OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES 391 



glands or fleshy non-ceriferous emergences with bracteoles adherent 

 or non-adherent. Fruit an akene or ceriferous nut. 



M. Gale, L. — Leaves membranous, fragrant, deciduous, petiolate, ser- 

 rate near the summit; catkins borne on special deciduous branches; ovary 

 flanked by 2 entire bracteoles which develop into aeriferous floats; 

 wood consisting largely of tracheids. 



M. cerifera, L.— Leaves coriaceous, fragrant, evergreen, petiolate, 

 generally lanceolate-cuneate, covered on both surfaces with numerous 

 orange-red and golden-yellow glands; fruits aceriferous at apex, 2-3 

 mm. in diameter. 



.1/. Carolinensis, Miller— Leaves membranous, fragrant, deciduous, 

 petiolate, elliptic-obovate, bearing numerous golden-yellow glands on 

 both surfaces or glands absent on upper surface. Fruits entirely cer- 

 iferous at apex and 3.5 mm. — 4.5 mm. in diameter. 



M. Macfarlanei, x Youngken.— Leaves subcoriaceous, subevergreen, 

 fragrant elliptic-obovate to lanceolate-cuneate, bearing a few orange- 

 red and golden-yellow glands on their upper surface, or golden yellow 

 glands only and numerous glands of both kinds on the lower surface. 

 Fruits somewhat punctate at the apex and 3-4 mm. in diameter. 



M. inodora, Bartram.— Leaves coriaceous, evergreen, petiolate 

 generally oblong-obovate, inodorous. Rachis of the pistillate catkins 

 glabrous. Fruits 5-7 mm. in diameter. 



M. cerifera var pumila, Michaux. — Leaves coriaceous, evergreen, 

 fragrant, obovate to linear-oblanceolate, sessile, or with a petiole 

 1-2 mm. long. Fruits subglobose, 3.5-4 mm. in diameter. 



Genus: Comptonia, Banks, Gaertner. Fr. and Sam. 2:58 pi. 90 



(1791). 



Monoecious or dioecious aromatic shrubs with pinnatifid, stipulate, 

 membranous leaves. Stamens commonly 4, occasionally 3-5, filaments 

 free, short and not accompanied by bracteoles. Female flowers constitu- 

 ted by a bud carrying an ovary at its summit, flanked laterally by two 

 bracteoles which develop at the base of their ventral surface and later 

 on their margins small laciniate accrescent outgrowths. Fruit an 

 elongated akene, surrounded until it falls from the catkin by a laciniate 

 cupule formed by the development of two lateral bracteoles and the out- 

 growth which they have produced. Spikes of fruits globular, spiny 

 and bur like. Edpidermis of fruit composed of stone cells of a shining 

 black at maturity. Of this genus there is but one species, Comptonia 

 asplenijolia, (L) Alton. 



