THE ROMANCE OF OUR TREES 



is M. acuminata, the Cucumber-tree, so called from 

 the slight resemblance borne by the young fruits to a 

 small cucumber. It is a tree from 70 to 90 feet tall 

 with a stout trunk and ascending-spreading branches 

 forming a bold, broad-pyramidal crown. The 

 leaves are from 6 to 10 inches long, oblong and 

 pointed, green on both surfaces, and slightly hairy 

 below. The flowers are erect, cup-shaped, glaucous- 

 green tinged with yellow, and are slightly fragrant. 

 It is hardy as far north at least as Hanover, New 

 Hampshire, and is found wild from southern Ontario 

 and western New York to Ohio and southward. A 

 shapely, free-growing tree it is eminently suitable for 

 avenue planting and as a specimen tree on lawns and 

 in parks. It was one of the trees introduced into 

 Europe by the famous John Bartram who sent it in 

 1746 to Collinson in London, with whom it flowered 

 for the first time on May 20, 1762. There is a form 

 of the Cucumber-tree (var. aurea) with yellow leaves 

 slightly streaked and mottled with green. 



Somewhat similar to M. acuminata is the Yellow- 

 flowered Cucumber-tree {M. cordata) whose history is 

 quite romantic. It was originally discovered by the 

 French botanist and traveller, Michaux, in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Augusta, Georgia, sometime between 

 1787 and 1796 and by him (or his son) immediately 

 sent to France. All the trees now in gardens have 



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