130 THE ROSE FAMILY. [Prunus. 



6 inches, on short, leafy, or rarely leafless branches, on the last year's 

 wood. Fruit small, nearly globular, black and bitter, with a rugged 

 stone. 



In woods, thickets, and hedges, in northern and central Europe and 

 Asia, from the Arctic regions to the Caucasus and Himalaya, but dis- 

 appearing in south-western Europe. Scattered over various parts of 

 Britain, but absent in southern England, and a great part of Ireland, 

 FL spring. 



II. SPIR3BA. SPIR^A. 



Herbs, with pinnate leaves, or, in exotic or introduced species, 

 shrubs, showing much diversity in foliage. Flowers usually small and 

 numerous, in elegant terminal cymes or panicles. Calyx free, 5-lobed. 

 Petals 5. Stamens numerous. Carpels 3 or more, usually 5, quite 

 free from the calyx, forming as many dry capsules, opening, when ripe, 

 along the inner edge, and containing 2 or more seeds. 



A considerable genus, spread over the northern hemisphere both in 

 the New and the Old World, but scarcely penetrating into the tropics. 

 It is easily recognised by its dehiscent, capsular carpels, and among 

 British Rosacece, by the numerous small flowers. 



Shrub, with simple, serrate leaves . I. S. salicifolia. 



Herbs with pinnate leaves. 



Segments of the leaves few and large, white underneath . . 2. S, Ulmaria. 



Segments of the leaves numerous and small, deeply toothed . 3. Filipendula. 



1. S. salicifolia, Linn. (fig. 301). Willow S. A shrub of 4 or 5 feet, 

 with rather slender branches, usually glabrous. Leaves undivided, 

 oblong or lanceolate, serrate, green on both sides. Flowers pink, in a 

 dense oblong or pyramidal terminal panicle. Carpels usually 5. 



A native of eastern Europe, Russian Asia and North America, long 

 cultivated in our shrubberies, and found here and naturalised in moist 

 woods in the north of England and south of Scotland. In some parts 

 of North Wales it forms a principal ingredient in hedges, propagating 

 readily by its creeping suckers. Many other shrubby species are 

 cultivated in our gardens. 



2. S. TJlmaria, Linn. (fig. 302). Meadow-sweet, Queen of the Meadows. 

 Stock perennial, with erect, rather stout, annual stems, 2 or 3 feet 

 high, usually glabrous and reddish. Leaves large, pinnate, with 5 to 

 9 ovate or broadly lanceolate segments often 2 or 3 inches long, 

 irregularly toothed, green above, soft and whitish underneath, the 

 terminal one deeply divided into three ; besides which are several 

 smaller segments along the common stalk. Stipules broad and toothed. 

 Flowers small, of a yellowish white, sweet-scented and very numerous, 

 in compound corymbose cymes at the summit of the stems. Capsules 

 5 to about 8, very small, and more or less spirally twisted. 



In meadows, on the banks of ponds and ditches, &c., throughout 

 Europe and Russian Asia, except the extreme north. Common in 

 Britain. Fl. summer. 



3. S. Filipendula, Linn. (fig. 303). Dropwort. Stock perennial, 

 the fibrous roots swollen here and there into oblong tubers. Stems 

 erect, 1 to 2 feet high. Leaves chiefly radical or in the lower part of 

 the stem, 3 to 5 inches long, with numerous (above 20) small, oval. 



