Genus 58. HALÈSIA.
Small trees or shrubs with alternate, simple, deciduous, serrate leaves. Flowers large, 1 in. long, conspicuous, white, hanging, bell-shaped, monopetalous, 4-lobed; blooming in spring. Fruit with a single, rough, elongated, bony nut surrounded by a 2- to 4-winged coat; ripe in autumn.
Wood light-colored, very hard and fine-grained.
H. díptera.
1. Halèsia díptera, L. (Two-winged Silverbell Tree.) Leaves large (4 to 5 in. long), ovate, acute, serrate, softly pubescent. Fruit with 2 conspicuous, broad wings, sometimes with 2 intermediate narrow ridges. A small tree or a large shrub, wild in the south, and cultivated as far north as New York City.
H. tetráptera.
2. Halèsia tetráptera, L. (Four-winged Silverbell Tree.) Leaves smaller (2 to 4 in.), oblong-ovate, finely serrate. Fruit smaller, with 4 nearly equal wings. A small, beautiful tree, 10 to 30 ft. high, more hardy than Halesia diptera, and therefore cultivated occasionally throughout. Wild in Virginia and south.
Genus 59. SÝMPLOCOS.