14 HOUGH'S AMERICAN WOODS. 



Trees, shrubs and a few herbs with generally bitter milky juice and 

 confined mostly to tropical regions. About one hundred forty-five 

 species, grouped in twenty-eight genera, are known. Of these one 

 arborescent genus (Simwuba) is indigenous to the United States in 

 subtropical Florida. Another (Ailanthus) is extensively naturalized 

 throughout eastern United States and Canada. 



GENUS SIMARUBA AUBLET. 



Leaves alternate, odd-pinnately compound, with long petioles and long- 

 petiolulate alternately arranged entire coriaceous leaflets. Flowers small, numer- 

 ous, in large axillary and terminal panicles ; calyx with 5 short lobes ; corolla with 

 5 petals; stamens 10, as long as the petals in the staminate flowers, free, filiform, 

 each attached to a ciliate scale at its base and bearing an oblong introrse 2-celled 

 longitudinally dehiscent anther attached on the back below the middle; pistil (in 

 the pistillate flowers) with deeply 5-lobed ovary and 5 recurved styles. Fruit a 

 drune, sessile, arranged I to 5 together, with thin flesh and crustaceous pit. 



A genus of about a half dozen species of trees with bitter, resinous 

 juice and tonic properties, confined to tropical America, and the follow- 

 ing single species in southern Florida. 



The name (spelled Simarouba by some authors) is the native Carib 

 name of one of the species S 1 . amara. 



308. SIMARUBA GLAUCA DE C. 



PARADISE-TREE. BITTER-WOOD. 



Ger., Simaruba. Fr., Simarouba. 



Sp., Simaruba (Sp. W. I.), Olivo (Panama), Palo bianco (Cuba). 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS : Leaves 6-10 in. long, with petioles 2-3 in. long and 

 ii to 13 leaflets which are mostly obovate, 2-3 in. long, with entire, revolute 

 margin, cuneate and more or less oblique at base, with rounded or slightly 

 pointed apex, very lustrous dark green above, glaucous and with prominent 

 midrib beneath ; petiolules about % in. long. Flowers appearing in early spring, 

 about Yz in. across, with very short pedicels and 2 to 6 together along the 

 glaucous branches .of wide-spreading panicles a foot or two across; calyx 

 glaucous, petals pale yellow, fleshy, oblong. Fruit a drupe about I in. or less 

 long, ovoid or oblong, somewhat oblique, slightly ribbed on one side and dark 

 purple at maturity. This is the fruit known as the Mountain or Bitter Damsons 

 in Jamaica. 



The Paradise-tree is a tree of medium size, occasionally attaining 

 the height of 50 ft. (15111.), with rounded top and a straight smooth 

 trunk rarely if ever more than 18 in. (0.45111.) in -diameter. The bark 



