DIR'CA PALUS'TRIS. 
MARSH LEATHER- WOOD. 
Class. Order. 
OCTAN DRIA . MONOGYNIA. 
Natural Order. 
TI1YMELACE*. 
Native of 
Height. 
Flowers in 
Habit. 
Introduced 
Virginia. 
4 feet. 
March, April. 
Shrub. 
in 1750. 
No. 804. 
The name of this genus, which contains but the 
single plant now under notice, has an allusion to 
the same circumstance as the specific term. Dir- 
ca, from the Greek, signifying a fountain, and 
palustris, a marsh, both indicate the habitat of the 
plant, as belonging to watery places. 
The shrub has been called Leather-wood by the 
natives of Canada, where it is a useful material, the 
twigs being remarkable for their toughness, and 
are employed in the manufacture of various small 
articles; and of the bark are made ropes, baskets, 
&c. it being rptite as strong and pliable as that of 
our lime tree. 
The Dirca, although growing but a few feet high 
assumes the habit of a small tree, and is scarce in 
our gardens and shrubberies. Its flowers are small, 
but they appear early in the season, and are ren- 
dered more conspicuous by the pale green scales 
of the buds by which they are surrounded. These, 
for a time, seem to act the part of leaves, which 
cannot be immediately available to the uses of the 
plant, inasmuch as the bud of the young shoot is 
contained in the bud of the inflorescence. 
