EBONY FAMILY. 219- 



1. ILSX, HOLLY. (Ancient Latin name, wliich however belonged rather 

 to an Oak than to Holly.) M. early summer : fruit autumn. 



§ 1 . True Holly, with thick, and rigid evergrern leaves, red berries, and parts 

 of the Jlawers in fours, rarely some in Jives or sixes. 



I. A0[uif61ium, Eukopean Holly, is oceasionally planted, not quite 

 hardy N. ; tree with more glossy and spiny leaves, and brighter red berries than 



I. op^ca, American H. Low grounds from E. New England S. ; tree 

 20° - 40° high, smooth, with gray bark, oval leaves wavy-nuirgined and spiny- 

 toothed. 



I. Dahdoil, Dahoqn H. Shrub or small tree, of low pine-barrens from 

 Eastern Virginia S., a little downy, with obovate or oblong-linear short>petioled 

 leaves sparingly toothed above the middle ; or, var. myrtif6lia, with narrower 

 leaves barely 1' long and mostly entire. 



I. Casslne, Yaupon H. Shrub on the sandy coast S., with oblorig or 

 lance-ovate crenate leaves only 1' long, and flowers in sessile clusters. Leaves 

 used for Yaupon tea. 



§ 2. Prinos, &c, shrubs with deciduous mostli/ thin leaves, and red berries. 

 « Parts of the flower i, 5, rarely 6 : nutlets striate on ihebaclc. 

 I. decidua. Wet grounds S. & W. ; with wedge-oblong or lance-obovatc 

 obtusely serrate leaves downy on the midrib beneath, when old glossy above, 

 and with acute calyx-lobes. 



I. ambigua. Wet grounds S. ; with the thin oval or oblong pointed 

 leaves smooth or smoothish and sharply serrate, and obtuse ciliate calyx-lobes. 



I. ni611is. Shady grounds along the AUeghanies from Penn. S. ; like the 

 last, but soft-downy, and fertile peduncles very short. 



* * Parts of the blossom 6 {or sometimes 5-9) in the fertile, 4-6 in the sterile 

 flowers : nutlets of the berry smooth and even, 



I. verticilli.ta, Common Winterberry or Black Alder. Common 

 in low grounds ; with obovate or wedge-lanceolate serrate leaves (1 J' - 2' long), 

 acute or pointed at both ends, the lower surface often downy, very short-pedun- 

 cled flowers mostly clustered, and very bright scarlet-red berries ripening late in 

 autumn. There is nothing whorled in the leaves or flowers, so that the name 

 is rather misleading. 



I. Isevig^ta, Smooth W. Wet grounds along the coast of New England 

 to Virginia ; has smoother and narrower minutely serrate leaves glossy above, 

 long-peduncled sterile flowers, and larger less bright berries ripening earlier. 



' §3. Inkberry ; shrubs with thickish evergreen leaves glossy above, often blackish- 

 dotted beneath, parts of the flower 6, or rarely 7-9, and with black 

 astringent berries, their nutlets smooth and event 



I. glAbra, Common Inkbebry. Along sandy coast from Mass. S., 2° - 4° 

 high ; with wedge-oblong few-toothed near the apex, flowers several on the 

 sterile, solitary on the fertile peduncles. 



I. cori&cea. Wet soil from Carolina S. ; 4° - 8° high, with larger obovate- 

 oblong or oval leaves entire or with scattered sharp teeth. 



66. EBENACE.aE, EBONY FAMILY. 



Trees, with hard wood, no milky juice, alternate entire leave?, 

 from 2 to 4 times as many stamens as there are lobes to the corolla, 

 several-celled ovary, with a single ovnle hanging in each cell, and 

 berry with large hard-coated seeds. Eepreseuted only by 



1. DIOSPYBOS, PERSIMMON, DATE-PLTJM. (Ancient Greek 

 name.) Flowers polygamous or dioecious, the fertile ones single in axils of 

 ■leaves, the sterile smaller and often clustered. Calyx and corolla ea<;h 4-6- 

 lobed. Stamens about 16 in the sterile, 8 imperfect ones in the fertile flowers, 



