This section is from the book "An Illustrated Flora Of The Northern United States, Canada And The British Possessions Vol2", by Nathaniel Lord Britton, Addison Brown. Also available from Amazon: An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 Volume Set..
Trees or shrubs, with coriaceous evergreen leaves, and large white solitary axillary flowers, often clustered at the ends of branches. Sepals 5, imbricated, rounded, concave. Petals 5, imbricated, obovate. Stamens ∞, 5-adelphous, each cluster cohering with the base of a petal. Ovary 1, 3-5-celled; style-1; stigma 5-rayed. Capsule woody, ovoid, 5-valved, the axis persistent. Seeds pendulous, compressed, with a short terminal or lateral wing; embryo straight or oblique; cotyledons ovate, longitudinally plaited; radicle short, superior. [Named for James Gordon, a London nurseryman.]
About 16 species, natives of eastern North America, Mexico and eastern Asia. The following is the type of the genus.
Fig. 2878
Hypericum Lasianthus L. Sp. Pl. 783. 1753.
Gordonia Lasianthus L. Mant. 2: 570. 1771.
A tree 45°-75° high. Leaves lanceolate or oblong, acute, attenuate and involute at the base, very nearly sessile, coriaceous, persistent, 3'-5' long, 1'-2' wide, serrulate, glabrous, shining; peduncles 1-3' long, ascending, I-flowered; flowers 1 1/2-2' broad; sepals orbicular, silky, ciliate; petals slightly pubescent without; capsule ovoid-conic, pointed, 6"-8" long, sometimes 6-valved; wing of the seed terminal.
In low woods, Virginia to Florida. Wood soft, light red; weight per cubic foot 29 lbs. May-July.
 
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