CUCUMBERTREE 
Magnolia acuminata Linnaeus 
_ The cucumbertree is a handsome inhabitant of the eastern for- 
ests. Under favorable conditions it attains a height of ninety feet 
with a proportionately broad crown. The greenish-yellow flowers, 
in spite of their large size, are not so conspicuous as those of some 
other magnolias, for their color blends with that of the leaves. The 
cylindrical fruit, when ripe, is rose-colored, but before maturity it 
is green, and bears some resemblance to a small cucumber. The wood 
is soft and yellowish brown. 
This species has a wider range than most of the magnolias, ex- 
tending from Georgia to Mississippi and Missouri and northward 
to New York and Ontario. 
The specimen sketched was taken from a beautiful tree gtowing 
in front of the buildings of the Department of Agriculture in Wash- 
ington, District of Columbia. 
PLATE 231 
