2S4 A TEXT-LOOK OF BOTANY 
Coast. The beauty and variety of this forest is one of the 
distinguishing characters of the vegetation of the United 
States, and its abuse is equally characteristic of our early 
history. This great forest region of deciduous trees is 
spoken of in general as the Atlantic forest; and in it the 
conifers are sparingly represented, either mixed through it 
or in small patches. In the rich soils of the central States, 
as in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and 
Missouri, the deciduous forest reaches its culmination in 
variety, vigor, and purity. 
Only one-fourth of our timber comes from these hard- 
wood trees, the other three-fourths being supplied by coni- 
fers (§ 128); and among them the oaks are the most useful, 
furnishing more than one-half the hardwood timber. Next 
in importance, so far as output is concerned, and in the fol- 
lowing order, are tulip-tree (white poplar, furnishing the 
so-called poplar lumber), maple, elm, poplar (cottonwood), 
linden (basswood), sweet-gum (red-gum), ash, chestnut, 
birch, hickory, black walnut, sycamore, etc. In actual 
market value of the lumber, that is, the comparative value 
of the same amount of lumber of each kind, the order is as 
follows: black walnut, elm, oak, ash, tulip-tree (white pop- 
lar), chestnut, maple, sweet-gum (red-gum), linden (bass- 
wood), poplar (cottonwood), ete. Of course this order of 
output and of value cannot be a fixed one, but it serves to 
indicate the situation at the last census. 
164. Buttercups.—The Buttercup Family (Ranuncula- 
cee), usually called the Crowfoot l’amily, represents very 
well the herbs with the simpler flowers that belong to the 
Archichlamydee. Taking an ordinary early spring butter- 
cup as an example, there are five green sepals, five yellow 
petals, numerous stamens, and a little head of numerous 
carpels growing as separate pistils. This last character, 
the distinct carpels, is quite an important feature; and 
flowers that have it are said to be apocarpous (Fig. 280). 
