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HOP TREE. 



Family: TEREBINTHACEAE. [Translator's note: now RUTACEAE.] 

 Reproductive system: TETRANDRY, MONOGYNY. 



The three-leaved hop tree, Ptelea trifoliata, LINN., is a large shrub native to North 

 America [Translator's note: the early colonists in Virginia named it the hop tree because 

 its fruit resembled the old world hops used to make beer]. It's been acclimatized in parks 

 and even in forests for a long time. The trunk grows fifteen or twenty feet high; it has 

 many spreading branches. The bark is smooth and gray. The leaves are on long petioles 

 and consist of three large oval lanceolate leaflets that are smooth and pale green 

 underneath. The flowers are numerous, greenish yellow, and are arranged in wide axillary 

 clusters. The calyx has four or five sections, the corolla four or five petals, and there are 

 four or five stamens. The ovary is superior, surmounted by a style and two stigmata. The 

 fruit is a membranous orbicular capsule with two compartments and two seeds. 



FLOWERS: in May and June. 



RANGE: Virginia, Carolina. 



NOMENCLATURE. Ptelea, derived from the Greek name for the elm. because of 

 the resemblance of its fruit to that of our elm tree. 



USES. The tree's beautiful foliage and its broad clusters of flowers create a very 

 lovely sight in parks and in gardens. But these components all emit a strong and 

 unpleasant odor when they're crushed. The wood is white, soft and insubstantial. It can 

 only be used for fuel. 



CULTIVATION. The tree is easily propagated from seeds, 



