MEZEREUM FAMILY 



Pistil. — Ovary superior, one-celled, one-ovuled ; style thread- 

 like, exserted ; stigma capitate. 



Fruit. — Drupe, reddish, oblong-oval, pointed at both ends, 

 containing one large, shining, brown seed. 



A marked peculiarity of Dirca palustris is the char- 

 acter of its thick porous bark. This is soft and pliant 

 and to outward appearance innocent enough, yet its 

 tenacity and toughness are astonishing. If one wishes 

 to know exactly how this bark behaves he has only to 

 break a stem from the bush and attempt to go away 

 with it. The wood is easily broken, it oilers no great 

 resistance; it is in managing the bark that madness 

 lies. For that bark will neither yield nor give ; it is 

 soft, you can indent it ; it is pliant, will move as you 

 wish ; but it simply will not part. Its fibres are a 

 wonderful example of a natural string, and the Indians 

 who used it for bow strings and fish lines and in the 

 manufacture of baskets well understood its properties. 



Dirca blooms early and the fruit matures quickly, 

 but is so hidden among the leaves and falls so soon 

 that it easily escapes notice. The books call it a 

 drupe, but that seems a courtesy title only, for the 

 flesh is exceedingly thin and very leathery. 



The petioles are swollen at the base sufficiently to 

 conceal and protect the brown velvet)' buds of next 

 year's leaves. There is no terminal bud, the stem 

 ends in a point; the bud which will continue next 

 year's growth is axillary. What decorative value the 

 plant has lies chiefly in the yellow green of its foliage, 

 which might be used advantageously to brighten a 

 dark place. 



420 



