MONADELPHIA POLYANDRIA. 
171 
1, Lasianthus. 
G. foliis lanceolato 
oblongis, glaberrimis, 
nitidis, coriaceis; flori- 
bus longe peduncula- 
tis ; capsulis conoi- 
deis, acuminatis. 
Sp. pi. 3. p. 840. Walt. p. 177 
Leaves lanceolate, 
oblong, very glabrous, 
shining, coriaceous ; 
flowers on long pedun- 
cles ; capsules conical, 
acuminate. 
. Mich. 2. p. 44. Pursh 2. p 451. 
A tree sometimes growing to 60 — 80 feet in height. Leaves alternate, 
long, lanceolate, serrate, glabrous, lucid, coriaceous, perennial. Petioles 
scarcely half an inch long. Flowers solitary, axillary towards the summit 
of the branches. Peduncles 2 — 3 1-2 inches long, furnished towards the 
summit with 2 or 4 caducous scales. Calyx 5-leaved, persistent ; leaves 
ovate, nearly round, fringed and covered with a velvet like pubescence. 
Petals 5, obovate, united at base with a staminiferous tube, the exterior 
ones fringed on the outer surface. Stamens very numerous, not half as 
long as the corolla, inserted on a 5-lobed tube. Anthers incumbent, yel- 
low. Germ superior, ovate, slightly angled. Style as long as the sta- 
mens. Stigma 5-cleft. Capsule ovate, acuminate, 5-ceIled, 5-valved. 
This tree, which when young is one of the handsomest in our forests, 
begins to decay from the summit at a very early age. It is remarkable for 
the superficial direction of its roots which appear to spread almost 
entirely on the surface of the ground. The bark is said to be nearly, if 
not quite equal to that of the oak for the uses of the tanner, and its wood 
resembles mahogany in colour, but its grain is rasth^tocftJtJ^ffse^to be used 
for fine articles of fnrniture. 
Grows in springy lands, in shallow swamps, and particularly in what are 
called turfy soils. 
Flowers from May to August. 
2. PuBESCENS. 
G. foliis cuneato, 
lanceolatis, serrulalis, 
subtus pubescentibus, 
deciduis ; capsulis 
sphericis. 
Leaves cuneate, 
lanceolate, serrulate, 
pubescent underneath, 
deciduous ; capsules 
spherical. 
A tree 40 — 50 feet high, spreading more widely than the G. Lasianthus, 
the young branches very smooth and finely pubescent at the summit. 
Leaves sessile, glabrous and lucid on the upper surface, pubescent under- 
neath. Flowers solitary, axillary, on short thick peduncles. Leaves of 
the calyx rounded, covered with a silky tomentum. Corolla white, exter- 
