Part 35

Flowers: Greenish-yellow, up to 3 inches long, with usually 6 elongated, pointed petals, appearing in April.

Fruit: Oblong fruits up to 3 inches long, deep red, with several seeds. Young fruits look like small cucumbers, thus accounting for the common name. The fruits ripen from late August to October.

Wood: Light weight, soft, pale brown.

Uses: Cabinets, flooring.

Habitat: Rich woodlands.

Range: New York to southern Illinois and Oklahoma, south to Louisiana and Georgia, also southern Ontario.

Distinguishing Features: The large toothless leaves are distinctive from leaves of all other Illinois trees except the Tupelo Gum, a tree of swamps which usually had 1-3 coarse teeth along the edges of each leaf. The silvery buds are also distinctive, as are the flowers and fruits.

NARROW-LEAVED CRAB APPLE Malus angustifolia (Ait.) Michx.

Growth Form: Small tree to 20 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 9 inches; crown spreading.

Bark: Reddish-brown, deeply furrowed, scaly.

Twigs: Slender, reddish-brown or pale brown, smooth, sometimes spur-like; leaf scars alternate, narrow, curved, with 3 bundle traces.

Buds: Rounded, brown, up to ¹/₁₆ inch in diameter, finely hairy.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades elliptic to oblong, rounded or pointed at the tip, narrowed to the base, to 2 inches long, less than half as broad, toothed along the edges, seldom shallowly lobed, green and smooth on the upper surface, a little paler and smooth or sparsely hairy on the lower surface; leafstalks slender, up to 1 inch long, smooth or hairy.

Flowers: Showy, up to 1 inch across, on long stalks, usually 3 or more in a cluster, with 5 narrow, rose petals, appearing during May and June.

Fruit: Apples up to 1 inch across, yellow-green, edible.

Wood: Heavy, close-grained, brown.

Use: The fruit is used in making jelly.

Habitat: Rather moist woods.

Range: Maryland across to southern Missouri, south to Louisiana, east to Florida.

Distinguishing Features: This crab apple is distinguished by its narrow leaves which are usually unlobed.

PRAIRIE CRAB APPLE Malus coronaria (L.) Mill.

Growth Form: Small tree to 25 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 1 foot; crown widely spreading.

Bark: Gray-brown to red-brown, with rather deep furrows between the scales.

Twigs: Moderately stout, reddish-brown, often spurlike, sometimes spiny, usually smooth at maturity; leaf scars alternate, narrow, curved, with 3 bundle traces.

Buds: Rounded, reddish, about ¼ inch in diameter, smooth or nearly so.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades oval, rounded to short-pointed at the tip, rounded or tapering to the base, up to 3 inches long, about half as broad, toothed along the edges and sometimes slightly lobed, yellow-green and smooth on the upper surface, paler on the lower surface; leafstalks stout, up to 2 inches long, smooth or hairy.

Flowers: Showy, up to 1½ inches across, on long stalks, usually 3 or more in a cluster, with 5 rounded, white or pinkish petals, appearing during May and June.

Fruit: Apples up to 1 inch across, yellow-green, edible.