Vor. IL.] WITCH-HAZEL FAMILY. 193 
2. HAMAMELIS I. Sp. Pl. 124. 1753. 
Shrubs, with alternate leaves, and clustered lateral yellow bracted flowers, appearing in 
late summer or autumn. Calyx 4-parted, persistent, adnate to the lower part of the ovary. 
Petals 4, elongated, linear, persistent, or in the staminate flowers sometimes wanting. Sta- 
meus 4, alternating with 4 scale-like staminodia; filaments very short; anthers dehiscent by 
a valve. Ovary 2-celled; styles 2, short; ovules 1 in each cell, pendulous. Capsule woody, 
at length 2-valved at the summit. Seed oblong, its testa shining. [Greek, with the apple, 
flower and fruit being borne together. ] 
A genus of 3 known species, one native of eastern North America, the others of Japan. 
1. Hamamelis Virginiana L,. 
Witch-Hazel. (Fig. 1879.) 
Hamamelis Virginiana I,. Sp. Pl. 124. 1753. 
A shrub, or rarely a small tree with max- 
imum height of about 25°, the twigs slightly 
scurfy, or glabrous. Leaves short-petioled, 
obovate or broadly oval, obtuse or pointed at 
the apex, somewhat cordate and inequilateral 
at the base, stellate-pubescent, at least when 
young, 2/-5’ long, thick, repand-dentate; 
flowers in axillary clusters, nearly sessile, 
bright yellow, appearing late in the season, 
when the leaves are falling and while the pre- 
vious fruit remains; petals narrow, about %4’” 
wide, 6’’-9’’ long; calyx-lobes spreading or 
recurved, oval, ciliate, pubescent on the outer 
surface; capsule maturing the next season, 
beaked with the 2 persistent styles, densely 
pubescent, 3/’-4’’ high, at length bursting 
elastically; seeds large, bony. 
In low woods, New Brunswick and Nova Sco- 
tia to western Ontario and Minnesota, south to 
Florida and Texas. Wood hard, light brown; 
weight per cubic foot 43 lbs. Aug.—Dec. 
3: LIQUIDAMBAR We (SDs Jtls Cele, 7/53}: 
Large trees with resinous sap, simple alternate lobed petioled leaves, and small monoe- 
-cious flowers in heads, the staminate clusters racemose, the pistillate ones usually solitary. 
Calyx and corolla of the staminate flowers none; stamens numerous; filaments short; an- 
thers longitudinally dehiscent. Calices of the pistillate flowers confluent; petals none; an- 
thers rudimentary, borne on the edge of the calyx; ovary partly inferior, 2-celled; ovules 
several or numerous; styles 2. Capsules 2-beaked, 2-valved at the summit, dry, hard, form- 
ing a dense spinose globular head. [Name Latin-Arabic referring to the fragrant sap. ] 
1. Liquidambar Styraciflua L. Sweet 
Gum. Star-leaved or Red Gum. Bilsted. 
Alligator-tree. (Fig. 1880. ) 
Liquidambar Styracifiua 1,. Sp. Pl. 999. 1753- 
A forest tree, maximum height about 150°; bark 
very rough, branches usually winged with corky 
ridges. Twigs glabrous or slightly pubescent; leaves 
broader than long, 3/-9’ wide, subcordate at base, 
deeply 3-7-lobed, glabrous above, often pubescent 
in the axils of the veins beneath, the lobes triangu- 
lar-ovate, acute, sharply and finely serrate; sterile 
flower-clusters erect or spreading, conic, consist- 
ing of numerous small heads, greenish; fertile heads 
long-peduncled, at length drooping, borne near the 
base of the sterile; head of fruit about 1/-1%4’ in 
diameter, the fertile seeds few, with numerous mi- 
nute sterile ones. 
In low woods, Connecticut and southern New York 
to Florida, Illinois, Missouriand Mexico. Not common 
away from the coastin the Middle States. Wood hard, 
not strong, reddish brown; weight per cubic foot 37 Ibs. 
Leaves fragrant when bruised, brilliantin autumn. Its 
gum, copal-balsam or copalm, used as a substitute for 
storax. April-May. 
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