MAGNOLIA FAMILY 



Wood. — Light yellow brown, sapwood almost white ; light, soft, 

 satiny, close-grained and durable. Sp. gr,, 0.4690; weight of cu. 

 ft., 29.23 lbs. 



Winter Buds. — Terete, acute, downy. Terminal bud an inch 

 long. Outer scales fall when spring growth begins, inner scales en- 

 large and become the stipules of the unfolding leaves. Flower-bud 

 enclosed in a stipular, caducous bract. 



Leaves. — Alternate or scattered, simple, feather-veined, seven to 

 fourteen inches long, four to six broad, oblong, pointed or rounded 

 at base, entire, slightly ruffled at margin, acute ; midrib and primary 

 veins prominent beneath. They come out of the bud conduplicate, 

 green, covered with long silky hairs ; when full grown are bright 

 deep green, smooth above, paler and slightly downy beneath. In 

 autumn they turn a bright yellow. Petioles an inch to an inch and 

 a half long. 



Flowers. — May, June. Perfect, solitary, terminal, bell-shaped, 

 greenish yellow, three to four inches across. 



Calyx. — Sepals three, greenish yellow, acute, an inch to an inch 

 and a half long, soon reflexed. 



Corolla. — Petals six, in two rows, greenish yellow, imbricate in 

 bud, hypogynous, obovate, concave, acute, two to three inches long; 

 inner row narrower than outer. 



Stajuens. — Indefinite, imbricated in many rows on the base of the 

 receptacle ; filaments short ; anthers long, adnate, introrse, two- 

 celled ; connective pointed. 



Pistils. — Indefinite, imbricated on the lengthened receptacles. 

 Ovaries fleshy, one-celled ; style short, recurved ; ovules two. 



Fruit. — A red cylindrical mass composed of coalescent carpels, 

 smooth, two to three inches long, often curved, containing many 

 scarlet drupaceous seeds, which when released hang down on slender 

 white threads. September, October. 



The struggle for life among the trees of the forest is quite 

 as keen, the conflict as pitiless, and death to the weakest 

 quite as certain, as in the higher ranks of life. The survival 

 of the fittest is the law of the wildwood as well as of the 

 creatures who live beneath its protecting cover. There is 

 just so much space below, and just so much light above to be 

 appropriated, and roots that car/ dig deepest and hold tight- 

 est, trunks that can rise the highest and then spread out their 

 branches and bear their leaves into the air and sunlight have 

 the best chance to survive. There is no time to loiter and 

 grow fat, there is no time to indulge in the luxury of branches. 

 Upward is the cry, and the race is given to the strong, not to 



10 



