200 



POPULAR FLORA. 



Cherry or Sweet B. Tree, "with heart-ovate and pointed leaves, downy on the veins beneath, 

 and II close bark, bronze-colored on the twigs, which are spicy-tasted, like the foliage of Clieck- 

 erberry. Common N. B. lenta. 



87. SWEET-GALE FAMILY. Order MYEICACEJi;. 



Shrubs (generally low), with fragrant alternate leaves; and with catkins much as in the 

 Birch family, but short and with only one naked blossom under each scale ; the ovary 

 forming a little nut or dry drupe. 



Flowers monoecious: fertile catkins round and bur-like: fruit a smooth little nut. Leaves 



lance-linear, pinnatifid. Fern-like, whence the common name, ( Comptbnia) Sweet-Fern. 

 Flowers dioecious: scales of the fertile catkins falling off, and leaving only the small 

 round fruits, which are incrusted with wax, and so appear like drupes. Leaves 

 entire or serrate, ( Mijnca). 



One species in wet grounds, N., with wedge-lanceolate pale leaves, (M. Gale) Sweet-Gale. 



One on the sea-coast with lance-oblong, shining leaves, and waxy fruit, {M. ceHfera) Bayberhy. 



88. WILLOW FAMILY. Order SALICACEiE. 



Dioecious trees or shrubs, with both 

 kinds of blossoms in catkins (often 

 earlier than the foliage) ; the flowers 

 naked (without any calyx or corolla), 

 one sort of two or more stamens 

 under a scaly bract ; the other of a 

 one-celled pistil with two styles or 

 stigmas, making a many-seeded pod : 

 the seeds bearing a long tuft of down. 

 Leaves alternate and simple : wood 

 soft and light : bark bitter. — The 

 Willows are of very many species, 

 and are much too difficult for the 

 beginner. 



494. Shoot and cntkin oT Blerile flowers of the Com- 

 mon While WiHovv. 495. A BC.ile Boparaled, with lis 

 flower, consisling of Iwo stamens and a liltle gland, 

 magnified. 496. Stiool and rerlile catkin of the same. 

 497 A pislillale flower with its scale and gland, mag- 

 nified. 



Scales of the catkins entire: stamens 2 to 6; stigmas short; leaves narrow, 

 Scales of the catkins cut-lobed: stamens 8 to 40: stigmas long: leaves broad, 

 huds covered with a resinous varnish, 



(Salix) Willow. 

 Scaly lenf- 



{Pojmlus) PoPL.tu 



