separate erect spatulate or wedge-shaped scale-like petals, which are
gibbous or saccate at the base, and tardily deciduous. Stamens 8 or 10;
filaments awl-shaped; anthers kidney-shaped, becoming 1-celled, opening
across the top. Style columnar; stigma disk-like, 4--5-rayed. Capsule
ovoid, 8--10-grooved, 4--5-celled, loculicidal; the very thick placentae
covered with innumerable minute seeds, which have a very loose
coat.--Low and fleshy herbs, tawny, reddish, or white, parasitic on
roots, or growing on decomposing vegetable matter like a Fungus; the
clustered stems springing from a ball of matted fibrous rootlets,
furnished with scales or bracts in place of leaves, 1--several-flowered;
the summit at first nodding, in fruit erect. (Name composed of [Greek:
mo/nos], _one_, and [Greek: tro/pos], _turn_, from the summit of the
stem turned to one side.)
Sec. 1. MONOTROPA proper. _Plant inodorous, 1-flowered; calyx of 2--4
irregular scales or bracts; anthers transverse, opening equally by 2
chinks; style short and thick._
1. M. uniflora, L. (INDIAN PIPE. CORPSE-PLANT.) Smooth, waxy-white
(turning blackish in drying, 3--8' high); stigma naked.--Dark and rich
woods, nearly throughout the continent. June--Aug. (Asia.)
Sec. 2. HYPOPITYS. _Plant commonly fragrant; flowers several in a scaly
raceme; the terminal one usually 5-merous, the rest 3--4-merous;
bract-like sepals mostly as many as the petals; anthers opening by a
continuous line into 2 very unequal valves; style longer than the ovary,
hollow._
2. M. Hypopitys, L. (PINE-SAP. FALSE BEECH-DROPS.) Somewhat pubescent or
downy, tawny, whitish, or reddish (4--12' high); pod globular or oval;
stigma ciliate.--Oak and pine woods, from Canada to Fla., west to
Oregon. June--Aug. (Eu.)
ORDER 59. DIAPENSIACEAE.
_Low perennial herbs or suffruticulose tufted plants, glabrous or nearly
so, with simple leaves, no stipules, regular 5-merous flowers (except
the 3-celled ovary), stamens adnate to the corolla and sometimes
monadelphous (those opposite its lobes when present reduced to
staminodia); pollen simple; loculicidal capsule and seeds of_
Ericaceae.--Flowers solitary or racemose. Style 1, with 3-lobed stigma.
Distinguished from the Ericaceae chiefly by the insertion of the stamens
upon the corolla.
Tribe I. DIAPENSIEAE. Dwarf woody evergreens, with small entire crowded
coriaceous leaves. Staminodia none; filaments adnate to the campanulate
corolla up to the sinuses; anthers 2-celled. Calyx conspicuously
bracteolate. Flowers solitary.
1. Pyxidanthera. Flowers sessile on short leafy branchlets. Anther-cells
awn-pointed at base, opening transversely.
2. Diapensia. Flower (or at least fruit) on a scape-like peduncle.
Anther-cells blunt, obliquely dehiscent.
Tribe II. GALACINEAE. Acaulescent, with creeping rootstocks sending up
long-petioled evergreen leaves, and a 1--several-flowered scape.
Staminodia present.
3. Galax. Calyx minutely 2-bracteolate. Stamens monadelphous; anthers 1
celled.
1. PYXIDANTHERA, Michx.
Sepals thin. Anther-cells awn-pointed at base, opening by a strictly
transverse line. Otherwise much as in Diapensia.--Prostrate and
creeping, with narrowly oblanceolate and awl-pointed leaves, mostly
alternate on the sterile branches and somewhat hairy near the base.
Flowers solitary and sessile, very numerous, white or rose-color. (Name
from [Greek: pyxi/s], _a small box_, and [Greek: a)nthe/ra], _anther_,
the anther opening as if by a lid.)
1. P. barbulata, Michx. (FLOWERING MOSS. PYXIE.) Leaves 3'' long.--Sandy
pine barrens of N. J. to N. C. April, May.
2. DIAPENSIA, L.
Calyx of 5 concave imbricated coriaceous sepals. Corolla bell-shaped,
5-lobed; lobes rounded. Filaments broad and flat, adherent to the
corolla up to the sinuses, short; anthers adnate, of 2 ovoid
pointless cells, diverging below, each opening therefore by a
transverse-descending line. Capsule, enclosed in the calyx,
cartilaginous; cells few-seeded.--Alpine, growing in very dense convex
tufts, with the stems imbricated below with cartilaginous narrowly
spatulate mostly opposite leaves, terminated by a scape-like 1-flowered
peduncle, 3-bracted under the calyx. Corolla white (1/2' wide). (Said to
be an ancient Greek name of the Sanicle, of obscure meaning, strangely
applied by Linnaeus to this plant.)
1. D. Lapponica, L. Leaves 3--5'' long; peduncle at length 1--2'
long.--Alpine summits of N Eng. and N. Y., and northward to Lab. and the
Arctic coast. July. (Eu., Asia.)
3. GALAX, L.
Calyx 5-parted, imbricate, persistent. Petals 5, hypogynous,
obovate-spatulate, rather erect, deciduous. Filaments united in a
10-toothed tube, slightly cohering with the base of the petals, the 5
teeth opposite the petals naked, the alternate ones shorter and bearing
roundish 1-celled anthers, which open across the top. Style short,
stigma 3-lobed. Capsule ovoid, 3-celled; columella none. Seeds numerous,
the cellular loose coat tapering to each end.--Evergreen herb, with a
thick matted tuft of scaly creeping rootstocks, beset with fibrous red
roots, sending up round heart-shaped crenate-toothed and veiny shining
leaves (about 2' wide) on slender petioles, and a slender naked scape,
1--2 deg. high, bearing a wand-like spike or raceme of small and
minutely-bracted white flowers. (Name from [Greek: ga/la], _milk_,--of
no conceivable application to this plant.)
1. G. aphylla, L.--Open woods, Va. to Ga. June.
ORDER 60. PLUMBAGINACEAE. (LEADWORT FAMILY.)
_Maritime herbs, with regular 5-merous flowers, a plaited calyx, the 5
stamens opposite the separate petals or the lobes of the corolla, and
the free ovary one-celled, with a solitary ovule hanging from a long
cord which rises from the base of the cell._--Only the STATICEAE or
MARSH-ROSEMARY TRIBE is represented in our region, in gardens by the
Thrift (_Armeria vulgaris_), on the coast by a single species of
1. STATICE, Tourn. SEA-LAVENDER. MARSH-ROSEMARY.
Flowers scattered or loosely spiked and 1-sided on the branches,
2--3-bracted. Calyx funnel-form, dry and membranaceous, persistent.
Corolla of 5 nearly or quite distinct petals, with long claws, the 5
stamens severally attached to their bases. Styles 5, rarely 3, separate.
Fruit membranous and indehiscent, in the bottom of the calyx. Embryo
straight, in mealy albumen.--Sea-side perennials, with thick and stalked
radical leaves; the naked flowering stems or scapes branched into
panicles. ([Greek: Statike/], an ancient name given to this or some
other herb, on account of its astringency.)
1. S. Limonium, L. Root thick and woody, very astringent; leaves oblong,
spatulate or obovate-lanceolate, 1-ribbed, tipped with a deciduous
bristly point, petioled; scape much-branched, corymbose-panicled (1--2 deg.
high); spikelets 1--3-flowered; flowers lavender-color; calyx-tube hairy
on the angles, the lobes ovate-triangular, with as many teeth in the
sinuses. (Eu.)
Var. Caroliniana, Gray, the plant of the Northern States, has more erect
branches, rather panicled inflorescence with at length scattered
flowers, and very acute or acuminate calyx-lobes.--Salt marshes along
the coast, from Lab. to Tex. Aug., Sept.
ORDER 61. PRIMULACEAE. (PRIMROSE FAMILY.)
_Herbs, with simple leaves, and regular perfect flowers, the stamens as
many as the lobes of the monopetalous (rarely polypetalous) corolla and
inserted opposite them_ (on the tube or base), _and a 1-celled ovary
with a central free placenta rising from the base, bearing several or
many seeds._--Calyx free from the ovary, or in Samolus partly coherent.
(Corolla none in Glaux.) Stamens 4 or 5, rarely 6 or 8. Style and stigma
one. Seeds with a small embryo in fleshy albumen. Ovules amphitropous,
except in Tribe I.
Tribe I. HOTTONIEAE. Ovary wholly free; ovules anatropous. Aquatic;
immersed leaves pectinate.
1. Hottonia. Corolla short salver-form. Flowers verticillate and
racemose.
Tribe II. PRIMULEAE. Ovary wholly free.
[*] Stemless, leaves all in a cluster from the root; capsule dehiscent
by valves or teeth.
2. Dodecatheon. Corolla reflexed, 5-parted. Stamens exserted, connivent
in a cone.
3. Primula. Corolla funnel-form or salver-shaped, open at the throat.
Stamens included.
4. Androsace. Corolla short, very small, constricted at the throat.
Stamens included.
[*][*] Stems leafy; corolla rotate (none in Glaux); leaves entire.
[+] Capsule dehiscent vertically by valves or irregularly, mostly
globose.
5. Trientalis. Corolla mostly 7-parted. Stem leafy only at the summit.
6. Steironema. Corolla 5-parted. Five slender staminodia between the
fertile stamens.
7. Lysimachia. Corolla 5--6-parted or 5--6-petalled. Staminodia none.
Leaves dotted.
8. Glaux. Corolla none; the calyx petal-like. Flowers axillary.
[+][+] Globose capsule circumscissile, the top falling off as a lid;
flowers axillary.
9. Anagallis. Corolla longer than the calyx, 5-parted. Leaves opposite.
10. Centunculus. Corolla shorter than the calyx, 4--5-cleft. Leaves
alternate.
Tribe III. SAMOLEAE. Ovary connate at base with the base of the calyx.
11. Samolus. Corolla bell-shaped, with 5 staminodia in the sinuses.
Flowers racemose.
1. HOTTONIA, L. FEATHERFOIL. WATER VIOLET.
Calyx 5-parted, the divisions linear. Corolla salver-shaped, with a
short tube; limb 5-parted. Stamens 5, included. Capsule many-seeded,
5-valved; the valves cohering at the base and summit. Seeds
anatropous.--Aquatic perennials, with pectinate immersed leaves, and the
erect hollow flower-stems almost leafless. Flowers white or whitish,
whorled at the joints, forming an interrupted raceme. (Named for _Prof.
Hotton_, a botanist of Leyden.)
1. H. inflata, Ell. Leaves dissected into thread-like divisions,
scattered on the floating and rooting stems, and crowded at the base of
the cluster of peduncles, which are strongly inflated between the joints
(often as thick as one's finger); pedicels short.--Pools and ditches,
Mass. to S. Ind., and south to the Gulf. June--Aug.
2. DODECATHEON, L. AMERICAN COWSLIP.
Calyx deeply 5-cleft, the divisions lanceolate, reflexed. Corolla with a
very short tube, thickened throat, and 5-parted reflexed limb; the
divisions long and narrow. Filaments short, monadelphous at base;
anthers long and linear, approximate in a slender cone.--Perennial
smooth herb, with fibrous roots, a cluster of oblong or spatulate
leaves, and a simple naked scape, involucrate with small bracts at the
summit, bearing an ample umbel of showy flowers, nodding on slender
pedicels. Corolla rose-color, or sometimes white. (Name from [Greek:
do/deka], _twelve_, and [Greek: theoi/], _gods_, given by Pliny to the
primrose, which was believed to be under the care of the superior gods.)
1. D. Meadia, L. (SHOOTING-STAR.) Rich woods, Penn. and Md. to Wisc.,
south to Ga. and Tex. May, June.--Very handsome in cultivation.
3. PRIMULA, L. PRIMROSE. COWSLIP.
Calyx tubular, angled, 5-cleft. Corolla salver-shaped, enlarging above
the insertion of the stamens; the 5 lobes often notched or inversely
heart-shaped. Stamens 5, included. Capsule many-seeded, splitting at
the top into 5 valves or 10 teeth.--Low perennial herbs, producing a
tuft of veiny leaves at the root, and simple scapes, bearing the flowers
in an umbel. (Name a diminutive of _primus_, from the flowering of the
true Primrose in early spring.)
1. P. farinosa, L. (BIRD'S-EYE PRIMROSE.) Scape 3--10' high; leaves
elliptical or obovate-lanceolate, denticulate, _the lower side_ and the
3--20-flowered _involucre, etc., covered with a white mealiness_, at
least when young; corolla pale lilac with a yellow eye.--Maine to N.
shore of L. Superior, and northward. June, July. (Eu., Asia.)
2. P. Mistassinica, Michx. Scape 2--6' high; leaves spatulate or
wedge-oblong, thin and veiny, _not mealy_; involucre 1--8-flowered;
lobes of the flesh-colored corolla broadly and deeply obcordate.--Wet
banks and shores, northern N. Eng. and N. Y. to L. Superior, and
northward. May. (Eu.)
4. ANDROSACE, Tourn.
Calyx 5-cleft; tube short. Corolla salver-shaped or funnel-form; the
tube shorter than the calyx, contracted at the throat; limb 5-parted.
Stamens and style included. Capsule 5-valved.--Small herbs, with
clustered root-leaves, and very small solitary or umbelled flowers. (An
ancient Greek name of a polyp, formerly believed to be a plant.)
1. A. occidentalis, Pursh. Smoothish annual; scapes diffuse (2--4'
high), many-flowered; leaves and leaflets of the involucre oblong-ovate,
entire, sessile; calyx-lobes leafy, triangular-lanceolate, longer than
the (white) corolla.--Bare hills, from Minn. to Ill. and Ark., and west
to the mountains.
5. TRIENTALIS, L. CHICKWEED-WINTERGREEN.
Calyx mostly 7-parted; the divisions linear-lanceolate, pointed. Corolla
mostly 7-parted, spreading, flat, without tube. Filaments slender,
united in a ring at the base; anthers oblong, revolute after flowering.
Capsule few-seeded.--Low and smooth perennials, with simple erect stems,
bearing a few alternate usually minute and scale-like leaves below, and
a whorl of thin veiny leaves at the summit. Peduncles one or more, very
slender, bearing a delicate white and star-shaped flower. (A Latin name,
meaning the third part of a foot, alluding to the height of the plant.)
1. T. Americana, Pursh. (STAR-FLOWER.) Spreading by very slender
elongated rootstocks; leaves elongated-lanceolate, tapering to both
ends; petals finely pointed.--Damp cold woods, from Lab. to Minn., south
to N. Ind., and the mountains of Va. May.--Rootstocks often 1--2 deg. long
(_Hitchings_).
6. STEIRONEMA, Raf.
Calyx 5-parted. Corolla rotate, with no proper tube, deeply 5-parted,
the sinuses rounded; divisions ovate, cuspidate-pointed,
erose-denticulate above, each separately involute around its stamen.
Filaments distinct or nearly so on the ring at base of corolla,
alternating with 5 subulate staminodia; anthers linear. Capsule
10--20-seeded.--Leafy-stemmed perennials, glabrous except the ciliate
petioles, not punctate, the leaves all opposite, but mostly in seeming
whorls on the flowering branches. Peduncles slender, axillary, bearing
yellow flowers. (From [Greek: stei~ros], _sterile_, and [Greek: ne~ma],
_thread_, referring to the staminodia.)
1. S. ciliatum, Raf. _Stem erect_ (2--4 deg. high); _leaves
lanceolate-ovate_ (2--6' long), tapering to an acute point, _rounded or
heart-shaped at base_, all on long and fringed petioles; _corolla longer
than the calyx_. (Lysimachia ciliata, _L._)--Low grounds and thickets,
common. July.
2. S. radicans, Gray. _Stem slender, soon reclined_, the elongated
branches often rooting in the mud; _leaves ovate-lanceolate, mostly
rounded at base, on slender petioles_; corolla about the length of the
calyx. (Lysimachia radicans, _Hook._)--Swampy river-banks, W. Va. to
Ark. and La.--Leaves and flowers nearly one half smaller than in the
last.
3. S. lanceolatum, Gray. _Stem erect_ (10'--2 deg. high); _leaves
lanceolate, varying to oblong and linear, narrowed into a short margined
petiole_ or tapering base, or the lowest short and broad on long
petioles. (Lysimachia lanceolata, _Walt._)--Low grounds and thickets,
Ont. to Fla., Dak., and Tex. Polymorphous; the extremes are var.
HYBRIDUM, Gray, with cauline leaves from oblong to broadly linear,
common north and west,--and var. ANGUSTIFOLIUM, Gray, with stems more
branched, a span to 2 deg. high, and the cauline leaves linear, acute at
both ends, more sessile, 1--2'' broad; mainly southward.
4. S. longifolium, Gray. _Stem erect_, 4-angled, slender (1--3 deg. high),
often branched below; _stem-leaves sessile, narrowly linear, elongated_
(2--4' long, 2--3'' wide), smooth and shining, rather rigid, obtuse, the
margins often a little revolute, the veins obscure; the lowest oblong or
spatulate; corolla (8--9'' broad) longer than the calyx, the lobes
conspicuously pointed. (Lysimachia longifolia, _Pursh._)--Banks of
streams, from western N. Y. to Va., Minn., and Iowa. July--Sept.
7. LYSIMACHIA, Tourn. LOOSESTRIFE.
Calyx 5--6 parted. Corolla rotate, the divisions entire, convolute in
bud. Filaments commonly monadelphous at base; anthers oblong or oval;
staminodia none. Capsule few--several-seeded.--Leafy-stemmed perennials,
with herbage commonly glandular-dotted. (In honor of King _Lysimachus_,
or from [Greek: ly/sis], _a release from_, and [Greek: ma/che],
_strife_.)
Sec. 1. LYSIMACHIA proper. _Corolla yellow, rotate, and very deeply parted,
and with no teeth between the lobes; stamens more or less monadelphous,
often unequal; leaves opposite or whorled, or some abnormally
alternate._
[*] _Flowers (middle-sized) in a terminal leafy panicle; corolla without
marks._
L. VULGARIS, L., a coarse and tall European species, pubescent and
branching, with ovate-lanceolate distinctly petioled leaves, and
glandular filaments united to near the middle.--Naturalized in a few
places in E. Mass.
[*][*] _Flowers (small) in a virgate terminal raceme or in the upper
axils; corolla dark-dotted or streaked; filaments conspicuously
monadelphous, unequal._
1. L. quadrifolia, L. Somewhat hairy; stem simple (1--2 deg. high); _leaves
whorled_ in fours or fives (sometimes in twos, threes, or sixes, rarely
only opposite or partly alternate), ovate-lanceolate; _flowers_ on long
capillary peduncles _from the axils of the leaves_; lobes of the corolla
ovate-oblong.--Moist or sandy soil, N. Brunswick to Minn., and Ga. June.
2. L. stricta, Ait. Stems 1--2 deg. high, often bearing oblong or moniliform
bulblets in the axils; smooth, at length branched, very leafy; _leaves
opposite_ or rarely alternate, lanceolate, acute at each end; _flowers_
on slender pedicels _in a long raceme_ (5--12'), leafy at base; lobes of
the corolla lance-oblong.--Low grounds, Newf. to Minn., Ark., and N. Ga.
June--Aug.
[*][*][*] _Flowers (rather large) solitary in the axils of ordinary
leaves; corolla not dark-dotted nor streaked; filaments slightly
monadelphous._
L. NUMMULARIA, L. (MONEYWORT.) Smooth; stems trailing and creeping;
leaves roundish, small, short-petioled; peduncles axillary, 1-flowered;
divisions of the corolla broadly ovate, obtuse, longer than the
lance-ovate calyx-lobes and stamens.--Escaped from gardens into damp
ground in some places. July--Sept. (Nat. from Eu.)
Sec. 2. NAUMBURGIA. _Corolla very deeply 5- (or 6--7-) parted into linear
divisions (somewhat purplish-dotted), with a small tooth in each sinus;
filaments distinct, equal; leaves opposite, the lowest scale-like._
3. L. thyrsiflora, L. (TUFTED LOOSESTRIFE.) Smooth; stem simple (1--2 deg.
high); all but the lower leaves lanceolate, the axils of one or two
middle pairs bearing short-peduncled head-like or spike-like clusters of
small light yellow flowers.--Cold swamps, from Penn. to S. Ill., Iowa,
and northwestward. June, July. (Eu.)
8. GLAUX, Tourn. SEA-MILKWORT.
Calyx bell-shaped, 5-cleft; lobes ovate, petal-like. Corolla wanting.
Stamens 5, on the base of the calyx, alternate with its lobes. Capsule
5-valved, few-seeded.--A low and leafy fleshy perennial, with opposite
oblong and entire sessile leaves, and solitary nearly sessile (purplish
and white) flowers in their axils. (An ancient Greek name, from [Greek:
glauko/s], _sea-green_.)
1. G. maritima, L.--Sea-shore of N. Eng. from Cape Cod northward. Also
in subsaline soil, Minn. to Neb., and westward. June. (Eu.)
9. ANAGALLIS, Tourn. PIMPERNEL.
Calyx 5-parted. Corolla wheel-shaped, with almost no tube, 5-parted,
longer than the calyx; the divisions broad. Stamens 5; filaments
bearded. Capsule membranaceous, circumscissile, the top falling off like
a lid, many-seeded.--Low, spreading or procumbent herbs, mostly annuals,
with opposite or whorled entire leaves, and solitary flowers on axillary
peduncles. (The ancient Greek name, probably from [Greek: a)na/],
_again_, and [Greek: a)ga/llo], _to delight in_.)
A. ARVENSIS, L. (COMMON PIMPERNEL.) Leaves ovate, sessile, shorter than
the peduncles; petals obovate, obtuse, fringed with minute teeth or
stalked glands.--Waste sandy fields. June--Aug.--Flowers variable in
size, scarlet, sometimes purple, blue, or white, quickly closing at the
approach of bad weather; whence the English popular name of "_Poor Man's
Weather-glass_." (Nat. from Eu.)
10. CENTUNCULUS, Dill. CHAFFWEED.
Calyx 4--5-parted. Corolla shorter than the calyx, 4--5-cleft,
wheel-shaped, with an urn-shaped short tube, usually withering on the
summit of the pod (which is like that of Anagallis). Stamens 4 or 5;
filaments beardless.--Small annuals, with alternate entire leaves, and
solitary inconspicuous flowers in their axils. (Derivation obscure.)
1. C. minimus, L. Stems ascending (2--6' long); leaves ovate, obovate or
spatulate-oblong; flowers nearly sessile, the parts mostly in
fours.--Low grounds, from Ill. and Minn, to Fla. and Tex., and westward.
(Eu.)
11. SAMOLUS, Tourn. WATER PIMPERNEL. BROOK-WEED.
Calyx 5-cleft; the tube adherent to the base of the ovary. Corolla
somewhat bell-shaped, 5-cleft, commonly with 5 sterile filaments in the
sinuses. True stamens 5, on the corolla-tube, included. Capsule globose,
5-valved at the summit, many-seeded.--Smooth herbs, with alternate
entire leaves, and small white racemed flowers. ("According to Pliny, an
ancient Druidical name.")
1. S. Valerandi, L. Stem erect (6--12' high), leafy; leaves obovate or
spatulate, the basal rosulate; bracts none; slender pedicels ascending,
bracteolate in the middle. (Eu.)--Var. Americanus, Gray. More slender,
becoming diffuse; racemes often panicled, the pedicels longer and
spreading.--Wet places, through the U. S. June--Sept.
ORDER 62. SAPOTACEAE. (SAPODILLA FAMILY.)
_Trees or shrubs, mostly with a milky juice, simple and entire alternate
leaves (often rusty-downy beneath), small and perfect regular flowers
usually in axillary clusters; the calyx free and persistent; the fertile
stamens commonly as many as the lobes of the hypogynous short corolla
and opposite them, inserted on its tube, along with one or more rows of
appendages and scales (or sterile stamens); anthers turned outward;
ovary 4--12-celled, with a single anatropous ovule in each cell; seeds
large._--Albumen mostly none; but the large embryo with thickened
cotyledons. Style single, pointed.--A small, mostly tropical order,
producing the Sapodilla or Star-apple, and some other edible fruits.
1. BUMELIA, Swartz.
Calyx 5-parted. Corolla 5-cleft, with a pair of internal appendages at
each sinus. Fertile stamens 5; anthers arrow-shaped. Sterile stamens 5,
petal-like, alternate with the lobes of the corolla. Ovary 5-celled.
Fruit small, resembling a cherry, black, containing a large ovoid and
erect seed, with a roundish scar at its base.--Flowers small, white, in
fascicles from the axils of the leaves. Branches often spiny. Leaves
often fascicled on short spurs. Wood very hard. (The ancient name of a
kind of Ash.)
1. B. lycioides, Pers. (SOUTHERN BUCKTHORN.) Spiny (10--25 deg. high);
_leaves wedge-oblong varying to oval-lanceolate_, with a tapering base,
often acute, _reticulated, nearly glabrous_ (2--4' long); _clusters
densely many-flowered_, glabrous, fruit ovoid.--Moist ground, Va. to
S. Ill., Fla., and Tex. May, June.
2. B. lanuginosa, Pers. Spiny (10--40 deg. high); _leaves oblong-obovate or
wedge-obovate, rusty-woolly beneath_, obtuse (11/2--3' long); _clusters
6--12-flowered_, pubescent; fruit globular.--Woods, S. Ill. to Fla. and
Tex. July.
ORDER 63. EBENACEAE. (EBONY FAMILY.)
_Trees or shrubs, with alternate entire leaves, and polygamous regular
flowers which have a calyx free from the 3--12-celled ovary; the stamens
2--4 times as many as the lobes of the corolla, often in pairs before
them, their anthers turned inward, and the fruit a several-celled berry.
Ovules 1 or 2, suspended from the summit of each cell._ Seeds
anatropous, mostly single in each cell, large and flat, with a smooth
coriaceous integument; the embryo shorter than the hard albumen, with a
long radicle and flat cotyledons. Styles wholly or partly
separate.--Wood hard and dark-colored. No milky juice.--A small family,
chiefly tropical.
1. DIOSPYROS, L. DATE-PLUM. PERSIMMON.