CHAPTER XLVII: THE BURNING BUSH 



Family Celastrace^ 



Evonymus atropurpureus, J acq. — ^This dainty little American 

 tree skirts the edges of deep woods from western New York to 

 Montana, and south to Florida and Arkansas. The foliage is 

 not noticeable, and the tree might be mistaken for a wild plum, 

 except for its fluted ash-grey bark. The close observer will 

 see that the leaves are opposite. The flowers in their axillary 

 clusters spread flat their four purple petals to support a square 

 platform that bears the stamens and pistils. They are suc- 

 ceeded by equally strange-looking fruits. Four flattish lobes, 

 deeply separated, turn to pale purple as they reach full size. 

 The whole fruit is one-half inch across in October. The purple 

 husk parts and reveals the seed, enveloped in a scarlet outer 

 coat that fits it loosely. The delicate pale lining of the purple 

 envelope makes harmony between the two stronger colours, 

 and the plum-coloured twigs and yellow leaves contribute to make 

 this indeed a burning bush, that glows brighter as the advancing 

 winter opens all the husks and displays the scarlet seeds. No 

 brighter dash of colour can be added to gardens or shrubbery 

 borders than this tree, which shows its beauty chiefly in the 

 dead of winter. It does not require botanical knowledge to 

 recognise that the climbing false bittersweet, Celastrus scandens, 

 is a very near relative. 



The European Evonymus is called spindle tree, for its wood 

 has long been used in making spindles, knitting needles, and 

 other small articles requiring hard, close-textured wood. Tooth- 

 picks and skewers are made of it, and the English often call the 

 tree prickwood for this reason. Our species is locally known 

 as the wahoo. Chinese and Japanese species are now planted in 

 American gardens, both tree forms and some notably valuable 

 shrubbery and climbing species. Two other members of the 

 same family are found in America. 



Gyminda Grisebachii, Sarg., is a relative of the wahoo which 



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