THE STAFF TREE FAMILY 



CELASTRACEiE Lindley 



HIS family comprises about 40 genera, with some 350 species of trees, 

 shrubs, or woody climbers of wide geographic distribution, but most 

 abundant in the tropics. They are of no especial economic value; a 

 few have medical properties and many are quite ornamental. 

 The Celastraceae have simple, deciduous or persistent, alternate, opposite or 

 whorled leaves, with or without stipules. The flowers are small and inconspicuous, 

 usually in cymes, sometimes otherwise clustered, perfect or imperfect, regular, 

 generally on short jointed pedicels; the calyx is persistent, 4- or 5-lobed or parted, 

 the corolla is of 4 or 5 petals, inserted under the margin of the flat or lobed disk; 

 stamens 4 or 5, inserted upon or undei^ the disk, their anthers introrse ; ovary ses- 

 sile, 2- to 5-celled, the styles short and thick or wanting; stigma capitate, entire 

 or 2- to 5-lobed; ovules, or 2 in each cell. The fruit is a capsule, drupe or berry, 

 sometimes winged ; seeds solitary or several in each cell, often enclosed in a bright- 

 colored aril; endosperm copious, fleshy or oily; embryo straight. 



The well-known woody cHmber, known as False bittersweet, Celasirus scandens 

 Linnasus, is a member of this family. The arborescent genera in our area are; 



Fruit a dehiscent capsule. i. Etumymus^ 

 Fruit indehiscent, drupaceous or berry-like. 



Flowers perfect; ovary 4-celled. 2. Rhacoma. 

 Flowers dioecious; ovary 2-celled. 



Leaves opposite; ovules pendulous. 3. Gyminda. 



Leaves alternate; ovules erect. 4. Schajjeria. 



I. WAHOO 



GENUS EUOiraVIUS [TOURNEFORT] LINNAEUS 

 Species Euonymus atropuipnreus Jacquin 



|UONYMUS includes about 65 species of shrubs and small trees, mostly 

 natives of the north temperate zone, a few, however, occurring in the 

 East Indies and one in Australia. There are about 6 species in the 

 United States, of which the Wahoo is the only one which forms a 

 tree, and there are several in Mexico. The generic name is the ancient Greek 

 appellation of the type species, the European Spindle-tree {Euonymus Europaus 

 Linnaeus), which is much planted for ornament in North America, and occasionally 

 escapes from cultivation. The species of Euonymus have opposite, stalked, simple 



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