66o 



The Buckeyes 



Fig. 6i2. California Buckeye. 



The light gray bark is smooth or nearly so. The young twigs are gray-brown 



or somewhat reddish, smooth and round. The buds are very sticky, dark brown 



and pointed. The leaves usually have either 5 or 7 

 leaflets, rarely only 4; the leaf-stalks are grooved and 

 from 4 to 12 cm. long; the leaflets are lanceolate or 

 oblong-lanceolate, 5 to 15 cm. long, somewhat hairy 

 when young, pointed, smooth or nearly so when old, 

 vcr}' finely toothed, dark green on the upper surface, 

 pale green and with the veins rather conspicuous on 

 the under side, the base usually unequal-sided and 

 varying from narrowed to somewhat heart-shaped. 

 The dense flower-clusters are long-stalked, i to 2 dm. 

 long, about 6 cm. thick, their branches, the short 

 flower-stalks and the calyx finely and densely hairy^; 

 the flowers open from May to July; the calyx is nar- 

 rowly bell-shaped, 6 to 8 mm. long, its lobes some- 

 times toothed; the petals are white or pale pink, 

 about 2 cm. long, oblong and bluntish; the 5 or 7 

 stamens are nearly twice as long as the petals, their 

 filaments very narrow, the short anthers orange; the 



ovar}^ is very hairy. The fruit is smooth, nearly pear-shaped, short- stalked, usually 



oblique, 8 cm. long or less, its valves thin; it generally contains but one seed. 

 The wood is nearly white, dense but soft; its specific gravity is about 0.50. 



The tree has been considerably planted in 



California for ornament, as well as in Europe; 



its leaves fall early in the season, often soon 



after the time of flowering. The seeds are 



roasted by the Indians, soaked in water, which 



removes the poisonous principle contained in 



them when fresh, and are then used as food. 



4. SOUTHERN BUCKEYE 

 ^sculus austrina Small 



This small tree or shrub has been confused 

 with both the Sweet buckeye and the Red 

 buckeye. It grows in rich soil, along rivers or 

 in woods, from Tennessee and Missouri to 

 Louisiana and Texas, and perhaps occurs fur- 

 ther east. It is not known to attain a height 

 of more than 10 meters, nor a trunk diameter of over 1.5 dm., and often flowers 

 as a shrub. 



The bark is light brown and smooth, or nearly so. The young twigs are finely 



/ 



Fig. 613. Southern Buckeye. 



