MYRICACEAE 59 



cordate, somewhat crenulate, about ^4 i"ch long, and pubescent. 

 Catkins appear before the leaves, and both sorts of catkins 

 are sessile. The staminate catkins are yi to \]/? inches long 

 and very show^^, and the pistillate catkins are at first }4 to 1 

 inch long but in fruit become 2 to 3 inches long and stand erect 

 on hairy peduncles ]/i to Yz inch high. Staminate flowers have 

 two stamens with very long, yellow, glabrous filaments, and 

 pistillate flowers bear short, usually undivided styles capped by 

 2 long, spreading, bifid stigmas. The scales are brown, lance- 

 olate, and tomentose. The capsules at maturity are about |4 

 inch long, lanceolate, and tomentose, and stand on long, to- 

 mentose pedicels which exceed the floral disk by three to four 

 times. 



Distribution. — The Goat Willow is a native of Eurasia, 

 but it has been widely used as an ornamental tree in Europe, 

 where its leaves are considered ideal food for cows, goats and 

 horses, and it has been transplanted to this country. In America, 

 it is known chiefly by the pendulous or weeping varieties, which 

 have been extensively planted. In Illinois, it is an occasional 

 escape from cultivation. 



MYRICACEAE 



The Sweet Gale, or Bayberry, Family 



This is a family of monoecious or dioecious shrubs that bear 

 flowers in short, scaly catkins and produce alternate, resinous- 

 dotted, and often fragrant leaves. Female flow^ers develop, from 

 the one-celled ovaries, a drupelike nut for fruit. There are but 

 two genera in the family, the following occurring in Illinois. 



COMPTONIA L'Heritier 



Sweetfern 



This genus has the general characteristics of the family. The 

 flowers occur in catkins or aments, and each flower, placed under 

 a scale or bract, possesses a pair of bractlets. Staminate catkins 

 are ellipsoid to cylindrical, and pistillate catkins are ovoid or 

 globular. Both sorts arise from axillary, scaly buds. Staminate 

 flowers have 2 to 8 stamens, the filaments of which tend to be 

 joined toward the base, and 2-celled anthers. Pistillate catkins 

 ripen Into globular to subcylindric, small nuts. 



