444 



RUTACEAE. 



Vol. II. 



About 150 species, natives of temperate and tropical regions. In addition to the following 2 

 others occur in the Southern States. Type species : Zanthoxylum Clava-Herculis L. 



Flowers in small sessile axillary cymes; calyx none. i. Z . americanum. 



Flowers in large terminal compound cymes ; calyx present. 2. Z, Clava-Herculis, 



I. Zanthoxylum americanum Mill. 



Prickly Ash. Toothache-tree. 



Fig. 2691. 



Xanthoxylum americanum Mill. Gard. Diet. 

 Ed. 8, no. 2. 1768. 



A shrub, or small tree, reaching a maxi- 

 mum height of about 25°, and a trunk 

 diameter of 6'. Leaves alternate, odd- 

 pinnate, pubescent when young, becoming 

 glabrous or nearly so when old ; leaflets 

 3-11, ovate, opposite, dark green above, 

 lighter beneath, nearly sessile, iA'-2' long, 

 crenulate or entire, acutish ; flowers green- 

 ish, about 15" broad, in sessile axillary 

 cymes, borne on the wood of the previous 

 season and appearing before the leaves ; 

 pedicels slender; calyx none; petals' 4 or 5; 

 pistils 2-5; follicles black, ellipsoid, about 

 2" long, on short stipes, 1-2-seeded. 



In woods and thickets, Quebec to Virginia, 

 especially along the mountains, west to western 

 Ontario, South Dakota, Kansas and Nebraska. 

 Wood soft, light brown ; weight per cubic foot 

 35 lbs. Angelica-tree. Suterberry. April-May. 



2. Zanthoxylum Clava-Herculis L. 



Southern Prickly Ash. Sea Ash. 

 Pepper-wood. Fig. 2692. 



Z. Clava-Herculis L. Sp. PI. 270. 1753. 



Z. carolinianitni Lam. Encycl. 2: 39. 1786. 



A small, very prickly tree, with a maxi- 

 mum, height of 45° and trunk diameter of 

 9', the prickles supported on cushions of 

 cork sometimes 8' broad. Leaves alternate, 

 odd-pinnate, glabrous, shining above, dull 

 beneath; leaflets S-19, obliquely ovate, 

 nearly sessile, i2'-3' long, acute, crenulate; 

 flowers greenish-white, in large terminal 

 cymes, appearing before the leaves ; sepals 

 4 or 5 ; petals 4 or 5 ; pistils 2 or 3; fol- 

 licles about 2" long, sessile. 



Along streams, coast of southern Virginia to 

 Florida, west to Texas and Arkansas. Wood 

 light brown ; weight per cubic foot 31 lbs. 

 Hercules'-club. Prickly-yellowwood. Yellow 

 prickly ash. Wild orange. June. 



2. PTELEA L. Sp. PI. 118. 1753. 



Shrubs or small trees, without prickles, the bark bitter. Leaves 3-5-foliolate, with entire 

 or serrulate leaflets. Flowers greenish white, polygamous, corymbose-paniculate. Calyx 

 4-S-parted, the lobes imbricated. Petals 4 or 5, much longer than the calyx, also imbricated. 

 Stamens 4 or 5, ajternate with the petals; filaments hairy on the inner side, present in the 

 pistillate flowers but the anthers abortive or wanting. Ovary flattened, 2-celled (rarely 

 3-celled). Fruit a nearly orbicular samara, 2-winged (rarely 3-winged), indehiscent. Cells 

 l-seeded. Seed oblong-ovoid. [Greek, Elm, from the similarity of the fruits.] 



Three .species, natives ot the United States and Mexico, the following typical. 



