2 2 FLORA. 



lous ; style and stigma one. Fruit a small mostly nearly dry drupe, usually 

 with i oblong seed ; embryo straight ; endosperm fleshy. Only the fol- 

 lowing genus, comprising about 175 species, most abundant in S. Am. 



i. SYMPLOCOS L. 

 Characters of the family. [Greek, connected, referring to the stamens.] 



i. Symplocos tinctoria (L.) L'Her. SWEET-LEAF. HORSE-SUGAR. (I. F. 

 f. 2832.) A shrub or small tree. Leaves oblong or slightly obovate, acute or acu- 

 minate at both ends, crenate-serrate or repand, short-petioled, glabrous or nearly 

 so above and dark green when old, pale and pubescent beneath, 7-15 cm. long; 

 flowers bright yellow, fragrant, 8-12 mm. broad, in sessile scaly-bracted clusters, 

 appearing at the North before the leaves; corolla-segments oblong, obtuse, each 

 bearing a cluster of stamens; drupe nut-like, oblong, 6-12 mm. long, pubescent, 

 crowned with the small calyx-lobes. Woods and thickets, Del. to Fla. and La. 

 March- April. 



Family 4. STYRACACEAE A. DC. 



S tor ax Family. 



Flowers regular, perfect, or rarely polygamo-dioecious, clustered, 

 pubescence mostly stellate. Calyx more or less adnate to the ovary. 

 Corolla gamopetalous or polypetalous, the lobes or petals 4-8. Stamens 

 twice as many as the lobes of the corolla or petals, or more, inserted on 

 its tube or base, arranged in i series, the filaments monadelphous or 4-5- 

 adelphous. Disk none. Ovary partly superior, 2-5-celled; ovules anat- 

 ropous; style slender; stigma simple or 2-5-lobed. Fruit a berry or 

 drupe, or often nearly dry, winged in some genera, i-seeded, or 2-5-celled 

 with a seed in each cavity. Endosperm copious, fleshy ; embryo usually 

 straight; cotyledons flat. About 7 genera and 75 species, mostly tropical. 



Calyx superior, its tube obconic ; fruit 2-4- winged. i. Mohrodendron. 



Calyx nearly inferior, its tube campanulate; fruit globose or oblong. 2. Styrax. 



i. MOHRODENDRON Britton. 



Small trees or shrubs, more or less stellate-pubescent, with denticulate or den- 

 tate leaves, and large white slender-pe dice lied drooping bell-shaped flowers, in 

 lateral fascicles or short racemes, appearing with or before the leaves. Calyx-tube 

 obconic or obpyramidal, 4-5 -ribbed, adnate to the ovary, the limb short, 4- toothed. 

 Corolla campanulate, 4-5 -cleft or 4-5 -parted nearly to the base. Stamens 8-16; 

 filaments flat, more or less monadelphous, slightly adnate to the corolla. Ovary 2-4- 

 celled; ovules about 4 in each cavity, the lower ascending, the upper pendulous. 

 Fruit dry, oblong, 2-4- winged, i-4-celled, tipped with the style and the minute calyx- 

 teeth. [In honor of Chas. Mohr, botanist of the Geological Survey of Alabama.] 

 About 3 species, natives of southeastern N. Am. 



i. Mohrodendron Carolmum (L.) Britton. SILVER-BELL OR SNOW-DROP 

 TREE. (I. F. f. 2833. ) A small tree. Leaves oval, ovate or ovate-oblong, dentic- 

 ulate, acuminate, dark green and glabrous above when old, pale green and stellate- 

 pubescent beneath, 5-15 cm. long; pedicels filiform, 1-4 cm. long; corolla 1-2 cm. 

 long ; ovary 4-celled ; fruit oblong-ellipsoid, 4- winged, 2-4 cm. long. In woods and 

 along streams, Va. to 111., Fla. and Ala. March- April. 



2. STYRAX L. 



Shrubs or small trees, with rather large mostly white drooping flowers, in fas- 

 cicles or leafy racemes. Calyx persistent, nearly inferior, its tube campanulate, 

 adnate to the lower part of the ovary, its limb minutely 5 -toothed. Corolla 5 -parted 

 or 5-divided. Stamens twice as many as the corolla-lobes or petals (rarely fewer); 

 filaments flat, monadelphous below or rarely separate. Ovary nearly superior, 

 mostly 3-celled at the base; ovules several in each cavity, ascending; stigma 3- 

 toothed, 3-lobed or capitate. Fruit nearly dry, coriaceous or crustaceous, com., 



