84 CASHEW FAMILY. 



30. MELIACEiE, MELIA FAMILY. 



Trees, chiefly with pinnately compound dotless leaves, stamens 

 twice as many as the petals and united up to or beyond the anthers 

 into a tube, and a several-celled ovary with a single style ; almost 

 all tropical, — represented in Florida and farther south by Swiete- 

 NiA Mahogani, the Mahogany-tree, and by an exotic shade- 

 tree at the South, viz. 



1. MELIA. (Old Greek name of the Ash, transferred to a widely different 

 tree.) Calyx 5 - 6-parted. Petals 5 or 6, linear-spatulate. Filaments united 

 into a cylindrical tube with a 10 - 12-cleft mouth, enclosing as many anthers. 

 Fruit a globose berry-like drupe, with a bony 5-celled stone, and a single seed 

 in each cell. Flowers in large compound panicles. 



M. Az6darach, Pride-of-India or China-tree. A favorite shade- 

 tree at the S., 30° - 40° high, with twice pinnate smooth leaves, ovate and 

 pointed toothed leaflets, of a deep green color, and numerous fragrant lilac-col- 

 ored flowers, in spring, succeeded by the yellowish fruits 



31. ANACARDIACE-ffil, CASHEW FAMILY. 

 Trees or shrubs, with resinous or acid, sometimes poisonous, often 

 colored or milky juice ; alternate leaves without stipules ; small 

 flowers with sepals, petals, and stamens 5 ; and a 1-celled 1-ovuled 

 ovary bearing 3 styles or stigmas, — represented by the genus 



1. RHUS, SUMACH. (Ancient nam"-.) Flowers polygamous or dioe- 

 cious, sometimes perfect, whitish or greenish, in terminal or axillary panicles. 

 Stamens inserted under the edge or between the lobes of a flattened disk in 

 the bottom of the calyx. Fruit a small dry or berry-like drupe, the solitary 

 seed on a curved stalk rising from the bottom of the cell. (The astringent 

 leaves of some species are used for dyeing and tanning, those of E. cokia- 

 RiA in S. Europe for morocco leather. The juice of some Japanese species 

 yield their famous lacquer ; the fruit of another a sort of wax. ) 



§ 1 . Cultivated Jrom Europe, with simple entire leaves : not poisonous. 



R. Cdtiuus, Smoke-tree or Venetian Sumach. Shrub 5° - 9° high, 

 smooth, with obovate leaves on slender petioles, loose panicles of flowers in early 

 summer, followed rarely by little half-heart-shaped fruits : usually most of the 

 flowers are abortive, while their pedicels lengthen, branch, and bear long plumy 

 hairs, making large and light, feathery or cloud-like bunches, either greenish or 

 tinged with red, which are very ornamental. The same or one very like it is 

 wild in Alabama. 



§ 2. Native species, with compound leaves of 3-31 leaflets. 

 * Poisonous to the touch fir most people, the juice resinous : flowers in slender axil< 

 lary panicles, in summer : fruit smooth, white or dun-color. 



R. Toxicodendron, Poison Ivy or Poison Oak. Common in low 

 grounds, climbing by rootlets over rocks, &c., or ascending trees ; leaflets 3, 

 rhombic-ovate, often sinuate or cut-lobed, rather downy beneath. A vile pest. 



R. venenata, Poison Sumach, P. Elder, or P. Dogwood. In swampy 

 ground; shrub 6° -18° high, smooth, with pinnate leaves of 7-13 obovate 

 entire leaflets, and very slender panicles. More virulent than the foregoing. 

 * » Not poisonous : fruit red and beset with reddish hairs, very acid. 



■>- Leaves pinnate : flowers whitish, in large and very compact terminal panicles, 

 m early summer, succeeded by a compact mass of crimson fruit. 



R. tjrphina, Staghorn Sumach. Shrub or tree, on hillsides, &c., 10°- 

 30° high, with resinous-milky juice, brownish-yellow wood, velvety-hairy 



