Handbook of Treks of the 



Xoir 



AM) CaXAI).' 



300 



The Pumpkin Ash is a hirge tree as found 

 in the swampy bottom-lands of caster. i 

 Arkansas and southeastern Missouri, where it 

 attains the height of 100 ft. or more, with 

 columnar trunk 3 or 4 ft. in diameter above 

 its wide base. 



It inhabits deep swamps, the banks of 

 sloughs and streams of eastern Arkansas and 

 southeastern Missouri, and of the valley of the 

 Appalachicola River in western Florida. It 

 occupies these localities, inundated during a 

 considerable portion of the year, in company 

 with the Bald Cj^press, Leitneria, Cotton and 

 Water Gums, Planer-tree, Swamp Poplar, 

 Water Locust, etc. The singular name, 

 Pumpkin Ash, by which it is popularly known, 

 i.^ said to be given to it on account of its wide 

 swollen base which gives it stability in the 

 soft miry ooze in which it grows. The oc- 

 currence of the Pumpkin Ash, Leitnaria and 

 certain other Floridian species in southeastern 

 ^Missouri and eastern Arkansas indicates a" 

 interesting extension of the Floridian flora 

 into those regions which is noteworthy, espe- 

 cially as few, if any, of these species have been 

 found in the intermediate regions. 



Leaves large, 9-18 in. long, leaflets 7-9, lanceo- 

 late or ovate-lanceolate and usually inequilateral, 

 entire or nearly so. rounded or cuneate at base, 

 acuminate, hairy tomentose at first, at maturity 

 dark green and nearly glabrou.s above, pubescent 

 beneath : branchlets and all new growths densely 

 pubescent. Flowers dioecious, the staminate with 

 a campanulate obscurely 4-toothed calyx ; sta- 

 mens 2-.'i ; pistillate calyx larger, deeply 4-lobed, 

 accrescent and persistent. Fndt: samaras, 

 linear-oblong, 2-8 in. long with wing deeurrent to 

 below the middle of the terete thick seed -bearing 

 portion. 



