Lake Maxinkuckee, Physical and Biological Survey 325 



by September 14. They were beautifully in flower October 15, 

 18 and so on, continuing until November 22. On October 12, the 

 blossoming bushes were covered with snow. On such years the 

 plants are more showy as they have all their blossoms crowded into 

 the shorter season. When the autumn is full of inclement days, 

 however, the buds stay closed on bad days, peeping out only on 

 bright pleasant days, and the flowering period is prolonged, thus 

 in 1900-1901, the blossoms which were noted fully in flower October 

 23, continued flowering until after New Year, when one could skate 

 across the ice of Lost Lake for a bouquet. 



The witch-hazel appears to bear its great abundance of flowers 

 every other year, ripening its fruit in alternate years so that though 

 every year there will be a few flowers or a little fruit, there will 

 usually be especially floriferous years when there is little fruit 

 alternating with especially fruitful autumns when there are few 

 flowers. 



Places not far apart geographically may have the years differ- 

 ent. In 1909 the bushes at Fish Lakes, Indiana, bore immense 

 quantities of fruit, while those of Lake Maxinkuckee had many 

 flowers but little fruit. 



The fruit is as interesting as the flowers, each fruit consist- 

 ing of a pair of woody elastic valves. As these ripen and dry, 

 they exert a pinch or pressure upon the black shining seed, which 

 is shot out with some force. The witch-hazel seed is about the 

 shape of an apple seed and placed in the pod sharp end down so 

 that it is shot out just as a boy shoots apple seeds by pressing them 

 between the thumb and finger. The seeds are shot some 20 to 40 

 feet. By getting a fruitful branch and hanging it up in a room or 

 placing it in a vase and waiting, the interesting bombardment will 

 soon begin. 



The seeds are edible, but are tedious eating. 



The leaves turn to a beautiful gold in autumn. Young leaves 

 are often purplish, suggesting the possibility of developing a form 

 with attractive foliage. 



FAMILY 72. ALTINGIACE^E. ALTINGIA FAMILY 

 392. SWEET GUM 



LIQUIDAMBAR STYRACIFLUA L. 



Rare; two trees found in a lot on the east side of the lake, 

 the larger about twenty-five feet high. They may have been 

 planted trees, as this is unusually far north for this species in In- 

 diana. Dr. Stanley Coulter, however, reports the species from the 



