PLANTS OF SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY. 447 



Common in swampy thickets throughout our region and at a 

 number of stations north of our hmits, but south of the fall line. 



This is a characteristic tree of the coastal plain most abundant 

 and uniformly distributed in the Pine Barrens, but frequent in 

 the other districts also. Unlike most of the cultivated magnolias, 

 it is a late bloomer, the flowers appearing in June when the 

 leaves are fully developed. At that season the atmosphere of 

 the Pine Barren swamps is heavy with the perfume of the Mag- 

 nolia, and we recognize its presence long before we detect the 

 creamy cup-shaped flowers nestling among the shining green 

 leaves. As the wind stirs the foliage, the glaucous under sur- 

 faces are turned up and show conspicuously against the general 

 green tone of the swamp vegetation, and later on the bright red 

 seeds bursting forth from the cone-like receptacle, or hanging 

 from it by slender threads, make the Magnolia equally con- 

 spicuous. 



Unfortunately Magnolia flowers have a market value, and the 

 curbstone flower-venders of Philadelphia ruthlessly strip them' 

 from the trees, often breaking the latter to such an extent as to 

 permanently ruin them. To become saleable it seems that the 

 leaves must be plucked off and the flowers tied closely together 

 in a compact mass, some of the leaves being then fastened around 

 the outside in a sort of a halo, this "artistic" arrangement prov- 

 ing more satisfactory to both buyer and seller than that which 

 nature found desirable. A similar arrangement is seen in the 

 bunches of Arbutus offered for sale earlier in the season, some 

 of which are further embellished with a head of Helonias as a 

 centerpiece.* 



Fl. — Late May to early July. Fr. — Early August into Oc- 

 tober. 



Middle District. — Shark River, Farmingdale, Bordentown, Medford (S), 

 Washington Park, Dividing Creek. 



Pine Barrens. — Allaire, Forked River, Browns Mills, Bamber, Speedwell, 

 Bear Swamp (S), Clementon, Penbryn (S% Albion, Williamstown, Cedar 

 Brook, Andrews, Landisville, Hammonton, Egg Harbor. 



* Mr. Samuel N. Rhoads informs me that some years ago he found two 

 trees of Magnolia tripetala about eight feet in height, one in thick woods 

 north of Orchard Sta., the other near Audubon. Mr. Bayard Long found 

 another near Bordentown in 1910. If these trees are native, as seems proba- 

 ble, they furnish another instance of a southern species, common to the Sus- 

 quehanna and Delaware valleys. 



