30 HOUGH'S AMERICAN WOODS. 



paler beneath, coarsely spinose-toothed, l-2 in. in length, with short thick chan- 

 neled petioles; stipules early deciduous. Flowers (March to May) about -^ in. in 

 diameter, borne in slender racemes 1-3 in. in length from the axils of the leaves of 

 the previous year, with short pedicels which spring from the axils of bracts which 

 fall away before the flowers expand; calyx-tube cup-shaped, orange-brown, with 

 minute lobes deciduous; petals white, obovate, rounded at apex; stamens slightly 

 exserted, with slender incurve! tapering filaments and minute anthers; pistil 

 with glabrous ovary, slender ctyle usually bent at right angles near the summit 

 and large teraiinal stigma. Fruit (ripe November to December) subglobose, 

 somewhat compressed, apiculate, | to f in. in diameter, at first red and finally 

 purple or nearly black, with thin flesh of agreeable slightly acid astringent flavor 

 and ovate slightly compressed pointed pit, the thin brittle walls yellowish-brown 

 marked with orange -colored lines. 



A variety known as var. integrifolia is found on islands off the California 

 coast, and less abundantly on the main land, having mostly entire leaves and 

 somewhat larger fruit. 



(The specific name, ilicifolia, is the Latin for Holly-leaved, alluding to the 

 strong resemblance between the leaves of this species and those of the Holly.) 



A small tree, sometimes 30 ft. (9 m.) in height, with a short trunk 

 rarely more than 2 ft. (0.60 m.) in thickness and with handsome com- 

 pact head of very lustrous dark -green foliage. The bark of trunk is 

 scarcely a half -inch in thickness, of a reddish-gray color, checked both 

 longitudinally and transversely into small square -cornered scales. 



More often the Islay is a shrub than a tree, especially to the south- 

 ward of its range and on dry slopes. Its handsome foliage always 

 makes it an object of beauty, and its orange and white flowers or its 

 red and purple fruit add not a little to its attractiveness. 



HABITAT. California, from San Francisco southward among the 

 Coast Ranges into Lower California, the San Bernardino Mountains, 

 and on Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Islands, flourishing best in the 

 moist soil along streams and the bottoms of canons, and reaching its 

 greatest development in the vicinity of Santa Barbara, on the Islands 

 and in Lower California. The Islay is said to occur also in Arizona. 



PHYSICAL PROPERTIES. Wood heavy, hard, strong, close-grained, 

 with fine, evenly distributed ducts and numerous medullary rays, and 

 susceptible of a very smooth polish. It is of a light, reddish-brown 

 color with lighter sap-wood. Specific Gravity, 0.9803; Percentage 

 of Ash, 0.78; Relative Approximate Fuel Value, 0.9727 ; Coefficient 

 of Elasticity, 73201; Modulus of Rupture, 782; Resistance to 

 Longitudinal .Pressure, 544 ; Resistance to Indentation, .305 ; Weight 

 of a Cubic Foot in Pounds, 61.09. 



USES. Little use is made of the wood, but the tree is of highly orna- 

 mental value, and for that purpose is planted in California and in Europe. 

 It is useful, too, for hedges, making in localities very rapid growth. 



MEDICINAL PROPERTIES are not reported of this species, though the 

 leaves of the allied P. lauro-cerasus of Europe have properties similar to 

 those of hydrocyanic acid, and the same are likely to be found in these. 



