SHRUBS* 



I. Small Magnolia. Swamp-laurel. Sweet-bay 



Magnolia g/atica. — Family, Magnolia. Color, white. Leaves, 

 at first enclosed by the stipules which fall when the leaf ex- 

 pands, leaving rings around the branch. Entire, elliptical, on 

 short petioles, soft, leathery, feather-veined. Pale underneath. 

 Time, summer. 



Sepals, 3, petal-like. Petals, 6 to 9, in rows, 3 in a row, del- 

 icate, round, concave. Stamens, very numerous, spirally ar- 

 ranged on the thick, conical, green receptacle, the outer ones 

 often transformed into petals. Filaments short; anthers long, 

 pointed, opening within. Styles, many, with long yellow stig- 

 mas, standing well above the anthers. 



This beautiful shrub is found occasionally in swamps, from 4 to 

 20 feet high. Its pure white flower, almost as fragrant as a pond- 

 lily, and firm, handsome leaves, make it a favorite. It is some- 

 times sold on the streets of New York, gathered probably from 

 New Jersey swamps. If it were better known, too ardent admira- 

 tion might cause its extermination. At present it is compara- 

 tively safe in its deep hiding-places, from Massachusetts south- 

 ward to Pennsylvania, near the coast. 



* The study of shrubs is a fascinating department of botany. 



This chapter has been carefully prepared, the general appearance, bark, 

 leaf, inflorescence, fruit, and height being described, and the range given, 

 of the common shrubs of our Atlantic seaboard. 



