WITCH HAZEL FAMILY 



simply surround and protect it. Tlie petals are spirally in- 

 volute in aestivation, that is, each one is rolled in upon itself 

 and when fully expanded they still look crumpled and wavy. 



An interesting peculiarity of the fruit is the way the tiny 

 nuts are discharged from their woody pod. As the pod 

 bursts the contraction of its edges presses upon the enclosed 

 seeds and causes them to fly to a distance of several feet. 

 Bring home in November a fruiting spray and place it upon 

 the table ; no sooner has the warmth of the room dried the 

 tiny capsules than the miniature bombardment will begin 

 and will continue until every seed is forced out of its cover- 

 ing. 



The bark and leaves of the Witch Hazel are reputed to 

 possess medicinal properties on account of the tradition that 

 they were used by the Indians in the treatment of external 

 inflammations. " Pond's Extract " is a distillation of the bark 

 in dilute alcohol. This remedy has great popularity, but 

 chemists so far have failed to distinguish any active medicinal 

 properties in the plant. 



SWEET GUM. LIQUIDAMBAR 



Liqjtiddinbar styracijfita. 



The name is derived from liquidiis and the Arabic word amhar, 

 referring to the balsamic juices of the tree. StyraciJJua from the 

 name of an ancient balsam. 



A tree sixty to one hundred and forty feet in height, with erect 

 trunk two to five feet in diameter, slender branches and handsome 

 conical head. Ranges from Connecticut to Florida on the coast and 

 westward through Arkansas and Indian Territory. It appears on 

 the mountain ranges in Mexico and Central America. Loves low, 

 moist, bottom lands, but will grow in dry elevated regions. Roots 

 fibrous ; juices balsamic. 



Bark. — Light brown tinged with red, deeply fissured, ridges scaly. 

 Branchlets pithy, many-angled, winged, at first covered with rusty 

 hairs, finally becoming red brown, gray or dark brown. 



i6o 



