KOSB FAMILY. 149 



S. hypericifblia, DC. ITALIAN MAY or ST. PETER'S WREATH. Shrub 

 3-6 high, smooth or smoothish, with long recurved branches, and very 

 small, wedge-oblong leaves, a little toothed or lobed at the end ; flowers 

 small, white, early, in small sessile umbels. S. CRENATA is a form with 

 obovate and crenulate leaves. Asia. 



-- -i- H- Flowers in simple, sessile umbels along the slender branches of 

 the preceding year, subtended only by greenish bud-scales or imperfect 

 leaves, rather earlier than the proper leaves, in spring. 



S. pruni folia, Sieb., from Japan; slender shrub, with small, ovate, 

 finely and sharply serrate leaves, smooth above, often minutely downy 

 beneath ; the form usually cultivated has full-double, pure white blossoms, 

 I' in diameter, produced in great abundance. 



S. Thunbergii, Sieb., from Japan ; dwarf compact shrub with slender 

 and somewhat drooping branches ; leaves linear or linear-lanceolate, 

 sharply toothed, yellowish-green ; flowers small and white, the umbels 

 arranged in long open sprays, very early. 



2. Shrubby, with pinnate leaves. 



S. sorb/folia, Linn. Cult, from Siberia, very hardy, 3-4 high, with 

 leaves (as the name denotes) resembling those of the Mountain Ash, of 

 17-21 lanceolate, taper-pointed, doubly and sharply serrate leaflets, and 

 white flowers in an ample terminal panicle, the narrow pods a little coher- 

 ing ; common in old gardens. 



3. Herbs, with thrice pinnately- compound leaves, no stipules, and dice- 



do us flowers. 



S. Ariincus, Linn. GOAT'S BEARD. Eich woods from N. Y. S. and 

 "W., also in some gardens; smooth, 3-5 high; with lance-oblong or 

 lance-ovate taper-pointed leaflets, sharply serrate and cut, and yellowish 

 white, very small flowers in great numbers, crowded in slender spikes 

 which are collected in a great compound panicle ; petals narrow ; pedicels 

 reflexed in fruit. 



Var. astilboldes, Maxim., from Jap'an, is smaller (2), with pedicels 

 erect in fruit. 



4. Herbs with interruptedly pinnate leaves, conspicuous stipules, per- 

 fect flowers, reflexed sepals and petals sometimes 4, and 6-12 little 

 1-3-seeded pods. 



S. Filipendula, Linn. DROPWORT. Cult, from Eu. ; some of the 

 coarse, long, fibrous roots swollen at the lower end into oblong tubers ; 

 herbage smooth and green ; leaves chiefly from or near the ground, with 

 many oval or lanceolate leaflets deeply toothed, cut, or pinnately cleft, 

 and gradually diminishing in size downwards ; the nearly naked stems 

 l-2 high, bearing a compound terminal cyme of white or rosy-tipped 

 flowers, one variety full-double. 



S. Ulmaria, Linn. ENGLISH MEADOWSWEET. Cult, from Eu. ; l-3 

 high, nearly smooth, except the lower surface of the lyrate and inter- 

 ruptedly pinnate leaves which is minutely white-downy ; the yellowish- 

 white, small, and sweet-scented flowers very numerous and crowded in 

 a compound cyme at the naked summit of the stems, sometimes double ; 

 little pods twisting spirally. There is a variety with variegated foliage. 



S. lobata, Jacq. QUEEN OP THE PRAIRIE. Wild in meadows and 

 prairies from Penn., W., also cult.; smooth and green; the leaves 

 mostly from or near the ground ; the end leaflet very large, 7-9-parted, 

 and its lobes cut-toothed ; stems 2-5, or even 8 high, bearing an ample 

 and panicled compound cyme crowded with the handsome peach-blossom- 

 colored flowers. Bruised foliage exhales the odor of Sweet Birch. 



