260. BUMELIA LANUGINOSA GuM ELASTIC. 31 



GENUS BUMELIA, Sw. 



Leaves alternate on vigorous shoots or clustered on spur-like lateral branchlets, con- 

 duplicate in the bud, oblanceolate to obovate, elliptical, more or less silky tomentose 

 beneath, short petiolate. Flowers with slender pedicels, in crowded axillary fascicles; 

 calyx subcampanulate, with 5 unequal lobes; corolla campanulate, white, 5-lobed. the 

 rounded lobes and their appendages equal; stamens with short tiliform filaments and 

 ^agitate anthers; ovary conical-ovoid, hirsute, with simple pointed style stigmatic at apex. 

 Fruit an oblong, obovoid or subglobose black drupe, solitary or few together, with thin 

 tiesh and large seed having a thick smooth light brown crustaceous testa, basal hilum. 

 large straight embryo with thick fleshy cotyledons and no albumen. 



The name is the classical Greek for the Ash-tree transferred to this genus. 



Small trees and shrubs with more or less spiniscent branchlets and of about 20 species, 

 natives of the western hemisphere, 5 being found within the United State and four of 

 these are small trees. 



260. BUMELIA LANUGINOSA, PERS. 



WOOLLY BUCKTHORN OR BUMELIA. GUM ELASTIC. CHITTIM-WOOD. 

 Ger., Wolliger-Kreuzdorn. Fr., Nerprun laineux. Sp., Ladierna lanosa-. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS: Leaves mostly obovate or oblanceolate, 1-2 M. in. long, narrow, 

 cuneate at base, rounded or bluntly pointed at apex, woolly tomentose at first but at 

 maturity dark green and glabrous above and densely tomentose beneath as are the short 

 petioles and all new growth, tardily deciduous. Flowers ( July- August ) in usually 

 several-flowered fascicles with pedicels about % in. long: calyx with obtuse or rounded 

 lobes ; staminodia ovate, acute denticulate. Fruit drupe, black, % in. less in length ; 

 seed oblong, rounded at apex, about % in. long. 



Var. rigida, Gray, is a form found along the Mexican boundary with rigid spineseent 

 branchlets and smaller thicker leaves. 



A small or medium-size tree, occasionally attaining the height of 50 or 

 60 ft. (16 m.), and when isolated develops an oval or rounded top of rigid 

 branches, armed with short stout spines, and with leaves mainly clustered 

 on short lateral spurs. The trunks ?re occasionally 2 or 3 ft. (0.7 m.) in 

 thickness and are vested in a dark grayish brown bark deeply fissured into 

 reticulated ridges, which finally exfoliate in thick scales. 



HABITAT. From southern Georgia and Florida westward to about cen- 

 tral Texas and nortward in the Mississippi valley to southern Missouri and 

 Illinois, growing on dry rocky slopes and ridges. 



PHYSICAL PROPERTIES. Wood moderately heavy and strong, with very 

 fine medullary rays and a markedly characteristic arrangement of the large 

 and small open ducts. Tt is of a light yellowish brown color with abundant 

 lighter sap-wood. Specific Gravity, 0.6544; Percentage of Ash. 1.23; 

 Relative Approximate Fuel Value, 0.6464; Coefficient of Elasticity, 48334; 



