THE SWEET LEAF FAMlLV. 415 



THE SWEET LEAF FAMILY. 



Symplocliccce, 



SWEET LEAF. HORSE=SUGAR. 



Syuiplocos tine tori a. 



FAMILY COLOUR ODOUR RANGE TIME OF BLOOM 



Sweet luaf. Deep yelloiv. Fragrant. florida ami I.ntiisana Mar, /t, April. 



to Delaivare. 



Flowers : very abundant and growing in sessile, bracted clusters. Ci/yx : top- 

 shaped, the five lobes bluntly pointed. Corolla : with five long, narrow'segments 

 almost polyi^etalous. Stame?ts : numerous, inserted at the base of the corolla in 

 five sets. Drupe : oblong; one-seeded ; nut-like. Leaves: simple ; alternate; with 

 short downy petioles; oblong, pointed at both ends; entire, or crenate-serrate; 

 bright yellow-green above, very much paler below and covered with a silvery 

 down ; somewhat persistent; sweet to the taste; thick. A small tree about thirty 

 feet high, or a shrub. 



Of the tribe to which this plant belongs, it is the only representative in 

 North America ; and in earliest spring when its ckisters of intensely yellow, 

 fragrant flowers appear on the twigs it is most beautiful. Near the limit of 

 its northern range there is then not a leaf to be seen among them. They 

 appear to spring solely from the bare, grey wood. But further southward 

 the leaves are persistent through the winter or, when well sheltered, even so 

 for possibly two years. In drying, these bright, yellow-green leaves with 

 their silvery sheen remain unchanged in colour, or turn perhaps more yel- 

 low. To produce this colour, in fact, they are made into a dye. As the 

 English name implies, they are rather sweet to the taste, like sugar. 

 Horses and cows eat them most greedily. 



THE STORAX FAMILY. 



Styj'acdcci^. 



Including small frees, or shrubs %ciitJi simple, alternate leai'es and 

 which bear perfect, regular, bell-shaped Jloiaers icith gamopctalous or 

 polypetalous corollas and ivhich have their calyxes more or less adnate to 

 the ovaries. 



