Handbook of Trees of the K"oetiieen- States and Canada. 353 



The Loblolly Bay sometimes attains the 

 height of 70 or 75 ft. with rather slender 

 trunk rarely over 18 or 20 in. in diameter, and 

 usually considerably smaller. I have seen it in 

 fruiting condition both as a shrub no more 

 than shoulder high and as a tree of its largest 

 dimensions in the same locality. As an iso- 

 lated tree its habit is to form a rather nar- 

 row compact head, and it is particularly a 

 handsome object on account of its bright ever- 

 green leaves and conspicuous flowers. A strik- 

 ing feature is its grayish or reddish brown bark 

 of trunk fissured into long broad rounded 

 ridges, quite different from the barks of other 

 trees with which it is associated. 



It inhabits low rich bottom-lands and the 

 borders of swamps in company with the Red 

 Maple, Sweet Bay, Swamp Bay, Evergreen 

 Magnolia, Titi, Devil-wood, Gums, Loblolly 

 Pine, etc. 



The wood is light, a cu. ft. when absolutely 



dry weighing 29.46 lbs., soft, not strong, and 



easily worked.! The bark contains tannin and 



is sometimes used for tanning purposes. 



Leaves oblanceolate to oblong, nearly sessile, 

 cuneate at base, bluntly acute at apex, appressed 

 serrate, lustrous dark green above, .3-6 in, long. 

 Flowers opening for several weeks commencing in 

 July, 2-3 in. in diameter, with red peduncles 2-3 

 in. long, thickest above ; sepals clliate, pubescent 

 outside: petals white, about l^/i in. long, pubescent 

 outside; ovary pubescent; style short. Fruit: 

 pointed ovoid capsules, persisting after liberating 

 their seeds.- 



1. A, W., V, 102. 



2. For genus see p. 44^). 



