Voi,. II.] 



OLIVE FAMILY. 



603 



3. ADELIA P. Br. Civ. & Nat. Hist. Jam. 361. 1756. 

 [FORESTIERA Poir. in Lam. Encycl. Suppl. 2: 664. 1811.] 



Shrubs with opposite simple serrulate or entire deciduous or persistent leaves (punctate 

 in some southern species), and small yellow or greenish dioecious or polygamous flowers, 

 fascicled, short-racemose or paniculate from scaly buds produced at the axils of the preced- 

 ing season, appearing before or with the leaves. Calyx wanting, obsolete, or minute and 4- 

 toothed or 4-parted. Corolla wanting, or of i or 2 small deciduous petals. Stamens 2-4; 

 anthers ovate or oblong. Ovary ovoid, 2-celled; ovules 2 in each cell, pendulous; style 

 slender; stigma 2-lobed. Fruit an oblong or subglobose drupe with i or rarely 2 seeds. 

 [Greek, inconspicuous, perhaps referring to the flowers.] 



About 15 species, natives of America. Besides the following, about 7 others occur in the 

 southern and southwestern United States. 



i. Adelia acuminata Michx. Adelia. 

 (Fig. 2844.) 



Adelia acuminata Michx. Fl. Bor. Am. 2: 225. pi. 



48. 1803. 

 Forestiera acuminata Poir. in Lam. Encycl. Suppl. 



2:664. 1811. 



A shrub or small tree, sometimes reaching a 

 height of 30 and a trunk diameter of 8', the 

 branches somewhat spiny, the foliage glabrous. 

 Leaves ovate, lanceolate or oblong, acuminate 

 or acute at both ends, finely denticulate, l'-4' 

 long, X'~ 2/ wide; petioles slender, 4 // -i2 // long; 

 staminate flowers fascicled; pistillate flowers 

 short-paniculate; calyx obsolete; drupe nar- 

 rowly oblong when mature, about */?.' long, 

 when young fusiform and often curved. 



River-banks, Illinois to Georgia, west to Missouri, 

 Arkansas and Texas. Wood heavy, soft, not strong, 

 yellowish brown; weight per cubic foot 40 Ibs. 

 March-April. 



4. CHIONANTHUS L. Sp. PI. 8. 1753. 



Shrubs or small trees, with opposite simple entire leaves, and complete conspicuous 

 white flowers, in large loose panicles from the axils of the upper leaves of the preceding 

 season. Calyx small, 4-cleft or 4-parted, inferior, persistent. Corolla of 4 linear petals, 

 slightly united at the very base, their margins slightly induplicate in the bud. Stamens 2 

 (rarely 3), inserted on the base of the corolla; filaments very short. Ovules 2 in each 

 cavity of the ovary, pendulous; style short; stigma thick, emarginate or slightly 2-lobed. 

 Fruit an oblong or ovoid usually i-seeded drupe. [Greek, snow-blossom.] 



About 3 species, the following of southeastern North America, the others Chinese. 



i. Chionanthus Virginica L. Fringe-tree. (Fig. 2845.) 



Chionanthus Virginica L. Sp. PI. 8. 1753. 



A shrub, or small tree, reaching a maximum 

 height of about 35 and trunk diameter of about 

 8', the young twigs, petioles and lower surfaces 

 of the leaves pubescent, or sometimes glabrate. 

 Leaves oval, oblong or some of them obovate, 

 rather thick, acute, short-acuminate to obtuse 

 at the apex, narrowed at the base, 3 / -6 / long, 

 i '-3' wide; the blade more or less decurrent on 

 the petiole; panicles drooping, sometimes 10' 

 long, usually with some sessile oblong leaflike 

 bracts, its branches and the pedicels very slen- 

 der; petals \' long or more, i" wide or less; 

 drupe oblong or globose-oblong, nearly black, 

 5 "-8" long, the pulp thin. 



In moist thickets, Delaware and southern Penn- 

 sylvania to Florida and Texas. Ascends to 2500 ft. 

 in North Carolina. Wood heavy, hard, light brown; 

 weight per cubic foot 40 Ibs. Called also Old-man's 

 Beard. May-June. 



