CELASTRACEJE STAFF-TREE FAMILY 



BURNING BUSH. WAAHOO. SPINDLE-TREE 



Eudnymus atropurpureus. ILvdnymus atropurpureus. 



Euonymus, derived from two Greek words, signifies good repute. 

 Atropurpureus, dark purple, refers to the flower. 



Widely distributed. Usually a shrub six to ten feet high, becom- 

 ing a tree only in southern Arkansas and Indian Territory. Loves 

 the borders of woods ; prefers moist soil. Root fibrous. 



Bark. Ashen gray, furrowed, scaly. Branchlets slender, dark, 

 purplish brown ; later become brownish gray. Bitter, drastic. 



Wood. White, tinged with orange ; heavy, hard, close-grained. 

 Sp. gr., 0.6592 ; weight of cu. ft., 41.08 Ibs. 



Winter Buds. Purple with glaucous bloom, small, acute. 



Leaves. Opposite, entire, feather-veined, elliptical or ovate, two 

 to four inches long, one to two broad, pointed at base, finely serrate, 

 acute ; midvein and primary veins conspicuous. In autumn they 

 turn pale yellow. Petioles short, stout. Stipules minute, caducous. 



Flowers. May, June. Perfect, dark purple, half an inch across, 

 borne in dichotomous, axillary, few-flowered cymes. Peduncles 

 slender. 



Calyx. Four-lobed, lobes spreading, imbricate in bud. Disk 

 thick, fleshy, filling the tube of the calyx, four-lobed, adherent to 

 the ovary. 



Corolla. Petals four, inserted on calyx under margin of disk, 

 dark purple, obovate, imbricate in bud ; margins often erose. 



Stamens, Four, alternate with the petals, inserted on the disk; 

 filaments very short ; anthers in pairs, two-celled ; cells opening 

 longitudinally. 



Pistil. Ovary superior, surrounded by and adherent to the disk, 

 four-celled; style short ; stigma four-lobed; ovules one or two in. 

 each cell. 



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