The Viburnums 853 



for ornament on the Pacific coast. It seems to us probable that Sambucus mari- 

 tima Greene, from the coast of California, near San Francisco, is a form of this 

 species with small cymes. 



The New Mexican elder Sambucus neomexicana Wooton, described as arbo- 

 rescent and 3 to 5 meters high, with a trunk up to 10 cm. thick, differs from S. 

 glauca by its narrower, longer leaflets and somewhat puberulent peduncles and 

 foliage; its nearly black glaucous fruit is about 7 mm. in diameter. Further 

 observation may prove it to be a distinct species. 



II. THE VIBURNUMS 



GENUS VIBURNUM LINN^US 



^IBURNUM includes about 100 species of trees and shrubs widely 

 distributed in temperate regions. In addition to the arborescent 

 species, about 15 shrubby ones occur in our area; all have quite showy 

 flowers and their fruits are conspicuous in the autumn. The bark of 

 several is used in medicine and the fruits of some are edible. 



The opposite leaves are simple, entire, toothed or lobed, the stipules, if present, 

 very small. The flowers are arranged in compound cymes, with i or 2 small 

 scales on their pedicels; they are white, sometimes yellowish, seldom pink, those 

 on the outer rays often much larger and neutral; the calyx-tube is top-shaped or 

 obovoid, its short limb 5-toothed or 5-lobed; the wheel-shaped corolla is regular 

 and deeply 5-lobed ; the 5 stamens are inserted on the base of the corolla and ter- 

 minated by oblong anthers which open outwardly; the i- to 3-celled ovary contains 

 a sohtary pendulous ovule in each cavity. The fruit is an ovoid to globose, some- 

 times flattened, usually fleshy drupe, containing a single flattened stone, frequently 

 grooved on one or both sides and containing i compressed seed, with a small 

 embryo and fleshy endosperm. 



The genus was very abimdant in former geological times, many fossil remains 

 being foimd in the Tertiary formations; the species are now especially numerous 

 in northenr and eastern North America and Asia, and are of great value for 

 ornamental planting. 



The generic name applied by Linnasus to these plants is the old Latin one for 

 the type species, Viburnum Tinus Linnaeus, of the Mediterranean region. The 

 species that become trees in our area are all more frequently met with as shrubs. 



Cyme distinctly peduncled. i. V. cassinoides. 



Cyme sessile or very nearly so. 

 Leaves distinctly petioled, toothed. 

 Leaves acuminate, serrate. 2. V. Lentago. 



Leaves obtuse or acute, serrulate. 



Leaves smooth or nearly so; stone oblong. 3. V. prunijolium. 



Leaves more or less red-hairy; stone nearly orbicular. 4. V rufidulum. 



Leaves sessile, or indistinctly petioled, entire or irregularly crenate. 5. V. obovatum. 



