ENTIRE-LEAVED STYPHONIA. 
5 
cliffs, and steep banks near the sea, around St. Barbara 
and St. Diego, in Upper California. These thickets, filled 
exclusively with this plant and the following, at a distance 
resemble our scrub-oak ; they are equally indicative of a 
barren soil, and are almost impervious, though not exten- 
sive. 
The older stems are smooth and gray, though the young 
leaves and branches are minutely pubescent. The branches 
are brown. The leaves are an inch or more long, three 
times the length of the petioles, and rather prominently 
veined beneath. The flowers are disposed in terminal, few- 
flowered, sessile clusters, upon the short branches of the 
panicle. The sepals and petals are rose-red. Drupes the 
size of a pea, hirsute, dark red. The fruit is similar, in 
most respects, to that of the section Sumac , in the genus 
Rhus , though the inflorescence somewhat resembles that of 
Lobadium , (the fragrant Sumac), it differs, however, from 
both, in the gradual transition of the bractes into petals. 
To this genus, I suggested that the Rhus atra of Forster, 
from New Caledonia, might possibly appertain, but I have 
seen since a flowering specimen of that rare plant, in the 
collections sent home by the American exploring expedi- 
tion, and find it to be more allied to Lithrea. The Rhus 
mollis of Humboldt, Bonpland, and Kunth, appears, judg- 
ing merely from the figure and diagnostic character, to 
belong probably to the present genus. 
We know of no uses to which this plant has been applied, 
but we observed that there exudes from the bark in small 
quantities, a very astringent tasted gum-resin. 
Plate LXXXII. 
A branch of the natural size, a . The berries. 
Vol, nn— 2 
