128 AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST. 
Nyssa sylvatica Marsh. 
THEO. Horw. 
[With 16 figures drawn by the author. | 
The genus Nyssa is now confined to North America (southern 
Ontario and the eastern United States), where three species are dis- 
tinguished, and to southern Asia, where a single species is dis- 
tributed from the eastern Himalayas to the island of Java. Nyssa 
sylvatica Marsh, N. Ogeche Marsh, and N. aquatica L. are the Ameri- 
can species, familiarly known as Tupelo, Pepperidge, Black or Sour 
Gum. They are deciduous trees with unisexual flowers, and alter- 
nate leaves, and very distinct from Cornus and Garrya, the only 
other members of the Corzacez represented in our country. 
While excellent illustrations and very detailed descriptions of 
these Vyssae are to be found in Sargent’s Silva of North America 
there are still some points of interest to be noticed, which have not, so 
far, been recorded, and which may deserve attention. A compara- 
tive study of the three American species would, of course, lead to 
better results than the consideration of only one of these, but since 
N. sylvatica is the only species occuring in this vicinity, I am com- 
pelled to confine myself to this species, hoping that the present 
notes may serve as a small contribution to the knowledge of this, 
in many respects, very peculiar tree. 
Characteristic of the mature tree is the frequently very broad 
and flat top, the crowded horizontal to pendulous branches, and the 
very short, stout, lateral branchlets, not speaking of the bright, 
crimson color of the foliage in Autumn. The leaves are generally 
described as entire, in contrast with the frequently remotely and 
irregularly angulate-toothed ones of Nyssa aquatica. Sargent (1. c.), 
however, states that they are ''rarely coarsely dentate’’, while 
Bentham and Hooker describe them as ''integerrima or juniora 
lobato-dentata.’’ Of these statements the latter is the more correct. 
In studying the foliage of trees, which in many of our native 
species offers a multitude of forms, especially in regard to outline, it 
is necessary to include the younger stages, and if possible, the seed- 
lings. Not only is the manner of germinating of some interest, but 
also thestructure and shape of the first leaves succeeding the 
cotyledons, since these, the so-called primary leaves, evidently repre- 
