KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



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studying it. We find in the hawthorn all 

 the four circles of parts belonging to the 

 flower ; the sepals and petals, each five in 

 number, the stamens numerous, and the 

 carpels from one to three. The sepals 

 cohere in the lower portion, and the united 

 part is lined by the torus, or common base 

 of the petals and stamens, so that these parts 

 seem to grow out of the calyx. The carpels, 

 which are uncertain in number — only one 

 being often found, frequently two, and 

 occasionally three — are enclosed by the co- 

 hering Kepals which adhere upon them, pro- 

 ducing an inferior fruit. They become hard 

 and bony, forming the stone of the haw. 

 The stamens are twenty in number, being 

 five complete circles pressed closely together ; 

 the awl-shaped filaments bent inwards, the 

 roundish two-lobed anthers at first pink, 

 but growing nearly black before the flower 

 fades. The fruit is mealy and insipid ; dark 

 red, or occasionally yellow. 



The tree is hard- wooded, the branches 

 having lateral, sharp thorns. The leaves 

 are smooth, dark green,wedge-shaped below, 

 three or five-lobed, and cut above ; the 

 stipules or auxiliary leaves crescent-shaped, 

 cut. The flowers are corymbose, on smooth 

 stalks, white, with a pinkish cast when 

 fading ; produced in great abundance. The 

 botanical name now generally received is 

 Crataegus oiyacantha. Oxyacantha is a name 

 used by Theophrastus and Dioscorides for 

 some plant of the kind, it is now believed 

 for the Crataegus Pyracantha (a well-known 

 shrub commonly trained on walls), but which 

 by the earlier modern botanists was supposed 

 to apply to the hawthorn ; hence Linnaeus 

 adopted it as a specific name. Crataegus is 

 also an ancient name found in Theophrastus. 

 It is explained as referring to the strength 

 of the wood of the plant which bore it ; but 

 perhaps the more probable interpretation is 

 goafs head, from some fanciful resemblance 

 which we could not now undertake to justify. 

 It is probable the name belonged to a kind of 

 thorn- tree, and it was adopted by Linnreus 

 as a generic name for a family nearly allied 

 to the apple and pear, and which includes 

 the hawthorn. All those plants which have 

 the five sepals united into a tube, embracing 

 and adhering to the carpels, which do not 

 exceed five in number — the common basis of 

 the stamens and petals spreading over the 

 calyx beyond its union with the carpels, and 

 usually appearing as a fleshy disk, form the 

 border of which five petals and about twenty 

 stamens grow, the plants being shrubs or 

 trees not unfrequently thorny — form the 

 natural order of Pomacea, by many regarded 

 only as a section of Rosacea, to which it is 

 closely allied. The distinctions of the 

 genera are chiefly founded on the fruit. 

 Crataegus has the carpels indurated, closely 



pressed together, completely imbedded in 

 the calyx tube and concealed by it, the whole 

 forming an oval berry. The species, which 

 are numerous, are pretty constantly thorny. 

 Mespilus, the medlar, is known by the five 

 indurated carpels being imperfectly covered 

 by the calyx, producing a top-shaped fruit, 

 the flat open summit being bordered by the 

 remains of the sepals. 



Pyrus, the apple, pear, and service, has 

 the carpels (five in number) cartilaginous, 

 instead of indurated, completely enclosed 

 in the calyx tube, and each producing not 

 more than two seeds, whose covering is also 

 cartilaginous ; whilst Cydonia, the quince, 

 has the carpels, which in other respects 

 resemble those of Pyrus, many-seeded, each 

 seed being covered by a mucilaginous pulp. 

 We have here only contrasted a few of the 

 principal genera of Pomacese, of which the 

 distinctions may be readily understood. It 

 will be seen at once how the various sorts of 

 thorn trees, of which many are seen in our 

 shrubberies, are known from the medlars ; 

 why the genus Pyrus, as botanically defined, 

 includes the service-tree and the mountain- 

 ash, as well as the apple and pear ; and why 

 the beautiful early -flowering tree, whose 

 crimson blossoms adorn our walls, and which 

 has been introduced from Japan, is rightly 

 named Cydonia Japonica, not, as it is 

 vulgarly called, Pyrus Japonica. As its 

 fruit often grows to a good size, it is easy 

 for any one to observe for himself that the 

 plant is a true quince. Indeed, the fruit may 

 be ripened with a little care, and might be 

 used as a substitute for the quince. The 

 mountain- ash being so nearly allied to the 

 apple as to be usually placed in the same 

 genus with it, those who are acquainted 

 with this fact will be prepared to dismiss 

 the common notion, which is but a vulgar 

 error, of its berries being poisonous. It has 

 originated, Avithout doubt, from ignorantly 

 classing them with other red berries which 

 are poisonous ; but there is no fruit of the 

 pomaceous tribe which is pernicious. Some 

 are insipid and worthless ; even the wild 

 apple, known as the crab, is too austere to 

 be agreeable. The acid of the mountain ash 

 is mingled with bitter and is not very pleasant 

 to most people ; but it is often found refresh- 

 ing, and in Scotland the berries are deemed 

 worthy of being made into a conserve. 

 Common plants which are really dangerous 

 ought to be familiarly known, that they may 

 be eradicated where it is possible, and that 

 children may be put on their guard against 

 them ; but prejudices against harmless plants 

 ought to be removed. We might almost as 

 well imagine the haw poisonous as the 

 mountain-ash berry. Neither poss>- 

 much value as a fruit, but they at least need 

 excite no apprehension. 



