STUDIES OF TREES IN WINTER 



country roads, and in parks and gardens. It 

 was first brought to the United States by Mr. 

 William Hamilton in 1784. 



The family Araliacecs, well known by its 

 herb members, the ginseng and wild sarsapa- 

 rilla, has one tree-like representative, — the 

 aralia. 



Angelica Tree; ^. '^'''''^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^' ^ ^^ 2>^ M 

 Hercules' Club high. Coarse, stout stons, cov- 



Aralia^tmosa ^^^^ ^-^J^ ^^^.^^ prukks. TJu 



alternate leaf-scars are narrow and project from 

 the stem and almost encircle it. The bicndle-scars 

 are near together and conspictious. The buds 

 are covered with loose scales and are stJiall for 

 the size of the stems. The white pith in the 

 stems is conspicuous when they are cut. 



Among all trees and shrubs the aralia is 

 unique in winter. Its stout, club-like stems, 

 thickly beset with prickles, are so large they 

 never fail to attract attention, and whatever 

 lack of beauty there may be is overlooked 

 owing to their grotesque aspect. In our North- 

 ern gardens it is only a shrub, but it invariably 

 arouses curiosity and seems to compel atten- 

 tion more than trees three times its size. 



The bark of the root and the berries are oc- 

 casionally used in medicine as a stimulant. 



i6i 



