About 230 species in 12 genera, world-wide in distribution. 



1. Magnolia L. Magnolia 



Characters of the family. About 80 species, mostly Asiatic. 



1. Magnolia virginiana L. Swamp bay, sweet bay. Fig. 466. 



A slender semievergreen tree to 20 m. tall, with a trunk to 15 cm. in diameter 

 or rarely shrubby and deciduous; branchlets slender, bright-green and hoary- 

 pubescent when they first appear, usually soon glabrous; buds pubescent; leaves 

 elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, 10-15 cm. long, to 6 cm. wide, acute or obtuse at 

 apex, broadly cuneate or sometimes rounded at base, pale or whitish on lower 

 surface and silky-pubescent at first; petioles slender, 1-2 cm. long; silky-pubescent 

 to glabrous; flowers subglobose, 5-7 cm. across, white, fragrant of lemon, on 

 slender peduncles; sepals thinner and shorter than the petals, spreading; petals 9 

 to 12, obovate, obtuse to acutish, 3-6 cm. long, concave; fruit ellipsoid, 4-5 cm. 

 long, about 12 mm. thick, dark-red, glabrous; seeds red, obovoid, flattened, about 

 7 mm. long. M. glauca L. 



In swamps, low woods, along boggy streams and on seepage slopes in e. Tex., 

 Apr.-June; from Mass., s. to Fla. and Tex. 



Those plants in our region that have young branchlets and petioles more or 

 less persistently densely silky pubescent, and tomentose pedicels, are referable to 

 var. australis Sarg. 



Fam. 63 Lauraceae Juss. Laurel Family 



Aromatic trees or occasionally shrubs with alternate simple persistent or decidu- 

 ous leaves, or sometimes twining parasitic vines with greatly reduced scalelike 

 leaves, without stipules; flowers small, clustered, greenish or yellowish, without 

 petals; calyx of 4 to 6 sepals that are imbricate and free from the ovary, mostly 

 fewer than the stamens; stamens basically 12, in 4 series of 3 each, any one or 

 more series reduced to staminodia or altogether lacking; anthers 2- or 4-celled, 

 opening by 2 or 4 uplifted valves; ovary 1 -celled, the ovule solitary and pendulous; 

 style simple; fruit a 1 -seeded berry or drupe; seeds anatropous, suspended. 



A family of more than 2,000 species in about 32 genera, chiefly tropical and 

 subtropical. 



1. Tree to 20 m. tall; leaves broad and coriaceous 1. Persea 



1. Parasitic orange to green twining viny herb with leaves reduced to scales 



2. Cassytha 



1. Persea Mill. 



About 150 species primarily of tropical America, of which the avocado (P. 

 americana Mill.) is best known. 



1. Persea Borbonia (L.) Spreng. Red Bay. Fig. 467. 



Tree to 20 m. tall or more, with ascending branches and densely rusty-tomentose 

 to thinly puberulent or sometimes glabrous twigs; leaves alternate, entire, coria- 

 ceous, lanceolate to elliptic or elliptic-oblanceolate, tapering into the petiole (to 

 25 mm. long), broadly rounded to abruptly short-acuminate at apex, to 2 dm. 

 long and 6 cm. wide, persistent, thinly tomentose on lower surface but commonly 

 glabrescent with age; flowers perfect, in small panicles, peduncle to 7 cm. long, 

 usually less than 3 cm. long; calyx 6-parted, surrounding base of fruit; inner row 

 of sepals elliptic, at least twice as long as the outer row and with the upper two- 

 thirds early-deciduous; fertile anthers 9 in 3 rows, the innermost 3 with extrorse 



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