TREES AND SHRUBS 107 



The Rue Family (Rutaceae) is represented in New Mex- 

 ico by 2 species of the Hop Tree or what is sometimes called 

 Skunk Bush (PteleaJ. Our species occur in the foothills and 

 drier canyons of the mountains (Ptelea angustifolia) or in the 

 higher timber covered mountains at elevations from 6,000 to 

 8,000 feet (Ptelea mollis). The species are closely similar, 

 both being shrubs 6 to 10 feet high, with few stems from the 

 base and branching rather profusely at the top. The leaves 

 are composed of three oblong-elliptic acute leaflets, and the 

 fruit consists of small spheriodal one-seeded pods about y& 

 inch in diameter, surrounded by a single flat wing which makes 

 the whole fruit ^ inch to 1 inch in diameter. The flowers are 

 inconspicuous, dull greenish-yellow. The leaves have a 

 peculiar spicy odor, which is rather offensive when too in- 

 tense. 



In the mountains of the southern part of the State oc- 

 curs a low shrub with rather thick palmately 5 to 10 foliolate 

 leaves crowded near the ends of thick spongy branches. The 

 leaflets are bright green, linear, an inch or more long, coarsely 

 toothed, and glandular dotted. The flowers are large, either 

 solitary or in few-flowered clusters. The pod is a 2-celled 

 capsule. The plant (Astropkyllmn dumosum) is quite rare, 

 and known only from southern New Mexico and Arizona. 

 It is worthy of cultivation. 



RUTACEAE. Rue Family 



Aromatic shrubs or low herbaceous perennials; leaves alter- 

 nate, simple or compound, glandular punctuate; flowers perfect 

 or by abortion polygamous, in cymes or short raceme-like clusters, 

 not conspicuous; sepals 4 to 5, small; petals of the same number, 

 dull colored and small; stamens of the same or twice the number, 

 inserted on a hypogynous disk; pistil of 2 or 3 united carpe's; fruit 

 a capsule or samara. 



Fruit a circular samara; leaves 3-foliolate. 1. Ptelea. 



Fruit a 2-celled pod without wings; leaves pal- 

 mately 5 to 10-foliolate. 2. Astrophtllum. 



