380 Tlic New York State College of Forestry 



Leaves sim])le, t'liiefly alternate and generally 3-nerved, stipulate. Flowers 

 perfect or polygamous, regular, greenish, inconspicuous; calyx 4-5-lobed; 

 petals 4-5, inserted on the calyx or wanting; stamens 4—5, opposite the 

 petals; disk fleshy; pistil consisting of a sessile 2-5-celled and ovuled ovary 

 surmoimted by a columnar stylo and terminal stigma. Fruit drupaceous, 

 tipped with tiie remnants of the style; seeds mainly albuminous. 



THE BUCKTHORNS. Genus RHAMNUS (Tourn.) L. 



Small trees and shrubs with bitter bark, often spinescent 

 branches, simple pinni veined leaves, and greenish, perfect, polyga- 

 mous or dioecious flowers. Rhamnus is represented by about sixty 

 species scattered over the temperate and in maiiy parts of the 

 tropical regions of the world. Five species are indigenous to the 

 United States, three of which become arborescent. 



Leaves alternate or subopposite, deciduous or persistent, simple, entire or 

 dentate, petiolate, eonduplicate in the bud. Flowers perfect or polygamo- 

 dioecious, axillary, borne in simple or compound racemes or fascicled cymes ; 

 calyx, campanulate, 4-5-lobed; petals 4-5, emarginate, infolded aromid tho 

 stamens or lacking; stamens 4-5, with short filaments and ovate-oblong or 

 sagittate anthers; pistil consisting of a free 2-4-eelled, ovoid ovary sur- 

 moimted by a 3-4-cleft or lobed style. Fruit an oblong or spherical drupe 

 with thick succulent flesh, containing 2-4 1-seeded nutlets; seed erect, 

 grooved, with scanty albumen. 



Rhamnus cothartica L. was introduced from Europe for ornamental pur- 

 poses and has become naturalized in New York State. 



LINDEN FAMILY. TILIACEAE 



A large family of trees, shrubs and herbs comprising about 

 thirty-five genera and approximately two hundred and fifty species, 

 mainly tropical and most abundantly represented south of the 

 equator. Three genera are North American, one of which, Tilia, 

 is arborescent. 



Leaves chiefly alternate, simple, deciduous, stipulate. Flowers perfect, regu- 

 lar, generally in cymes or panicles; sepals 3-5, valvate, deciduous; petals of 

 the same number, fewer, or none; staanens numerous, generally 5-10- 

 adelphous; pistil consisting of a sessile, 2-10-celled ovary terminated by a. 

 columnar style and capitate stigma. Fruit drupaceous or nut-like; seeds 

 albuminous; cotyledons foliaceous. 



THE LINDENS OR BASSWOODS. Genus TILIA (Tourn.) L. 

 The genus TUia comprises some twenty species of trees and is 

 widely distributed in the temi)erate regions of the northern hemis- 

 phere with the exception of western North America and Central 

 Asia. ]\Iost of the species are characterized by fragrant, nectar- 

 l)earing flowers, fibrous imici' h<ii-k', and a soft, {!ven-textured valu- 

 able wood, and ai-e valua1)le liiiihcr trees in Hic regions to which 

 they are indigenous. 



