9. NYSSA MULTIFLORA TUPELO. 53 



It is used as a remedy in chronic rheumatism and cutaneous eruptions, 

 and for relieving rheumatic pains a vinous or spirituous infusion of the 

 berries is said to be remarkable. A similar tincture is employed with 

 advantage sometimes in cases of violent colic, and the pungency of this 

 tincture has been found useful in relieving toothache; hence the name, 

 in some localities, Toothache-Tree." * 



ORDER CORNACEJE: DOGWOOD FAMILY. 



Leaves opposite (except in one species), simple, mostly entire. Flowers in cymes, 

 often involucrate, polypetalous (exceptionally apetalous), 4-numerous; calyx-tube 

 adherent to the ovary, its limb minute; petals valvate in the bud, oblong, sessile, 

 and, with the stamens, borne on an epigynous disk in the perfect flowers; ovary 

 1-celled, bearing a single suspended ovule; style single, somewhat club-shaped. 

 Fruit a 1-2-seeded baccate drupe, bearing the persistent limb of the calyx. 



Trees, shrubs or rarely herbs, with bitter, tonic bark. 



GENUS NYSSA, L. 



Leaves mostly entire, but sometimes angulate-toothed, and mostly at the ends of 

 the branchlets. Flowers greenish and appearing with the leaves, dioscious or 

 polygamous, clustered or rarely solitary on axillary peduncles. Staminate flowers 

 more numerous, and in these the calyx-tube is small, limb truncate or 5-parted; 

 petals usually 5, small, oblong and soon deciduous or wanting; stamens 5-12, com- 

 monly 10, inserted outside of a convex glandular disk, filaments slender; anthers 

 short; ovary none. Pistillate flowers much larger than the staminate; calyx-tube 

 oblong, adherent to the ovary, limb a mere rim as with staminate flowers; petals 

 2-5, as in staminate flowers, or wanting; ovary 1-celled, style large, revolute, stig- 

 matic down one side. Fruit an ovoid or oblong, one-seeded drupe, with a striated 

 stone. 



9. NYSSA MULTIFLORA, WANG. 



TUPELO, PEPPERIDGE, BLACK YELLOW on SOUR GUM, GUM-TKEE. 

 Ger., Saner Gummibaum; Fr., Gommier muUiflore; Sp., Tupelo. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS: Leaves 2-5 in. (5-13 cm.) long, oval or obovate, usually 

 acuminate, but sometimes obtuse, at each end, entire and of firm texture, glabrous 

 or villous-pubescent when young, at least on the petiole midrib and margins, shining 

 above when old, changing early in autumn to a bright crimson. Fertile flowers 

 (April, June) 2-8, clustered at the end of a slender peduncle; style revolute. Fruit 

 (September) an ovoid, bluish-black drupe (from two to four only of a flower cluster, 

 usually maturing), about 6 lines in length, with a scanty flesh of acid taste and a 

 large stone longitudinally striated. 



(The specific name, multiflora, is the Latin for " many-floicered.") 



A tree of very variable aspect and medium-size,, though it is said to 

 sometimes attain, in southern United States, the height of 120 ft. 

 (36.5 m.) and 4 ft. (1/22 m.) in thickness of trunk at base. It is usually 

 copiously supplied with branches, which grow out horizontally, giving 

 the tree a handsome and peculiar appearance. 



* U. 8. Dispensatory 15th ed.. pp. 1575-6. 



