THE PLANE-TREE FAMILY. 233 



of the old country, the tree is one of the largest of the temperate zone, it 

 growing in fact, to a great size and recognised to be the largest tree of 

 east America. By it the characteristics of its family are well illustrated, for 

 there is but one genus and of the seven species recognised the button-wood is 

 the only one represented in the southeastern states. Over the United States 

 it is a familiar sight as near the borders of streams, or by small springs and 

 brooks it raises its large branches, often silvery white through the peculiar- 

 ity of the outer bark in peeling and showing the polished inner one. Near 

 the bases of the trees, however, it does not so freely exfoliate. Perhaps the 

 greater number of people know this tree as the " sycamore," a name errone- 

 ously applied, and which when properly used belongs to trees not indigen- 

 ous to America. 



THE ROSE FAHILY. 



RosacciT. 



Represented in our range by trees, shrubs or herbs with simple^ or 

 compound, a/teniate leaves and zvhich bear regular, perfect or ?-arely 

 dioecious flowers ; their petals being mostly rounded, and equal in number 

 to the lobes of the calyx, or altogether wanting. 



NINEBARK. 



Opuldster opulifdlius. 



FAMILY COLOUR ODOUR RANGE TIME OF BLOOM 



Rose. White or purplish. Scentless. Georgia to Quebec June., July. 



and westward. 



Ftcnvers : rather small ; growing on pubescent pedicels in rounded, many floweerd 

 terminal corymbs. Calyx : campanulale ; persistent ; with five reflexed, glabrous 

 or slightly pubescent lobes. Petals : five ; rounded. Slamc//s : numerous ; ex- 

 serted. Pods : inflated, three to five, sharply tii)ped. Leaves : simple ; with slen- 

 der petioles, broadly ovate or orbicular, and palinately three to five lobed, unevenly 

 serrate ; bright green ; smooth. A branching shrub, two to ten feet high, with 

 glabrous twigs. 



Of the rose family there are many children, some wildly gay and beauti- 

 ful, others of botanical interest only, and again others that are queer, very 

 queer. The ninebark, however, is one of the large, rather gawky ones. 

 Its bloom is not very pretty, but it redeems itself from the commonplace, 

 as, in fact, do many plants, by the beauty of the ripening pods. They, 

 hanging in quantities at the ends of its long, curving branches, produce 

 something the same effect as the fruit of a species of opulus or cranberry- 



