136 
ON  SOUTHERN  PRICKLY  ASH  BARK. 
ous  sizes,  the  largest  being  as  big  as  walnuts.  The  smaller 
branches  are  beset  with  prickles  only." 
The  only  species  with  which  this  may  be  confounded  is  the 
"  Z.  Clava-Herculis,"  a  native  of  the  West  India  Islands. 
Hans  Sloane  (Yoyage  to  the  Islands  of  Madeira,  &c,  and  Ja- 
maica, vol.  ii.  p.  28,)  under  "xxii.  Evonymo  affinis  Arbor  Spi- 
noso,"  &c,  describes  this  species  as  "one  of  the  largest  and 
tallest  trees  in  the  Island,"  (Jamaica.) 
"  It  has  a  gray  and  whitish  colored  bark,  smooth  only  here 
and  there  along  the  trunk,  having  long  obtuse  prickles  like 
cocks'  combs  ;  the  branches  are  forty  and  more  feet  in  height, 
and  are  all  beset  with  short  crooked  prickles." 
James  Macfadyen  (The  Flora  of  Jamaica)  gives,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  size  of  the  tree,  a  similar  description, — "  stem 
erect,  armed  with  numerous,  strong  thick  spines  or  prickles  ; 
branches  spreading,  thorny."  From  these  accounts  there  are 
no  means  of  distinguishing  the  two  species  in  the  absence  of 
the  leaves  ;  and  as  these,  from  the  branches  being  collected  in 
January,  did  not  accompany  the  specimen,  it  is  necessary  to 
seek  further  for  distinguishing  marks.  In  the  "  Plistoire  Na- 
turelle  des  Yegetaux,  par  M.  Edouard  Spach,  vol.  ii.  p.  365, 
these  two  species  are  described  as  follows : 
"  Z.  Clava-Herculis.  Aiguillons  courts,  geminees,  enlargis  a 
la  base. 
"  Z.  tricarpum,  Mich.  Catesby,  t.  26.  Branches  elatees  ar- 
mies des  nombreux  aiguillons  tres-pointus,  fortement  dilates 
a  la  base,  atteignant  quelques  fois  ur.e  pouce  de  diametre." 
Dr.  Julius  Martigny  and  also  Mr.  J.  Dyson  Perrins,  speaking 
of  the  bark  of  Clava-Herculis,  describe  it  as  peculiar  from  its 
highly  laminated  structure,  splitting  up  like  bast.  We  have 
here  then  two  characters  in  Clava-Herculis  not  to  be  found 
in  Carolinianum,  viz.,  "  aiguillons  geminees,"  and  a  bast-like 
structure  of  the  bark ;  and  if  we  have  in  addition  the  locality 
from  which  the  bark  has  been  derived,  a  correct  opinion  of  the 
botanical  source  may  be  formed,  there  being  no  evidence  that 
Clava-Herculis  is  a  native  of  the  continent,  or  Carolinianum  of 
the  islands.    In  relation  to  Clava-Herculis,  Elliot  expressly 
