132 CHINESE ECONOMIC TEEES 



TETRACENTEON 



Trees. Leaves deciduous, alternate, ovate-elliptic, short acuminate, 

 obtuse or subcordate at the base, glandular-serrate, palmately 5-7 veined, 

 petiolate, without stipules. Inflorescence a many flowered spike produced 

 with a single leaf on the end of a short lateral spur. Flowers apetalous, 

 perfe^ct, small, yellowish, sessile with a 4 lobed perianth; stamens 4, 

 opposite the petals and alternate witli the carpels. Carpels 4, connate 

 on the inner edge; styles 4, at first slightly recurved, then lateral and 

 by the very oblique growth of the ovary, finally basal; ovules usually 4, 

 pendulous. Fruit a deeply 4 lobed capsule, depressed at the apex, with 

 the 4 styles persistent as short claw-Iike spurs at the base, loculicidally 

 dehiscent, many on a pendulous spike. 



A genus of 1 species superficially resembling Cercidiphyllum in habit 

 and foliage and in the presence of short lateral spurs, but differing from 

 it by the alternate leaves, the spiked inflorescence and by the 4 lobed, 

 4 spurred fruit. 



Tetracentron sinense Oliver. 



Tree to 30 m, tall. Leaves 10-15 cm. long, 7-9 cm. wide; petioles 

 2-3 cm. long. Flower spike slender, 7-10 cm. long. Fruit about 5 

 mm. or less long. 



Szechuan, Hupeh, Shensi and Yunnan. 



This is one of the largest trees in China. It grows best near water, as 

 on the banks of stream?. The wood is soft and brittle, of little known 

 value. 



CERCIDIPHYLLACEAE 



Flowers unisexual, dioecious; stamens numerous, spirally arranged, 

 on slender filaments. Carpels 2-5, stipitate, suture facing outwards, 

 with indefinite ovules. Fruit many-seeded pods. Tree with roundish- 

 cordate, Cercis-Iike leaves. 



A family of only 1 species. 



CERCIDIPHYLLUM 



Tree with closely appressed, red-brown buds. Leaves deciduous, 

 mostly opposite, occasionally a,lternate toward the base of the shoots. 



