CARPINUS 



Carpinus, Linnaeus, Gen. PI. 292 (ex parte) (1737); Bentham et Hooker, Gen. PL iii. 405 (1880); 



Winkler, in Engler, Pflanzenreich, iv. 61, Betulacea, 24 (1904). 

 Distegocarpus, Siebold et Zuccarini, Flor. Jap. Fam. Nat. ii. 103, t. 3 (1846). 



Deciduous trees belonging to the order Betulaceae. Leaves, alternate, distichous on 

 the branchlets, stalked, ovate, doubly-serrate, penninerved, the nerves. ending in the 

 points of the teeth ; stipules scarious, caducous or persistent. Flowers appearing in 

 early spring with the unfolding of the leaves, unisexual, moncecious, without petals. 

 Staminate flowers in pendulous, cylindrical catkins, arising from buds produced near 

 the ends of lateral branches of the previous year ; stamens, three to twenty, crowded 

 on a pilose receptacle adnate to the base of a concave scale ; filaments short, two- 

 branched, each branch bearing a one-celled anther, tipped with a cluster of long hairs. 

 Pistillate flowers, in loose, semi-erect catkins, which are terminal on the branchlets of 

 the year ; in pairs at the base of an ovate, acute, deciduous scale ; each flower sub- 

 tended by a small bract and two minute bracteoles, and consisting of a two-celled 

 ovary, surmounted by a minute epigynous calyx and two elongated styles ; each cell 

 containing one ovule. 



Fruit, in pendent, stalked strobiles, composed of imbricated, foliaceous or mem- 

 branous involucres, resulting from the developed bract and bracteoles of the flower, 

 each with a nutlet at its base. Nutlet, ovoid, compressed, longitudinally ribbed, 

 crowned by the calyx and remains of the style, one-seeded, and falling from the 

 involucre in autumn. Seed, filling the cavity of the nutlet, without albumen ; 

 cotyledons fleshy, carried above ground in germination. 



The genus consists of about eighteen species inhabiting the temperate regions 

 of North America, Europe, and Asia. Two sections are distinguished : 



I. Distegocarpus, Sargent, Silva N. Amer. ix. 40 (1896). 



Scales of the staminate catkins lanceolate, stalked. Fruit-involucres, mem- 

 branous, infolded below, completely covering the nutlet, closely imbricated in 

 the strobile. Trees with scaly bark. Two species, C. japonica, Blume, and 

 C. cor data, Blume. 



II. Eu-Carpinus, Sargent, loc, cit. 



Scales of the staminate catkins ovate, sub-sessile. Fruit-involucres, foliaceous, 

 open or only slightly infolded over the nutlets, loosely imbricated in the strobile. 

 Trees usually with smooth bark. This section includes the remaining species. 



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