78 



BETULACEAE. The Birch Family. 



Trees or shrulis with simjile, jietioled, alternate (in pairs on the 

 oUler branches of Betula) leaves: staininate flowers in long; drooping 

 catkins, 1-3 in the axil of each bract, the pistillate in short lateral 

 or tei-minal aments; fruit a nut or samara. 



Staniiuate flowiTs solitary in the axil of each l>raet. without a 

 calyx, piistillate flowers with a calyx; nut wingless. 

 Bark of tree smooth; staminate aments in winter enclosed in 

 bud scales; nut exposed, its subti'ndiiig bract more or 



less irregularly 3-cleft 1 Carpinus. 



Bark of older trees shreddy; staminate aments m winter 



naked; nut enelosed in a bladder-like bract 2 Ostrya. 



.Staminate (lowers 3-0 in the axil of eaeh braet, with a caly.x, 

 pistillate flowers without a. ealyx; nut winged. 

 Winter buds sessile; stamens 2; fruit membranous and ho))- 

 like; fruiting bract deciduous at the vrnX of the season 



^\hen the nut escapes 3 Betula 



Winter buds stalked; stamens 4; fruit woody and cone-like; 



fruiting liraets woody and persisting after the nuts escape, 4 Alnus. 



1. CARPINUS. The Horxbe.vm. 



Carpinus caroliiiiana Walter. Water Beech. Blue Beech. 

 Plate 30. A small tree up to 3 dm. in diameter, usually f-1.5 dm. in 

 diameter with fluted or ridged truidvs; bark smooth, close, gray; twigs 

 litiiry at first, soon l)ecoming glabrous; leaves ovate-oblong, average 

 leaves 6-10 cm. long, pointed at the ajiex, doul}le-serrate, hairy when 

 young, glalirous at maturity except on the veins and in the axils beneath, 

 pulx'scent, not glandular, staminate catkins appearing in early spring; 

 nut at the base of a 3-cleft bract tibout 2 cm. long, nut broadly ovate, 

 comjjressed, ]iointed and about .5 mm. long; wood heavy, hard, tough 

 and strong. 



Distribution. — Nova Scotia, west to ^liiniesota and south to Florida 

 and Texas. In Indiana it is frecpient to common throughout the State 

 in moist rich woods. It prefers a moist rich soil ; however, it has a range 

 from the tamarack l)og to the dry black and white oak slope. It is 

 tolerant of sluule :ind is seldom found outside of the forest. 



Remarks. — This tree is too small and crooked to be of economic im- 

 jiortance. It is regarded ;is a weed tree in the woodland, and should be 

 removed to give jilace to more valualjle species. 



