WITCH HAZEL FAMILY 
simply surround and protect it The petals are spirally in- 
volute in zstivation, that is, each one is rolled in upon itself 
and when fully expanded they still look crumpled and wavy. 
An interesting peculiarity of the fruit is the way the tiny 
nuts are discharged from their woody pod. As the pod 
bursts the contraction of its edges presses upon the enclosed 
seeds and causes them to fly to a distance of several feet. 
Bring home in November a fruiting spray and place it upon 
the table ; no sooner has the warmth of the room dried the 
tiny capsules than the miniature bombardment will begin 
and will continue until every seed is forced out of its cover- 
ing. 
The bark and leaves of the Witch Hazel are reputed to 
possess medicinal properties on account of the tradition that 
they were used by the Indians in the treatment of external 
inflammations. “ Pond’s Extract” is a distillation of the bark 
in dilute alcohol. ‘This remedy has great popularity, but 
chemists so far have failed to distinguish any active medicinal 
properties in the plant. 
SWEET GUM. LIQUIDAMBAR 
Liguiddmbar styractfua. 
The name is derived from /éguidus and the Arabic word améar, 
referring to the balsamic juices of the tree. S¢jraciflua from the 
name of an ancient balsam. 
A tree sixty to ene hundred and forty feet in height, with erect 
trunk two to five feet in diameter, slender branches and handsome 
conical head. Ranges from Connecticut to Florida on the coast and 
westward through Arkansas and Indian Territory. It appears on 
the mountain ranges in Mexico and Central America. Loves low, 
moist, bottom lands, but will grow in dry elevated regions. Roots 
fibrous ; juices balsamic. 
Bark,---Light brown tinged with red, deeply fissured, ridges scaly. 
3ranchlets pithy, many-aneled, winged, at first covered with rusty 
hairs, finally becoming red brow. gray or dark brown. 
JIG 
