l*he Natural System of Botany. 273 



f any use. One of the most peculiar of the American species, 

 is the Bladder Nut, Staphyha trifolia. This is a shrub, of six 

 r eight feet high ; the flowers are white, in a drooping raceme; 

 the capsules are remarkable, being large, and inflated, and the 

 seeds are very hard. The Spindle-tree, Enonymus, and the 

 Staff-tree, Celastrits scandens, a climbing shrub whose scarlet 

 arih or seed envelope, is so conspicuous through the winter, are 

 other not uncommon members of this order. They all have 

 four or five sepals, united at the base, and the same number 

 of alternate petals, and perigynous stamens. The ovary is 

 superior, composed of several adherent carpels, and immersed 

 in a large fleshy disk. The fruit is either a capsule or a berry. 



Rhamnace^e. The Buck-Thorn Tribe. 



This order in some respects much resembles the last, but is 

 readily distinguished by the position of the stamens, which al- 

 ternate with the sepals, instead of with the petals. The calyx 

 also is valvate, instead of imbricate. The ovary is partly en- 

 veloped in the disk, the fruit is a capsule, berry, or drupe, and 

 the seeds have no aril. The species of this order are distrib- 

 uted over nearly all the temperate and warm regions of the 

 earth. They are generally shrubs or small trees, and many 

 of them possess spines, like the common Buck-thorn. The 

 inner bark and fruit of most of the order are purgative, and 

 some are also emetic and astringent. A well known medicine, 

 (at present however fallen into disuse,) Syrup of Buck-thorn, 

 is made from the fruit of one species, which also affords a val- 

 uable coloring matter. The fruit of an Asian species, Zizyphus 

 Jujuba, affords a gummy matter, which is a favorite dessert in 

 Italy and Spain, and under the name of Jujube paste is much 

 used in this country, as a remedy for coughs. The leaves of 

 Ccanothus Americana, (the genus is peculiar to this country,) 

 were used as tea during a certain period of the war of the 

 Revolution, whence the shrub is commonly called Jersey Tea. 



Order — Leguminosje. The Pea Tribe. 



This is a very extensive and important order. It comprises 

 some of the most interesting, and useful of all plants. Some 



