composed of lateral panicles; fruit mostly whitish or cream-colored, subglobose, 

 5-7 mm. in diameter, glabrous or somewhat pubescent; seeds about 4 mm. broad. 



An extremely perplexing and ubiquitous assemblage of variants make up this 

 "species." One or more variants are found throughout much of our region where 

 they occur from dry barrens to swampy or boggy habitats, spring-summer; N.S. 

 to B.C., s. to Fla., Ariz, and Oax. 



The plants are commonly showy in autumn with the brilliant scarlet or orange 

 tint of their leaves that are very poisonous to the touch. The fumes from burn- 

 ing plants can also be very poisonous. 



The following varieties, whose difference are given in the key, are in our region. 

 It is entirely possible that additional variants can be found in our area. 



Var. eximia (Greene) McNair [Rhus verrucosa Scheele, R. radicans var. 

 verrucosa (Scheele) Fern, and var. Rydheri>ii (Small) Rehd., Toxicondendron 

 eximium Greene, T. radicans var. eximium (Greene) Barkl. and var. verrucosum 

 (Scheele) Barkl.] In uplands and on limestone outcrops. 



Var. Toxicodendron [Rhus Toxicodendron var. quercifolia Michx., Toxico- 

 dendron quercifoUum (Michx.) Greene]. In sandy woods and open area. 



Var. vulgaris Michx. [Rhus Toxicodendron var. microcarpa Michx. and var. 

 radicans (L.) Torr., R. radicans L. and var. vulgaris (Michx.) DC, Toxico- 

 dendron radicans (L.) O. Ktze.]. Stream bottoms, swampy lowlands or hillside 

 woods or thickets, fencerows and disturbed soils. 



Fam. 81. Cyrillaceae Endl. Cyrilla Family 



Shrubs or trees; leaves alternate, simple, without stipules, usually borne at the 

 ends of the branchlets, chartaceous to coriaceous, entire, persistent, petiolate; 

 flowers small, regular, perfect, borne in narrow lateral or terminal racemes or 

 panicles; calyx usually 5- (rarely 4- to 8-) parted; sepals equal or unequal, 

 imbricate, persistent; petals hypogynous, the same number as the sepals, sessile 

 or short-clawed, free (in ours), slightly convolute, deciduous; stamens hypogy- 

 nous, 5 or 10, when 5 alternate with the petals, when 10 those opposite 

 petals shorter; filaments subulate or flattened, distinct, sometimes appendaged; 

 anthers basifixed or dorsifixed, 2-celled, longitudinally dehiscent; disk annular, 

 subcupular or cylindric, confluent with the base of the ovary; ovary superior, 

 2- to 5-celled, terete or angled; ovules anatropous, 1 or 2 pendulous from the 

 apex of the ceil or 3 (rarely 2 or 4) attached to a short placenta pendulous from 

 the apex of the cell; style elongate or wanting; stigma entire or 2- to 5-lobed; 

 fruit small, crustaceous or spongy, indehiscent, sometimes winged; seed usually 

 solitary in each cavity, elongated, with fleshy endosperm; embryo central, 

 elongated; radicle superior. 



A small American family of 3 genera and about 13 species. 



1. Cyrilla L. 



A variable but apparently monotypic American genus. 

 1. Cyrilla racemiflora L. Leatherwood, black titi. Fig. 515. 



Usually small trees, to 10 m. tall, with a trunk to 3 dm. in diameter; leaves 

 alternate, petiolate, oblanceolate, chartaceous to coriaceous, usually widest above 

 the middle, entire, usually turning a rusty-red or -yellow in the fall; racemes 

 slender, lateral, clustered, arising at the base of twigs of current year, 6-18 cm. 

 long, spreading; flowers numerous, fragrant; pedicels 1.5-3 mm. long, basally 

 jointed, with 1 conspicuous persistent bract at base and 2 persistent bractlets 

 below the calyx; calyx small; sepals 5, equal, acute, coriaceous; petals 5, white, 



1095 



