40 HOUGH'S AMERICAN WOODS. 



campanulate, 4-5-cleft; petals none; stamens 4-5, anthers extrorse; pistil with two 

 spreading oblong styles stigmatic down the inner sides, and an ovoid, 1-celled and 

 1-ovuled ovary. Fruit a nut-like, dry, coriaceous, not winged and indehiscent cap- 

 sule; straight embryo and no albumen. 



Genus represented by trees of few species, only one of which is found in this 

 country. (It was named in compliment to John J. Planer, a German botanist.) 



114. PLANERA AQUATICA, GMEL. 

 PLANER TREE. 



Ger., UlmenUattrige Planera; Fr., Planera aquatique ; Sp., Planera 



aquatica. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. Leaves small, 1-2 in. in length, ovate, often slightly in- 

 equal at base, nearly glabrous, serrate and with short petioles. Flowers in auxiliary 

 clusters of 2-5 each. Fruit an ovate, nut-like capsule rough with scale-like 

 points. 



A large shrub or small tree, with upright habit of growth quite similar 

 to that of the Elms, and rarely attaining the hight of 40 ft. (12 m.) and 

 18 in. (0.45 m.) in diameter of trunk, with thin smooth brown bark 

 flaking off in irregular, round-pointed scales. 



HABITAT. From North Carolina southward through northern Florida, 

 and westward into Texas, growing in rich bottom-lands and swamps 

 subject to occasional inundations. 



PHYSICAL PROPERTIES. Wood moderately soft and light, with close 

 grain, numerous fine medullary rays and with an arrangement of fine 

 ducts in lines similar to that seen in the Elms, but finer; of a light brown 

 color with light yellowish- brown sap-wood. Specific Gravity, 0.5294; 

 Percentage of Ash, 0.45; Relative Approximate Fuel Value, 0.5270; Co- 

 efficient of Elasticity, 55167; Modulus of Rupture, 621; Resistance to 

 Longitudinal Pressure, 394; Resistance to Indentation, 146; Weight of a 

 Cubic Foot in Pounds, 32.99. 



USES. Such is the scarcity of this wood in size suitable for commer- 

 cial purposes that it is very little used, though of very good qualities. 



MEDICINAL PROPERTIES are not claimed of this species. 



ORDER JUGLANDACE2E: WALNUT FAMILY. 



Leaves alternate, pinnate and without stipules. Flowers monoecious and apetalous, 

 except in some cases in the fertile flowers. Sterile flowers in catkins with an irregu- 

 lar calyx adnate to the scale of the catkin. Fertile flowers solitary or in small clus- 

 ters, with calyx regularly 3-5-lobed, adherent to the incompletely 2-4-celled, but 

 1-ovuled, ovary. Fruit a sort of dry drupe (a tryma), with a fibrous and more or less 

 fleshy and coriaceous outer coat (shuck) very astringent to the taste, a hard, bony in- 

 ner coat (shell), and a 2-4-lobed seed, which is orthotropous, with thick, oily and 

 often corrugated cotyledons and no albumen. 



All representatives of the order are trees. 



