Xx. 2. THE AMERICAN NETTLE TREE. 307 
spread horizontally. The trunk is covered with a grayish and 
rough bark. It seldom extends to a considerable height, with- 
out throwing out numerous, slender branches. The ultimate 
branchlets are extremely slender, downy when young, and cov- 
ered with a reddish brown bark. The leaves, commonly from 
one and a half to three inches long, and from one to two broad, 
vary much on the fruit-bearing and on the vigorously growing 
limbs. On the latter, they are large, rather thick, broad and 
conspicuously serrate ; on the former, they are smaller and more 
delicately shaped, more sharply serrate, and have a much longer 
acumination. On both, they aredowny when young, andrough 
on both surfaces, but afterwards become nearly smooth. They 
are ovate in their general outline, acute, rounded, or obtuse, 
and sometimes slightly heart-shaped at base, commonly une- 
qual-sided, but sometimes equal-sided ; very irregularly dentate 
or serrate about the middle, and end in a long, taper, entire 
point. They are borne on slender footstalks, which continue 
slightly hairy till late in the season. The leaves are of a dark 
green, which turms to a bright yellow in autumn, when they 
fall nearly all together. 
The flowers come out very early, on long footstalks, from 
one to three in the axils of the leaves. They have a calyx of 
five, or sometimes six divisions, with five or six stamens. The 
lower flowers have usually stamens only, and are barren; the 
upper, solitary flowers have also an ovary which becomes a 
fruit. This is sweet to the taste, about the size of a wild cher- 
ry, has a large stone, and, when perfectly ripe, is of a dark pur- 
ple color. ‘The tree might be described to one who wished to 
be able to recognize it, asan elm, bearing purple, sweet cherries, 
which continued on the stem through the winter. 
Douglas says that this tree is found on the rocky banks of 
the Columbia River in places so dry that no other tree can 
grow there. Michaux had never observed it northward of the 
Connecticut River. I have found it, never in great numbers, 
in almost every county in the State. It was pointed out to me 
at Savin Hill, by Dr. Bigelow, and in Dorchester by Dr. Harris. 
It is almost every where so rare, that its name is unknown, and 
it might well be called, as it was by the French in Illinois, Bows 
