194 ECONOMIC BOTANY OF ALABAMA 



ROSACEAE. Rose Family. 



This is a large family in temperate regions, with about 05 

 genera and 1.000 species, and includes a great many ornamental 

 and useful plants, es])ecially fruits of many kinds. Most lOth 

 century botanists included in it the apples and plums and their 

 relatives ; but although those are very similar in floral characters 

 to the typical Rosaceae, they differ so much in fruit that it seems 

 best to jnit them in separate families. All our representatives of 

 the rose family proper are herbs and shrubs, while those of the 

 apple and plum families are mostly trees. 



OPULASTER, Medicus. {Xcillia. Don; Physocarpiis, Raf.) 

 (Nine-bark.) 



Aledium-sized deciduous shrubs, with white flowers in clus- 

 ters near the ends of the branches, in spring. Occasionally culti- 

 vated for ornament. 



The Alabama s])ecimens have been variously referred to 

 OpuJastcr opuUf alius (L.) Kuntze, O. Alabamciisis and 0. iiitcr- 

 Jiicdiits Rydb., and PJiysocarpiis stcUatiis (Rydb.) Rehder ; but 

 they are probably all much alike, and they are also rare. Treating 

 the whole aggregate as one sj)ecies, its known distribution in Ala- 

 bama is as follows : 



lA. Rocky banks of Cypress Creek near Florence (M. C. Wilson). 

 3. \'allevs near Sanford Springs, Cherokee Countv. ( H. E. Wheeler, 

 June. 1926.) 



3. Wright's Mill, Lee County (F. S. Earle). 



SPIRAEA, Linnaeus. ( Brid.\l Wreath, Meadow Sv.eet, etc.) 



Spiraea corymbosa, Raf. 



A small deciduous shrub, with white flowers in late spring. 

 Found on the lanks of Cypress Creek near Florence by Prof. 

 Wilson. 



NEVIUSIA, Gray. (Only one species). 



Neviusia Alabamensis, Gray. (Too rare to have a common 



name.) 



(Figs. 52, 53) 



A deciduous shrub with many slender recurving stems and 

 white fknvers with many stamens and no petals, in March. Takes 



