Part 113 (1/2)

1. S. grandiflia, Ait. Shrub 4--12 high; leaves obovate, acute or pointed, _white-tomentose beneath_ (3--6' long); _flowers mostly in elongated racemes_; corolla ({1/3}' long) convolute-imbricated in bud.--Woods, S. Va. to Fla.

2. S. pulverulenta, Michx. Shrub 1--4 high; leaves oval or obovate (1 or 2' long), _above sparingly p.u.b.erulent, and scurfy-tomentose beneath; flowers_ (' long) _1--3 together in the axils_ and at the tips of the branches, fragrant.--Low pine barrens, S. Va. to Fla. and Tex.

3. S. Americana, Lam. Shrub 4--8 high; leaves oblong, acute at both ends (1--3' long), _smooth, or barely pulverulent beneath; flowers axillary or in 3--4-flowered racemes_ (' long); corolla valvate in the bud.--Along streams, Va. to Fla., La., and Ark.

2. HALeSIA, Ellis. SNOWDROP or SILVER-BELL-TREE.

Calyx inversely conical, 4-toothed; the tube 4-ribbed, coherent with the 2--4-celled ovary. Petals 4, united at base, or oftener to the middle, into an open bell-shaped corolla, convolute or imbricated in the bud.

Stamens 8--16; filaments united into a ring at base, and usually a little coherent with the base of the corolla; anthers linear-oblong.

Ovules 4 in each cell. Fruit large and dry, 2--4-winged, within bony and 1--4-celled. Seeds single, cylindrical.--Shrubs or small trees, with large and veiny pointed deciduous leaves, and showy white flowers, drooping on slender pedicels, in cl.u.s.ters or short racemes, from axillary buds of the preceding year. p.u.b.escence partly stellate. (Named for _Stephen Hales_, author of Vegetable Statics, &c.)

1. H. tetraptera, L. Leaves oblong-ovate; fruit 4-winged, 1'

long.--Banks of streams, W. Va. to Ill., south to Fla.

3. SMPLOCOS, Jacq. SWEET-LEAF.

Calyx 5-cleft, the tube coherent with the lower part of the 3-celled ovary. Petals 5, imbricated in the bud, lightly united at base. Stamens very numerous, in 5 cl.u.s.ters, one cohering with the base of each petal; filaments slender; anthers very short. Fruit drupe-like or dry, mostly 1-celled and 1-seeded.--Shrubs or small trees, the leaves commonly turning yellowish in drying, and furnis.h.i.+ng a yellow dye. Flowers in axillary cl.u.s.ters or racemes, yellow. (Name s?p?????, _connected_, from the union of the stamens.)

1. S. tinctria, L'Her. (HORSE-SUGAR, &c.) Leaves elongated-oblong, acute, obscurely toothed, thickish, almost persistent, minutely p.u.b.escent and pale beneath (3--5' long); flowers 6--14, in close and bracted cl.u.s.ters, odorous.--Rich ground, Del. to Fla. and La.

April.--Leaves sweet, greedily eaten by cattle.

ORDER 65. OLEaCEae. (OLIVE FAMILY.)

_Trees or shrubs, with opposite and pinnate or simple leaves, a 4-cleft (or sometimes obsolete) calyx, a regular 4-cleft or nearly or quite 4-petalous corolla, sometimes apetalous; the stamens only 2 (rarely or accidentally 3 or 4); the ovary 2-celled, with 2 (rarely more) ovules in each cell._--Seeds anatropous, with a large straight embryo in hard fleshy alb.u.men, or without alb.u.men.--The Olive is the type of the true Oleaceae, to which belongs the Lilac (_Syringa_), etc.; and the Jessamine (_Jasminum_) represents another division of the order.

Tribe I. FRAXINEae. Fruit dry, indehisccnt, winged, a samara. Leaves pinnate.

1. Fraxinus. Flowers dicious, mostly apetalous, sometimes also without calyx.

Tribe II. OLEINEae. Fruit, a drupe, or rarely a berry. Leaves simple.

2. Forestiera. Flowers apetalous, dicious or polygamous, from a scaly catkin-like bud. Stamens 2--4.

3. Chionanthus. Flowers complete, sometimes polygamous. Calyx and corolla 4-merous, the latter with long and linear divisions.

4. Ligustrum. Corolla funnel-form, 4-cleft, the tube longer than the calyx.

1. FRaXINUS, Tourn. ASH.

Flowers polygamous or (in our species) dicious. Calyx small and 4-cleft, toothed, or entire, or obsolete. Petals 4, or altogether wanting in our species. Stamens 2, sometimes 3 or 4; anthers linear or oblong, large. Style single; stigma 2-cleft. Fruit a 1--2-celled samara or _key-fruit_, flattened, winged at the apex, 1--2-seeded. Cotyledons elliptical; radicle slender.--Light timber-trees, with petioled pinnate leaves of 3--15 either toothed or entire leaflets; the small flowers in crowded panicles or racemes from the axils of last year's leaves. (The cla.s.sical Latin name.)

[*] _Leaflets petiolulate; anthers linear-oblong; calyx small, persistent._

[+] _Fruit winged only at the upper part of the terete or nearly terete body._