324 BETULACE^. 



without albumen. — Shrubs or small trees, with alternate leaves 

 which are covered with resinous glands and dots. 



1. MYRICA. i^i7m.— Candleberry Myrtle. 

 (From the Greek nvptKr}, synonymous with the Tamarix. Hook. Brit. Fl.) 

 Dioecious. Sterile Fl. Ament cylindric ; scales concave. 



Stamens 4 — 6. Fertile Fl. Ament closely imbricate, small, 



ovoid. Styles 2. Drupe 1 -celled, 1 -seeded. 



1. M. gale Linn. : leaves cuneate-lanceolate, serrate at the apex, ob- 

 tuse ; sterile aments imbricate ; scales acuminate, ciliate ; frviit in imbri- 

 cate heads. 



Bogs and mountain lakes. Can. to Penn. April, May. \i. — Stem i — 5 feet 

 high, branching. Leaves alternate, somewhat coriaceous. Fruit with a strong 

 penetrating spicy scent. The leaves have a bitter taste and are sometimes em- 

 ployed as a substitute for hops. Hook. Sweet Gale. Dutch Myrtle. 



2. M. cerifera Linn. : leaves cuneate-lanceolate, with a few serratures 

 near the summit, acute ; sterile aments loose ; scales acute ; fruit globular, 

 naked. M. Caroliniensis and Pennsijlvanica Pursh. 



Shady woods. N. Eng. to Flor. May, June. T2. — Stem 2 — 8, but some- 

 times, (especially at the South,) 10—18, feet high, diffusely spreading. Leaves 

 varying in width, sometimes entire, somewhat pubescent. Fruit small, dry and 

 juiceless, but by boiling, a wax of very pleasant flavor is extracted from it, 

 which is used for making candles, &c. Big. Med. Bot. iii. 



Bayberry. Wax Myrtle 



2. COMPTONIA. G(Brt.^Sweet Fern. 



(Li honor of Henry Compton, a Bishop of London of the last century, who was 

 a patron of botany.) 



Moncecious. Sterile Fl. Ament cylindric, imbricate ; scales 

 reniform-cordate, acuminate, 1 -flowered. Perianth of 2 minute 

 scarious leaves. Stamens 3 — 5. Fertile Fl. Ament glo- 

 bose; scales 1 -flowered. Styles 2. Nut ovoid-oblong, smooth. 



C. asplenifolia Ait. Liquidambar asplenifolium Linn. 



Woods. Can. to Geor. April, May. T^. — Stem 2 — i feet high, much 

 branched. Leaves linear-lanceolate, cut almost to the midrib into numerous 

 roundish lobes. Flowers in oval sessile aments. Nuts forming a round burr. 

 The whole plant, when rubbed, has a strong and somewhat fragrant scent. It 

 is a popular remedy in dysentery. Sweet Fern 



Order CXVII. BETULACE^.— Birches. 



Flowers moncecious, in aments, with small scales which are 

 sometimes arranged in a whorl. Sterile Fl. Stamens 4, dis 

 tinct, opposite the scales ; anthers 2-celled. Fektile Fl. 

 Ovary free ; styles single or none ; stigmas 2. Fruit thin, in- 

 dehiscent, 1 -celled, combined with the scales ':, o : sort of 



