
ADJACENT TO HORTICULTURAL HALL, 63 

conspicuously bristle-tipped at the apex; the scentless flowers large and deeply 
rose-colored; pods rough glandular hairy, Common in cultivation, but a native 
of the Southern Alleghanies. 
Robinia Pseudacacia, Zinneus. COMMON Locust. Middle-sized tree, 
with yellow, elastic, durable wood which in some of the arts is of great value. 
Leaves smooth, oblong, paler on under than on upper surface ; fragrant flowers 
white or cream-colored. A common native on the rocky sides of our Alle- 
ghanies. 
Robinia viscosa, ]¢n~enat. Small tree, with branchlets and leaf-stalks 
clammy and glandular; flowers scentless, somewhat tinged with rose-color, 
‘in short, compact clusters; pods rough, sticky. Native of Virginia and 
southward. 
Sophora. Trees or shrubs (seldom herbs) with irregular flowers; stamens 
nearly or quite separated; pod not jointed, but often much contracted around 
the seeds; leaves pinnate; flowers cream-colored in 
Sophora Japonica, Zinneus. JAPAN SOPHORA. ‘Tree from Japan, 40 to 
50 feet high, with leaflets (11 to 13 to each leaf) oval, smooth, and acute; 
flowers in somewhat dense clusters. From these flowers a dye used to color 
the dresses of the mandarins is made, and all parts of the tree are reputed 
to possess purgative properties. A species from the Mexican boundary—S. 
secundiflora, Zagasca—produces beans which are known to be intoxicating in 
very small doses and violently poisonous in larger ones. An alkaloid (Sophoria) 
has been discovered in them by Dr. H. C. Wood. 
Wistaria.t Woody climbing vines, with large drooping clusters of con- 
spicuous blue irregular flowers; calyx with shorter teeth on the upper side; 
pod thick, knobby, many-seeded, and opening late. 
Wistaria frutescens, De Candolle. Native along the streams from West 
Virginia to Illinois and southward; side-petals of the flower with a short ear 
on one side at base and an awl-shaped one on the other. 
Wistaria Sinensis, De Candolle. CHINESE WISTARIA. Wing- (or side-) 
petals with a small ear-like appendage on one side of the base only. A taller 
climber and more profuse bloomer than our native species. 
There are other species and a host of varieties in cultivation, but all of less 
note. 
LYTHRACEZ. Loosestrife Family. 
Characterized by the calyx enclosing though not united to the ovary, which 
is I- to 4-celled and many-seeded ; petals and stamens inserted on the calyx, 
the latter lower down; leaves simple, not pellucid dotted; anthers opening 
lengthwise. Not remarkable for any special properties: some of its represent- 
atives are astringent, and one yields the dye “‘ henna” with which the Arabian 
women color their nails pink. 

1 The orthography of this name, as given by Nuttall. who founded the genus, is Wisteria ; 
but, as it is intended to commemorate the late Dr. Caspar Wistar, of Philadelphia, it is 
obvious that the spelling (Wistarfa) above given, and adopted by the best authorities, is the 
better one, 

