QUERN ALES. 477 



Order Loranthaceae. The Mistletoe Family. Evergreen shrubs, 

 parasitic upon other Dicotyledons. About 450 species are known ; 

 these are mostly tropical. 



Viscum album, the Mistletoe of England, Europe, and Northern 

 Asia, grows abundantly upon the apple and many other trees, rarely, 

 however, upon the oak. The viscid fruits are used in making bird- 

 lime, and its twigs and branches are much used in Christmas decora- 

 tions in England. It was held sacred by the Druids, who made use of 

 it in their religious ceremonies. 



Phoradendron flavescens, the American Mistletoe of the Southern 

 United States, is well known. On the Pacific coast, a variety of this 

 species is common on the oaks. 



Six species of Arceuthobium, small brown branching parasites on 

 Conifers, are known in the United States. A. pusillum occurs in the 

 Northern States. 



570. Cohort II. Quernales. Trees and shrubs, not at 

 all parasitic, with diclinous flowers, mostly in catkins, infe- 

 rior ovaries, and seeds destitute of endosperm. 



Order Cupulifereee. The Oak Family. Trees or shrubs with 

 simple leaves ; fruits (nuts), one-celled, one-seeded, one to three en- 

 closed in an involucre. This valuable order contains about 300 species, 

 which are distributed mainly in the Northern Hemisphere ; in the South- 

 ern Hemisphere they occur in Chili, New Zealand, and the mountains 

 of South Australia. Most of the species are astringent, which is due 

 to the tannin they contain. 



The order is of great economic importance on account of its valuable 

 wood, which is used not only as a fuel, but still more in the manufac- 

 ture of implements and utensils, and in the construction of houses, 

 ships, etc. It is divided into two sub-orders, which are sometimes re- 

 garded as orders. 



Sub- Order Corylece. Shrubs and small trees. 



Carpinus Americana, the Blue Beech, or Hornbeam, is a small native 

 tree with white, fine-grained, hard wood. As the European C. betulus 

 is used in turnery, doubtless our species might be also. 



Corylus Avettana, the Filbert, is a shrub growing wild in Europe and 

 Western and Northern Asia, and now cultivated in Europe and the 

 United States. It is grown principally for its edible nuts, although the 

 straight rod-like branches are largely used in making hoops, crates for 

 merchandise, etc. White Filberts, Red Filberts, Cob-nuts, and Bar- 

 celona-nuts are some of the cultivated varieties. C. Americana, the 

 common wild Hazel-nut of the Eastern United States, is much like the 

 preceding, but smaller in size of shrub and nuts. Its nuts are gath- 

 ered and eaten, and are occasionally found in the markets. 



Ostrya Virginica, the Ironwood of the Eastern United States, is a 

 small tree having a hard, fine-grained wood, which is valuable for fuel. 



