BUCKTHORN FAMILY 



very prominent beneath. They come out of the bud involute, 

 bright green, shining, densely covered with white hairs beneath ; 

 when full grown are smooth, dark green above, paler and some- 

 what downy below. In autumn they fall with little or no change 

 of color. 



Floiucrs. — May, with the leaves. Dioecious, yellowish green, 

 borne on short pedicels, in dense umbellate clusters, usually 

 terminal on short branchlets. The terminal bud that produces 

 the flower cluster also produces a growing shoot which comes 

 out of the centre of the cluster. 



Calyx. — Salver-shaped, four-lobed ; lobes as long as the tube, 

 acute. 



Corolla. — Petals four, minute, reddish brown, inserted on the 

 calyx-tube, alternate with its lobes. 



Stame7is. — Four, inserted with the petals ; anthers white. 



Pistil. — Ovary free, three to four-celled. 



Fruit. — Berry-like drupe, black, shining, nauseous, medicinal ; 

 nutlets two. 



The Common Buckthorn is sometimes found sfi'ow- 

 ing wild in New England and the Middle States. It is 

 a tall erect shrub, whose lower branches are short and 

 stiff, nearly horizontal and often ending in such sharp 

 points that though leafy they are virtually thorns. 



The plant flowers in May, producing abundant 

 clusters of tiny green stars which are followed by 

 shining black berries; these berries were once used 

 medicinally but are now discarded for less violent 

 remedies. 



The juices of all the buckthorns are capable of pro- 

 ducing dyes. The pigment known as Chinese green 

 is obtained by treating the juice of the ripe berries of 

 Rhaiiinus catJiartica and other species with alum and 

 gum arabic. The Avignon berry, which seems to be 

 a name given to the fruit of several species of buck- 



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