138. STACHYURACEAE., 
Family* STACH YURACEAE. 
A small and unimportant family. 
STACHYURUS, 
Deciduous shrubs with slender rounded twigs; relatively 
large rather angular continuous pith; alternate somewhat raised 
crescent-shaped leaf-scars with 3 bundle-traces; small stipule- 
scars; sessile round-ovoid buds with about 3 exposed scales; 
rather large petioled leaves; small polypetalous 4-merous 
rounded flowers in axillary spikes; and small berry-like fruit. 
Leaves ovate or lance-ovate, serrate. S. praecox. 
Family THYMELAEACEAE, Mezereon Family. 
A small family of little importance apart from landscape 
use; one species famed in Asia for its very fragrant flowers. 
Dirca. Leatherwood. 
Small deciduous shrubs with terete very tough sympodial 
twigs abruptly contracted at the end of each year’s growth; 
somewhat angled homogeneous pale pith; alternate raised horse- 
shoe-shaped leaf-scars with about 5 bundle-traces; no stipule 
scars; small solitary sessile round-conical buds nearly  sur- 
rounded by the leaf-scar; very short-stalked simple entire 
moderate leaves; rather small yellowish perfect apetalous flowers 
with corolla-like calyx in small clusters from the opening buds; 
and 1-seeded fleshy fruit. 
Leaves elliptical-obovate, glabrous. D. palustris. 
DAPHNE. Mezereon. 
Small sometimes evergreen shrubs with tough bark; white 
wood with sparse diffused minute ducts and very fine medullary - 
rays; rounded twigs; small round or 3-sided homogeneous pith; 
alternate low small transversely elliptical leaf-scars with I 
bundle-trace; no stipule-scars; sometimes superposed sessile 
small round-conic buds with several exposed scales; simple 
entire small subsessile leaves; small perfect apetalous flowers 
with corolla-like calyx, in axillary clusters; and 1-seeded fleshy 
fruit. 
