FOREST TREES. 185 



to Florida. It grows to a large size, and is very abundant in 

 the bottom lands along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. 



P. rareuiosa, Nutt. California Button wood. Leaves very 

 variable, densely downy when young, broadly heart-shaped in 

 outline, three to five-lobed, usually above the middle, lobes 

 sharp-pointed, entire, or coarsely toothed. The leaves often a 

 foot broad, and sometimes two feet on young, thrifty sprouts, 

 fertile heads two to seven in a string, a necklace-like spike. 

 Fruit an inch in diameter. A common tree from the Valley of 

 the Sacramento to Southern California. Bark very white, wood 

 brittle, but said to receive a good polish and to be more durable 

 than that of the Eastern species. The largest tree, whose 

 measurement has been reported, is growing in Santiago Canyon, 

 Los Angeles County, and was found to be twenty-nine feet and 

 seven inches in circumference, but the trees rarely reach a hight 

 of a hundred feet, or more than six feet in diameter (Botany of 

 California, Vol. II.) Platanus Wrightii, Watson, is closely allied 

 to the above, and probably Mexican, but said to be found in 

 Southeastern Arizona. 



FOREIGN SPECIES AND VARIETIES. 



The Oriental Plane tree, or Sycamore, is better known in culti- 

 vation than our native species, because it was early introduced 

 and more extensively propagated by our nurserymen. By some 

 persons it is considered more desirable as an ornamental tree, as it 

 has a more graceful habit. The branches are not quite as rigid, 

 but often curved downward. In some instances it is decidedly 

 drooping, with the ends curving upward. Some authors recog- 

 nize two Asiatic species, the P. orientalis, Linn, and P. cune<tta, 

 Willdenow, but it is doubtful if they are distinct species. There 

 are many varieties in cultivation, among which I will name 

 P. umbraculifera, a dwarf, tortuous growing variety. P. acer- 

 folia, the maple-leaved. P. nepalensis, with cut leaves and a 

 pyramidal habit. P. liriodendrifolia has leaves resembling the 

 Tulip Tree, raised by a nurseryman near Meton, Italy. P. quin- 

 quelobata, a variety with leaves divided into five-lobes. P. as- 

 plenifola, the leaves of which are very evenly and symmetrically 

 divided. All the species and varieties of Platanus are hardy 

 in our Northern States, at least so far as they have been tested. 



POPULUS, Tour. Poplar, Aspen. 



A genus of about twenty species of deciduous trees, one-half 

 the number natives of North America, and the others in- 



