316 TREES OF NORTH AMERICA 



previous season. Leaves entire, sometimes auriculate, persistent or deciduous, often 

 minutely punctate, their numerous primary veins arcuate and more or less united 

 within the margins. Flowers appearing in the American species after the leaves, 

 their stipular spathes thin and memhranaceous; sepals 3, spreading or refiexed; 

 petals 6-12 in series of 3's, concave, erect or spreading; stamens early deciduous, 

 their filaments shorter than tlie 2-celled introrse anthers and terminating in apiculate 

 fleshy connectives; ovary sessile, 1-celled; style short, recurved, stigmatic on the 

 inner face; ovules horizontal. Fruit a scarlet or rusty brown cone formed of the 

 coalescent 2-seeded drupaceous persistent follicles opening on the back; seeds sus- 

 pended at maturity by long thin cords of unrolled spiral vessels; seed-coat thick, 

 drupaceous, the outer portion becoming fleshy and at maturity pulpy, red or scar- 

 let, the inner crustaceous; embryo minute at the base of the fleshy homogeneous 

 albumen, its radicle next the hilum; cotyledons short and spreading. 



Magnolia with about twenty species is confined to eastern North America, south- 

 ern Mexico, and eastern and southern Asia, seven species growing naturally in the 

 United States. All the parts are slightly bitter and aromatic, and the dried flower- 

 buds are sometimes used in medicine. Several species from eastern Asia and their 

 hybrids producing flowers before the appearance of the leaves are favorite garden 

 plants in the United States. 



The genus is named in honor of Pierre Magnol (1638-1715), professor of botany 

 at Montpellier. 



CONSPECTUS OF THE NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES. 



Leaves scattered along the branches ; leaf -buds tomentose or silky-pubescent. 



Leaves persistent; fruit tomentose. 1. M. foetida (C). 



Leaves deciduous or subpersistent ; fruit glabrous. 2. M. glauca (A, C). 



Leaves deciduous. 



Leaves oblong-ovate or subcordate ; flowers small, gren or yellow. 



3. M. acuminata (A, C). 

 Leaves obovate or oblong, cordate at the narrow base ; flowers larg^e and white. 



4. M. macrophylla (C). 

 Leaves crowded at the summit of the flowering branches ; leaf -buds glabrous. 



Leaves oblong-lanceolate, pointed at the ends. 5. M. tripetala (A, C). 



Leaves obovate-spatulate, auriculate at the base. 



Leaves acute ; tips of the mature carpels elongated, nearly straight. 



6. M. Fraseri (A). 

 Leaves mostly abruptly pointed ; tips of the mature carpels short, incurved. 



7. M. pyramidata (C). 



1. Magnolia fcBtida, Sarg. Magnolia. 



Leaves oblong or ovate, coriaceous, bright green and shining above, more or less 

 densely coated below with thick rusty tomentum, 5'-8' long, 2'-3' wide, with promi- 

 nent midribs and primary veins, deciduous in the spring at the end of their second 

 year; their petioles stout, rusty-tomentose, l'-2' long. Flowers on stout hoary- 

 tomentose peduncles ^-1' long, opening from April or May until July or August, 

 fragrant, 7'-8' across, the petaloid sepals and 6 or sometimes 9 or 12 petals abruptly 

 narrowed at the base, oval or ovate, those of the inner ranks often somewhat acu- 

 minate, concave, and coriaceous, 3'-4' long and 1^-2' wide; base of the receptacle 

 and lower part of the filaments bright purple. Fruit ovate or oval, rusty brown, 

 covered while young with thick lustrous white tomentum, at maturity rusty-tomen- 



