97 
OREGONIAN FORMS OF UMBELLULARIA. 
By F. W. Wariaat. 
THE lumbermen of the Oregon woods recognize two vari- 
eties of the tree known to botanists as Umbellaria Cali- 
fornica; one which they designate as White Myrtle, and a 
second which is sometimes called Yellow, sometimes Black 
Myrtle. 
That known as White Myrtle is more abundant than the 
other. It attains a height of from forty to fifty feet; its 
trunk, a diameter of from two to four feet. Its foliage is of 
a dark green, but with much bloom on the lower face. The 
wood of this variety is hard and brittle, but, when a tree of 
it is felled and left lying on the ground it very quickly 
decays. The cross-section of its trunk shows much more 
distinctly the annual rings than does that of the other kind. 
The variety variously known as Yellow or Black Myrtle is 
smaller than the other. Its foliage is of a yellowish green, 
and is less glaucous beneath. When a tree of this variety 
has reached an advanced age, so that the heart-wood has 
decayed and the trunk is become hollow, the remaining wood 
though sound becomes streaked with black or very dark red- 
brown; and in this mature condition it is highly prized for 
the manufacture of fancy articles, such as cups, vases, napkin- 
rings, ete. Such articles when polished are of a deep yellow 
streaked and spotted with black. Young trees of this 
variety do not soon decay when left lying where they fall. 
Their wood seems to contain more oil than that of the 
White, and it becomes eventually streaked with black; 
though not until long after it has been cut. The name of 
Black Myrtle seems to have been given this, on account of 
the darkly variegated wood. It is called Yellow Myrtle in 
allusion to the yellowish hue of its foliage. 
I have not yet been able to compare the fruits of these 
varieties, popularly so-called, to ascertain the possible cus- 
pological grounds for distinguishing two varieties of 
Umbellularia. 
