Part 20

The hoptree has a straight, slender trunk 6 to 8 inches in diameter and seldom reaches a height of more than 20 feet.

The LEAVES are composed of 3 leaflets, sometimes 5, each of which is oval or pear-shaped and pointed, about 4 to 6 inches long and 2 to 3 inches wide, and dark green on the upper surface. The central leaflet is the largest.

The FRUIT consists of a small, round, 2-seeded, winged “key” or “samara”, resembling somewhat the familiar paper caps for toy pistols. The seeds occur in dense drooping clusters and hang on the tree over winter.

The WOOD is heavy, hard, yellowish-brown, and close-grained. The shrub is often planted as an ornamental.

SHINING SUMAC (Dwarf or Flameleaf Sumac) Rhus copallina L.

Shining sumac is found growing naturally west to the San Antonio River. It is more commonly a shrub than a tree and grows in clumps and thickets around the edges of the fields and in other open places. The leaves turn crimson in the fall and add a vivid note to the autumn coloring. The tree spreads by means of shallow root-runners.

The BARK is almost smooth, with horizontal splashes of light and dark gray, and many small excrescences. This papery outer bark cracks at irregular intervals, exposing spots of reddish-brown beneath.

The compound LEAVES are alternate, 6 to 8 inches long, with 9 to 21 small ovate-lanceolate leaflets, glossy green above, downy beneath. This sumac is easily distinguished from others by the fact that the leaf rachis is winged. The leaves are rich in tannin, and are used in large quantities for curing leather, and for the manufacture of dyes.

The tiny, pale green FLOWERS are borne in compact conical, panicles in July. Male and female flowers are borne on separate trees. The small FRUIT is red, covered with short hairs, and has an acid taste. The fruits cling, and are eaten by birds in late winter.

The reddish-brown WOOD is soft, light, and coarse-grained.

PRAIRIE SUMAC (R. lanceolata [A. Gray] Britton) is found on the prairies of eastern Texas to the valley of the Rio Grande, often forming thickets on the banks of small streams. This species is distinguished by its narrow, acute leaflets and its larger flowers and fruit.

POISON-SUMAC Toxicodendron vernix (L.) Kountze

All parts of this beautiful plant give off toxic oils that may irritate and blister the skin like the oils of poison ivy. Poison-sumac may grow as a shrub with several clustered stems, or as a tree occasionally 25 feet high with a trunk 5 to 6 inches in diameter. The slender, smooth branchlets are at first reddish-brown with orange-colored lenticels, later becoming light gray and marked with elevated and conspicuous leaf-scars.

The compound, alternate LEAVES are quite different from those of other sumacs, shaped more like those of ash, for which reason it is often called “poison ash.” The leaf-stems are always reddish, and usually quite conspicuous. The leaves are 7 to 14 inches long, with 7 to 13 ovate-oblong leaflets, 3 to 4 inches long. The leaflets are bright green above, paler beneath, usually with a red midrib.

The small FLOWERS are borne in panicles much less compact than those of other sumacs. The FRUIT is a lustrous white drupe, born in slender, drooping panicles. The fruit matures in September and is eaten by birds and rabbits. The sap can be used to make a black, durable varnish.

AMERICAN HOLLY Ilex opaca Ait.

American holly is found on rich, moist soils of bottomlands in East Texas and westward to Wilson County. A tree often 50 feet high, frequently attains heights of 80 to 100 feet and diameters up to 4 feet. A large specimen may be seen at the Texas Forest Service’s Indian Mound Nursery near Alto.

The BARK is light gray and roughened by wart-like growths. The numerous, short, slender branches form a dense pyramidal head of striking dark green color which is more pronounced when the conspicuous red drupes are present.

The LEAVES are simple, alternate, rather oval, thick and leathery, 2 to 4 inches long and usually armed with spiny teeth. They remain on the branches three years, dropping off in the spring.

The FLOWERS are small and whitish; male and female flowers are usually borne on separate trees. The FRUIT, ripening late in the fall on the trees bearing female flowers, is dull red or sometimes yellow, round or somewhat oval-shaped berry-like drupe about ¼ inch in diameter and with 4 to 6 grooved, ribbed nutlets.

The WOOD is light, tough, not strong, white when cut, turning brown when aged. Valued and much used for cabinet making, interior finish, and turnery. Many of the largest and best holly trees have been cut and marketed.

Holly is a highly desirable Christmas decoration and a desirable ornamental tree for yards. Wild holly is becoming scarce. Excessive cuttings should be avoided.

YAUPON Ilex vomitoria Ait.

This close relative of the American holly is found in East Texas to Matagorda Bay, Rio Blanco and the Guadalupe River, and north to southern Arkansas. On the rich bottomlands of eastern Texas, yaupon is a small tree, 20 to 25 feet high with a trunk rarely over 6 inches in diameter; elsewhere it is a shrub.

The LEAVES are 1 to 2 inches long, ¼ to 1 inch wide, thick, glossy green above, paler below, and persistent for 2 or 3 years.

The FLOWERS, male and female, are borne on separate plants. The FRUIT, a scarlet berry-like drupe, is produced in great abundance by the female plant.

The WOOD is of little value except for fuel.

Yaupon is used in the South as a hedge plant, and is much prized for Christmas decorations. A tea made from leaves was once popular with the Indians. The plant is now grown on the Atlantic Coast for the commercial production of yaupon tea for medicinal purposes.