LEADING FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS 361 



a member of a small family allied to the geraniums. Cinna- 

 mon and camphor are obtained from trees of the Laurel family. 



329. Products useful in textile and other manufactures. 



Sumach products. From shrubs and small trees of the 

 Sumach family, growing in the United States and in Sicily, 

 are obtained leaves and young 

 twigs much used for tanning the 

 finer kinds of leather. 



A Japanese species of sumach, 

 with very poisonous sap, yields 

 the famous Japanese lacquer so 

 much used for varnishing articles 

 of wood and other materials. 



Fiber plants. The flax plant, 

 which belongs to a family allied 

 to the geraniums, produces from 

 its tough bark the very fine and 

 strong fibers from which linen 

 goods and thread are made. It 

 is grown in many parts of Eu- 

 rope, especially in Russia, and 

 somewhat in the United States, 

 both for the oil obtained from its 

 seeds and for the fiber. 



Valuable fibers or hair-like ma- 

 terials are yielded by plants of 

 three closely related groups, the 

 Linden family, the Mallow family, 

 and the Silk-cotton family. 



Russian bast and jute are products of the Linden family. 



Cotton, the most important fiber plant, is discussed at some 

 length in Chapter XXIV. 



The silky fiber sold under various names as a material for 

 stuffing pillows, cushions, and for other purposes, is obtained 

 from the hairs which clothe the seeds of trees of the Silk-cot- 

 ton family (Bombacaceoe), a small family of tropical plants. 



FIG. 297. Flowers of papaw(^4si- 

 mina triloba) 



The only North American represent- 

 ative of the tropical Custard-Apple 

 family, noted for its delicious fruits 



