29<^ THE CALTROP FAMILY. 



early spring to cover itself with blue blossoms. Even those that are under 

 its skeleton screen of unfolding leaves have a way of peeping out in un- 

 expected places and thus adding to the strangeness of seeing flowers of 

 their hue so abundantly spread through a tree's crown. The almost white 

 bark of the tree reminds us a little of that of the white oak as it separates 

 also into small scales. Comparatively few of us know this beautiful indi- 

 vidual as belonging to our silva, for its area is very limited and even through 

 its range it is not abundant. For this reason its wood while notably hard and 

 heavy and of similar excellent quality has not the commercial importance of 

 the wood from the Bahama Islands, the source of the lignum vitse of com- 

 merce. 



An interesting prostrate herb of the Caltrop family is Tribulus cistoides, 

 caltrop, which makes its home about waste places at Key West, Florida. 

 Here its large, yellow flowers blow open, and are also seen its small, yellow- 

 green leaflets with their soft, silky white under-coating. In cultivation the 

 plant increases greatly in size and attains considerable beauty. 



Kallstrkmia rndxima, greater caltrop, may be mentioned as representing 

 the third genus of this family. At St. Augustine, Florida, for one place, it 

 grows about dooryards, and blossoms in September, or even as early as 

 April. It is a hairy herb and much resembles the preceding plant in habit. 

 Its small flowers also are deep yellow. On a first glance, in fact, if one 

 would exclude the flowers it might suggest some members of the pea family. 



THE RUE FAHILY. 



Riitaccce, 



TreeSj shrubs^ or herbs with heavy see?ited, simple, or compound, 

 alternate or opposite leaves and regular, perfect or imperfect flowers^ their 

 stamens equalling, or double the number of the petals and inserted on the 

 receptacle. 



TOOTHACHE=TREE. SOUTHERN PRICKLY ASH. PEPPER- 

 WOOD. {Plate XC) 

 Xanthoxylum Clava-Hdrculis. 



Bark: at least of the branches l:)eset with numerous prickles, pungent. Leaves: 

 alternate; odd-pinnate with tliorny leaf stalks and from five to seventeen ovate, or 

 lanceolate leaflets, long pointed at the apex and rounded or tapering at the base, 



