ITa.xdi'.ook (»k Tk'kks of tinv Xoiriii kkx Statks and Canada. 437 

 THE WITCH-HAZELS. Gexus 1 1 AMAMI^LIS L. 



Small trees iind slii-ul)s of three speiies, one of eastern I'niled Slutes. one of centrai 

 China and one of Cliina and .lapan. 



[jcaren obovate in olildiii;, umlulale-creiiale. ine(|uilateral at l)ase. involute in tlie hml. 

 with veins oonsi)i(uous beneatii ; stiiiules iiifoldin.i; the bud. I' to in is appear in autumn in 

 the AmiM-ican spi'cies in IMlowered clusters from the axils of the leaves, perfect. ea<-li sub- 

 tended by 2-."'> acute bracts: calyx 4-parted. persistent and adnate to base of the ovary: 

 petals 4. strap-shaped, sjiirally involute in the bud, hypogenous, alternate with the sejtals: 

 stamens S in 2 rows on margin of receptacle, those opposite the calyx-lobes fertile, the others 

 small and abortive: lilaments very short; anthers oblong, opening by valves: ovary li-celled. 

 each containing a single ovule ; styles 2. subulate, sijreading. stigmatic at apex. Fruit a 

 woody capsule. 2-4-lol)ed at apex, ioeulicidally dehiscent and when rii>e foicibly disdiarging 

 its seeds which are lustrous brown, oblong, pointed, cotyledons foliaceous. 



The name is from two (Jreek words alluding to the flowering of the tree at the same 

 time as the ripening of tiie fruit of the previous season. 



Fur species see pp. 22-^-225. 



THE SWEET GUM. Gexus LIQUIDAMBAR L. 



Tlip Liquidambars ar(> large trees of about four species with balsamic juices, scaly bark 

 and bran<-hlets often corky-winged. Only one species is indigenous to the United States. 

 The family is characterized as follows: 



Leaves palmately-lobed, long-petiolate, serrate, plicate in tlie bud; stipules pale, lanceolate. 

 caducous; buds scaly. Flowers small, naked, monoecious, raicly jierfect, the staminate in 

 suhglohose heads arranged in terminal racemes, each head surrounded by 4 caducous bracts. 

 the jjisiilJate in solitary long-stalked heads from the axils of upper leaves; stamens numerous 

 witli filaments shorter than the oblong longitudinally dehiscent anthers; pistillate surrounded 

 by long-awned scales in globular heads, calyces obconic confluent and with limbs nearly 

 obsolete, stamens 4, small and usually abortive; ovary partly inferior, with long recurved 

 persistent style stigmatic on inner side; ovules numerous. Fruit a globose woody head 

 consisting of' the united capsules which are tipped with the incurved enlarged iiersistent free 

 beak-like styles, dehiscent by 2 valves at the summit and liberating 1 or 2 developed com- 

 pressed wing-angled seeds with many that are abortive. 



The name is from I^atin and Arabic words meaning fuid amber, in allusion to the 

 fragrant balsamic exudation of these trees. 



For species see pp. 226-227. 



PLANE-TREE FAMILY. PLATAXACE^ Lindl. 



The Plane-tree family consists of trees with watery juice, zigzig branchlets, and bark 



of trunks and larger branches exfoliating in large irregular scales. It consists of a single genus. 



Leaves deciduous, alternate, palmately 3-7-lobed, from cordate to broad wedge-shaped at 

 base, leaves and all new growth stellate-pubescent when young, with long petioles enlarged 

 at base and inclosing the bud, plicate in vernation and in autumn mostly turning brown and 

 withering on the branches before falling ; stipules large, foliaceous and sheathing the branchlet 

 on vigorous sterile shoots, but thin scarious and caducous on fiowering shoots. Flowers 

 monoecious, appearing with the unfolding of the leaves, minute in unisexual pedunculate 

 globose heads; the staminate heads axillary; calyx of .S-ti minute sepals; petals .■'.-Ci. scarious 

 and twice as long as the .sepals; stamens as many as the sepals and opposite them with very 

 short filaments and elongate 2-celled anthers opening longitudinally and with truncate con- 

 nective; pistillate heads terminal, sometimes one or more heads sessile on the side of the 

 peduncle and often encircling it; sepals ?!-(>; petals of same number but larger: pistils 3-r». 

 superior, with persistent straight hairs at base and narrowing to a long curved style stigmatic 

 on the ventral side; ovules 1-2, orthtropous, attached to the side of the cell. Fruit a sub- 

 globose head of club-shai)ed crustaceous 1-seeded akenes tipped with the persistent style 

 and surrounded at base with bristly hairs; seed oblong and containing a straight embryo 

 and fleshy albumen. 



THE PLANE-TREES. Genus PLATAXl'S L. 

 A genus consisting of (1 or 7 species w'idely distrilnited in Xorili America, eastern Europe 

 and southwestern Asia. Three are North American, one of the .Vllantic states, one of the 



Tncific slope and one of sontliwestern T'nited States and Mexico. F<ir characters see 

 lles.Tiptioii of (lie f;iniily. Iliis being the only genus. 



The ; nine is derived fiom a (Jreek word meaning hroml in allusion to their i)road leaves. 

 For sriei,s ..re pp. 22S-.>2!). 



