82 NYSSACEAE. 



Family 1. NYSSACEAE. Dogwood Family. 



Shrubs or trees, or rarely partly herbaceous plants. Leaves opposite 

 or alternate : blades usually entire. Flowers perfect or unisexual, borne 

 in naked or involucrate open or congested cymes. Calyx of mostly 4 or 5 

 sepals. Corolla of 4 or 5, or rarely more, petals, or wanting. Androecium 

 of usually as many stamens as the sepals. Gynoecium of 1 or of 2-4 

 united carjDels. Styles united. Fruit mostly a drupe. 



Flowers dioecious or polygamo-dioecious : stigmas lateral. 1. NrssA. 



Flowers perfect : stigmas terminal. 



Flowers in open cymes, not subtended by an involucre : fruit 



surmounted by the style. 2. Svida. 



Flowers in a bead subtended by a large involucre : fruit sur- 

 mounted by the calyx. 3. Ctnoxylon. 



1. NYSSA L. Shrubs or trees, with terete branches. Leaves alternate, 

 deciduous. Flowers polygamo-dioecious, the staminate with 5-several sepals 

 and 5-many stamens, the pistillate with 5 sepals and a 1-celled pistil. Drupe 

 somewhat elongate. — Spr. 



Pistillate flowers 2-several together : drupes 1-2 cm. long, the stone with rounded 



ridges. 

 Pistillate flowers usually 2 : stone of the drupe prominently 



ridged. 1. .V. hi flora. 



Pistillate flowers 3 or more : stone of the drupe indistinctly 



ribbed. 2. y. sylvutica. 



Pistillate flowers solitary : drupes 3-4 cm. long, the stone with 



acute or winged angles. 

 Leaf-blades abruptly pointed : pedicel shorter than the fruit. 3. N. Ogeche. 

 Leaf-blades acuminate : pedicel longer than the fruit. 4. N. aguatica. 



1. N. biflora Walt. Tree becoming 40 m. tall, with longitudinally ridged bark: 

 leaf -blades oblanceolate, oblong, elliptic, oval, or rarely obovate, 5-15 cm. long: 

 drupes oval or elliptic, 10-13 mm. long. 



The Water-gum grows in swamps or shallow ponds in northern Florida and 

 the northern half of the peninsula. The white or yellowish heart-wood is close- 

 grained, heavy, and soft, but tough. Also known as Black-gum. iCont.) 



2. N. sylvatica Marsh. Tree becoming 50 m. tall, with angular-checked bark: 

 leaf-blades oval or obovate, or rarely oblanceolate, 5-15 cm. long: drupes oval, 

 15-17 mm. long. 



The Black-gum grows in rich woods and hammocks in northern Florida and 

 the northern half of the peninsula. The white or yellowish heart-wood is close- 

 grained, heavy, and soft, but very tough. Also known as Sour-gum. (Cont.) 



3. N. Ogeche Marsh. Tree becoming 20 m. tall: leaf-blades oblong, varying 

 to oblanceolate or lanceolate, or rarely oval, 5-20 cm. long; petioles about 1 

 cm. long: drupes .3-4 cm. long, red; stone papery-winged. 



The Ogeechee-lime grows in river-swamps in northern Florida. The white 

 heart-wood is rather close-grained, light, and soft, but tough. (Cont.) 



4. N. aquatica L. Tree becoming 35 m. tall: leaf -blades ovate to elliptic, 

 9-30 cm. long; petioles 2-5 cm. long: drupes nearly 3 cm. long, dark-purple; 

 stone sharp-ridged. 



The Tupelo-gum grows in river-swamps in northern Florida. The whitish or 

 pale-brown heart-wood is close-grained, light, and soft, but tough. (Cont.) 



2. SVIDA Opiz. Shrubs or trees. Leaves opposite or rarely alternate. 

 Flowers in naked corymb-like cymes. Sepals 4, minute. Petals 4, white, 

 spreading. Stamens 4. Drupe globular or depressed. 



1, S. stricta (Lam.) Small. Small tree with smoothish bark or shrub: leaf- 

 blades elliptic, oval, or ovate, 4-12 cm. long: petals linear-oblong to linear- 

 lanceolate : drupes 5-6 mm. in diameter, pale-blue. — Spr. 



The CoKNEL grows in swamps in northern Florida and the ad.iacent parts of 

 the peninsula. The brownish heart-wood is close-grained, heavy, and hard. (Cont.) 



