Some people are afflicted with a keen interest in natural history and those with a botanical leaning, are attracted to all manner of new and unusual plants. When a new plant comes along, it must be secured. The dove tree is a deciduous member of the nyssa family and attains a height of 35 feet, with a more or less pyramidal form.
Leaves are heart-shaped and coarse textured.
The flowers consist of a button-like mass of stamens which are surrounded by a pair of white bracts. The lower bracts can be three inches wide and six inches long with the upper about half that size. When the trees bloom in late spring it is robed in fluttering white flowers and it becomes apparent why it has such unusual common names. In 1862 David was assigned to teach science and natural history classes to children enrolled in the order s Beijing mission. To aid in accomplishing this task he started collecting plant and animal specimens.