Handbook of Trees of thk Northern States and Canada. 437 

 THE WITCH-HAZELS. Gen us HAMAMELIS L. 



Small tiTi's anil shiiihs (if tliror sijecies, one of eiistcrn Unitefl Slates, one of central 

 China and one of (.'liina and .lapan. 



Lcurcs oliovate lo oblong, imdulate-crenate. inequilateral at base, involute in the bud, 

 with veins consiiienous beneath ; stipules infolding the bud. l-'Uiircrs aiiiiear in a\itumn in 

 the American species in :i-Howered clusters from the a\ils of llie leaves, ]icrfect, each sub- 

 tended by --'■'. acnie brails; cal.vx 4-parted, persistent and adnate to base of the ovai'y : 

 petals 4, sti'a|i-slia|icil. spii'ally involute in the bud. h>|io;;enous. allernate with the sejjals: 

 stamens ,S in l' rows on margin of receptacle, those ojipositc the calyx-lobes fertile, the othci^ 

 small and abortive; filaments very short; anihers olilouK, opening by valves; ovary 2-celled, 

 each containing a single ovule ; st.\les 1', snhulate. siireading, stigmatic at ai)ex. Fruit a 

 woody capsule, i;-4-lobed at apc>x, loculicidally dehiscent and when ripe foi-cildy discharging 

 its seeds which are lustrous brown, oblong, pointed, cotyledons foliaceons. 



The name is from two (ireidi words alluding to the flowering of the t)'ee at the same 

 time as the riiiening of the fruit of the previous season. 



For xpccies f:rp pp. 22-'i-225, 



THE SWEET GUM. Gexus LI0UIDA:\IBAR L. 



The Lii|uidanibars are large trees of about four species with balsamic juices, scaly bark 

 and brani'hiets often corky-winged. Only one spi'cies is indigenous to the United States. 

 The family is rharacterized as follo\^"s ; 



Lriinx palmalely-lolied, long-petiolate. serrate, jilicate in the bud ; stipules pale, lanceolate, 

 caducous; buds sraly. I'lnin rs small, naked, niouici'ious, rarel\' i)ei-|'cct, Ihe staminate in 

 subglobose heads aia'.angcd in teianinal racemes, each Iiead surronnih-'il by 4 caducous bracts, 

 the pistillale in snlilar>' Inng-slalked beads from 1 he axils of upjiei- lea\'cs ; st.ameus numerous 

 with HIamenIs shorter than the oblong longitudinally dehiscent .anthers; pistillate surrounded 

 by long-awned scales in globular heads. caly<-es obronic confluent and with limbs nearl,\' 

 obsolete, .stamens 4, small and usually abortive; o\ary iiartly inferior, with long recurved 

 persistent style stigmatic on inner side ; o\ tiles nttmerous. Fruit a globose \^"oody he;td 

 consisting of the united caiisuh's wlii'h are tipped «"ith the inrni'ved enlarged iiersistent free 

 beak-like st.\ les. dehiscent by 12 valves at the summit and liberating 1 or 'J develoited com- 

 presseil wing-.angled seeds with many that are abortive. 



The name is from Latin and Arabic words meaning fluid amber, in allusion to the 

 fragrant balsamic exudation of these trees. 



For xpccies see pp. 220-227. 



PLANE-TREE FAMILY. PLATANACE.E Ltndl. 



The Plane-tree family consists of trees with watery juice, zigzig bramdilets. and hark 

 of trunks and larger branches exfoliating in large irregular scales. It consists of a single genus. 



Lrarex deciduous, alternate, palmately o-T-lobed, from eordate to broad wedge-shaped at 

 base. Ii.a\-es and all new growth stellate-pubescent when young, with long petioles enlarged 

 tit base and inclosing the bud, plicate in vernation and in autumn mostly turning brown and 

 withering on the branches before falling: stipules large, foliaceons and sheathing the branchlet 

 on vi"orous sterile shoots, but thin scarious and caducous on flowering shoots. Floirrrs 

 monipcious ajipeaiang with the unfolding of the heaves, minute m uuisexnal iieihinculate 

 "liihose lieads ■ the staminate beads axillary; calyx of I'.-f. minute sejjals ; ijetals :-!-li. scarious 

 and twice as loic as the sejials ; stamens as nianv as the sejials and oiuiosite them with very 

 shoi't lilaments and elongate Ll-rdlcd anthers opening longitudinally and with truncate con- 

 nective- pistillate heads ^termintil, sometimes one or more heads sessile on the side of the 

 peduncle and often encircling it; sepals 3-(l ; petals of same number but larger ; instils .,-».. 

 superior, with persistent straight hairs at base and narrowing to a long curved style stigmatic 

 on the ventral side: ovules 1-2, orthtropous, attached to the side of the cell. Fruit a sub- 

 globose head of club-shaped crustaceotis 1-seeiled akenes tiriped with the persistent style 

 and surrounded at base with bristly hairs; seed oblong and containing a straight embryo 

 and fleshy albumen. 



THE PLANE-TREES. Gexus PLAT.WT'.^ L. 



A genus consisting of C. or 7 species widely distributed in North America, eastern Europe 

 and southwesteim Asia. Three are North American, one of the Atlantic states, one of the 

 Pacific slope and one of southwestern T-nited States and Jb'xieo. For characters see 

 deseriplion of the family, this being the only genus. 



The name is derived from a (ireek woi-d meaning ln-oa,I in allusion to their broad leaxes. 

 For species see pp. 228-220. 



