IIa.NDIJOOK Ol'^ Tlv'KKS OK TilK XoKTIlKHN RtATES AND CaNADA. 437 



THE WITCH-HAZELS. Ckxus IIAMAMKLIS L. 



Small trees and slii-uhs (if thi'cc species, one of eastern I'liited States, one of central 

 China and one of China and .Jaiian. 



Lciircs obovate to oblon,;;, iindnlati>-crenate. iniMniilateral at i)ase, involute in the hud. 

 with veins conspicuous beneath; stipules infoldinj,' the bud. /•Voht/.s- appear in autumn in 

 the American species in r5-flo\vered clusters from the axils of the leaves, perfect, each sub- 

 tended b.v 2-S acute bracts : cal.vx 4-parted, persistent and adnate to base of the ovary ; 

 petals 4,' strap-shaped, spirally Involute in the bud, hyposenous. alternate with the sepals; 

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

 small and abortive; filaments very short; anthers oblong, opening by valves; ovary H-celled, 

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

 woody capsule, 2-4-lobed at ai)ex, loculicidally dehiscent and wlien ripe forcibly discharging 

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



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

 time as the rijtening of the fruit of the previous season. 



For si)ccics see pp. 22'f-225. 



THE SWEET GUM. Gexls LIOUIDAMBAR L. 



Tlie Li(|uidaml)ars are large trees of about four species with balsamic juices, scaly bark 

 and branchlets 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 the hud ; stipules pale, lanceolate, 

 caducous; buds scaly. Floicers small, naked, monoecious, rarely perfect, the staminate in 

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

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

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

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

 obsolete, .itamens 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 persistent 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 Latin and Arabic words meaning fluid amber, in allusion to the 

 fragrant balsamic exudation of these trees. 



For species see pp. 226-2,27. 



PLAHE-TREE FAMILY. PLATANACE.^ 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 S-T-lobed, from cordate to broad wedge-shaped at 

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

 af 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 

 OH \ igorous sterile shoots, but thin scarious and caducous on flowering shoots. Floivers 

 niome ions, appearing with the unfolding of the leaves, minute in unisexual pedunculate 

 gliii)ose heads; the staminate heads axillary; calyx of o-(i minute sepals; petals .'i-(i. scarious 

 and twice as long as the sepals; stamens as many as the sejials 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 

 ))eduncle and often encircling it; sepals 8-15; petals of same number but larger; pistils 3-(x 

 sujierior, \\\Xh 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-shaped crustaceous 1-seeded akenes tipped with the persistent style 

 and surrounded at base with bristly hairs; seed oblong and containing a straight embrj-o 

 and fleshy albumen. 



THE PLANE-TREES. Genus PLATA XUS L. 



A genus consisting of f. or 7 s])ecies widely distributed in North America, eastern Europe 

 fni;l southwestern Asia. Three an> North American, on(> of the .\tlantic states, one of the 

 I'ncific sloiie and one of southwestern United States and Mexico. For characters see 



description of the family, this being th(> only genus. 



The naiue is de/ived from a (Ireek word meaning l)ri)itd in allusion to their broad leaves. 

 Fin- si::vi,s .v,r pp. .US 22<l. 



