ROSACES 437 



and veins, 2'-2-' long, and |'-1' wide; petioles slender, villose-pubescent, about in length; 

 leaves at the end of vigorous shoots elliptic to oblong-ovate, often irregularly laterally 

 lobed, and 2|'-3' long and wide. Flowers appearing in February and March before or 

 with the unfolding of the leaves, 1' in diameter, on glabrous pedicels \' long, in 3-5-flowered 

 corymbs; calyx-tube broadly obconic, glabrous, the lobes narrowed from a wide base, 

 short, nearly triangular, acute and tipped at apex with a conspicuous gland, entire or 

 minutely serrate, glabrous, often deeply tinged with red; stamens 20; anthers large, deep 

 rose color; styles 3-5, surrounded at base by a broad ring of pale tomentum. Fruit ripen- 

 ing early in May, in usually 2-3-fruited clusters, depressed-globose, scarlet, lustrous, 

 dotted with pale spots, \'-\' in diameter, with a small narrow cavity surrounded by the 

 erect calyx-lobes; nutlets 3-5, rounded at the ends, rounded and slightly grooved on the 

 back, 4' long. 



A tree, 20-30 high, with a tall stem occasionally 1 in diameter, covered with deeply 

 fissured bark, divided into dark red-brown persistent scales, slender mostly erect branches 

 forming a narrow round-topped head, and slender branchlets villose-pubescent when they 

 first appear, soon glabrous, lustrous and bright chestnut-brown during their first season, 

 becoming dull gray in their second year, and armed with stout straight chestnut-brown 

 spines f'-l' in length, or more often unarmed; occasionally with several stems forming a 

 large shrub. 



Distribution. In deep depressions filled with water for most of the year, low river 

 banks and borders of swamps; near Mt. Vernon, Mobile County, and near Selma, Dallas 

 County, Alabama; southern Mississippi (Meridian, Lauderdale County, and Hattiesburg, 

 Forest County); eastern Louisiana; sometimes in St. Tammany Parish covering large 

 tracts almost to the exclusion of other plants; western Louisiana from the coast to nearly 

 the northern border of the state, and eastern Texas to the valley of the Trinity River; 

 rare and local east of the Mississippi River; common westward. The fruit is largely used 

 in making preserves and jellies. 



IV. VIRIDES. 

 CONSPECTUS OF THE ARBORESCENT SPECIES. 



Stamens 20. 



Fruit not exceeding \' in diameter. 

 Anthers pale yellow. 



Corymbs, branchlets and leaves glabrous. 



Bark of the trunk pale gray, close and smooth. 



Leaves ovate to oblong-obovate, acute or acuminate, rarely rounded at apex; 

 fruit depressed-globose, bright scarlet or orange. 41. C. viridis (A, C). 

 Leaves ovate, acute, often broadly cuneate at base; fruit subglobose, orange- 

 red. 42. C. ovata (A). 

 Leaves oval or ovate, acute, rounded or broadly cuneate at base; fruit globose, 

 yellow-green flushed with red. 43. C. vulsa (C). 

 Bark of the trunk dark brown or nearly black; leaves subcoriaceous. 



Leaves oblong-ovate to semiorbicular, acute, often short-pointed or rarely 

 rounded at apex; fruit short-oblong to obovoid or globose, dull orange 

 color. 44. C. glabriuscula. 



Leaves oval to rhombic, acute or acuminate; fruit subglobose to short-oblong, 

 bright orange-red. 45. C. blanda (C). 



Corymbs and branchlets villose-pubescent; leaves ovate or obovate, acute or 

 rounded at apex; fruit subglobose, orange-red. 46. C. velutina (C). 



Anthers deep rose color; leaves elliptic to oblong-ovate, acute, acuminate or rarely 

 rounded at apex; fruit globose or subglobose, orange-red. 47. C. arborescens (C). 

 Fruit |'-f' in diameter. 



