666 



CORNACLAE. 



VOL. II. 



2. Nyssa biflora Walt. Southern Tupelo. Water Tupelo. Fig. 3193. 



Nyssa biflora Walt. Fl. Car. 253. 1788. 

 Nyssa sylvatica var. biflora Sargent. Sylva 5 : 76. 

 pi. 218. 1893. 



Similar to the preceding species, the base of 

 the trunk much swollen. Leaves mostly smaller 

 and narrower, thicker, oval, oblong or obovate, 

 entire, obtuse, or sometimes acute at the apex, 

 narrowed or rounded at the base, i'-s' long, 

 rarely more than ii' wide, glabrous when mature, 

 sometimes loosely pubescent when young; stami- 

 nate flowers in compound or simple cymes ; pis- 

 tillate flowers only 1-3 together; fruit oval, or 

 subglobose, 3"-6" long, acid ; stone oval or 

 oblong, distinctly flattened and furrowed. 



In swamps and along ponds, New Jersey (accord- 

 ing to Coulter and Evans) ; Maryland to Florida and 

 Louisiana. Swamp-hornbeam. Water-gum. April- 

 May. 







3. Nyssa aquatica L. Large Tupelo. Cotton 

 or Tupelo Gum. Fig. 3194. 



Nyssa aquatica L. Sp. PI. 1058. 1753. 



Nyssa uni flora Wang. Am. 83. pi. 27. f. 57. 1787. 



A large tree, reaching a maximum height of about 

 100 and trunk diameter of 4. Leaves slender- 

 petioled, ovate or oval, angular-dentate, or entire, 

 acute, or acuminate at the apex, rounded, often 

 cordate, or sometimes narrowed at the base, downy- 

 pubescent beneath, especially when young, becoming 

 glabrate on both sides, 3'-io' long; staminate flowers 

 in compound capitate clusters ; pistillate flower larger, 

 solitary ; fruit oval, dark blue when ripe, 8"-i5" 

 long; stone narrowly obovate, flattened, spongy, with 

 several sharp longitudinal ridges. 



In swamps, southern Virginia to Florida, west to Illi- 

 nois, Missouri and Texas. Wood soft, tough, light brown, 

 or nearly white ; weight per cubic foot 29 Ibs. Black or 

 sour gum. Swamp-tupelo or -hornbeam. March-May. 



Series 2. Gamopetalae. 



Petals partly or wholly united, rarely separate or wanting. 



This series is also known as Sympetalae and has been called Monopetalae. The coherence of 

 the petals is sometimes very slight or they are quite separate, as in Clethraceae, Pyrolaceae, some 

 Ericaceae. Primulaceae, Styracaceae, Asclepiadaceae, Oleaceae, Curcurbitaceae and Galax in Dia- 

 pensiaceae. From this condition the coherence varies through all stages to the tubular or funnelform 

 corollas of some Convolvulaceae, Caprifoliaceae and Compositae. In most American species of 

 Fraxinus (Oleaceae) and in Glaux (Primulaceae), there is no corolla. 



Family i. CLETHRACEAE Klotsch, Linnaea 24: 12. 1851. 



WHITE-ALDER FAMILY. 



Shrubs or trees, more or less stellate-canescent, with alternate deciduous 

 serrate or serrulate petioled leaves, in our species, and rather small white frag- 

 rant flowers in terminal, solitary or clustered, narrow usually elongated racemes. 

 Calyx 5-cleft or 5-parted, persistent, the segments imbricated. Petals 5, slightly 

 united at the base, obovate, oblong, or obcordate, imbricated, deciduous. Sta- 

 mens 10 ; filaments slender ; anthers sagittate, inverted in anthesis, the sacs opening 

 by large apical pores; pollen-grains simple. Disk obsolete. Ovary 3-angled or 



