696 



Fremontia 



bright yellow and petal-like; stamens united for half their length into a column; the 

 adnate anthers are oblong-linear, 2-celled, facing outwardly and opening length- 

 wise; the pistil has a 5-celled ovary with a long style and pointed stigma. The 

 fruit is a 5-celled capsule 2 to 2.5 cm. long, 1.5 to 2 cm. in diameter, covered 

 with long stiff hairs on the outer surface, and soft-woolly hairs within, each cell 

 containing 2 to 4 ovoid hard seeds 7 mm. long. 



Fig. 645. Fremontia. 



The wood is hard, close-grained, red-brown; its specific gravity is about 0.71. 



This tree was called Slippery elm by the earlier settlers of California, on account 

 of the resemblance of its inner bark to that of the well-known eastern tree, its 

 mucilaginous nature making it available, as such, for poultices. 



The generic name is in commemoration of Colonel John Charles Fremont, the 

 distinguished explorer, who first discovered this tree. 



