CELASTRACE.E— STAFF-TREE FAMILY 



BURNING BUSH. WAAHOO. SPINDLE-TREE 



Enonvnius n li op!ir[^i{rciis . h; ciiyiuus atrof'nrpiDitts. 



Euo)iv)iins, deri\-ed Inun two (Ireek words, signifies good repute. 

 Atropuypiircn.^, LJ;irk jiurjilc, relers to the fiower. 



Widely distril^iitcd. Usually a shridj six to ten feet high, becom- 

 ing a tree only in southern Arkansas and Indian Territory. Lo\es 

 the borders of woods ; prefers moist soil. Root fibrous. 



Batk. — Ashen gray, furrowed, scaly. lii-anchlets slender, dark, 

 purplish brown ; later become brownish gray. Bitter, drastic. 



Wood. — White, tinged with oiange ; heavy, hard, close-grained. 

 Sp. gr., 0.6592 ; weight of cu. ft., 41.08 lbs. 



M'intci Sin/s. — Purple with glaucous Ijlooni, small, acute. 



LroTi's. — Opposite, entire, feather-veined, elliptical or ovate, two 

 to four inches long, one to two broad, pointed at base, finely serrate, 

 acute; mid\'ein and primary veins conspicuous. In autumn they 

 turn pale yellow. Petioles short, stout. Stipules minute, caduco^,s. 



F/070C7S. — May, June, Perfect, dark purple, halt an inch across, 

 borne in dichotonious, axillary, few-flowered cymes. Peduncles 

 slender. 



Calyx. — Four-lobed, lobes spreading, imbricate in bud. Disk 

 thick, fleshy, filling the tube of the calyx, four-lobed, adherent to 

 the ovary. 



Corolla. — Petals four, inserted on calyx under margin of disk, 

 dark purple, obo\ate, imbricate in bud ; margins olten erose. 



.Stai?ii-i!s . — Four, alternate with the petals, inserted on the disk ; 

 filaments very short; anthers in pairs, two-celled; cells opening 

 longitudinally. 



Fistil. — Ovary superior, surrounded by and adherent to the disk, 

 four-celled; style short ; stigma four-lobed; ovules one or two in 

 each cell. 



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