MYKICACE^. (sweet-gale FAMILY.) 409 



of Streams, &.c. ; common northward and along the AUeghanios. — Shrub 2° - 

 5° high, with slender smooth branches. 



5. CABPINUS, L. HoENBEAM. Iron-wood. 



Sterile flowers in drooping cylindrical catkins, consisting of about 12 stamens 

 in the axil of a simple and entire scale-like bract, destitute of a proper calyx : 

 filaments very short : anthers 1-celled, bearded at the apex. Fertile flowers 

 several, spiked in a sort of loose terminal catkin, with small deciduous bracts, 

 each subtending a pair of flowers, consisting of a 2-eelled 2-ovuled ovary termi- 

 nated by 2 thread-like stigmas. Nut small, ovoid, ribbed, stalked, each with a 

 simple, 1-sided, enlarged, open and leaf-like involucre. — Trees with a smooth 

 gray bark, slender buds like the Beech, and foliage resembling the Beech or 

 Birch, appearing later than the flowers. (The ancient Latin name.) 



1. C. Americana, Michx. (Ambkioan Hoknbeam. Blue or Water 

 Beech.) Leaves ovate-oblong, pointed, sharply doubly serrate, nearly smooth ; 

 involucral leaf 3-lobed, halberd-shaped, sparingly cut>toothed on one side. — 

 Along streams ; common. — Tree 10°- 20° high, with a ridged tnjnk, and very 

 hard whitish wood ; called, indiscriminately with the next. Iron-wood. 



6. OS TRY A, Michel:. Hop-Hornbeam. Irok-wood. 



Sterile flowers nearly as in Carpinus : filaments in-egularly somewhat united. 

 Fertile flowers numerous in a short terminal catkin, with small deciduous bracts ; 

 each enclosed in a membranous sac-like involucre which enlarges and forms 

 a bladdery cloised bag in fruit, these imbricated to form a sort of strobile appear- 

 ing like that of the Hop. Ovary 2-celled, 2-ovuled, crowned mth the entire and 

 bearded border of the calyx, forming a small and smooth nut. — Slepder trees 

 with very hard wood, brownish finely furrowed bark, and foliage, &c. nearly as 

 in the last genus. Flowers appearing with the leaves. (The classical name.) 



1. O. Virginica, Willd. (American Hop-Hornbeam. LEVBB-wooDiJ 



Leaves oblong-ovate, taper-pointed, very sharply doubly sen'ate, downy be* 

 neath; buds acute; involucral sacs bristly-hairy at the base. — Kich woods, 

 not rare. April, May ; the large and handsome oval-oblong hop-like fruit full 

 grown in Aug. — Tree 20° -40° high. 



Order 108. MYRIcACEiE. (Sweet-Gale Family.) 



Moncedous or dmciovs shritbs, with hoik kinds of flowers in short scaly 

 catkins., and resinous-doited often fragrant leaves, — diflFering from the Birch 

 Family chiefly by the 1-celIed ovary with a single erect orthotropous ovule, 

 and the drupe-like nut. Involucre none. 



1. MYBICA, L. Bayberry. Wax-Myrtle. 



Flowers dioecious : the sterile in oblong or cylindrical, the fertile in OToid cat- 

 kins, closely imbricated ; both destitute of calyx and corolla, solitary under a 

 35 



