FLORA OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 227 



6. DODECATHEON L. 



1. Dodecatheon meadia L. Shooting star. 



Moist situations, usually in rich open woods; several localities, Corcoran 'a Woods, 

 Glen Echo, Chevy Chase, and near Dead Run. May. Eastern U. S. 



123. DIOSPYRACEAE. Ebony Family. 



1. DIOSPYROS L. 



1. Diospyros virginiana L. Persimmon. 



Old fields. May; fr. Oct. Eastern U. S. 



124. OIEACEAE. Olive Family. 



The commonly cultivated species are the lilac (Syringa vulgaris I;.); the golden 

 bell (Forsythia suspensa Vahl), a shrub with simple leaves, the yellow 4-parted flowers 

 appearing before the leaves in early spring; and the jasmine or jessamine. The white 

 jasmine, Jasminum officinale L., has pinnate leaves, and white flowers in summer. 

 The yellow jasmine, /. nudifiorum Lindl., has trifoliolate leaves and scattered yellow 

 flowers appearing before the leaves in early spring, the branches drooping or 

 reclining. 



Leaves compound, unequally pinnate; flowers green; fruit linear or oblong, dry, 

 winged 1. FRAXINUS. 



Leaves simple; flowers white; fruit fleshy. 

 Leaves lanceolate or oblong, 2-5 cm. long; corolla small, 4-lobed; fruit a 3-sided 



1-3-seeded berry 2. LIGTJSTRTJM. 



Leaves oblong, oval, or obovate, 7-14 cm. long; corolla cleft to the base into 4 linear 

 lobes 2.5 cm. long; fruit a 1-3-seeded drupe 3. CHIONANTHUS- 



1. FRAXINUS L. Ash. 



Lateral leaflets sessile. Leaflets 3-5 pairs, ovate to oblong-lanceolate, sharply serrate, 

 5-10 cm. long or more, green on both sides; fruit 2.5-4 cm. long, winged all around 



or nearly so 1. F. nigra. 



Lateral leaflets stalked. 

 Branchlets and petioles glabrous. Fruit 2.5-5 cm. long, terete below. 

 Leaflets pale beneath, ovate-lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, glabrous or pubes- 

 cent, entire or serrate; wing of the fruit 2-3 times the length of the body, 



commonly pointed 2. F. americana. 



Leaflets green beneath, oblong-lanceolate, commonly glabrous beneath, often 

 wedge-shaped at the base, serrate; wing of the fruit rarely over twice as long 



as the body, truncate or emarginate 4a. F. pennsylvanica lanceolata. 



Branchlets and petioles pubescent or tomentose. 

 Leaflets pale and pubescent beneath, 7-9, lanceolate, acuminate, commonly 

 entire; fruit 4-6 cm. long, the wing terminal, 2-4 times as long as the body. 



3. F. biltmoreana. 



Leaflets green beneath, 5-9, ovate or oblong-lanceolate, entire or serrulate; fruit 



4-5 cm. long, the wing decurrent on the terete body, rarely twice as long as 



the latter 4. F. pennsylvanica. 



1. Fraxinns nigra Marsh. Black ash. 

 Swamps and along creeks. Apr-May. Northern states, south to Va. 



2. Fraxinus americana L. White ash. 

 Moist woods. Apr .-May. Eastern U. S. 



3. Fraxinus biltmoreana Beadle. Biltmore ash. 

 Low places and along Btreams. Apr -May. Pa. to Ga. (Included in F. pubescens 



by Ward.) 



