244 FAMILIAR FLOWERS OF FIELD AND GARDEN. 



Black Alder. 



Ilex verticillata. 



clusters, and appear in summer. It is curious to 

 learn that the nightshade is closely related to the 

 potato {S. tuberosum), the eggplant {S. melongena), 

 and the pretty ornamental little shrub called Jeru- 

 salem cherry {S. Pseudo- Capsicum). A comparison 

 of the flowers of these plants will reveal the rela- 

 tionsliip by their similarity. 



Winterbeny, or -A-t the very close of the season of 

 flowers in autumn our attention will 

 be attracted to the brilliant scarlet 

 berries of the black alder which dot its gray stems 

 and cling to them long after 

 the leaves have dropped. The 

 leaves are light green, sharp- 

 pointed, and elliptical in shape, 

 and have a fine-toothed edge ; 

 they are two inches long. The 

 shrub is certainly very decora- 

 tive, and one wishes it were a 

 little more common ; but while 

 it is plentiful in some localities, 

 it is quite absent in others, and 

 disappointing on that account. 

 The smooth winterberry (/. Icevigata) has longer, 

 narrower leaves, shining above, and long - pedun- 

 cled sterile flowers ; the smooth alder {Alnus aer- 

 rulata) must not be confused with either of the 



Black Alder. 



