MAGNOLIACE^E. (MAGNOLIA FAMILY.) 49 



ORDER 2. MAGNOLJACEJE. (MAGNOLIA FAMILY.) 



Trees or shrubs, with the leaf-buds covered by membranous stipules, poly- 

 petalous, hypogynous, polyandrous, poly gy nous ; the calyx and corolla 

 colored alike, in three or more rows of three, and imbricated (rarely con- 

 volute) in the bud. Sepals and petals deciduous. Anthers adnate. 

 Pistils many, mostly packed together and covering the prolonged re- 

 ceptacle, cohering with each other, and in fruit forming a sort of fleshy 

 or dry cone. Seeds 1 or 2 in each carpel, anatropous; albumen fleshy; 

 embryo minute. Leaves alternate, not toothed, marked with minute 

 transparent dots, feather-veined. Flowers single, large. Bark aromatic 

 and bitter. 



1. MAGNOLIA, L. 



Sepals 3. Petals 6-9. Stamens imbricated, with very short filaments, and 

 long anthers opening inward. Pistils coherent, forming a fleshy and rather 

 woody cone-like red fruit ; each carpel at maturity opening on the back, from 

 which the 1 or 2 berry-like seeds hang by an extensile thread composed of 

 unrolled spiral vessels. Inner seed-coat bony. Buds conical, the coverings 

 formed of the successive pairs of stipules, each pair enveloping the leaf next 

 above, which is folded lengthwise and applied straight against the side of the 

 next stipular sheath, and so on. (Named after Magnol, Professor of Botany 

 at Montpellier in the 17th century.) 



* Leaves all scattered along the branches , leaf-buds silky. 



1. M. glatica, L. (SMALL or LAUREL MAGNOLIA. SWEET BAY.) 

 Leaves oval to broadly lanceolate, 3-6' long, obtuse, glaucous beneath ; flower 

 globular, white, 2' long, very fragrant ; petals broad ; cone of fruit small, ob- 

 long. Swamps, from near Cape Ann and N. Y. southward, near the coast; 

 in Penn. as far west as Cumberland Co. June -Aug. Shrub 4-20 high, 

 with thickish leaves, which farther south are evergreen. 



2. M. acuminata, L. (CUCUMBER-TREE.) Leaves thin, oblong, pointed, 

 green and a little pubescent beneath, 5 -10' long; flower oblong bell-shaped, 

 glaucous-green tinged with yellow, 2' long; cone of fruit 2-3' long, cylindri- 

 cal. Rich woods, western N. Y. to 111., and southward. May, June. Tree 

 60-90 high. Fruit when young slightly resembling a small cucumber, 

 whence the common name. 



3. M. macroph^lla, Michx (GREAT-LEAVED MAGNOLIA.) Leaves 

 obovate-oblong, cordate at the narrowed base, pubescent and white beneath; 

 flower open bell-shaped, white, with a purple spot at base ; petals ovate, 6' long ; 

 cone of fruit ovoid. S. E. Ky. and southward. May, June. Tree 20-40 

 high. Leaves 1-3 long, somewhat clustered on the flowering branches. 



# * Leaves crowded on the summit of the flowering branches in an umbrella-like 

 circle ; leaf-buds glabrous ; flowers white, slightly scented. 



4. M. Umbrella, Lam. (UMBRELLA-TREE.) Leaves obovate-lanceolate, 

 pointed at both ends, soon glabrous, 1-2 long; petals obovate-oblong, 4 - 5' 

 long. S. Penn. to Ky. and southward. May. A small tree. Fruit rose- 

 color, 4 - 5' long, ovoid-oblong. 



