute ; calyx campanulate. 4. R. caroliniana. 



Umbels sessile ; leaves obtuse ; calyx hemispheric. 5. R. Frangula. 



i. Rhamnus cathartica L. Buckthorn. Fig. 2823. 



Rhamnus cathartica L. Sp. PI. 193- 1753. 



A shrub, 6-2o high, the twigs often ending 

 in stout thorns. Leaves glabrous, petioled, 

 broadly ovate or elliptic, ii'-2*' long, about i' 

 wide, regularly crenate or crenulate, acute, 

 obtuse or acuminate at the apex, obtuse or 

 acutish at the base, with 3-4 pairs of veins, 

 the upper running nearly to the apex; flowers 

 dioecious, greenish, about i" wide, clustered 

 in the axils, unfolding a little later than the 

 leaves; petals, stamens and calyx-teeth 4; 

 petals very narrow ; drupe globose, black, 

 about 4" in diameter; nutlets 3 or 4, grooved. 



In dry soil, escaped from hedges. New England, 

 the Middle States and Ontario. Introduced from 

 Europe and native also of northern Asia. May- 

 June. Hart's-thorn. Rhineberry. Waythorn. Purg- 

 ing buckthorn. The berries yield a dye, and have 

 powerful medicinal properties. 



