When I first found my mom's first cousin on my tree, I was very curious about the name and where it came from. I had found that she was interred at Rome Memorial Park (south), the same place as my dad. I did not search any further until I heard it mentioned on an episode of "The Walton's." I decided to further search this shrub since that is how it was described.
"Habit: evergreen shrub or tree up to 5(10) m tall; trunk with brown bark, flaking and peeling in thin plates.
Leaves: alternate, persistent, simple, petiolate, 8-10 cm long; blade oblanceolate-obovate to sub-elliptic, obtuse or acuminate at the apex, somewhat leathery with finely serrate margins.
Flowers: hermaphrodite, actinomorphic, hypogynous, c. 7 mm long, arranged in hanging terminal panicles; sepals 5, small; corolla 7-10 mm long, gamopetalous, urceolate, ending in 5 small teeth, greenish-white; stamens 10, free, with anthers with two reflex appendices; nectariferous disc at the base; gynoecium syncarpous, 5-carpellate, 5-locular, with a superior ovary.
Fruit: globose berry 1-2.5 cm in diam., reddish or orange, with a rough and finely verrucose surface."
I was so shocked that I could not contain myself until I could get in the yard to search my shrub. Sure enough, to my surprise, I have this very shrub growing at the edge of my yard. It has been here since before 1994. It was about 4' tall at the time of our buying this house in March of 1994. We have cut it down twice since being here because it gets so tall and obstructs the view of the road from our driveway. I have used it many times as decorations at Christmas because of the lovely berries and satiny leaves. Now it will hold a special place in my memory as the daughter of Sampson P. Jones was named for this very tree-shrub.
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