76 LAUEACEAE. 



with long and slender petioles in P. Persea mexicana) : inner sepal 4-5 mm. 

 long, somewhat surpassing the outer: fruits slightly elongate, often pyriform, 

 8-18 cm. long, the flesh butter-like. — Spr. & sum. 



The Avocado, a native of tropical America, grows in woods and hammocks in 

 southern peninsular Florida and on the Florida Kevs. The brown heart-wood is 

 rather coarse-grained, light, and soft. Also known as Alligator-pear. (Cont.) 



4. OCOTEA Aubl. Shrubs or trees. Leaves alternate, persistent: blades 

 entire. Flowers in panicled cymes. Sepals 6, nearly similar, somewhat elon- 

 gate, spreading. Style cylindric: stigma capitate. Drupe somewhat elongate, 

 seated in the cup-like hypanthium from which the calyx has fallen away. 



1. O. Catesbyana (Michx.) Sarg. Small tree or shrub: leaf -blades narrowly 

 elliptic or elliptic-lanceolate, 5-12 cm. long, lustrous above: calyx creamy- 

 white, 8-9 mm. broad; sepals obtuse: drupes subglobose or oval, 10-15 mm. 

 long, dark blue or black, seated in the red or yellow hypanthium. — Spr. 



The Lancewood grows in hammocks mostly near the coast in the lower half 

 of peninsular Florida and on the Everglade Kevs and the Florida Keys. The 

 dark-brown heart-wood is close-grained, heavy, and hard. {W. I.) 



4. MISANTECA Cham. & Schlecht. Shrubs or trees. Leaves alternate, 

 persistent: blades entire. Flowers inconspicuous, in panicled cymes. Sepals 6, 

 nearly similar, short, erect, about as long as the enlarged portion of the hypan- 

 thium. Style columnar: stigma minute, surrounded by the 3 erect stamens. 

 Drupe slightly elongate, seated in the cup-like hypanthium which is bordered 

 by the persistent calyx. 



1. M. triandra (Sw.) Mez. Tree with somewhat flaky bark: leaf -blades elliptic- 

 oblong or oval, 4.5-11 cm. long, abruptly acuminate, but often blunt, lustrous 

 above: calyx whitish, 2-2.5 mm. broad; sepals obtuse: fruits acorn-like, the 

 drupe ovoid or oblong-ovoid, 2—2.5 cm. long, green, the hypanthium reddish. 



The MiSANTECA grows in Brickell hammock on the Everglade Keys, below 

 Miami. The wood has not been studied. {Cuha, Jamaica.) 



6. SASSAFRAS Nees. Trees. Leaves alternate, deciduous: blades lobed 

 or partially entire. Flowers in axillary clustered cymes. Style columnar: 

 stigma depressed. Drupe somewhat elongate. 



1. S. Sassafras (L.) Karst. Large tree with ridged bark: leaf -blades 3-lobed, 

 or rarely entire or 2-lobed: flowers greenish-yellow: sepals 6, narrowly oblong, 

 2.5-3 mm. long: drupes oval, 8-10 mm. long, red or orange. — Spr. 



The Sassafras grows in woods and fields in middle Florida. The orange- 

 brown heart-wood is coarse-grained, rather light, weak, and brittle, but durable. 

 (Cont.) 



Order MYRTALES. 



Herbs, shrubs, or trees, sometimes aquatic or amphibious. Leaves 

 alternate or oj^posite. Flowers regular or irreg-ular, complete or much 

 reduced. Hypanthium merely enclosing the ovary or adnata to it. Androe- 

 cium of few or many stamens : anthers opening by slits or pores. Gynoe- 

 cium 1-severaI-carpellary. Fruit capsular, baccate, or achene-like. 



Anthers opening by pores. Fam. 1. Melastomaceae. 



Anthers opening by longitudinal valves. 



Hypanthium merely enclosing the ovary. Fam. 2. Lythraceae. 



Hypanthium adnate to the ovary or mainly so. 

 Cotyledons spirally convolute in the embryo, 

 bvarv several-celled : ovules numerous, not 



pendulous. Fam. .S. Punicaceae. 



Ovarv 1-celled: ovules 2-5, pendulous. Fam. 4. Teeminaliaceae. 



