284 A TEXT-BOOK OP BOTANY 



Coast. The beauty and variety of this forest is one of the 

 distinguishing characters of the vegetation of the United 

 States, and its abuse is equally, characteristic of our early 

 history. This great forest region of deciduous trees is 

 spoken of in general as the Atlantic forest; and in it the 

 conifers are sparingly represented, either mixed through it 

 or in small patches. In the rich soils of the central States, 

 as in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and 

 Missouri, the deciduous forest reaches its culmination in 

 variety, vigor, and purity. 



Only one-fourth of our timber comes from these hard- 

 wood trees, the other three-fourths being supplied by coni- 

 fers ( 128); and among them the oaks are the most useful, 

 furnishing more than one-half the hardwood timber. Next 

 in importance, so far as output is concerned, and in the fol- 

 lowing order, are tulip-tree (white poplar, furnishing the 

 so-called poplar lumber), maple, elm, poplar (cotton wood), 

 linden (basswood), sweet-gum (red-gum), ash, chestnut, 

 birch, hickory, black walnut, sycamore, etc. In actual 

 market value of the lumber, that is, the comparative value 

 of the same amount of lumber of each kind, the order is as 

 follows: black walnut, elm, oak, ash, tulip-tree (white pop- 

 lar), chestnut, maple, sweet-gum (red-gum), linden (bass- 

 wood), poplar (cotton wood), etc. Of course this order of 

 output and of value cannot be a fixed one, but it serves to 

 indicate the situation at the last census. 



164. Buttercups. The Buttercup Family (Ranuncula- 

 cece), usually called the Crowfoot Family, represents very 

 well the herbs with the simpler flowers that belong to the 

 Archichlamydeae. Taking an ordinary early spring butter- 

 cup as an example, there are five green sepals, five yellow 

 petals, numerous stamens, and a little head of numerous 

 carpels growing as separate pistils. This last character, 

 the distinct carpels, is quite an important feature; and 

 flowers that have it are said to be apocarpous (Fig. 280). 



