278 The Natural History of Botany. 



Cerasus which grows in the Southern States, are said som 

 times to destroy cattle which eat them. But such prepar 

 tions as Laurel-Water, which is distilled from the leaves of 

 European species of the same genus, and is used for flavorin 

 some dishes and liquors, are eminently dangerous. Almond 

 are the product of an Eastern species of Amygdalus, and th 

 two varieties differ greatly in the quantity of the acid which 

 they contain ; the oil of Sweet Almonds being harmless, while 

 that of Bitter Almonds is most deadly. 



The second sub-order is Pome^e, which contains those im- 

 portant fruits, the Apple, the Pear, the Quince, the Medlar, &c 

 These need no further allusion. The characters which are 

 peculiar to this division are : ovaries two to five, cohering with 

 each other, and with the thickened or fleshy calyx tube. Fruit 

 a pome. 



The third sub-order is Rosacea proper, in which the ova- 

 ries are several, distinct, rarely solitary ; and the fruit becomes 

 either follicles, or achenia. To this belong the Roses, the 

 Blackberries, the Strawberry, the Raspberry, the Cinque- 

 foil, &c. 



Order — Myrtace.e. The Myrtle Tribe. 



This order is chiefly remarkable for the aromatic and pun- 

 gent oil, and the astringent principle which make some of its 

 species so valuable as spices. It is well distinguished by these 

 qualities, as well as the structure of its leaves. These, like 

 those of the Orange tribe, are dotted with little receptacles, 

 which contain the aromatic oil, and if bruised, they emit a fra- 

 grant odor. In the Myrtle, as in most of the order, the calyx 

 has five adherent sepals, and the corolla five small petals. The 

 stamens are inserted on the tube of the calyx, and they are 

 sometimes united into bundles. The ovary is three-celled, and 

 the fruit is a berry. 



Cloves are the dried flower-buds of the Caryophyllus aro- 

 maticus, a small tree which is native in many of the Islands 

 of the Indian Ocean, whence it has been introduced into some 

 parts of Asia, and the West Indies. Eugenia Pirnenta pro- 

 duces Pimento or Alspice. The pleasant fruits called the 



