104 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. 



prickles, and small weak thorns, and whose leaves are heart-shaped, 

 and from three to five parted, and the lobes cut, and whose fruit is 

 bristly, small, and disagreeable, is unimportant. Even birds gener- 

 ally give it a wide berth. The " Wild Gooseberry" (i?. Cynosbatt), 

 with pubescent leaves, slender peduncles and spines, and a large 

 berry armed with long bur-like prickles, is no better than the last* 

 In a few localities it is quite abundant. 



Two species of wild currants abound. The " Wild Black Cur- 

 rant" (R. floridum) is remarkable for its large flowers. The leaves 

 are from five to seven-lobed, doubly saw-toothed, and generally 

 sprinkled with resinous dots, slightly heart-shaped, and the racemes 

 are downy, drooping; the fruit is round-ovoid, black and smooth, 

 and in smell and flavor much like the black currant of the garden 

 The Buffalo or Missouri currant also abounds in many localities. It 

 is remarkable for the spicy fragrance of its yellow blossoms, and is 

 often cultivated for ornament. Its fruit is of little or no value. 



Black Haws. 

 Recently the Black Haws (Viburnum Pruni folium} have turned 

 up in Nebraska. They escaped my notice until my attention was 

 directed to them by J. Gillman Esq., of Otoe County. The leaves and 

 fruit have since been sent to me. They arc found in some of the tim- 

 ber belts of Otoe, Cass, and Nemaha counties. Though not specially 

 sought after for its fruit except by birds, its broadly oval leaves, its 

 beautiful form and flowers make it a desirable tree to give variety 

 to cultivated grounds. 



Grapes. 



Two species of grapes, with a great number of hybrids and va- 

 rieties, abound in Nebraska. It is hard to realize without seeing it, 

 with what luxuriance the vine grows in this State. Some of the 

 timber belts are almost impassible from the number and length of 

 the vines, which form a network from tree to tree. Straggling 

 vines are sometimes found far out on the prairies. Where deprived 

 of any other support they creep along the ground and over weeds 

 and grass. The Summer Grape (Vitis aestivalis) can generally be 

 recognized by the downy character of its young leaves, which are 

 smooth when old. They are simple, rounded, heart-shaped, and 

 often variously lobed. The panicles are compound, long, and slen- 

 der. The berries are small, from one-third to one-fourth of an inch in 

 diameter; color black with a bloom, ripe in September and October. 



