Part 29 (1/2)

=Maclura aurantaca=, Nutt. (OSAGE ORANGE. BOW-WOOD.) Leaves rather thick, ovate to ovate-oblong, almost entire, smooth and s.h.i.+ning above, strong-veined and paler beneath, 4 in. long by 2 in. wide; spines simple, about 1 in. long. Fruit as large as an orange, golden-yellow when ripe. A medium-sized tree, 20 to 50 ft. high; native west of the Mississippi. Extensively cultivated for hedges, and also for ornament, throughout.

GENUS =78. MRUS.=

Trees with milky juice and alternate, deciduous, exstipulate, broad, heart-shaped, usually rough leaves. Flowers inconspicuous; in spring.

Fruit blackberry-like in shape and size; in summer.

* Leaves rough; fruit dark-colored 1.

* Leaves smooth and s.h.i.+ning; fruit white to black 2.

[Ill.u.s.tration: M. rubra.]

1. =Mrus rubra=, L. (RED MULBERRY.) Leaves broad, heart-shaped, 4 to 6 in. long, serrate, rough above and downy beneath, pointed; on the young shoots irregularly lobed. Fruit dark red, almost purple when ripe, cylindrical; not found on all the trees, as the flowers are somewhat dioecious; ripe in July. Wood yellow, heavy and durable. Usually a small tree, 15 to 60 ft. high; wild throughout, also cultivated.

[Ill.u.s.tration: M. alba.]

2. =Mrus alba=, L. (WHITE MULBERRY.) Leaves obliquely heart-ovate, pointed, serrate, smooth and s.h.i.+ning; lobed on the younger growths; 2 to 7 in. long. Fruit whitish, oval to oblong; ripe in July. A small tree from China, planted for feeding silkworms, but now naturalized throughout.

Var. _multicaulis_ has large leaves, and is considered better for silkworm food than the usual form. It is not very hardy, as it is frequently winter-killed in the lat.i.tude of New York City.

Var. _Downingii_ (Downing's everbearing Mulberry) has large leaves and very large, dark red or black fruit, of excellent flavor, which does not ripen all at once as most Mulberries do.

GENUS =79. BROUSSONeTIA.=

Trees with milky juice and alternate, deciduous, stipulate, broad, very hairy leaves. Flowers dioecious. Fruit (only on a portion of the plants) similar to the common Mulberry.

[Ill.u.s.tration: B. papyrifera.]

=Broussonetia papyrifera=, L. (PAPER-MULBERRY.) Leaves ovate to heart-shaped, variously lobed, deeply so on the young suckers, serrate, very rough above and quite soft-downy beneath; leaves on the old trees almost without lobes; bark tough and fibrous. Flowers in catkins, greenish; in spring. Fruit club-shaped, dark scarlet, sweet and insipid; ripe in August. Small cultivated tree, 10 to 35 ft. high, hardy north to New York; remarkable for the great variety in the forms of its leaves on the young trees.

ORDER =x.x.xVII. PLATANaCEae.=

(PLANE-TREE FAMILY.)

A very small order, containing but one genus:

GENUS =80. PLaTa.n.u.s.=

Trees with alternate, simple, large, palmately lobed leaves. The base of the petiole is hollowed to cover the bud. Flowers inconspicuous; in early spring. Fruit a large, dry ball, hanging on a long peduncle, and remaining on the tree through the winter. Large tree with white bark separating into thin, brittle plates.

[Ill.u.s.tration: P. occidentalis.]

1. =Plata.n.u.s occidentalis=, L. (AMERICAN SYCAMORE. b.u.t.tONWOOD.) Leaves large (6 to 10 in. broad), roundish heart-shaped, angularly sinuate-lobed, the short lobes sharp-pointed, scurfy-downy till old.

Fruit globular, solitary, 1 in. in diameter, hanging on long, 4-in.

peduncles; remaining on the tree through the winter. A large, well-known tree, 80 to 100 ft. high; found on river-banks throughout; also cultivated. Wood brownish, coa.r.s.e-grained; it cannot be split, and is very difficult to smooth. The marking of the grain on the quartered lumber is very beautiful.