﻿Trees of New York State 381 



Leaves alternate, deciduous, simple, mainly cordate and inequilateral at 

 the base, serrate, long-petiolate. Floivers perfect, pale yellow, fragrant, 

 nectariferous, borne on slender elavate pedicels in axillary or terminal cymes, 

 the stalk of the cyme in part adnate to the axis of a ligulate or obovate, pale 

 green, membranous bract; sepals 5; petals 5, alternate with the sepals, creamy 

 white; stamens numerous, 5-adelphous, each cluster (in the American spe- 

 cies) united with a petal-like scale opposite each petal; filaments forked at 

 the apex, each fork bearing a half -anther; pistil consisting of a sessile, tomen- 

 tose, 5-eelled ovary surmoiuited by a columnar style and 5 spreading stigmatic 

 lobes. Fruit nut-like, woody, subglobose to ovate-oblong, 1-celled by abortion 

 and containing 1-2 albuminous seeds ; cotyledons palmately 5-lobed. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES page 



1. Leaves glabrous below T. americana 307 



1. Leaves pubescent or hoary-tomentulose below 2 



2. Leaves stellate pubescent below, with conspicuous axillary tufts of hairs. 



T. Michauxii 309 



2. Leaves hoary white-tomentulose below. . . .T. heterophylla, var. Michauxii 311 



GINSENG FAMILY. ARALIACEAE 



Trees, shrubs, or herbs, with watery juice, alternate compound 

 leaves, racemose or panicled umbels of flowers, and baccate fruit. 

 A large family of about fifty genera and five hundred species, 

 mainly confined to the tropics with a few genera extending into 

 the northern hemisphere. Aralia is represented by four species 

 in New York State, one of which becomes a small tree. 



Leaves alternate, deciduous, compound, petiolate, mainly stipulate. Flowers 

 perfect or polygamous, regular, 5-nierous, iii racemose or panicled umbels ; 

 calyx adnate to the ovary, 5-lobed; petals 5 or 10, inserted on the margin of 

 the calyx; stamens 5 or 10, alternate with the petals; pistil consisting of an 

 inferior 2-5-celled ovary surmounted by 2-5 styles and simi>le stigmas; ovules 

 one to each cell. Fruit a 2-5-seeded, baccate drupe; seeds exalbuminous. 



HERCULES' CLUB. Genus ARALIA (Tourn.) L. 

 Aromatic spiny trees or shrubs with stout pithy branches, and 

 bristly or glabrous perennial herbs. The genus comprises about 

 thirty species and is confined to North America and Asia. Aralia 

 spinosa L. is the only North American species which becomes 

 arborescent. 



Leaves alternate, pinnately or ternately decompound, the petioles enlarged 

 and clasping at the base; stipules present. Flowers perfect or polygamous, 

 small, greenish white, 5-merous, borne on slender, jointed pedicels in umbels 

 or panicled umbels; calyx-tube adherent to the ovary, the lobes minute and 

 valvate; petals ovate, imbricated in the bud; stamens alternate with the 

 petals, with filiform filaments and oblong or ovate anthers, inserted with tJic 

 petals on the margin of the disk; pistil consisting of an inferior 2-5-celled 



