914 STYKACACEAE 



Leaf-blades elliptic, oblong or oblong-obi anceolate, 4-15 cm. long, usually short-acuminate 

 and acute or acutish at the apex, undulate or shallowly toothed, glabrous and shining- 

 above, more or less tomentose beneath, often tinged with yellow or bronze, attenuate or 

 abruptly narrowed into short petioles : flowers sessile, 5-17 in axillary clusters : calyx cam- 

 panulate, 2-2.5 mm. high ; lobes ovate to triangular-ovate, obtuse, slightly shorter than the 

 tube: petals 5, obovate, or obovate-spatulate, 6-8 mm. long, united below, rounded or 

 notched at the apex, yellowish : stamens exserted : drupe nut-like, oblong or ovoid, 10-14 

 mm. long, glabrous, crowned with the persistent calyx-lobes. 



Chiefly in rich soil, Delaware to Florida and Louisiana. Spring. YELLOWWOOD. HORSE SUGAR. 

 WILD LAUREL. 



FAMILY 4. STYRACACEAE A. DC. STORAX FAMILY. 



Commonly stellate-pubescent or scurfy shrubs or trees, some yielding a fra- 

 grant balsamic resin. Leaves alternate, without stipules : blades entire or 

 toothed. Inflorescence racemose, cymose or fascicled. Flowers perfect, regular. 

 Calyx with 5, or rarely 4-8, short or obsolete lobes. Corolla of 5, or rarely 4-8, 

 distinct or nearly distinct petals. Stamens few (8-16), adnate, in one series, to 

 the corolla-tube. Filaments flattened and coherent at the base. Anthers in- 

 trorse, adnate. Ovary 2-5-celled, the cavities opposite the calyx-lobes. Styles 

 united. Ovules solitary or few in each cavity, anatropous, ascending or pen- 

 dulous, or both. Fruit commonly a drupe or a capsule. Seeds mostly solitary, 

 with a thin or leathery testa. Endosperm fleshy or horny. Embryo usually 

 straight, axile. 



Ovary superior : fruit drupaceous, subglobose. 1. STYRAX. 



Ovary inferior: fruit nut-like, elongated, winged. 2. MOHRODENDRON. 



1. STYRAX L. 



Shrubs or trees, often clothed with scurfy or stellate pubescence. Leaves alternate : 

 blades entire or slightly toothed. Flowers in short racemes, white, often drooping, sub- 

 tended by small bracts. Calyx slightly adherent to the ovary, not accrescent, entire or 

 slightly 5-toothed. Petals 5, distinct, or somewhat united, valvate or imbricated. Stamens 

 10 or rarely more, adnate to the base of the corolla : anthers elongated, erect, the sacs 

 united. Ovary superior, 3-celled or at length 1 -celled by the obliteration of the septa. 

 Ovules several in each cavity, ascending : stigma 3-toothed or 3-lobed. Drupe dry, 

 subglobose, superior. Seeds commonly solitary. STORAX. The plants flower in spring. 



Corolla-lobes valvate in the bud. 1. S. Americana. 



Corolla-lobes manifestly imbricated or convolute in the bud. 



Corolla-lobes lightly imbricated or convolute : pedicel and calyx canescent. 

 Bracts of the inflorescence mostly leaf-like : leaf-blades slightly pubescent 



beneath. 2. S. pulverulenta. 



Bracts of the inflorescence only leaf-like at the base of the panicle or raceme : 



leaf-blades densely pubescent beneath. 3. S. grandifolia. 



Corolla-lobes strongly imbricated or convolute : pedicel and calyx glabrous or 



nearly so. 4. S. platanifolia. 



1. Styrax Americana Lam. A shrub 1-3 m. tall, with glandular and slightly pubes- 

 cent twigs, peduncles and petioles. Leaf-blades oval, elliptic or oblong, often varying to 

 ovate or obovate, 2-10 cm. long, acute or short-acuminate at the apex, entire or distantly 

 toothed, usually acute at the base, dark green above, pale beneath, becoming glabrous, 

 short-petioled : flowers white, about 2.5 cm. broad, drooping, their pedicels 12-14 mm. 

 long, often slightly pubescent : calyx about 4 mm. high, 5-lobed, much shorter than the 

 pedicel : corolla rotate ; lobes valvate in the bud, elliptic-oblong or lanceolate-oblong, 

 acute, slightly pubescent without : filaments erect : anthers bright yellow : drupe subglobose, 

 6-8 mm. in diameter, finely tomentose. 



On banks of streams, Virginia to Florida, Louisiana and Arkansas. 



2. Styrax pulverule"nta Michx. A shrub, ranging from 1-4 m. in height, with 

 canescent or hoary young foliage. Leaf -blades ovate, oval or obovate, acute or acuminate, 

 sharply serrate or rarely undulate, acute at the base, dark green above, more or less oan- 

 escent beneath, short-petioled : flowers white, fragrant, loosely racemed, drooping : pedi- 

 cels 2-4 cm. long, canesceut or hoary : calyx 3-4 mm. long, 5-lobed, about as long as 

 the pedicel : corolla rotate ; lobes 5, imbricated in the bud, oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 

 rather obtuse, pubescent : filaments nearly erect : anthers yellow : drupe subglobose, 7-9 

 mm. in diameter, minutely but densely pubescent. 



In pine-land swamps or along streams, Virginia and Kentucky to Florida and Texas. 



