82 TREES OF NORTH CAROLINA 



SOAPBERRY FAMILY 



(SAPINDACEAE) 



133. Aesculus octandra Marsh. Buckeye. 



A large tree in the mountains, sometimes reach- 

 ing a height of 120 feet and a diameter of 4 feet, 

 and extending as far east as Raleigh, but usually 

 only a shrub in the eastern part of its range. At 

 Chapel Hill it reaches tree size only in cool ravines. 

 The leaves are palmately compound, of 5-7 leaflets at 

 the end of a long leaf-stalk, the leaflets 4-10 inches 

 long, toothed, hairy on the lower surface when young ; 

 flowers greenish-yellow, sometimes red, 1-1% inches 

 long, in clusters 5-7 inches long ; most of the flowers 

 with rudimentary pistils and therefore sterile ; fruits 

 ovoid, l%-2^4 inches in diameter, smooth, yellow- 

 ish brown, the hulls inclosing large, dark-brown, 

 polished seeds. Dates of flowering: March 27, 1903 ; 

 March 3, 1908; April 27, 1909; April 3, 1910; 

 April 23, 1915; April 14, 1916. Examples: trees 

 below Lone Pine Spring. 



BUCKTHORN FAMILY 

 (RHAMNACEAE) 



134. Rhamnus caroliniana Walt. Buckthorn. 



Usually a shrub, but sometimes a small tree, found 

 most abundantly along the swamps and river banks 

 in the upper Piedmont region. Leaves 2-6 inches 

 long, 1-2 inches wide, obscurely toothed, tomentose 

 when young, but shining green above 'and smooth or 

 nearly so when mature, prominently veined beneath ; 



