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 growing 

 in front of the buildings of the Department of Agriculture in Wash- 

 ington, District of Columbia. 



PLATE 2_3 I 



