Loblolly Bay 



705 



II. LOBLOLLY BAY 



GENUS GORDONIA ELLIS 



Species Gordonia Lasianthus (Linna.'us) Ellis 



Hypericum Lasianthus Linnaeus 



LSO called Tan bay, this is a large evergreen tree of the southeastern 

 States, ranging from southern Virginia to Florida and Louisiana, near 

 the coast; it reaches a maximum height of 25 meters, with a trunk 

 diameter of 5 dm., usually much smaller and sometimes shrubby. 



The tnmk is usually straight, the branches upright or spreading. The bark 

 is 2 cm. thick, deeply fissured into ridges and splitting into small reddish brown 

 scales. The twigs are stout, dark brown. The 

 winter buds are sharp-pointed, 6 to 8 mm. 

 long, and silky hairy. The leaves are thick 

 and leathery, narrowly elliptic or oblanceolate, 

 5 to 15 cm. long, pointed or bluntish at the 

 apex, narrowed at the base into a short-winged 

 stalk, finely toothed above the middle, dark 

 green, smooth, and shining above, dull green 

 and smooth beneath. The flowers, opening 

 from June to September, are large and showy, 

 white, borne on smooth stalks 3 to 7 cm. long, 

 in the axils of the upper leaves; they are sub- 

 tended by several small, early-falhng bracts; 

 the calyx is composed of 5 unequal sepals, 

 suborbicular, 8 to 12 mm. long, fringed and 

 velvety; the corolla is 5 to 7 cm. across; the 

 petals are ovate to elliptic, 2.5 to 3.5 cm. long, 

 united and narrowed at the base, rounded at 

 the apex and silky-hairy. The numerous sta- 

 mens are on a 5-lobed, cup-shaped, fleshy disk at the base of the petals, their fila- 

 ments short and distinct; anthers yellow, versatile; ovary 5-celled, ovoid; style 

 stout, with spreading stigmas; ovules 4 in each cavity. The fruit is an ovoid cap- 

 sule, 15 to 18 mm. long, sharp-pointed, silky, sphtting into 5 segments, the angu- 

 lar central placental axis remaining. Seeds 2 to 4 in each cell, flattened and 

 somewhat S-shaped, 6 to 7 mm. long, with a papery brown wing. 



The wood is soft, weak, fine-grained, and reddish; its specific gravity is about 

 0.47. It is occasionally used in cabinet work; its weakness, however, prevents its 

 general application. The bark is sometimes used in tanning. 



The genus comprises about 10 species, mostly Asiatic trees or shrubs; our 

 species is the type. The name is in honor of James Gordon (i 750-1 780), an 

 EngHsh nurser>'man, who introduced many American plants into English gardens. 



Fig. 650. Loblolly Bay. 



