RHAMNUS 
42 
times three, a little recurved : stigmas thickened and red. 
Capsule top-shaped, black, bisuloate, sometimes three- 
cornered, and opening with a two-fold or three-fold divi¬ 
sion. Seeds two or three, subtriquetrous, pale. 
4. Rhamnus erythroxylon, or Siberian redwood.—This 
is a shrub, the height of a mail, upright but twisted, stiff 
with few abrupt irregular spreading branches; sometimes 
unarmed, with short branches, sometimes more branched 
with thorns at the end of both branches and branchlets. 
Trunk among the rocks often twisted, covered with a thin 
brown strigose bark. Wood very hard, rigid, of an orange 
red colour, but frequently of a deeper red. Branches 
straight, rigid, alternate, with an ash-coloured brown bark, 
sometimes dichotomous, with thorns even from the 
divisions. Branchlets leafy, unarmed, very short, rugged 
with the scars of leaves, leafy at the end. Leaves very long, 
attenuated into a sort of petiole, smoothish, with very fine 
distant serratures; in the more branching shrub, which has 
the leaves narrower, scarcely visible. Peduncles frequent 
in bundles among the leaves. Male flowers both on a dis¬ 
tinct shrub, and with the females, small, four cleft, with 
the segments sharp and yellowish. Female flowers never on 
the male shrub, similar, greenish: with a superior germ, 
three styles longer than the calyx, filiform, and a subcapi- 
tate stigma. Berry the size of a pea, globular-triconvex, 
sharply umbilicate. Seeds three, large, ovate-oblong, three- 
sided, convex.—Native of Siberia, by the Selenga and col¬ 
lateral rivers of Mongolia, and in the open pine woods in 
warm situations. The Mongols use the wood to make their 
images, on account of its hardness and colour. The berries 
yield a deep yellow dye. 
5. Rhamnus oleoides, or olive-leaved buckthorn.—This is 
an upright shrub, with branches becoming thorny at the end. 
Leaves stiflish, perennial, lanceolate or ovate, blunt, even, 
petioled, paler and netted underneath, having frequently a 
very short point at the end. Flowers axillary, each on a 
pedicel shorter than the leaf. Berry juiceless, with a groove 
on each side, sub-bilobed, two-valved, two-celled, with one 
seed in each cell. Seed oblong, convex, subtriquetrous. 
There are two varieties; one with smaller leaves, ovate or 
ovate-oblong, Lke those of box, the other with linear-lan¬ 
ceolate leaves. 
6. Rhamnus crenulatus, or Teneriffe buckthorn.—Native 
of the island of Teneriffe. 
7. Rhamnus saxatilis, or rock buckthorn.—This species 
bears so much resemblance to the first, that it might be al¬ 
most considered as a variety, were not all the flowers herma¬ 
phrodite, and some trifid, others quadrifid, in equal numbers, 
with stamens corresponding to these divisions. The leaves 
are narrower and much smaller, attenuated to both ends, and 
of an oval form. The principal branches are procumbent. 
The spines are more frequent. The berry is roundish, black, 
and contains three whitish seeds, each inclosed in a dry 
whitish membrane, separating into two parts with elastic 
force. 
8. Rhamnus theezans, or tea buckthorn.—This is a shrub 
or small tree, creeping by runners. Branches round, striated, 
alternate, remote, divaricating at an acute angle. Leaves al¬ 
ternate, petioled, bluntish, very finely and acutely serrate, 
even, alternately veined, at the base of the branchlet often 
opposite. Spikes terminating simple or alternate, in a naked 
panicle. Flowers interruptedly glomerate, sessile, clustered, 
minute. Corolla five-cleft. Stamens five, within the peta- 
loid scale. Style short. Stigma triple. 
The poor in China, where it is a native, make use of the 
leaves instead of the true tea. They call it Tia. 
II.—Unarmed. 
9. Rhamnus sarcomphalus, or bastard lignum-vitse.—This 
tree rises generally to a very considerable height: the trunk 
is often above two feet and a half in diameter, and covered 
with a thick scaly bark. The wood is hard, of a dark colour 
and close grain ; it is looked upon as one of the best timber- 
woods in the island of Jamaica, where it grows naturally in 
many parts. 
10. Rhamnus ferreus.-—Branches round, scattered, smooth, 
with an ash-coloured bark. Leaves petioled, alternate, an 
inch and more in length, very finely nerved and veined, 
quite smooth on both sides, blunt. Umbels axillary on very 
short peduncles. Pedicels smooth, a little longer than the com¬ 
mon peduncle.—Native of the island of Santa Cruz, whence 
it was sent by v. Rohr and West. 
11. Rhamnus laevigatus.—’ Branches round, scattered, 
smooth, with an ash-coloured bark. Leaves petioled, alter¬ 
nate, an inch and half long, quite smooth, paler and yellowish 
at the edge, especially the younger ones, blunt, above scarce¬ 
ly veined, beneath paler, veinless and nerveless. Peduncle* 
two or three together, very short, smooth, one-flowered. 
Flowers smooth. Germ oblong, smooth. Style one, with 
a bifid stigma.—West sent it from the same island. 
12. Rhamnus tetragonus, or square-branched buckthorn. 
—This was found at the Cape of Good Hope by Thunberg. 
13. Rhamnus polifolius.—Branches slender, tomentose 
above, hoary. Leaves petioled, alternate, scarcely an inch 
in length, gradually less and less upw ards, on the upper sur- 
face smooth and somewhat wrinkled, mucronate. Petiole* 
very short, tomentose. Flowers sub-solitary, scarcely pe- 
duncled, ash-coloured, subtrigynous.— Supposed to be a na¬ 
tive of New Zealand. 
14. Rhamnus Valentinus, or Valencia buckthorn.—This is 
a small species, growing in calcareous rocky places, and is 
never upright, but always repent upon the bare rock ; it is very 
branchy, and the branches are tortuous. The bark of a red¬ 
dish brown, smooth, but tuberculated here and there with 
knots and fissures. The leaves on the young branches are 
scattered and approximated, standing on very short foot¬ 
stalks, and are ovate, slightly serrated, bright green above, 
and pale beneath. The flowers are axillary and numerous. 
The calyx is of an herbaceous colour. There is no corolla, 
unless the calyx be so named. The filaments are shorter 
than the calyx, subulate, and whitish: the anthers ovate, 
yellow, and twin. Germ ovate, in the bottom of the calyx; 
styles three.: stigmas thickened.. The fruit is an ovate trigo¬ 
nal capsule, and the seeds, which are three in number, are 
three-sided. 
15. Rhamnus Cubensis, or Cuba buckthorn.—This is a 
small upright tree, seven feet high, branching, and in habit 
approaching near to Viburnum Lantana. Leaves ovate, very 
blunt, tomentose on both sides, petioled, alternate, four inches 
long. The petals, when examined by a magnifier, appear 
ciliate. It has the flower and fruit of the next species; 
and abounds in coppices, on the coast of the island of 
Cuba. 
16. Rhamnus colubrinus, or pubescent rhamnus, or buck-, 
thorn redwood.—This is also an upright tree, withmosfof 
the branches spreading out horizontally. The twigs, petioles, 
peduncles, lower surface of the leaves, and outer surface of 
the calyx are covered with a slight ferruginous nap. Leaves 
oblong-ovate, their upper surfaces smooth and shining,. 
Flowers without scent, all pointing upwards, with greenish 
scales. Calyx five-cleft. Anthers standing out beyond the 
scales. Style single, ending in a trifid stigma. Capsule 
roundish, three-grooved, three-celled, three-valved; the valves 
opening two ways at the top. Seeds, solitary, roundish, 
flatted a little, emarginate, black and very shining. In high 
mountain woods it attains the height of twenty feet, whilst 
in coppices on the coast it is rarely seven feet high, with 
leaves four inches long; whereas in the former, they are half 
a foot in length. The nap in Cuba is silvery, in the other 
islands always ferruginous. In the island of Martinico, the 
French know it by the name of bois coleuvre, or snake- 
wood ; whence the name.—Native of several islands in the 
West Indies. 
17. Rhamnus volubilis, or twining buckthorn.—Stem 
shrubby, twining, rufescent, even. Leaves alternate, quite 
entire, repand, even; on roundish, rufous, inarticulate pe¬ 
tioles.—Native of Carolina. It flowers in June and July. 
18. Rhamnus Dauricus, or Daurian buckthorn.—This is a 
small tree, resembling R. catharticus very much, but taller, 
bushy, with thicker branches, less spreading, and never hav¬ 
ing 
