Sageretia (after Augustin Sageret, French botanist, 1763-1851). Rhamnaceae. A genus of about 15 species of armed or unarmed often scandent shrubs native to the warmer parts of Asia, in Amer. from N. C. to Mex., with opposite or nearly opposite, entire or serrulate, small, deciduous or persistent lvs. and with minute whitish fls. in terminal or axillary spikes or panicles, followed by small berry-like, mostly purple frs. Fls. perfect, 5-merous; the hooded petals and the stamens not exceeding the sepals; disk cup-shaped, 5-lobed; ovary superior, 2-3-celled with a short 2-3- lobed style: fr. a small globose drupe with 2-3 leathery nutlets.—These plants are little known in cult. S. theezans has been recently intro. by the Dept. of Agric.; according to F. N. Meyer it may be useful as a hedge-plant and its fls. have a delightful fragrance which attracts numerous insects; it is apparently not hardy N., while S. pycnophylla has proved hardy at the Arnold Arboretum. The American S. minutiflora is not recorded as being in cult., but may possibly have been planted in collections in the southern states. The frs. of some species are sweet and edible. Prop, is by seeds and probably by cuttings like berchemia which it resembles in habit and general appearance. S. theezans, Brongn. Spinescent shrub, to 6 ft., with slender spreading branches: lvs. persistent, or subpersistent, short-petioled, ovate or oval, obtusish, subcordate or rounded at the base, minutely serrulate, lustrous above, glabrous or at first slightly villous beneath, 1/3 - 1 in. long: fls. sessile in villous spikes 1/2-l in. long or sometimes longer and forming terminal panicles leafy at the base; sepals slightly pubescent outside: fr. purplish black, about 1/5 in. across. Fls. in autumn; fr. in spring. China. S. pycnophylla, Schneid. Similar to the preceding species: lvs. smaller, 1/3 – 1/2 in. long, rarely nearly 3/4 in. long, sometimes acutish: fls. white, glabrous, in slender glabrous spikes 1/2 - 1 1/2 in. long, usually only 1-4 at the ends of the branchlets. W. China. S. minutiflora, Trel. (S. Michauxii, Brongn.). Spinescent, straggling or trailing shrub: lvs. short-petioled. leathery, ovate to ovate-oblong, acute, serrulate, pubescent while young, glabrous and lustrous at maturity, 1/2 - 1 1/2 in. long: fls. 1/10 in. across, in terminal and axillary slender sometimes panicled spikes: fr. 1/3 in. across, often gibbous, purple. Fls. in autumn: fr. in spring. N. C. to Fla. and Ala.
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