640 Oedeb 118.— JUGLANDACB^. 



Omus 1, species 5? Trees of the largest dimensions, natiyea of Barbary Levant and N. 

 America, 



PLAT'ANUS, L. Plane Tree. Button Wood. Sycamore. (Gr. 



nXarvg, broad ; in reference to the ample foliage.) Character of the 



genus the same as that of the order. 



P. oocidentalia L. Lvs. angularly lobed and toothed: stipules obliquely ovate ; 

 .branches whitish; fertile heads solitary. — The largest (though not the loftiest) 

 tree of the American forest. Along the Western rivers trees are found whose 

 trunks measure from 40 — 50f in circumference, or more than 13f in diameter! 

 It flourishes in any soil, but is most frequently met with on the stony borders and 

 beds of streams. Leaves very large, tomentous beneath when young. The pet- 

 iole covers the axillary bud in its concave base. Fls. in globular aments or balls, 

 which hang upon the tree on 15ng pedicels most of the winter. The bark is 

 yearly detached from the trunk in large scales leaving a white smfaoe beueatti. 

 May. 



Order CXVIII. JUGLANDACEiE. Walnut. 



Trees with alternate, pinnate, exstipulate leaves and monoecious flowers. Sterile 

 flowers in aments, with an irregular perianth. Fertile, solitary or clustered. S Calyx 

 regular, 3 to 5-lobed, tube adherent to the partly 2 to 4-oelled ovary. Frmi a tryma 

 (§ 564), witli a fibrous epicarp {shuck} and a bony endooap {shett). Seed large, or- 

 thotropous, exalbuminous, with lobed, often sinuous, oily cotyledons. 



Genera 4, species 27, mostly Nortli American. 



Properties. — Tlie well-known fniit of the Butternut, walnut, pecan nut is sweet and whole- 

 some, abounding in a rich drying oil. The epicarp is very astringent. The timber is highly 

 valuable. 



1. JUG'LANS, L. Walnut. (Lat. Jovis glans ; i. e., the nut of 

 Jove ; a name given it by way of eminence.) $ Flowers in an imbri- 

 bricated, simple ament ; calyx scale 5 — 6-parted, somewhat bracteate 

 at base ; stamens about 20. ^ Calyx 4-cleft, superior ; corolla 4-parted ; 

 stigmas 2; fruit drupaceous, epicarp spongy, indehiscent, endocarp 

 rugous and irregularly furrowed. — Trees of large size. Leaflets numer- 

 ous. Sterile aments axillary. Fertile flowers terminal. Pith separating 

 into thin, transverse disks. 



1. J. cinerea L. "White "Walnut. Butternut. Lfts. numerous (15 — 17), 

 lanceolate, serrate, rounded at the base, soft-pubescent beneath ; petioles villous ; 

 Jr. oblong-ovate, with a terminal otiuse point, viscid, hairy ; shell oblong, acumin- 

 ate, deeply and irregularly furrowed. — A common tree, Can. to Ga. and W. States. 

 It is 40 — 50f high, with a large, but short trunk. Branches horizontal, and un- 

 usually wide-spreading, forming a very large head. Leaves 12 — 20' long, con- 

 sisting of 7 or 8 pairs of leaflets, with an odd one. Barren flowers in long 

 aments ; fertile in short spikes. The kernel is rich in oil, and pleasant-flavored. 

 The wood is of a reddish hue, light, used in panneling and ornamental work. 

 Bark cathartic. April, May. 



2 J. nigra L. Black "Walnut. Lfts. numerous (15 to 21), ovate-lanceolate; ser- 

 rate, subcordato, tapering above; petioles and under side of the leaves subpubes- 

 cent; fr. globular, glabrous, uneven with scabrous punctures. — A common and 

 stately forest tree in the Mid. S. and W. States, sparingly found in the Northern. 

 It arises 60 — 90fl high with a diameter of 3 — 6f. In open lands it spreads widely 

 Into a spacious head. The duramen of the wood is compact and and heavy, of a 

 deep violet color, with a white alburnum. It is used extensively west of the 

 AUeghaniep, for building and fencing, every where for cabinet work. Apr., May. 



2. CA'RYA, Nutt. Hickory. Shagbarks. (Gr. icaQva, the wal- 

 nut, from Kapa, the head ; in allusion to the shape of the nut ?) 3 

 Aments imbricated, slender and mostly 3-partcd or trichotomous ; scales 



