278 GENTIANACEAE. 



short, separate; anthers mostly large, 2-celled, longi- 

 tudinally dehiscent. Ovary superior, 2-celled; ovules 

 few in each cell; style usually short or none. Fruit a 

 capsule, samara, berry or drupe. Seeds erect or pendu- 

 lous; endosperm present or wanting; embryo straight. 



L FRAXINUS L. Ash. 



Trees or tall shrubs with opposite and usually odd- 

 pinnate leaves, and small dioecious or polygamous, 

 rarely perfect, greenish fasciculate flowers, appearing 

 before or with the leaves. Calyx small, 4-cleft, irregu- 

 larly toothed, entire or none. Petals none or 2-4, separ- 

 ate, or united in pairs at the base, induplicate valvate. 

 Stamens 2, rarely 3-4, inserted on the base of the petals 

 or hypogynous; filaments short-elongated; anthers ovate, 

 oblong or linear. Ovules 2 in each cell, pendulous; 

 stigma 2-cleft. Fruit a flat samara, winged at the apex 

 only or all around, usually 1-seeded. Seed oblong. 



1. F. oregana Nutt. A small or middle-sized tree; leaves tomen- 

 tose or glabrate in age; leaflets 5-9, oval to oblong-lanceolate, 

 entire, sessile, 5-10 cm. long; flowers all with minute calyx and no 

 petals; fruit marginless at base, margined upwards into oblanceolate 

 or spatulate retuse wing, the whole 2.5-4 cm. long. 



San Gabriel and Lytle Creek Canyons. 



2. F. dipetala H. & A. Shrub 2.5-4 m. high; leaves 5-15 cm. 

 long; leaflets 3-9, green above, yellowish green beneath when young, 

 oblong, coarsely serrate above the middle, mostly petioled, 2-4 

 cm. long; flowers mostly perfect; calyx less than 2 mm. long; petals 2, 

 oval, narrowed at base to a short claw, 6 mm. long; white; style 

 slightly lobed at apex; fruit linear-oblong to spatulate-oblong, the 

 terminal wing frequently emarginate at apex. 



Occasional in canyons. 



Family 83. GENTIANACEAE. Gentian Family. 



Bitter, mostly quite glabrous herbs, with opposite 

 rarely verticillate exstipulate entire leaves, and regular 

 perfect flowers in terminal or axillary clusters or solitary 

 at the ends of the stems or branches. Calyx persistent, 

 4-12-lobed, -toothed or -divided, the lobes imbricated or 

 not meeting in the bud. Corolla funnelform, campanu- 

 late or rotate, often marcescent, 4-12-lobed or -parted. 



