752 TREES OF NORTH AMERICA 



ovary ovoid, pubescent, gradually contracted into the stout style persistent on the 

 fruit. Fruit ovoid, acute, pubescent, ' long, and \' in diameter, splitting to below the 

 middle; seeds winged, nearly square, slightly concave on the inner surface and rounded 

 on the outer surface, rugose, dotted with small pale brown excrescences, nearly T y long 

 and half the length of the thin membranaceous oblique pale brown wing pointed or rounded 

 at apex; embryo filling the cavity of the seed, nearly straight; cotyledons subcordate, 

 foliaceous. 



A short-lived tree, 60-75 high, with a tall straight trunk 18'-20' in diameter, small 

 branches growing upward at first and ultimately spreading into a narrow compact head, 

 and dark brown rugose branchlets marked during several years by the horizontal slightly 

 obcordate leaf-scars; or rarely a low shrub. Winter-buds \'-\' long, and covered w T ith pale 

 silky lustrous pubescence. Bark of the trunk nearly 1' thick, deeply divided into regular 

 parallel rounded ridges, their dark red-brown scaly surface broken into many irregular 

 shallow furrows. Wood light, soft, close-grained, not durable, light red, with lighter col- 

 ored sap wood of 40-50 layers of annual growth; occasionally used in cabinet-making. 



Distribution. Shallow swamps and moist depressions in Pine-barrens; southeastern 

 Virginia southward near the coast to the shores of Indian River on the east coast and to 

 Cape Romano on the west coast of Florida, ranging to the interior of the peninsula from 

 Lake to De Soto Counties, and westward along the Gulf coast to southern Mississippi; 

 most abundant in Georgia and east Florida; gradually becoming less abundant westward. 



2. Gordonia alatamaha Sarg. Franklinia. 



Leaves obovate-oblong, rounded or pointed at apex, gradually narrowed to the long 

 cuneate base, remotely serrate, usually above the middle only, with small glandular teeth, 

 bright green and lustrous on the upper surface, pale on the lower surface, 5' -6' long and 



Fig. 678 



lf-2' wide; turning scarlet in the autumn before falling; petioles stout, wing-margined 

 above, '-' in length. Flowers 3'-3^' in diameter, appearing about the middle of Sep- 

 tember, on short stout pedicels at first pubescent, finally glabrous, from the axils of crowded 

 upper leaves, and marked by the broad conspicuous scars of 2 minute lateral subfloral 

 pubescent bractlets; sepals nearly circular, f ' in diameter, ciliate on the margins, and cov- 

 ered on the outer surface with short lustrous silky pale hairs; petals obovate, crenulate. 

 white, membranaceous, I'-lf long and 1' broad, and densely coated on the outer surface 

 with fine pubescence; filaments distinct, inserted on the petals; ovary conspicuously 



