26 HOUGH'S AMERICAN WOODS. 



ORDER ERIC ACE J: HEATH FAMILY. 



Leaves commonly alternate, but sometimes opposite and rarely whorled, with- 

 out stipules. Flowers regular, symmetrical, perfect and 4-5-numerous; corolla 

 present and lobed or of distinct petals; stamens as many as the lobes of the 

 corolla, or twice as many, free from it, but inserted with it on an annular disk-, 

 anthers usually introrse, commonly appendaged and opening by terminal chinks 

 or pores, pollen compound, of 4 united grains (except in a few herbaceous species, 

 the Monotropce) ; pistil with single style, superior or inferior ovary, having as 

 many cells as the lobes of the corolla, or rarely fewer. Fruit a berry, drupe or 

 capsule with small anatropous seeds having small embryo in fleshy albumen. 



A large family, mainly of shrubs, but a few trees and herbs, and quite various 

 in characters. 



GENUS ARBUTUS, TOURNEFORT. 



Leaves alternate, coriaceous, petiolate, entire or toothed (sometimes in the same 

 plant), obscurely pinnately veined, without stipules and persistent. Flowers 

 small, white or pinkish, in terminal panicles, with pedicels developed each from 

 the axils of usually two- ovate membranous and persistent bracts; calyx small, 

 free from the ovary, 5-parted nearly to the base, the lobes acute, membranous 

 and persistent, corolla gamopetalous, hypogynous, subglobose or urn-shaped, 

 white, pinkish or greenish and with 5, recurved, obtuse teeth, imbricated in 

 aestivation, stamens 10, included, inserted on the bottom of the corolla, filaments 

 dilated and hairy at base and anthers 2-celled, short, laterally compressed, introrse, 

 furnished near the summit behind with two reflexed awns, cells opening each by 

 a pore near the top anteriorly; pistil with single columnar exserted style with 

 terminal obscurely 5-lobed stigma and 5-celled ovary sessile upon the hypogynous 

 glandular disk, the cells containing numerous anatrapous ovules attached to cen- 

 tral placentae. Fruit a globose berry with smooth or granular surface, 5-celled, 

 and with several small compressed pointed seeds in each cell, with axil embryo 

 in copious hard albumen. 



A genus of few species of interesting trees and shrubs of the warmer temperate 

 regions of both hemispheres. (Arbutus is the ancient Latin name of the Euro- 

 pean species.) 



230. ARBUTUS ARIZONICA (GREY) SARG. 



ARIZONA MADEONA. 



Ger., Arizonischer Erdbeerbaum; Fr., Arbousier d^ Arizona; Sp., 

 Madrona de Arizona. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS : Leaves lanceolate or occasionally oblong-lanceolate, 

 2-3 in. long, acute at apex, wedge-shaped at base, with thick entire or (particu- 

 larly on vigorous shoots) serrate-dentate margins, rather thin, puberulous at first 

 but at maturity glabrous, rigid, light green above, paler beneath, yellowish mid- 

 ribs and obscure veinlets ; petioles rather slender \-\ in.; branchlets bright red 

 with bark separating into thin papery scales. Flowers (May) about J in. long, 

 with pubescent pedicels, in loose terminal compound racemes 2 or 2| in. in length 

 and breadth, the uppermost from the axils of scaly bracts, the lowermost from 

 the axils of leaves ; calyx lobes scarious ; corolla white, globular-ovoid with 

 reflexed 5-lobed limb ; pistil with club-shaped style and glabrous porulose ovary. 

 Fruit ripens in autumn, a subglobose dark red porulose drupe, about in. in 

 diameter, with thin sweet flesh and a thin walled 5-celled pit. 



This interesting tree attains the height of 40-50 ft. (15 m.) and 2 ft. 

 (0.60 m.) or more in diameter of trunk. As we have seen it in the 

 Chiricalma mountains of southeastern Arizona it usually divides near 

 the ground into two or three spreading trunk-like branches, forming 

 an irregular open head of very tortuous branches. Its bark is singu- 



