CHAP, xxxii. staphylea'ce^.. staphyle^a. 



493 



According to Dumont, the leaves, and more especially the berries, are a 

 deadly poison, both to man and animals. The leaves have been employed 

 in France to adulterate senna leaves, and have produced fatal conse- 

 quences. It is stated by Fee, that several soldiers of the French army in 

 Catalonia became stupified by eating the berries, and three of them died in 

 consequence. The shoots of this plant very frequently die down to the 

 ground ; so that it is never to be seen, in Britain at least, with shoots of 

 above 3 or 4 years' growth ; but it sends up shoots from its roots freel)'^ 

 every year; and these shoots are sometimes 3ft. or 4ft. in length. 



^ 2. C. nepale'nsis Wall. PL As. Rar., t. 289., The Nepal Coriaria, 



grows in Nepal at heights of from 5000 ft. to 7000 ft., and is applied to the same purposes as C. myx- 

 tifblia; but what is remarkable is, the berries are eaten by the inhabitants. 



3. C. microphy'lla Poir., The small-leaved Coriaria, 



from Peru; synon. C. sarmentbsa Forst, from New Zealand, introduced in 1823; and some other 

 Mexican and Peruvian species not yet in the country, may, probably, be found half-hardy; because, 

 as the great body of the plant is under ground, it may be protected by leaves or litter during winter : 

 eveiiif the top should die down every year, like that of a herbaceous plant, shoots may spring up 

 again from the root every spring. 



CHAP. XXXII. 



OF THE HARDY LIGNEOUS PLANTS OF THE ORDER STAPH YLEA^CEiE. 



Genus 1. 



STAPHYLE^A The ^'TxvnY-L^A, or Bladber-nut Tree. Lin. Syst. 

 Fentandria Di-Trigynia, 



Identification. Lin. Gen. No. 374. ; Dec. Prod., 2. p. 2. ; Don's Mill.', 2. p. 2. 

 Synonymes. Staphylodfendron Tourn. ; Staphilier, faux Pistachier, Fr. ; Pirapernuss, Ger. 

 Derivation. Abridged from Staphylodendron, its name before the days of Linnseus, derived from 



staphule, a bunch or cluster, and dendron, a tree; the flowers and fruits being disposed in clusters, 



and the plant being ligneous. 



Gen. Char., Sfc. Calyx of 5 coloured sepals, connected at the base, in aesti- 

 vation imbricate. Petals 5, in aestivation imbricate. Stamens 5, perigynous, 

 alternate with the petals, and opposite the sepals. A large urceolate disk, 

 or nectary, within the corolla. Ovarium 2- or 3-celled, superior. Fruit 

 membraneous. Seeds with a bony testa, and a large truncate hihim. Leaves 

 opposite, pinnate, with both common and partial stipules. Flowers in 

 terminal stalked racemes. {Lhidley, hiirod. to N. S.; from the character of 

 the order.) 



S6 1. S. TRiFO^LiA L. The three-lea^eted-\ea\ed Staphylea, or Bladder-nut 



Tree. 



Identification. Lin. Sp., 386 ; Dec. Prod., 2. p. 2. ; Don's Mill, 2. p.'S. 

 Synonymes. Staphilier a Feuilles ternfees, Fr. ; Virginische Pimpernuss, Ger. 



Engravings. Schmidt Baum., t. 81. ; N. Du Ham., vi. 1. 12. ; Hayne Abbild., t. 36. ; Krauss, 1. 109. : 

 E. of PI., No. 3823. ; and our fig. 161. in flower, and fig. 162. in fruit. 



Spec. Char., S)-c. The leaf of 3 leaflets, which are ovate, acuminate, 

 regularly sawed, and, when young, pubescent ; the style smooth ; the 

 capsule bladdery, (Dec. Prod., ii. p. 2.) A deciduous shrub, a native of 

 North America, and foimd from New York to Carolina, on rocks. It was 

 introduced in 1640, and produces its whitish flowers in May and June. 



* LL 8 



