Trees of New York State 375 



RUE FAMILY. RUTACEAE 



Trees and slirubs or rarely herbs with bitter aromatic oil, simple 

 or compound, generally glandular-punctate leaves, and perfect or 

 j>oIygainous, usually strongly-scented flowers. The Rue family con- 

 tains in the neighboi-hood of one thousand species grouped in one 

 hundred odd genera, widely distributed throughout the warm tem- 

 perate and tropical regions of the world but most abundant in 

 South Africa and Australia. 



Leaves sinii)le or eonipound, generally j^laiidular-punctate, estipulate or 

 with spinesceiit stipules. FUnvers regular, perfect or unisexual, chiefly in 

 cymes; calyx 3-.5-lobed, the lobes imbricated in the bud; petals 3-5, imbri- 

 cated in the bud; stamens as many or twice as many as the petals, distinct 

 or united below, hypogynous; pistils 2-5, separate or united, sessile or stipi- 

 tate, the styles usually united ; ovules 2 in each cell. Fruit a capsule, samara, 

 drupe or hesperidium; seeds albuminous. 



THE WAFER-ASHES. Genus PTELEA L. 



Small trees or shrubs with bitter bark, 3-5-foliate leaves, polyga- 

 mous flowers, and samaroid fruit. The genus is endemic to North 

 America and is represented by four or five sjiecies, natives of the 

 United States and Mexico. One species becomes a .small tree and 

 is found locally in New York State. 



Leaves alternate or rarely opposite, estipulate, long-petioled, generally 

 trifoliate, the leaflets ovate or oblong, entire or crenulate-serrate, pellucid- 

 punctate. Flowers polygamous, greenish white, borne on slender bracteolate 

 pedicels in terminal or compound cymes; calyx 4-5-parted; petals 4-5, imbri- 

 cated; stamens of the same number as the petals and alternate with them; 

 filaments subulate, pilose at the base, shorter in the pistillate flowers; pistil 

 consisting of a stipitate, compressed 2-3-celled ovai-y tenninated by a short 

 style and 2-3-lobed stigma. Fnut a 2-3-celled, broadly winged or rarely 

 wingless samara; wing broad, reticulate; seeds oblong, acute at the apex, 

 rounded at the base. 



QUASSIA FAMILY. SIMAROUBACEAE 



Trees or shrubs with bitter often milky juice, alternate pinnate 

 leaves, dioecious or polygamous flowers, and a samaroid or drupa- 

 ceous fruit. The family includes about one hundred and fifty 

 species which are grouped in twenty-eight genera, and is chiefly 

 confined to the tropics and the milder parts of the north temperate 

 zone. 



Leaves alternate, persistent or deciduous, pinnate, estipulate. Flotvers 

 regular, dioecious or polygamous; calyx 3-5 lobed, the lobes imbricated in 

 tlio buds; petals 3-5, imbricated in the bud; disk annular or elongated; Bta- 



