TREES AND SHRUBS 113 



and an unnamed species has recently been found. These may 

 be recognized by their walnut-like leaves, hollow stems, 

 crowded terminal clusters of small yellowish flowers, r.r.d 

 panicles of hairy red berries. They are of little importance 

 from the standpoint of decorative value. Rhus virens is an 

 evergreen shrub 4 to 6 feet high with thick leaflets. It occurs 

 in the dry mountains at the southern end of the State. 



ANACARDIACEAE. Sumac Family 



Shrubs, sometimes small, usually of large size, with acrid 



sap, sometimes poisonous, and polygamous or diaeeious flowers \ 



leaves pinnately 3 to many-foliolate, exstipulate; flowers small and 



usually inconspicuous in crowded clusters, these sometimes large, 



usually small; calyx 3 to 7-cleft; peta's of the same number as the 



calyx lobes; stamens as many or twice as many, inserted at the base 



of a disk; ovary superior, 1-celled 1-ovuled but the styles often 3, 



ultimately becoming a sma'l, dry. drupe-like fruit. 

 Flowers appearing before the leaves, in small 

 crowded clusters. (Divaricately much- 

 branched desert shrubs). 

 Leaves 3-foliolate; flowers yellow tinged with 



red. 1. Schmaltzia. 



Leaves 5 to 9-foliolate; flowers white. 2. Rhoeidium. 



Flowers appearing after the leaves, in their 

 axils or in panicles terminating the stems. 

 Leaves 3-foliolate poisonous: generally under- 



shrubs with slender stems. 3. Toxicondendron. 



Leaves pinnately several to many-foliolate; 

 shrubby plants with thick stems, one 

 species with hard wood. 4. Rhus. 



I. SCHMALTZIA Desv. 

 Widely branching shrubs, the young branches often long- 

 yirgate when grown in wet soil, fi feet hig'h or less, with an equal 

 or greater spread; leaves 3-foliolate, the leaflets cuneate-obovate, 

 erenately and coarsely yeilow. in crowded clusters on very short 

 peduncles on the branches of the previous season, appearing be- 

 fore the leaves; fruit orange scarlet, g!nbose, 4 to 6 mm. in diameter. 



Young stems densely velvety pubescent; leaves 



permanently pubescent. 1. &. einoryi. 



Young stems finely pubescent with short, often 

 aT>pres*=ed hairs, - never velvety; lea Jes 

 glabrate in age. 2.. g. trilobata. 



