188 TREE ANCESTORS 



were past, as was possible in both Asia and North America. The 

 gum was only one of the many forest trees of the European Tertiary 

 that met this fate. The witch hazel, tulip-tree, hickory, walnut, 

 magnolia, and many others shared the same misfortune. By way 

 of contrast with the present distribution of the sweet gum the 

 accompanying map shows the Tertiary occurrences, thus illus- 

 trating something of the past history as it has just been related. 

 The record of the sweet gum ancestry does not go back so far 

 nor is it as detailed as that of many of our forest trees, but it does 

 cover several million years and all of the continents of the Northern 

 Hemisphere, and it is surely impressive when we recall that while 

 we have collected the gum balls, as the fruits are commonly called, 

 admired the shape of the leaves and their autumnal tints, it re- 

 mained for the twentieth century to discover the beauty of the 

 wood and utilize it for interior finishing. 



THE WITCH HAZEL 



The witch hazel is closely related to the sweet gum but is sharply 

 contrasted with it in size, in leaf habit, in flowers and fruits. It is 

 small and elfish of stature, with zig-zag branches, coarse promi- 

 nently veined simple leaves, bilocular woody capsules with large 

 bony seeds, and fringe-like bright yellow flowers. Blooming in the 

 winter it is a favorite topic for discussion whether the witch hazel 

 is the last flower of fall or the first flower of spring. The persis- 

 tence of the fruit of the previous season until the flowering time 

 comes around again has suggested the scientific name of the genus 

 Hamxamelis, derived from the greek words dfia, \vith, and nfjXov, 

 fruit. 



The witch hazel is an altogether different plant from the Old 

 Saxon witch or wych hazel, a name appHed to the common Euro- 

 pean hazel nut which was Thor's tree and a magic tree as well. 

 Opinions differ as to the origin of the fact that the twigs were long 

 reputed to have magic properties as divining rods — not, however, 

 for the discovery of witches, but to locate water, oil or precious min- 

 erals. Others see the origin of the name in the once considered 

 mysterious bombardment of seeds from the persistent fruits. When 



