Handbook of Teeks of the Xoethekn States and Canada. 453 

 THE BUMELIAS. Genus BUMELIA Sw. 



Small trees and shrubs with more or less spiniscent branchlets and of about 20 species, 

 natives of the western hemisphere, 5 being found within the United States and four of these 

 are small trees. 



Lcares alternate on vigorous shoots or clustered on spur-like lateral branchlets, condupli- 

 cate in the bud, oblanceolate to obovate, elliptical, more or less silky tomentose beneath, short 

 petiolate. Floircrs with slender pedicels, in crowded axillary fascicles: calyx subcampanulate, 

 with 5 unequal lobes ; corolla campanulate, white, 5-lobed, the rounded lobes and their append- 

 ages equal ; stamens Avith short filiform filaments and sagitate anthers ; ovary conical, 

 ovoid hirsute with simple pointed style stigmatic at apex. Fruit an oblong, obovoid, or sub- 

 globose black drupe, solitary or few together, with thin flesh and large seed having a thick 

 smooth light brown crustaceous testa, basal hilnm, large straight embryo with thick fleshy 

 cotyledons and no albumen. 



The name is the classical Greek for the Ash-tree transferred to this genus. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



Leaves beneath, pedicels and calyx tomentose B. lanuginosa. 



Leaves beneath, pedicels and calyx glabrous or nearly so B. lycioides. 



For species see pp. 376-377 and the follou-ing: 



Sjiooth or Buckthorn Bumelia, B. lycioides (L.) Gaertn. f. An interesting small 

 tree of the southern states, ranging sparingly as far north as into southern Virginia and 

 southern Illinois. Leaves mostly oblanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, 1*^/^-4 in. long, cuncate at 

 base, usually acute or acuminate at apex, glaucous bright green above, paler and glabrous (or 

 somewhat pubescent at first) and finely reticulate beneath, thinnish, deciduous; petioles about 

 1/2 in. long; branchlets glabrate and mostly unarmed. Flowers (in midsummer) in crowded 

 glabrous fascicles, pedicles about % in. long; calyx glabrous. Fruit oblong to subglobose, 

 black, about Y2 i"' long. 



EBONY FAMILY. EBENACEiE Vent. 



Trees and shrubs of wide distribution mostly in tropical countries and of about 27.5 



species grouped in 5 genera. The following single genus is represented in the United States 



by 2 species — one widely distributed in the Atlantic states and the other in Texas and northern 



Mexico. 



Leaves simple, alternate, entire and without stipules. Flowers small, mostly dia?cious or 

 polygamous, solitary or in cymes, axillary, regular ; calyx .3-7-lobed, inferior, persistent ; corolla 

 with 3-7 convoluted lobes, deciduous ; stamens more numerous than the lobes of corolla and 

 inserted on its tube, with short filaments and erect introrse anthers; disk none; ovary superior, 

 several-celled, with 1-3 suspended ovules in each cell ; styles 2-8. Fruit a berry subtended by 

 the enlarged persistent calyx and containing oblong seeds with small axile embrj'o and copious 

 albumen. 



THE PERSIMMONS. Genus DIOSPEROS L. 



This genus, consisting of about IGO species widely distributed in tropical regions and most 

 abundantly in southern Asia, is the most important of the family. Some of its representatives 

 yield the ebony of commerce and others valuable fruits. 



Leaves alternate, simple, entire, and without stipules. Flotcers dicpcious, polygamous, or 

 rarely perfect, regular, solitary or in cymes in the axils of the leaves of the season ; calyx in- 

 ferior, 3-7-lobed, persistent and commonly accrescent; corolla hypogenous, regular. 3-7-lobed, the 

 lobes convolute in the bud ; disk none ; stamens 2-3 times as many as the lobes of the corolla and 

 inserted on its tube, some imperfect in the pistillate flowers ; filaments short and anthers 

 2-cellpd, introrse ; ovary several-celled with usually 2 anatropous suspended ovules in each 

 cell; styles 2-8. Fruit' a berry with from 1-several seeds; seed with axile embryo in fleshy 



albumen. , , , 



The name is from two Greek words meanmg the wheat or food of Jove. 



For species see pp. 37S-.379. 



SWEET-LEAP FAMILY. SYMPLOCACE^ ]\Iiers. 



A family of the following single genus of trees and shrubs. 



Leaves simple, alternate, without stipules; buds scaly. Flowers regular, mostly perfect 

 and vellow, in axillary or lateral clusters ; calyx ;.i-lobed, campanulate, the tube adnate to the 

 ovary; corolla deeply ">-lobed. with imbricated lobes; disk none; stamens numerous, more or 

 less united at ba,se into clusters, with long filiform filaments and small 2-celled anthers opening 

 laterally; ovary 2-r)-celIed with simple style, terminal stigma and usually 2 anatropous ovules 

 suspended in each cell. Fruit usually a dry drupe crowned with the persistent calyx-lobes, 

 ihin flesh and one bony stone ; embryo straight in fleshy albumen. 



