RHAMNACEAE (BUCKTHORN FAMILY) 149 



A. Posterior sepal spurred ; corolla often spotted. 

 B. Spurred sepals slightly longer than wide; sac at least | as wide as long, abruptly 

 contracted into a spur; corolla with large spots, or rarely unspotted. E. 



I. biflora {spotted touch-me-not) 

 BB. Spurred sepal much longer than wi.le; sac not over J as wide as long, gradually 

 tapering into a spur; corolla unspotted. W. C. 



I. nolitangere (garden touch-me-not) 

 AA. Posterior sepal unspurred, wider than long; corolla pale yellow, unspotted. E. 



I. ecalcarata (spurless touch-me-not) 



PHAMNACEAE (Buckthorn Family) 



Shrubs 0, trees. Leaves simple, alternate or opposite; stipules 

 minute. Flowers small, perfect or imperfect. Calyx 4-5-cleft. 

 Petals none or distinct, each wrapped around a stamen, on the 

 calyx throat. Stamens as many as calyx lobes, alternate with 

 them. Ovary superior or partly inferior; styles more or less united 

 into i; stigmas 2-4. Fruit either fleshy, or dry and the 2-4. carpels 

 at length separating. 



A. Calyx lobes erect or spreading; fruit berry like. RHAMN0S (p. 149) 



AA. Calyx lobes connivent; fruit dry or nearly so. CEANOTHUS (p. 149) 



RHAMNUS (Buckthorn) 



Leaves alternate, pinnately veined, deciduous. Flowers in axillary 

 clusters. Calyx tube urn-shaped. Petals 4-5 or none. Fruit berrylike, 

 oblong or globose, 2-4-seeded. — (Gk. rkamnos = the name of these plants.) 



A. Leaves acute at each end; petals none; seed grooved on the back; plants 1.2 m. 



or less high. E. R. alnUolia 



AA. LeaVes acute at one end or at neither; petals s, small; seed not grooved on the back. 



B. Plant 5 m. or less high; leaves somewhat revolute at margin; carpels 3. E. 



R. califoraica 



BB. Plants 15 m. or less high; leaves not revolute at margin; carpels :;. W. C. E. 



— Bark much used in medicine. R, purshiana (cascaea) 



CEANOTHUS (Redroot) 



Leaves pinnately veined or with several chief veins from the base. Flowers 

 in lateral and terminal clusters. Calyx 5-cleft; lobes deciduous; tube 

 persistent, turbinate or hemispheric. Petals 5, longer than the calyx. 

 Styles 3. Fruit subglobose, 3-lobed, the 3-crustaceous carpels ultimately 

 separating. — (Gk. keanothos = the name of a kind of thistle ; probably 

 transferred on account of the spiny branches of some.) 



A. All of the leaves alternate, with 3 chief veins from the base, glandular-toothed or 



entire; fruit not crested. 



B. Flowers in thyrses; leaves often longer than 30 mm.; branches not strikingly 



rigid, not spiny. 



C. Leaves evergreen, shining above as if varnished, sticky above, with strong 



cinnamon odor; flowers white. W. C. E. C. velutinus (mountain balm) 



