Desfontainea. 35 



DIRCA — Leatherwood. 



TH E popular name for the Dirca palustris is leather- 

 wood. This usually grows in the form of a small 

 tree and to a height of but from three to five 

 feet. It is a native of America and though originally 

 found in moist, peaty soils, can be successfully cultivated 

 under ordinary conditions. The flowers appear early in 

 the season in advance of the foliage. They are yellow 

 with a greenish cast, in terminal bunches, and quite pretty. 

 The leaves are lanceolate in shape, and of a yellowish- 

 green color. The leatherwood is especially interesting 

 from the peculiarities of the thick, porous bark, which is 

 so soft as to yield to the touch like so much putty, though 

 resuming its shape when the pressure is removed. But, 

 while being thus pliant and porous, it has such great strength 

 that a strip half an inch in width is said to be too much 

 for an ordinary man to break. It was formerly used by 

 the Indians for strings to their bows, and for fish-lines. 

 The miniature tree is more valuable as a curiosity than 

 anything else. 



DESFONTAINEA. 



THERE is but one species known in cultivation, 

 D. spinosa, which is a native of South America, 

 having been first discovered on the mountains of 

 Chili, whence it was carried to Europe and received with 

 considerable favor. It belongs to the natural order Lo- 

 ganiacece and in many respects bears close resemblance 

 to certain members of the holly family. The shrub is a 

 low grower, much branched, and in the milder districts 



