VOL. II.] 



WITCH-HAZEL FAMILY. 



193 



2. HAMAMELIS L. Sp. PI. 124. 1753. 



Shrubs, with alternate leaves, and clustered lateral yellow bracted flowers, appearing in 

 late summer or autumn. Calyx 4-parted, persistent, adnate to the lower part of the ovary. 

 Petals 4, elongated, linear, persistent, or in the staminate flowers sometimes wanting. Sta- 

 mens 4, alternating with 4 scale-like staminodia; filaments very short; anthers dehiscent by 

 a valve. Ovary 2-celled; styles 2, short; ovules I in each cell, pendulous. Capsule woody, 

 at length 2-valved at the summit. Seed oblong, its testa shining. [Greek, with the apple, 

 flower and fruit being borne together.] 



A genus of 3 known species, one native of eastern North America, the others of Japan. 



i. Hamamelis Virginiana L. 



Witch-Hazel. (Fig. 1879.) 



Hamamelis Virginiana L- Sp. PI. 124. 1753. 



A shrub, or rarely a small tree with max- 

 imum height of about 25, the twigs slightly 

 scurfy, or glabrous. Leaves short-petioled, 

 obovate or broadly oval, obtuse or pointed at 

 the apex, somewhat cordate and inequilateral 

 at the base, stellate-pubescent, at least when 

 young, 2 / ~5 / long, thick, repand-dentate; 

 flowers in axillary clusters, nearly sessile, 

 bright yellow, appearing late in the season, 

 when the leaves are falling and while the pre- 

 vious fruit remains; petals narrow, about l /i' f 

 wide, 6 // ~9 // long; calyx-lobes spreading or 

 recurved, oval, ciliate, pubescent on the outer 

 surface; capsule maturing the next season, 

 beaked with the 2 persistent styles, densely 

 pubescent, ^' r -\' f high, at length bursting 

 elastically; seeds large, bony. 



In low woods, New Brunswick and Nova Sco- 

 tia to western Ontario and Minnesota, south to 

 Florida and Texas. Wood hard, light brown; 

 weight per cubic foot 43 Ibs. Aug.-Dec. 



3. LIQUIDAMBAR L. Sp. PI. 999. 1753. 



Large trees with resinous sap, simple alternate lobed petioled leaves, and small monoe- 

 cious flowers in heads, the staminate clusters racemose, the pistillate ones usually solitary. 

 Calyx and corolla of the staminate flowers none; stamens numerous; filaments short; an- 

 thers longitudinally dehiscent. Calices of the pistillate flowers confluent; petals none; an- 

 thers rudimentary, borne on the edge of the calyx; ovary partly inferior, 2-celled; ovules 

 several or numerous; styles 2. Capsules 2-beaked, 2-valved at the summit, dry, hard, form- 

 ing a dense spinose globular head. [Name Latin-Arabic referring to the fragrant sap.] 



i. Liquidambar Styraciflua L. Sweet 



Gum. Star-leaved or Red Gum. Bilsted. 



Alligator- tree. (Fig. 1880.) 



Liquidambar Styraciflua L. Sp. PI. 999. 1753. 



A forest tree, maximum height about 150; bark 

 very rough, branches usually winged with corky 

 ridges. Twigs glabrous or slightly pubescent; leaves 

 broader than long, 3 / ~9 / wide, subcordate at base, 

 deeply 3-7-lobed, glabrous above, often pubescent 

 in the axils of the veins beneath, the lobes triangu- 

 lar-ovate, acute, sharply and finely serrate; sterile 

 flower-clusters erect or spreading, conic, consist- 

 ing of numerous small heads, greenish; fertile heads 

 long-peduncled, at length drooping, borne near the 

 base of the sterile; head of fruit about \'~\ l /z f in 

 diameter, the fertile seeds few, with numerous mi- 

 nute sterile ones. 



In low woods, Connecticut and southern New York 

 to Florida, Illinois, Missouri and Mexico. Not common 

 away from the coast in the Middle States. Wood hard, 

 not strong, reddish brown; weight per cubic foot 37 Ibs. 

 Leaves fragrant when bruised, brilliant in autumn. Its 

 gum, copal-balsam or copalm, used as a substitute for 

 storax. April-May. 



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