736 



The Tupelos 



4-angled, hairy, soon becoming dark brown or gray and marked by encircling 

 leaf scars. The leaves are opposite, thick and leathery, eUiptic, 4 to 8 cm. long, 

 rounded, sharp, or bristle-pointed at the apex, rounded or truncate at the base, 

 revolute and wavy on the margin, dark green and smooth above, densely woolly 



beneath; the leaf-staUcs are short 

 and imited at the base. The 

 flowers, appearing from Decem- 

 ber to February, are in clusters 

 of drooping spikes; they have 

 no corolla; the staminate spikes 

 are 5 to 12 cm. long, with sharp- 

 pointed, silky bracts; the calyx 

 is silky-hairy, with 4 valvate 

 lobes; stamens 4, with distinct 

 filaments; the pistillate inflo- 

 rescence is stouter, S to 8 qm. 

 long, with sharp-pointed bracts, 

 the calyx somewhat 2-lobed, the 

 ovary densely silky-hairy, ses- 

 sile, i-celled and 2-ovuled, the 2 

 styles stigmatic on the inner 

 sides. The fruit is a subglobose purplish hairy drupe, about 8 mm. in diameter, 

 I- or 2-celled, the flesh red, the juice staining purple; the seed is oblong, com- 

 pressed, 4 mm. long; the embryo is small; cotyledons oblong. The fruit ripens 

 in early autumn and becomes nearly or quite smooth with age. 



The wood is hard, close-grained, grayish brown, polishes well, but checks 

 badly; it has been used for fancy cabinet work. This tree is often planted on the 

 Pacific coast, staminate ones being preferred on accoimt of their more ornamental 

 flower clusters. It is also called Quinine bush and Fringe tree. 



Garrya was named by David Douglas in honor of Mr. Nicolas Garry, of the 

 Hudson Bay Company, who aided him in his travels to the Northwest. There are 

 perhaps 20 species, all American, natives of the Pacific slope, Texas, Mexico, and 

 the West Indies; the one here described is the type species. 



Fig. 673. — Silk Tassel Tree. 



11. THE TUPELOS 



GENUS NTSSA [GRONOVIUS] LINN^US 



YSSA contains about 7 species of large trees, or rarely shrubs, with 

 alternate branches, occurring in eastern North America, southern and 

 central Asia. Fossil leaves found in the arctic regions of Europe and 

 in western North America have been referred to this genus. 

 The leaves are alternate, often leathery, mostly entire, stalked and conspicu- 



