306 BIRCH FAMILY. 



1. MYRlCA, BAYBERRY, SWEET GALE. (Ancient name of somo 

 aromatic shrub.) Fl. spring, with or earlier than the leaves. 



M. Gale, SVVEKT GALE. Cold bogs N. : l-4 high, with pale wedge- 

 lanceolate leaves, serrate towards the apex ; little nuts crowded, and as if 

 winged by a pair of scales. 



M. Cerlfera, BAYBERRY, WAX-MYRTLE. Along the coast : shrub 2 -8 

 high, with fragrant lance-oblong or lanceolate mostly entire leaves, becoming 

 glossy above, the scattered bony nuts thickly incrusted with greenish or white 

 wax and appearing like berries. 



2. COMPTONIA, SWEET-FERN. (Named for Henry Compton, a 

 bishop of London.) Flowers rather later than the leaves, in spring. 



C. asplenilblia, the only species, in sterile rocky soil, chiefly E. : l-2 

 high, with linear-lanceolate downy leaves pinnatih'd into many short and rounded 

 lobes, resembling a Fern, and sweet-aromatic. 



108. BETULACE^J, BIRCH FAMILY. 



Trees or shrubs, often resinous-sprinkled and aromatic, with al- 

 ternate, simple, mostly straight-veined leaves, commonly deciduous 

 stipules, and monoecious flowers, both kinds in scaly catkins, and 2 

 or 3 under each bract. Ovary 2-celled and 2-ovuled, but the fruit 

 (a little nut or akene often surrounded by a wing like a samara) 

 1 -celled and 1-seeded. Stigmas 2, thread-like. 



1. BETULA. Sterile catkins long and hanging: 3 flowers under each shield- 



shaped scaly bract, each with a scale bearing 4 short stamens with 1-celled 

 anthers. Fertile catkins stout: 2 or 3 flowers under each 3-lobed bract, each 

 of a naked ovary ripening into a rounded broadly winged scale-like little key- 

 fruit, tipped with the 2 stigmas. 



2. ALNUS. Flowers much as in Betula: but usually a distinct 3-5-purted calyx; 



anthers 2-celled; oval fertile catkins composed of thick and at length 

 woody persistent scales; and the little nutlets less winged or wingless. 



1. BETULA, BIRCH. (The ancient Latin name.) Trees with slender 

 spray (or a few low shrubs), more or less spicy-aromatic twigs, sessile scaly 

 buds, flowers in early spring along with the leaves ; the sterile catkins golden 

 yellow ; the fertile ones mostly terminating very short 2-leaved branches of 

 the season. The following are all native trees. 



* Trunk with brown or i/ellow-arai/ bark, the inner and the twins and thin straiaht- 



veined leaves spicy-aromatic : jxtiolis short : thirlc fmiliny calkins with 

 their thin scales rather persistent : fruit with narrow ivina. 



B. 16nta, SWEET, BLACK, or CIIKRRY BIRCH. Moist woods mostly N. : 

 a rather large tree, with fine-grained valuable wood, dark brown close bark on 

 the trunk (not peeling in thin layers) and bronze-reddish twigs, very aromatic ; 

 leave* oblong-orate and somewhat heart-shaped, sharply doubly sen-aie all round, 

 soon glossy above and almost smooth ; fruiting catkins oblong-cylindrical. 



B. liltea, YKI.I.OW or (JitAY B. With the other and more northward: 

 less aromatic ; bark of trunk yellowish-gray and somewhat silvery, separating 

 in filmy lavers ; leaves duller, more downy, and rarely at all heart-shaped ; 

 fruiting catkins short-oblong. 



* * Trunk with chalkii-irlnte Ixirk jutlmtf horizontally in thin slut-Is: leaves and 



tiamw ci/HtH/rical smooth cat/cms slender-stalked : bracts fallimj with the 

 broad-whu/itl fruit. 



B. alba, var. populifolia, AMERICAN- WIIITK Binni. Small tree in low 

 or sterile soil, from IVnn. N. E., 15-25 high, with triangular very taper- 

 pointod smooth and glossy leaves. 



B. papyracea, PAPBH or (\\XOK Bium. Large tree, from up per part Of 

 Pcnii. N., mostly far N. ; with more ovate and even heart-shaped leaves (dull 



