DENDROLOGY. 213 



at the base : the color is light-green above, and glaucous beneath ; 

 they fall in the autumn and reappear early in the spring. The 

 flowers are white, and when full-blown are sometimes eight or 

 nine inches in diameter : they are composed of six petals longer 

 and broader than those of the umbrella tree. Within the flower, 

 near the bottom of the petals, is a purple spot seven or eight 

 lines in diameter. The flowers diffuse a fragrant odor, and their 

 beauty is heightened by the luxuriant foliage which surrounds 

 them. They bloom in June or July, and are succeeded by 

 cones about four inches long, nearly cylindrical, and of a vivid 

 rose color when arrived at maturity. In the arrangement of the 

 cells and of the seeds, they resemble those of the umbrella tree 

 and of the long-leaved cucumber tree. 



The wood of this tree is softer and more porous than that of 

 the umbrella tree, and is of no value in the arts. 



Umbrella Tree. Magnolia tripetala. 



The Umbrella Tree is first seen in the southern part of the 

 state of New York ; but it is more multiplied farther south, and 

 is common on some of the islands in the river Susquehannah, 

 and still more so in the Southern and Western States. It is 

 found in the maritime parts of the Carolinas and of Georgia, and 

 300 miles from the sea, on that part of the Alleghanies which 

 traverse these states. The forests which cover the banks of the 

 river Notahacky, in East Tennessee, may be particularly 

 mentioned as abounding in the umbrella tree. It appears only 

 in situations perfectly adapted to its growth, which are always 

 shady, and where the soil is deep, strong and fertile. 



The dimensions of the umbrella tree are such as to form a 

 connecting link between the large shrubs and trees of the third 

 order ; for though it sometimes rises to the height of 30 or 35 

 feet, with a diameter of five or six inches, it rarely attains this 

 size. Its leaves, which are thin, oval, entire and acuminate at 

 both extremities, are eighteen or twenty inches long, and seven 

 or eight inches broad ; they are often disposed in rays at the 



