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 furnishing 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._

1. F. Americana, L. (WHITE ASH.) _Branchlets and petioles glabrous_; leaflets 7--9, ovate- or lance-oblong, pointed, pale and either smooth or p.u.b.escent underneath, entire or sparingly serrate or denticulate; _fruit_ (about 1' long) _marginless below, abruptly dilated into a lanceolate, oblanceolate, or wedge-linear wing_ 2 or 3 times as long as the terete cylindraceous body.--Rich or moist woods, common from the Atlantic to Minn., E. Neb. and Kan. April, May.--A large and very valuable forest tree, with gray furrowed bark, smooth gray branchlets and rusty-colored buds. Moncious flowers rarely occur.

[++][++] _Body of fruit more slender, tapering gradually from summit to base, more or less margined upward by the decurrent wing._

2. F. p.u.b.escens, Lam. (RED ASH.) _Branchlets and petioles velvety-p.u.b.escent_; leaflets 7--9, ovate or oblong-lanceolate, taper-pointed, almost entire, pale or more or less p.u.b.escent beneath; _fruit 1--2' long, the edges gradually dilated into the linear or spatulate wing_.--Low grounds, throughout our range; rare west of Ohio.--Tree of middle or large size; inner face of outer bark of the branches red or cinnamon-color when fresh.

3. F. viridis, Michx. f. (GREEN ASH.) _Glabrous throughout; leaflets 5--9_, ovate or oblong-lanceolate, often wedge-shaped at the base and serrate above, _bright green both sides; fruit_ much as in n. 2.--Along streams; common.--Intermediate forms occur with paler leaves somewhat p.u.b.escent beneath. A small or middle-sized tree.

[+][+] _Fruit with compressed and wing-margined body._

4. F. platycarpa, Michx. (WATER-ASH.) _Branchlets terete_, glabrous or p.u.b.escent; leaflets 5--7, ovate or oblong, acute at both ends, short-stalked; _fruit broadly winged_ (not rarely 3-winged), _oblong_ (9" wide), _with a tapering base_.--Deep river-swamps, Va. to La.

March. Tree of middle size.

5. F. quadrangulata, Michx. (BLUE ASH.) _Branchlets square_, at least on vigorous shoots, glabrous; leaflets 7--9, short-stalked, oblong-ovate or lanceolate, pointed, sharply serrate, green both sides; _fruit narrowly oblong, blunt, and of the same width at both ends_, or slightly narrowed at the base, often notched at the apex (1' long, 3--4" wide).--Dry or moist rich woods, Ohio to Mich. and Minn., south to Tenn.--Large timber tree, the inner bark yielding a blue color to water.

[*][*] _Lateral leaflets sessile; anthers short-oblong; flowers wholly naked_.

6. F. sambuciflia, Lam. (BLACK ASH.) Branchlets and petioles glabrous; leaflets 7--11, oblong-lanceolate, tapering to a point, serrate, obtuse or rounded at the base, green and smooth both sides, when young with some rusty hairs along the midrib; fruit linear-oblong or narrowly elliptical, blunt at both ends.--Swamps and wet banks, N. Scotia to Minn., south to Va. and Mo.--Small or middle-sized tree, with very tough and fissile wood. Bruised foliage exhales the odor of Elder.

2. FORESTIeRA, Poir.

Flowers dicious, crowded in catkin-like scaly buds from the axils of last year's leaves, imbricated with scales. Corolla none. Calyx of 4 minute sepals. Stamens 2--4; anthers oblong. Ovary ovate, 2-celled, with 2 pendulous ovules in each cell; style slender; stigma somewhat 2-lobed. Drupe small, ovoid, 1-celled, 1-seeded.--Shrubs, with opposite and often fascicled deciduous leaves and small flowers. Fertile peduncles short, 1--3-flowered. (Named for _M. Forestier_, a French physician.)

1. F. ac.u.minata, Poir. Glabrous, somewhat spinescent, 5--10 high; leaves thin, oblong-ovate or ovate-lanceolate, ac.u.minate at both ends, often serrulate; drupe elongated-oblong, usually pointed.--Wet river banks, S. W. Ind. to Mo., south to Tex. April.

3. CHIONaNTHUS, L. FRINGE-TREE.

Calyx 4-parted, very small, persistent. Corolla of 4 long and linear petals, which are barely united at base. Stamens 2 (rarely 3 or 4), on the very base of the corolla, very short. Stigma notched. Drupe fleshy, globular, becoming 1-celled, 1--3-seeded.--Low trees or shrubs, with deciduous and entire petioled leaves, and delicate flowers in loose and drooping graceful panicles, from lateral buds. (Name from ????, _snow_, and ?????, _blossom_, alluding to the light and snow-white cl.u.s.ters of flowers.)

1. C. Virginica, L. Leaves oval, oblong, or obovate-lanceolate; flowers on slender pedicels; petals 1' long, narrowly linear, acute, varying to 5 or 6 in number; drupe purple, with a bloom, ovoid (6--8"

long).--River banks, N. J. and S. Penn. to Fla., Tex., and Mo.; very ornamental in cultivation. June.

4. LIGuSTRUM, Tourn. PRIVET.

Calyx short-tubular, 4-toothed, deciduous. Stamens 2, on the tube of the corolla, included. Berry 2-celled, 1--2 seeded.--Shrubs, with entire leaves and small white flowers in terminal panicles. (The cla.s.sical name.)

L. VULGaRE, L. (PRIVET, or PRIM.) Leaves very smooth; berries black.--Used for low hedges, and naturalized eastward; from Europe.

ORDER 66. APOCYNaCEae. (DOGBANE FAMILY.)

_Plants almost all with milky acrid juice, entire (chiefly opposite) leaves without stipules, regular 5-merous and 5-androus flowers; the 5 lobes of the corolla convolute and twisted in the bud; the filaments distinct, inserted on the corolla, and the pollen granular_; calyx free from the two ovaries, which (in our genera) are distinct (forming follicles), though their styles or stigmas are united into one.--Seeds amphitropous or anatropous, with a large straight embryo in sparing alb.u.men, often bearing a tuft of down (comose).--Chiefly a tropical family (of acrid-poisonous plants), represented in gardens by the Oleander and Periwinkle.

1. Amsonia. Seeds naked. Corolla-tube bearded inside. Anthers longer than the filaments. Leaves alternate.

2. Trachelospermum. Seeds comose. Corolla funnel-form, not appendaged.