Shrubs with simple stipulate leaves, and small regular perigynous greenish or whitish flowers. Stamens opposite the petals, and with them inserted on the margin of a fleshy disk which lines the calyx-tube. Fruit a berry-like drupe, or a pod.

Synopsis Of The Genera

1. Rham nus. Petals minute, or none. Drupe berry-like. Calyx and disk free from the ovary.

2. Ceano'thus. Petals white, long-clawed, hooded. Fruit dry, dehiscent. Calyx and disk adherent to the base of the ovary.

1. Rham'nus

Tourn. Buckthorn. R. alnifo'lia, L'Her. A low erect shrub, not thorny, with oval, acute, serrate leaves, and apetalous flowers. Fruit a 3-seeded berry. - Swamps.

2. Ceano'thus

L. New Jersey Tea. 1. C. America'nus, L. A shrubby plant with downy branches, and ovate, 3-ribbed, serrate leaves. Flowers in white clusters at the summit of the naked flower-branches.

Sepals and petals white, the latter hooded, and with slender claws. Pedicels also white. - Dry hill-sides.

2. C. ova'tus, Desf. (C. ovalis, Bigel.), has the leaves narrowly oval or elliptical-lanceolate, finely serrate, and glabrous or nearly so. The flowers, also, are larger than in No. 1. - South-western Ontario.