484 
DECIDUOUS SHRUBS. 
THE DAPHNE. Daphne. 
Low shrubs, both deciduous and evergreen, growing in shady 
places. 
The Mezereon Pink. Daphne mezerium. — A low, fastigiate, 
deciduous shrub, valued for the earliness of its very bright red 
blossoms, which are formed upon the branches in March and April 
before the leaves appear. They are about a half inch in diameter. 
The berries are red and ripe in September. In a deep loam and 
open exposure it becomes a shrub four to six feet high, and of 
equal breadth. The berries and leaves are both poisonous if eaten. 
There is a white-flowered variety, D. m. flare alba; a purple- 
leaved, D. van Hoiitti ; and an autumn bloomer, D. m, autiunnale. 
The latter blooms in November and December, and has larger 
leaves and a more spreading habit than the common mezereon. 
There are numerous species of Daphne, but no others of known 
value except the Daphne cneoricn., which is mentioned among 
evergreens. 
THE ELDER. Sambucus. 
The Common Elder, S. canadensis . — This is the Canadian 
elder of the English. A large spreading bush from seven to ten 
feet high, and of greater breadth ; with a flattened umbrella-shaped 
top. Its compound leaves are composed of nine leaflets, of a light 
green color, and glossy on the upper surface. The flowers are 
small, white, and in large flat clusters, in July. The fruit, about 
the size of the currant, is bluish-black, good to eat, and excellent 
for wine ; ripe in September. The spreading form, handsome com- 
pound glossy leaves, and showy fruit of our wild elder, sometimes 
make it a shrub of considerable beauty. 
The Black-fruited Elder. S. nigra. — This is the common 
elder of the English, and a native of Europe. It grows as a tree 
rapidly when young, but remains stationary after the tree has at- 
tained twenty or thirty feet in height, and equal breadth. The 
leaves are pinnate, of flve leaflets, smooth, and of a deep green 
9 
