i88 



THE BARBERRY FAMILY. 



AMERICAN BARBERRY. 



Berber is Canadaisis. 



i 



Flowers: small; growing in lateral and axillary racemes. Sepals: petal-like; 

 short. Petals: rounded, notched at their apices and imbricated in two rows. 

 Stamens: six; sensitive. Pistil: one. Berries: oval; scarlet; containing few 

 seeds. Leaves: simple; growing thickly on the stems in alternate clusters; oval, 

 or obovate; rounded at the apex and tapering into margined petioles at one base; 

 finely serrate, tipped with a bristle; thick; glabrous. A spreading shrub with red- 

 dish-brown or grey branchlets. 



Through the barberry's range it is found mostly in the 

 Alleghanies, and being the only native representative of eastern 

 America cannot but attract the eye of the flower seeker either 

 by its lusty, fine appearance in the spring, or when in fruit by 

 the wonderful brightness of its berries. They indeed are of a 

 scarlet so lively looking as to predominate 

 all surrounding growth. Until late in the 

 season it holds its leaves, displaying with 

 greater clearness the three pronged and 

 sharp-pointed spines. Often the country 

 people make the berries into a preserve, 

 and prepare as well a yellow dye from the 

 shrub's wood. The barberry that we see so 

 abundantly in cultivation is usually 

 the European species. 



Berber is Canadensis, 



BLUE COHOSH. PAPPOOSE ROOT. 



Caulophylluvi //ia/iclro}(ies. 



FAMILY COLOUR ODOUR RANGE TIME OF BLOOM 



Barberry. GreenisJi yelloiv^ Scentless. Missouri and Soutli Carolina Aprils May. 

 or purple. nortli~iVard. 



Floivers : small; growing in a loose panicle at the summit of the stem. Calyx: 

 with six sepals having three or four short bractlets underneath. Corolla : consist- 

 ing of six petals which are gland-like bodies, hooded and with short claws; much 

 smaller than the sepals, one at the base of each of them. Stamens : six. Pistil: 

 one. Ovary: soon bursting after anthesis by the pressure of the two growing 

 seeds and withering away. Fniit : naked, in pairs, each berry-like seed at the end 

 of its thick seed-stalk, the exterior of the thin, fleshy integument turning blue at 

 maturity. Leaves: one; ternately-compound and large and generally one or two 



