74 TEEES OF NORTH CAROLINA 



leaves, stout, naked branches 'and thick, densely fuzzy 

 twigs. The red berries are acrid and borne in large 

 panicles at the ends of the branches. The wood is 

 yellow and aromatic. Date of flowering: May 29, 

 1916, in cultivation at (Chapel Hill. 



CYRILLA FAMILY 



(CYRILLACEAE) 



117. Cyrilla racemiflora Walt. He Huckleberry. 



A shrub or small tree confined to borders of 

 streams, bays and swamps in the coastal plain from 

 the coast to Halifax, Wake, and Anson Counties. It 

 is sometimes 15 feet high and 4 feet in circumfer- 

 ence, and is very decorative with the narrow, droop- 

 ing racemes of small white flowers. The leaves are 

 small, oblong, entire, shining, turning a fine red or 

 mottled red and green in fall, and persisting through 

 most of the winter. The plants can grow in water 

 over a foot deep, and in such situations the bark un- 

 der the water does not decay and becomes so thick 

 as to enlarge the circumference of the tree to 5^/2 

 feet at times. 



HOLLY FAMILY 

 (AQUIFOLIACEAE) 



118. Ilex opaca Ait. American Holly. 



A well known tree with thick, spiny, evergreen 

 leaves and red berries. It is common in the coastal 

 plain and most of the Piedmont in damp, well-drained 

 woods, and extends to some extent into the lower 



