(i46) 



Button Bush Cephalanthus occidentalis 



Almost all the plants of the button bush are shrubs, but 

 occasional trees may be found. In the grounds of the New- 

 York Botanical Garden a plant was cut out that had died, 

 apparently from old age, which was a good sized tree of 

 25 feet or more. On old trunks the bark is dark brown or 

 nearly black, and deeply fissured. The leaves are arranged 

 in pairs or threes on the twigs. The blade is oval in out- 

 line, sharp-pointed at the tip and rounded or wedge-shaped 

 at the base. In July the compact, ball-like clusters of creamy 

 white flowers almost cover the plant. The fruits ripen late 

 in the autumn and are arranged in densely compact ball-like 

 heads, usually ^4 °f an inch in diameter. 



The button bush prefers swamps and the edges of streams 

 and is common over the greater part of the United States. 

 In the Hudson Valley it is common, but mostly as a shrub. 



Sweet Viburnum Viburnum Lentago 



This plant is often known as nannyberry and grows in 

 rich soil from Ontario to Georgia and westward. It is 

 common in the Hudson Valley, where it occurs as a shrub or 

 a tree in about equal proportions. As a tree it reaches a maxi- 

 mum height of 30 feet and a trunk diameter of 8 to 10 

 inches. 



The leaves, which are in pairs along the twigs, are bright 

 green, smooth on both sides, oval or elliptic in outline, very 

 rarely becoming roundish. The margins are sharply 

 toothed, and the leaf-blade is iy 2 to 5 J/2 inches in length 

 from its sharp-pointed base to the taper-pointed tip. The 

 small white flowers are borne in large, almost stalkless 

 clusters, and the collection of petals in the individual flowers 

 are united at their bases. 



In September its buish-black edible fruits ripen. They 

 are scarcely y 2 inch in diameter, covered with a bloom and 

 contain a flat oval stone. The beauty of its autumnal foli- 

 age makes the plant desirable for decorative effects. Other- 

 wise it is of little economic importance. 



