THE MAGNOLIAS, ETC. 



31 



son-magenta flowers, the petals lighter, which ap- 

 pear from March till May before the leaves are out. 

 These leaves are four inches long, dark green, smooth 

 and glossy, and perfectly heart-shaped ; they turn 

 yellow in the fall. The French Canadians use the 

 acid flowers in their salads and pickles. The name 

 " Judas tree " is handed down to us by tradition ; 

 in olden times it was believed that this tree was the 

 one on which Judas hanged himself. The red bud is 

 common from New York southward and westward 

 to Alabama and Missouri, and is most abundant in 

 Indian Territory and eastern Texas ; it is also fre- 

 quently seen in cultivation. There is a very pretty 

 but small specimen opposite the Public Library on 

 Millmont Street, Roxbury, Mass. 



The tupelo or sour 



gum reaches 



its finest 

 proportions in the 

 South, but it is 

 more or less com- 

 mon from central 



Tupelo (Nyssa eylvatica). 



New York south- 

 ward, and westward to Michigan. In the extreme 

 Northeast it may occasionally be found as far as 

 Vermont and southern Maine ; but I have never 

 seen the tree in New Hampshire. It is medium 



Tupelo Sour Gum. 



Nyssa sylvatica. 



