Handbook of Trees of the Xortheen States and Canada. 437 

 THE WITCH-HAZELS. Genus HAMAMELIS L. 



Small ti'ees an<l shrubs of thief species, one of eastern United States, one of central 

 China and one of China and Japan. 



Leaves obovate to oblong, undulate-crenate, ine<inilateral at base, involute in the bnd, 

 with veins conspicuous beneath ; stipules infolding tlie bud. FloireiN appear in autumn in 

 the American species in 3-fio\vered clusters from the axils of the leaves, perfect, each sub- 

 tended by 2-3 acute bracts i calyx 4-parted. persistent and adnate to base of the ovary : 

 petals 4, strap-shaped, spirally involute in the bud, hypogenous. alternate with the sepals; 

 stamens S in 2 I'ows on margin of receptacle, those opi^osite the calyx-lobes fertile, the othi'rs 

 small and abortive; filaments very short; anthers oblong, opening by valves; ovary 2-celled, 

 each containing a single ovule ; styles 2. subulate, spreading, stigmatic at apex. Fruit a 

 woody capsule. 2-4-lobed at apex, loculicidally dehiscent and when ripe forcibly discharging 

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



The name is from two Greek words alluding to the flowering of the tree at the same 

 time as the ripening of the fruit of the i)revious season. 



For speeies nee pp. 224-225. 



THE SWEET GUM. Genus LIQUIDAAIBAR L. 



The Liquidambars are large trees of about four species with balsamic juices, scaly bark 

 and branchlets often corky-winged. Only one species is indigenous to the United States. 

 The family is characterized as follows : 



Learcs palmately-lobed. long-petiolate, serrate, plicate in the bud; stipules pale, lanceolate, 

 caducous; buds scaly. Flotvcr.'< small, naked, mona?cious, rarely perfect, the staminate in 

 subglobose heads arranged in teiminal racemes, each head surrounded by 4 caducous bracts, 

 the pistillate in solitary long-stalted heads from the axils of upper leaves; stamens numerous 

 with filaments shorter than the oblong longitudinally dehiscent anthers; pistillate surrounded 

 by long-awned scales in globular heads, calyces obconic confluent and with limbs nearly 

 obsolete, stamens 4. small and usually abortive ; ovary partly inferior, with long recurved 

 persistent style stigmatic on inner side; ovules numerous. Fruit a globose woody head 

 consisting of' the united capsules which are tipped with the incurved enlarged persistent free 

 beak-like styles, dehiscent by 2 valves at the summit and liberating 1 or 2 developed com- 

 pressed wing-angled seeds with many that are abortive. 



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

 fragrant balsamic exudation of these trees. 



For species see pp. 226-227. 



PLANE-TREE FAMILY. PLATANACE;E Lindl. 



The Plane-tree family consists of trees with watery juice, zigzig branchlets, and bark 



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



Lea res deciduous, alternate, palmately .3-7-lobed, from cordate to broad wedge-shaped at 

 base, leaves and all new groAvth stellate-pubescent when young, with long petioles enlarged 

 at base and inclosing the bud. plicate in vernation and in autumn mostly turning brown and 

 withering on the branches before falling; stipules large, foliaceous and sheathing the branchlet 

 on vigorous sterile shoots, but thin scarious and caducous on flowering shoots. Flotcer^ 

 monteeious, appearing with the unfolding of the leaves, minute in unisexual pedunculate 

 globose heads; the staminate heads axillary; calyx of 3-(i minute sepals; petals '.U\. scarious 

 and twice as long as the sepals; stamens as many as the sepals and opposite them with very 

 short filanients and elongate 2-celled anthers opening longitudinally and with truncate con- 

 nective : pistillate heads "terminal, sometimes one or more heads sessile on the side of the 

 peduncle and often encircling it ; sepals 3-6 ; petals of same number but larger ; pistils 3-6, 

 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 crustaceous 1-seeded akenes tipped with the persistent style 

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

 and fleshy albumen. 



THE PLANE-TREES. Genus PLATANUS L. 



A genus consisting of 6 or 7 species widely distributed in North America, eastern Europe 

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

 Pacific slope and one of southwestern United States and Jlexico. For characters see 

 description of the family, this being the only genus. 



The name is de;'ived from a Greek word meaning hroad in allusion to their broad leaves. 

 For species see pp. 228-220. 



