172 Ornamental Shrubs. 



has cut-leaved foliage of a somewhat peculiar character, 

 and can be used to advantage in the shrubbery or border. 

 The other, C. purpurea, or purple-leaved hazel, is very 

 ornamental, and worthy of a place in almost any collection. 

 Early in the spring the opening buds expand into large, 

 finely formed leaves that are almost black — nearly if not 

 quite the darkest shade known in vegetation. The effect 

 is then exceedingly striking, as the contrast with surround- 

 ing objects is very marked. A little later on the color 

 changes to a lighter hue, becoming a dull purple, and thus 

 continuing most of the season. The coloring is much the 

 same as that of the darkest purple beech, which entitles it 

 to a position among shrubs such as that tree has secured 

 in the great family of larger growths. It holds its color 

 much longer than does the beech. The shrub grows from 

 four to six feet, and thrives in dry as well as in moist 

 soils. 



SASSAFRAS. 



THE sassafras is a native of the eastern portions of 

 the United States, ranging from Canada to Florida, 

 and adapting itself to these extremes of heat and 

 cold. It constitutes a genus of the order Lauracecs, with but 

 a single species and few or no marked varieties. The name, 

 as given by Linnaeus, and adopted by about every author- 

 ity since his time, is Laurus sassafras, but modern bota- 

 nists now propose to call it Sassafras sassafras, which leads 

 Dr. E. S. Bartin, in the American Journal of Pharmacy, to 

 say that this is " doubtless applied in strict accordance 

 with the new rules for botanical nomenclature ; but whose 



