778 



The Bumelias 



Fig. 708. — Cassine -leaved Buckthorn. 



2. CASSINE-LEAVED BUCKTHORN — Bumelia cassinifolia SmaU 



A small, usually spiny, tree or shrub, known only from sandy woods of Loui- 

 siana, where it attains a maximiun height of 

 10 meters, with a trunk diameter up to 1.6 

 dm. 



The bark is reddish brown. The twigs 

 are relatively stout, slightly hairy and dark 

 gray. The leaves are numerous, rather thin, 

 oblong-obovate or oblanceolate, 2 to 10 cm. 

 long, rounded or notched at the apex, grad- 

 ually tapering at the base, slightly revolute on 

 the margin, dark green and smooth above, 

 paler and prominently nerved beneath; the 

 leaf -stalk is slender, 8 to 12 mm. long. The 

 flowers are in many-flowered fascicles, open- 

 ing in May; the pedicels are 2 to 5 mm. 

 long, smooth and slightly enlarged toward 

 the top; calyx-lobes orbicular, about 2 mm. 

 long; corolla- lobes suborbicular, 1.5 to 2 

 mm. broad, often irregularly toothed, the 



appendages lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, crisp or toothed; staminodes ovate, 



about 2 mm. long, blunt and finely toothed. The 



subglobose fruit is black, i to 1.5 cm. long, ripening 



several weeks earlier than that of other species of 



the genus in the same region. 



3. SHINING BUMELIA — Bumelia lucida 



SmaU 



A small tree or shrub of Louisiana and eastern 

 Texas, attaining a maximum height of 7 meters. 



The branches are stiff and thorny." The twigs 

 are stout and smooth, dark gray, with raised yel- 

 lowish lenticels. The leathery leaves are .elliptic 

 to elliptic-ovate or elliptic-oblanceolate, 2 to 5 cm. 

 long, sharp-pointed or blunt at each end, entire 

 and revolute on the margin, deep green, smooth 

 and shining above, paler, dull and prominently 

 netted beneath; the leaf-stalk is slender, 2 to 5 mm. 

 long. The flowers are borne in many-flowered fas- Fig. 709. — Shining Bumelia. 

 cicles on slender, smooth pedicels 3 to 7 mm. long; their calyx- lobes are suborbic- 

 ular; corolla-lobes also suborbicular, appendages lanceolate and blunt; stami- 



