Part 15

The bark is light gray; the branchlets silky-white.

The LEAVES are simple, oblong, pale green above and hairy-white beneath, 4 to 6 inches long, 1 to 2 inches wide, remaining on sprout growth to spring, usually dropping from older trees in the fall.

The fragrant FLOWERS, with 9 to 12 creamy-white petals on slender smooth stems, measure 2 to 3 inches across. They continue to open during several weeks of spring and early summer. The FRUIT aggregate or “bur” is oval-shaped, dark red or brown, about 2 inches long, and contains scarlet seeds which are usually oval, flattened, and less than ½ inch long.

The WOOD is soft, creamy white to reddish, and is used for furniture, boxes, woodenware, and venetian blinds.

PAWPAW Asimina triloba (L.) Dunal

This odd and attractive tree does not grow abundantly in Texas and seems to be little known. It is found near streams in the extreme east portion of the state and in greater abundance in Harrison and Grayson Counties. It is seldom over 30 feet high with a trunk 8 or 10 inches in diameter.

The BARK on young trees and branches is a smooth, clean brown; on older trees becoming blotched with gray, and bearing a few small wart-like excrescences.

The LEAVES are obovate—lanceolate, 8 to 12 inches long, light, bright green above and paler below.

The FLOWERS are strikingly characteristic. The three light green, hairy sepals are early deciduous. The outer three petals are a rich brownish-purple and deeply veined. The inner three petals are pointed, glandular, and erect.

The FRUIT is an oblong berry 3 to 6 inches long, and contains a number of large, brown seeds. When ripe it falls to the ground, turning dark brown. The deep yellow flesh is palatable, though some people do not care for its unique flavor. The tree blooms and bears as a shrub or tree.

The WOOD is light, weak, and spongy, yellow in color, and is of no known value.

REDBAY Persea borbonia (L.) Spreng.

Redbay is native to the Atlantic and Gulf Coast states from Virginia to southeastern and southern Texas and is a member of the Laurel family. In all, about 100 species of Persea are found in North and South America.

Redbay grows to 70 feet in height and 3 feet in diameter, with a well-shaped head of erect, stout, dark green branches. It grows in moist, rich soils along the streams and in swamps and sometimes in drier soils along with longleaf pine, over the coastal region.

The aromatic LEAVES are oblong, thick or leathery, up to 4 inches in length and 1½ inches in width, bright green with the margin entire and with a narrow, orange-colored midrib. They remain green over the first winter. The yellowish-white FLOWERS are in small clusters.

The FRUIT is a nearly round, rather fleshy, shiny, dark blue or nearly black drupe, about ½ inch long. It ripens in the autumn and contains a large rounded stone.

The WOOD is heavy, hard, strong, bright red, with thin, lighter colored sapwood. It is used for cabinet-making, and interior house finish, and has been used for boat construction.

SILKBAY (Persea humilis Nash) is a dwarf or low growing shrub or tree 6 to 10 feet in height occurring in southern Texas.

SASSAFRAS Sassafras albidum (Nutt.) Nees

This small tree with aromatic leaves and twigs is usually not over 40 feet in height or a foot in diameter. It is common in Texas west to the Brazos River on the drier soils, and is one of the first broad-leaved trees to grow on abandoned fields, where the seeds are dropped by birds. The species is closely related to the camphor tree of Japan. The BARK is red-brown and deeply furrowed while the bark of the twigs is bright green.

The LEAVES are unusual in that they vary widely in shape on the same tree, or even on the same twig. Some are oval and entire, 4 to 6 inches long; others have one lobe, resembling a mitten; while still others are divided at the outer end into 3 distinct lobes.

The FLOWERS are clustered, greenish-yellow, and open with the first unfolding of the leaves. The male and female flowers are usually on different trees. The FRUIT is an oblong, dark blue or black lustrous drupe surrounded at the base by what appears to be a small orange-red or scarlet cup at the end of the scarlet peduncle.

The WOOD is light, soft, weak, brittle, and durable in the soil; the heartwood is dull orange-brown. It is used for posts and crossties. The bark of the roots yields the very aromatic oil of sassafras much used for flavoring candies and various commercial products. The bark of the root is sold in small bundles for making sassafras tea.

WITCH-HAZEL Hamamelis virginiana L.

This tall-growing shrub which has the peculiar habit of blooming in the late fall and ripening its fruit in early spring is native to the extreme eastern portion of Texas, being found on rich soils of streams or along the borders of the forest.

The BARK is smooth, white, gray, and mottled with light brown.

The LEAVES are usually obovate, 3 to 5 inches long, prominently veined, with a wavy margin, very irregular at the base, bright green above and slightly paler below. They are generally smooth.

The odd, yellow FLOWERS are borne in clusters along the branch, with long, very narrow twisted petals. They develop during November, December, and January, the time depending somewhat on the weather, and possess a refreshing fragrance. The FRUIT is a hard, tough, two-celled capsule, with two beaks. It divides in half, each half containing a shiny black seed. In the late summer or early autumn the capsules pop open, discharging the seeds.