2. FORESTIERA. 
Forestiera acuminata (Michaux) Poiret. Ponp BrusH. CRrRooKep 
Brusu. Plate 127. Bark on small trees smooth, becoming rough 
or fissured on larger trees, the ridges short and broken, light to 
dark gray; branches slender, numerous and somewhat spiny; win- 
ter buds ovoid, smooth or sometimes a few of the scales with ciliate 
margins, much lighter in color than the twigs; leaves ovate to ellip- 
tic-ovate, 3-9 em. (114-31% inches) long, long taper-pointed at the 
apex, generally about as long pointed at the base, leaves on vigor- 
ous shoots the largest and with a shorter tapering base, margins 
with shallow rounded teeth to below the middle, rarely entire, a 
light green and smooth both above and beneath; petioles about 1 
em. (34 inch) long; flowers appear in March or April before the 
leaves, the staminate in small sessile clusters along the small branch- 
es, the pistiliate in short panicles; fruit a dark purple drupe, oblong, 
about 15 mm. (1% inch) long; stone with many longitudinal ribs. 
Distribution. Southwestern Indiana and southern Illinois south 
to Georgia and Texas. In Indiana it occurs only in a few counties 
in the southwestern part of the State where it is found in swamps, 
borders of ponds and low river banks. It is very tolerant of shade 
and is frequently found growing in a thick stand of tall trees. It 
is generally associated with Cephalanthus (Button Bush), Tazo- 
dium (Cypress), Salix nigra (Willow), Betula nigra (Birch), Popu- 
lus heterophylla (Cottonwood) and Fraxinus Michauxii (Swell-butt 
Ash). In our area it is usually shrub-like and in some places it 
forms almost impenetrable thickets. It sometimes reaches a height 
of 8m. (25 feet) and a diameter of 1.5 dm. (6 inches). The common 
name given in books for this species is “‘swamp privet” but no 
one was found who knew it by that name. In Gibson and Posey 
Counties it is commonly called ‘‘pond brush” and ‘‘crooked brush”’. 
The published records of the distribution are as follows: Gib- 
son and Posey (Schneck); Knox (Ridgway). 
Additional records are: Gibson and Posey (Deam). 
Economic uses. Too small and the supply too limited to be of 
any economic value. 
BIGNONIACEH. Tue Trumprer Creeper Famiy. 
CATALPA. Tue Cara.pas. 
Leaves simple, opposite or whorled, with long petioles; flowers in 
terminal panicles or corymbs; fruit a long round pod which splits into 
halves; seeds many, flat, papery, with a tuft of long hairs at each 
