leaf intermediate between the oak and the bay laurel. Each blossom, he says, 

 equals in size and form a long myrtle blossom, so that it is formed like an egg- 

 shell cut in half. Ovid celebrates its loads of "blushing fruit," and Horace, in 

 his first Ode, expresses his delight in lying with limbs stretched beneath a green 

 arbutus. 



The madrona of California was given its name by the Spanish Cali- 

 fornians after the arbute tree of Spain which they knew as madrona. It was 

 first collected in 1 79 1 by Menzies, and was one of the first Pacific Coast trees 

 to be described by botanists. 



Madrona is widely distributed in the coast mountains, and occurs on the 

 west slopes of the Sierras, and in the San Bernardino Mountains. On the north 

 coast, where it reaches a height of 125 feet and a diameter of four feet, it is 

 found on the slopes with redwood, Douglas fir, tan oak and black oak. The 

 beauty of its foliage, flowers, and trunk are sources of never-failing interest to 

 the traveler. 



The madrona is very little known to cultivation but should make a 

 strong appeal to Californians. Professor W. L. Jepson of the University of 

 California speaks of it as follows: 



"That madrona has thus far no place in California gardens is 

 partly to be explained by the unhappy preference for exotics and be- 

 cause the tree as it grows in its native woods is little known to the 

 people. For beyond any peradventure of doubt it is the most handsome 

 tree in California and enlivens the forest and groves with its unrivaled 

 woodland colors. Of slight economic importance as a timber species, 

 it is in every other, way a notable tree. Its crown of flowers and masses 

 of crimson berries, its burnished foliage and terra-cotta bark, its manner 

 of branching and habits of growth are alike full of interest and of 

 charm." 



MAGNOLIAS 



The magnolias, which belong to a family of very ancient lineage, are 

 widely distributed, species being found in the Himalayas, China, Central 

 America and southeastern United States. The genus is named in honor of 

 Pierre Magnol, professor of botany at Montpellier in France. 



There are seven species of magnolia in southeastern United States, several 

 of them being timber trees of consequence. They flourish in rich, moist soil 



(83) 



