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Show 238 The Hi.ftory of P L A N T S. is a roundllh umbilicated drupe : the nut within it is oblong, ~nd ~trp\:lilicated~ an~ contains two' cells, in each of which is a :lingle, oblong kern.el. . . This genus comprehends the Comus of authors, and the V1rga fal1gumea of P1llenius, 1 • Cornus umbel/is involucrum cequantibus. 'lt.Ut Qto~nt~ The Corm.ts, with the umbellce equalling the involucrum. !tan <'!htttl'. Th's :li ecies grows to a large and tall tree, and is much branched, The bad{ b reyi~ Er reddi£h ; the wood white, fol~d, and liard: the leaves are .oblong and ~ d 'fmooth on the furface even at the edges, and full of large nbs ; at th~ e~~~~ity of the branches frand' clufiers. of flowers, fmall? and difpofed in umbels: after thefe come fruits; refembling an ohve, but not fo· thtck;. they are green at firft, and afterwards of a beautiful red, fiaining the hands, when b~·utfed; they are, at fir.ft~ ~f an acerb tafie, but, when quite ripe, o~ an agre~able mixture .of fweet and ~c1d, c. Bauhine calls this, Comus hbrtenfis mas. J. Bauhme, Corn?s fat1va feu domefi1~a: It is a native of Mifnia, Aufrria, and fame other places : It fucceeds very well lll our gardens. 2 . Cornus umbel/is involucra ·multoties longioribus. 3tbt Jfentrtle The Cornus, with umbels many times longer than the in- clo~n t l. volZ?crum. • This fpecies rifes to about four or five feet, and is not n~uch. ?ranched. It's bark is of a dark brown; it's wood white, and very firm and fohd: n.s trunk feldom. ex .. ceeds three q~1arters of an inch in diameter. T.he leaves are two mche.s Ion ~ , an J~ch and a half broad, full of larg~ veins, even at theu edges, and they termmate tn a potnt, The flo~ers are fmall, and of a greenifh-white; they ftand in umbels at the tops of the branches, and are fucceeded by oblong fruits, of the bignefs of a pea, and of a green, colour at firfr, but blackilh, when ripe. This fpecies is frequent in our hedges. The bark of it's younger lhoots is often red, as are alfo many of the leaves, in which cafe it makes a fingular and be~utiful pgure, C. Bauhine calls this, Comus frernina; others, Virga fanguinea. The other fpecies of Comus are, 1. The great, yellow-fruited Cornell, z. The white-fruited, ihort-leaved Cornell. 3· The American Cornell, with corymbof() flowers, and a large, white perianthium: and, 4· The herbaceous Cornus, called by authors Chama;peridyr:P.enum, or th'e Dwarf Honeyfuckle, E U 0 NY MUS. T HE calyx of the Euonymus is a plane perianthium, formed of on~ leaf, divlded into four roundiil1 ancf hollow fegments : the corolla confifi:s of four plane, oval, patent petals, and is larger than the cup : the fiamina are four erect, fubulated filaments, !barter than the corolla, and inferted on the germen : the antherre are didy .. mous ; the germen is acuminated: the fiyle is ihort and fimple: the ftigma is obtuf~. The fruit is a fucculent, coloured capfule, of a quadragonal figure, formed of four valves, terminating in as many points, and forming as many cells; the feeds are fingl~, of an oval figure, and covered with a calyptra. There are fometimes five fiamina, petals, ~c. and fometimes no filaments but the points of the receptacle, 1. Ettonymus foliis oblongo-ovatis. The ob/o11go-oval/eaved Euor1:Ymus. 3tbe ~ptnnlc~ tree. ~his is a ilirub of fix or eight feet high : the bark of the ficm is brown, the wood wh1te and firm, the root large and brachiated. The bark of the young fhoots is green, and for~s four ridges at nea~ly equal difiances, fa that they appear fquare : the leaves ar~ two mches long, of a bn~ht green colour, moderately broad, and terminate in a P?mt, The flowers are very imall and greenifh; the fruit is a very elegant. one, of th~ b1gnefs of a fmall nut~ green at firfr, but of a beaqtiful fcarlet, . when ripe. Thle Thtt Riflory of P L A N T S. ~39 This {pedes is frequent in our hedges. C. ~auhine calls it, ~uonymus vulgaris gra-. nis rubentibus; others, Euonymus Theophra{b, and Tetragonta. 2. Euonymus foliis lato-la71Ceolatis ferratis The Euonymus, with broad, lanceolated, andfirrated leaves. tlttgintan ~ptnbtt~ tttt. This is a mOderately large and very beautiful tree. lt's bark is fmooth, brown on the trunk, and greenifh on the branches : the leaves are of a beautiful green, fmooth . on the furface, and elegantly fer rated .at their edges : the flowers are very fmall, and of a yellowHh-green : the fruit is of the :lize of a large pea, of a beautiful red colour, and verrucofe. It confifis of five capfules, not of four, as that of our Euonymus, and therefore is pentangular : the calyx alfo is divided into five fegments, and the flower has .five petals, and five fiamina. This fpecies is a native of Virginia ; it fiands very well in our gardens. Plukenet calls it, Euonyrnus Virginianus pyracanthre foliis, capfula verrucarum infi:ar exafperata rubente. Gronovius, Euonymus foliis lanceolatis. The other fpecies of Euonymus are, 1. The red-flowered Enonymus, with black fruit. 2. The broad-leaved Euonymus. 3· The African Euonymus, with lucid, fernited leaves; and, 4· The broad-leaved, American Euonymus, with cluftered~ pentagohal, black fruit. T 0 ME X. T HE calyx is a perianthium, formed of a :lingle leaf, of a cylindric lhape, and divided into four fhort fegments at the edge; the corolla con:lifi:s of four petals; the ftamina are four very long filaments: the antherre are fmall; the germen is roundilli, the ftyle is long and £lender, and the frigma is emarginated. Thefe characters are fo difiinctive and obvious, that no farther defcription is neceffary. PTE LEA. T HE calyx of the Ptelea is a fmall perianthium, divided into four parts. The co:: rolla confifis of four petals, of an ovato-lanceolate figure, plane, patent, and larger than the cup : the framina are four fubulated filaments; the anthera~ are roundilh : the germen is orbiculated and compreffed; the ftyle is fhort; the fiigmata are two, and are acute. The fruit is a roundi(h, perpendicular membrane, having a cavity in it's center for the feed, which is :lingle, and of a cylindric figure. The fruit of the Ptelea is extreamly like that of the elm, but all the other .parts of the fruCtification are different. The ftamina, fegments of the cup, &c. are fometimes five infiead of four. Of this genus there is only one known fpecies, called, Frutex ulmi facie) by Dillenius and others. The charaCters render a defcription unneceffary. L U D WI G I A. T. HE talyx of the Ludwigia is a permanent perianthium, fituate on the germen, and formed of a fingle leaf, divided into four lanceolated fegments, patent, and of the length of the corolla : the corolla con:lifis of four plane, patent, equal petals, of an obverfely, cordated figure: the ftamina are four lhort, erect, fubulated filaments: the anthera:! are :limple, oblong, and ereCt: the germen is tetragonal, and cloathed with the bafe of the cup: the fiyle is cylindric, and of the length of the fiamina: the fiigma is obfcurely tetragonal and capitated : the fruit is a quadragonal, Obtufe capfule, furrounded by the cup, and coronated with it at the extremity; it contains four cells, and opens in four places at once : the feeds are numerous 'and fmall. Lud,wigia |