CUCUMBER TREE
Magnolia acuminata, L.
Form.—Height 50-90 feet, diameter 2-4 feet; trunk long, clear, straight; crown usually pyramidal with spreading lower branches.
Leaves.—Alternate, simple, ovate, 4-12 inches long, apex pointed, entire, thin, smooth above, pale and downy beneath.
Flowers.—April-June; perfect, upright, solitary, bell-shaped, greenish-yellow, about 3 inches long.
Fruit.—Matures in autumn; fleshy, cucumber-shaped, about 2½ inches long, composed of 1-2-seeded carpels; seeds scarlet, drupe-like, attached by slender extensile threads.
Bark.—Grayish-brown, furrowed, with loose scales.
Wood.—Light, soft, close-grained, durable, yellowish, resembling Yellow Poplar, and used for interior finish and other purposes in buildings.