Localities. — In woods and thickets; rare. Bedfordsh. Eversholt; Aspley 
Wood: Rev. C. Abbot. — Cambridgesh. Closes near the Mill at Fulbourn ; 
Gamlingay Park ; and Whitewood : Rev. R. Relhan. — Cumberland ; Ulloek 
Moss, at the foot of Whinside Hill, near Keswick: H. C. Watson, Esq. in 
N. B. G. — Devon; Ilsington, Tavistock, Moreton, Kingsteignton ; and Hay- 
wood, near Exmouth : Rev. J. Jervis. Exwick Wood: Mr. Jacob. Widde- 
combe in the Moor : Rev. A. Neck. Bridford : Rev. P. Welland. Near the 
Schoolmaster Inn, between Barnstaple and Exeter ; and between Barnstaple 
and Ilfracombe: H. C. Watson, Esq. — Essex; About Woodford: Mr. 
Warner. — Kent; In hedges upon Willesboro’ Leas: Rev. G. E. Smith. 
High Rocks: FI. Ton. — Long Bog at Chisehurst ; Keston Common: Fl.Metr. 
— Leicestersh. Near Glenfield: Rev. A. Bloxam. — Middlesex; Caen Wood ; 
Bishop’s Wood ; about Hornsey; White Heath Wood, near Harefield ; and 
on Harefield Common: FI. Metr op. — Norfolk ; Horning: J. Paget, in 
N. B. G. Alder Carrs, Oby, &c. : Hist. Yarm. — Suffolk; Bungay: Mr. 
Stock. — Surrey ; Coulsdon : E. Wood. Wimbledom Common; Norwood: 
FI. Metrop. — Warwicksh. Grafton, Arrow, and Great Aloe: T. Purton, 
Esq. Wood at Smethwick, near Birmingham : Dr. Withering. Woods at 
Hatton: Mr. W. G. Perky. — Westmoreland ; Near Rydal Water: N. B. G. 
— Worcestersh. In Wyre Forest: Mr. E. Lees, in Must. — Yorksh. Lakeby 
Car: J. Ward, in N. B.G. Leeds: Denny, ibid. Near Rotherham : Mag. 
Nat. Hist. Mai ham Cove, and Makershaw Woods: N. J. Winch, Esq. — 
WALES. Denbighsh. Stream sides near Wrexham; and not uncommon in 
moist hedges: Mr. J. E. Bowman, in N. B. G. — SCOTLAND. Ayrshire; 
Cullum Wood, near Auchincruive : Mr. Smith. — IRELAND. County of 
Derry ; in a small Island called the Creagh Bog in Lough Beg : Mr. D. Moore, 
in FI. Hibern. 
Shrub, or small Tree. — Flowers in May. 
Stem from 4 to 10 or 12 feet high, with numerous, alternate, 
leafy, round, smooth branches ; covered with blackish bark. Leaves 
alternate, elliptical, or roundish, pointed, quite entire, smooth, deep 
green, with 10 or 12 parallel transverse nerves. Slipulas minute, 
and, as well as the petioles, downy. Flowers whitish, on simple, 
aggregate, axillary, smooth peduncles. Calyx cup-shaped, with 
5 reflexed segments, between which stand the small petals, and 
opposite to them the very minute stamens, with dark purple anthers. 
Style very short. Stigma capitate, cloven. Berries dark purple, 
each with 2 large seeds. 
This, like most other species of Rhdmnus, is purgative, if taken internally. 
Half an ounce of the inner bark or liber, or a few of the berries, boiled in beer, 
form a brisk cathartic, which is said to be very certain in its action on cattle. 
The berries gathered before they ate ripe dye wool green. The bark dyes yel- 
low ;■ and, with a preparation of iron, black. The flowers are particularly grate- 
ful to bees. Goats devour the leaves voraciously, and sheep will eat them. 
Charcoal prepared from the wood ismuch esteemed in the manufacture of gun- 
powder. 'I lie juice expressed from the berries being boiled down with some gum 
arabic and a little alum, and then poured into bladders to harden, is the colour 
called sap green. JEcidium crassum, Hook. Brit. FI. v. ii. pt. ii. p 373, is 
sometimes parasitic on the leaves of this species; though it is more frequent 
on those of R. Catharticus. 
The Natural Order Rhamne/e, is composed of dicotyledonous shrubs or 
small trees, which are often spiny. Their leaves are simple, alternate, or some- 
times, though rarely, opposite; usually furnished with stipulas. Their flowers 
are small, axillary, or terminal, and usually of a greenish-yellow. They have 
a monosepalous, 4- or 5-cleft calyx, the tube of which adheres to the base of 
the ovary (germenj ; aud the lobes are valvate when in the bud. The corolla, 
which is rarely wanting, consists of 4 or 5 petals, inserted in the mouth of the 
calyx, and alternate with its segments, often scale-like, with a concave or cu- 
cullate limb. The stamens are equal in number to the petals and are opposite 
to them, consequently alternate with the lobes of the calyx. The anthers are 
2-celled. The ovary is sometimes wholly adnale with the calyx, sometimes ad- 
herent only with the base, or as far as the middle, and is 2-, 3-, or 4-celled, 
with 1 erect seed in each cell. The fruit is either fleshy and indehiscent, or 
dry and separating in 3 divisions. The seeds are erect; the albumen fleshy, 
seldom wanting ; the embryo about as long as the seed, with large flat cotyle- 
dons, and a short inferior radicle. 
