Voi,. II.] 



SUMAC FAMILY. 



389 



i. Co'tinus cotinoides (Nutt.) Britton. Wild or American Smoke-tree. 



Chittam-wood. (Fig. 2354.) 



Rhus cotinoides Nutt.; T. & G. Fl. N. A. i: 217. 



As synonym, 1838. 



Cotinus A mericanus Nutt. Sylva, 3: pi. 81. 1849. 

 Cotinus colinoides Britton, Mem. Torr. Club, 5: 



216. 1894. 



A small widely branched tree, with maxi- 

 mum height of about 40 and trunk diameter 

 of 15'. Leaves oval or slightly obovate, thin, 

 glabrous or sparingly pubescent beneath, 3 X - 

 6' long, i ^'-2' wide, obtuse at the apex, nar- 

 rowed and commonly acute or acutish at 

 the base, the blade slightly decurrent on the 

 petiole; flowers i // -i^ // broad, green, borne 

 in loose large terminal panicles ; pedicels 

 elongating to I'-i^' and becoming very plu- 

 mose in fruit; drupe reticulate-veined, 2" long. 



Missouri and the Indian Territory, east to Ten- 

 nessee and Alabama. Wood soft, orange-yellow, 

 yielding a rich dye; weight per cubic foot 40 Ibs. 

 Very nearly related to the European C. Cotinus, 

 which differs in its smaller coriaceous leaves, 

 more pubescent, mostly rounded and obtuse at 

 base. April-May. 



Family 63. CYRILLACEAE Lindl. Veg. King. 445. 1847. 



CYRILLA FAMILY. 



Glabrous shrubs, or small trees, with simple entire thick alternate exstipu- 

 late leaves, long-persistent or evergreen, and small regular perfect bracted race- 

 mose flowers. Sepals 4-8 (mostly 5), persistent. Petals the same number as the 

 sepals, hypogynous, distinct, or slightly united by their bases, deciduous. 

 Stamens 4-10, in i or 2 series, distinct, hypogynous; anthers introrse, 2-celled, 

 the sacs longitudinally dehiscent. Ovary 2-5-celled; ovules 1-4 in each cavity, 

 anatropous, pendulous; style short or none; stigma very small, or 2-3-lobed. 

 Fruit dry, small, i-5-seeded. Seeds oblong or spindle-shaped; endosperm fleshy; 

 embryo central, cylindric. 



Three genera and 6 known species, natives of America. 



i. CYRILLA Garden; L. Mant. i: 5. 1767. 



Racemes clustered at the ends of twigs of the preceding season. Sepals 5, firm, acute, 

 shorter than the petals. Petals 5, white, acute, spreading. Stamens 5, opposite the sepal?, 

 the filaments subulate, the anthers oval. Ovary ovoid, sessile, mostly 2-celled, sometimes 

 3-celled; ovules 2-4 in each cavity; style short, thick, 2-3-lobed. Fruit ovoid, 2-3-seeded, 

 the pericarp spongy. [In honor of Domenico 

 Cyrillo, professor of medicine at Naples.] 

 Two species, natives of southeastern North America. 



i. Cyrilla racemiflora Walt. Southern 

 Leatherwood or Ironwood. (Fig. 2355.) 



Cyrilla racemiflora Walt. Fl. Car. 103. 1788. 



A shrub or small tree, sometimes 35 high and 

 the trunk 15' in diameter, the bark at the base 

 spongy. Leaves oblanceolate, obovate or oval, 

 short-petioled, reticulate-veined and the midvein 

 rather prominent beneath, obtuse or acute at the 

 apex, cuneate-narrowed at the base, 2 / ~4 / long, 

 3 // -i / wide; racemes narrow, 2 / -6 / long, bearing 

 the very numerous small white flowers nearly to 

 the base; pedicels i // -2 // long, somewhat longer 

 than the bracts, or shorter; fruit about i" long. 



Along streams and swamps, southern Virginia to 

 Florida and Texas, mostly near the coast. Also in the 

 West Indies and South America. May-July. 



