36 HOUGH'S AMERICAN WOODS. 



PHYSICAL PROPERTIES. Wood light, soft and tough, very close 

 grained and with numerous very fine medullary rays, splitting with 

 difficulty on account of a marked interlacing of the fibers, as with other 

 representatives of the genus, and of a light chocolate-brown color with 

 an abundant whitish sap-wood. Specific Gravity, 0.6413; Percentage of 

 Ash, 0.34; Relative Approximate Fuel Value, 0.4597; Coefficient of Elas- 

 ticity, 68083; Modulus of Rupture, 682; Resistance to Longitudinal Press- 

 ure, 431; Resistance to Indentation, 155; Weight of a Cubic Poo* in 

 Pounds, 28.75. 



USES. The wood of this rare tree is little used, but its fruit is some- 

 times made into a conserve in regions where abundant. 



MEDICINAL PROPERTIES. None are known of this species. 



ORDER OLEACE.ZE : OLIVE FAMILY. 



Leaves opposite and single or pinnately compound. Flowers monopetalous (rarely 

 apetalous or polypetalous); calyx 4-cleft, toothed or entire, or sometimes wanting, 

 corolla regular, 4-cleft (or sometimes 4 petalous, or even wanting altogether); sta- 

 mens only 2 (or rarely 4); ovary 2-celled with usually 2 suspended ovules in each 

 cell. Fruit fleshy or capsular, containing 4 (or fewer) seeds. 



Represented by trees and shrubs. 



GENUS FORESTIERA, POIRET. 



Leaves simple, opposite and often fascicled, deciduous. Flowers small, dioecious, 

 apetalous, in clusters from long scaly buds in the axils of last year's leaves; the &tami~ 

 nate sessile, crowded ; calyx with 4, minute oblong caducous sepals ; stamens 2-4, 

 with oblong anthers laterally dehiscent; the fertile flowers on 1-3-flowered, umbellate 

 peduncles ; calyx obsolete ; pistil with slender style ; stigma capitate and slightly 2- 

 lobed; ovary ovoid 2-celled, each cell containing 2 pendulous ovules. Fruit a 

 small ovoid 1 -eel led and 1-seeded drupe. 



(Genus named in compliment to M. Forestier, a French physician.) 



in. FORESTIERA ACUMINATA, POIB. 



SWAMP PRIVET. 



Ger., Sumpf-Raimveide; Fr., Troenemarecageux; Sp., Alhena pantanosa. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. Leaves small, 1-3 in. long, ovate to lance-oblong, about 

 equally acuminate at both ends, serrate above, thin, glabrous, green both sides and 

 with slender petioles. Flowers appear in early spring before the leaves, as described 

 from the genus. Fruit a glabrous, purple, fleshy, elongate-oblong, usually pointed 

 drupe. 



(The specific name, acuminata, is the Latin for pointed and is descriptive of the 

 leaves). 



A small tree occasionally attaining the hight of 40 ft. (12 m.) with 

 trunk 12 or 16 in. (0.40 m.) in diameter, and thin smoothish, light 

 yellowish-brown bark with peculiar small straight transverse fissures sur- 

 rounded by small elevated ridges. This peculiar formation would seem 

 to indicate a very considerable stretching of the outer layer before check- 

 ing. Often the Swamp Privet is but a large shrub sending up clusters of 

 large stems. 



