Part 24

The LEAVES are alternate, oval, entire, 4 to 6 inches long, dark green and shining above, paler beneath.

The small FLOWERS, which appear in May, are yellowish or cream-white, somewhat bell-shaped, the male and female flowers occurring on separate trees; the male in clusters of 2 or 3, the female solitary. They are visited by many insects.

The FRUIT is a pulpy, round, orange-colored or brown berry, an inch or more in diameter and containing several flattened, hard, smooth seeds. The fruit is strongly astringent while green, but often quite sweet and delicious when thoroughly ripe. It is relished by both man and animals, especially after a few frosty nights.

The WOOD is hard, dense, strong, the heartwood brown or black, the wide sapwood white or yellowish. It is particularly valued for shuttles, golf club heads, and similar special uses, but is not of sufficient commercial use to warrant its growth as a timber tree.

The TEXAS or BLACK PERSIMMON (D. texana Scheele) is described on page 127.

COMMON SWEETLEAF (Horse-Sugar) Symplocos tinctoria (L.) L’Hér.

Sweetleaf is usually found along the borders of streams and swamps, chiefly in East Texas. It seldom grows to a height of more than 30 feet or a diameter of more than 8 inches. The slender upright branches, forming an open head, are bluish or grayish, and decidedly roughened by elevated leaf-scars, or places of attachment of the last crop of leaves.

The thick, shiny, dark green LEAVES, arranged alternately along the stem, vary from 5 to 6 inches in length and 1 to 2 inches in width. They remain on the twigs until spring. The leaves are sweet and eagerly sought for food by livestock.

The tiny, pale yellow fragrant FLOWERS are produced in close clusters at intervals along the branchlets. The FRUIT, a small, one-seeded drupe, has a thin dark orange or brown skin. The fruit is eaten to some extent by deer.

The WOOD is light, soft and pale red or brown, and has no commercial value. Both leaves and bark yield a yellow dye. The bitter aromatic roots have been used as a tonic.

TWO-WING SILVERBELL (Snowdrop Tree) Halesia diptera Ellis

This attractive tree or shrub, may grow as a small tree, sometimes as much as 30 feet high, with a trunk 6 to 10 inches in diameter. It occurs in rich, wet woods and on the borders of swamps and streams, but is adaptable to many sites. It is found in the southeastern portion of Texas, being a native of the Gulf Region.

The BARK of the trunk is brown, divided by irregular longitudinal fissures, and separating on the surface into thin scales. The bark on the twigs forms long, loose, brown fibers, which makes it easy to identify during the winter.

The alternate, ovate to obovate LEAVES are bright green above, paler and downy underneath, 3 to 4 inches long, and 2 to 2½ inches wide. They are much larger on young shoots. The leaves have minute callous teeth.

The white FLOWERS, usually about 1 inch long, come before the leaves and are borne in clusters of 3 to 5. The tree is charming when thickly hung with its “silver bells.” The FRUIT is about 2 inches long with two wide, thin wings, and two (rarely three) narrow wings in between.

The WOOD is light, soft, strong, close-grained, and light brown, with thick, lighter-colored sapwood. It is not of commercial importance.

CAROLINA ASH (Water Ash) Fraxinus caroliniana Mill.

Water ash is common in shaded swamps, westward to the valley of the Neches River. It forms a tree, rarely more than 40 feet high, with a trunk sometimes 12 inches in diameter, and has small branches, making a narrow, often round-topped head.

The BARK is thin, light gray, and marked by large irregularly shaped round patches which separate into small, thin, close scales.

The LEAVES are compounded, 7 to 12 inches long, thick and firm when mature, with 5 to 7, ovate to oblong, finely to coarsely toothed leaflets, 3 to 6 inches long, 2 to 3 inches wide, dark green above, and paler below.

The small male and female FLOWERS appear on separate trees, in February or March. The FRUIT is elliptic to oblong-ovate, frequently three-winged, 2 inches long, ⅓ to ¾ inch wide. The wing extends below the body of the fruit and narrows into a stipitate (stalk-like) base.

The WOOD is light, soft, weak, close-grained, nearly white, sometimes yellowish, with thick, lighter-colored sapwood. It is used chiefly for fuel.

WHITE ASH Fraxinus americana L.

White ash is found in East Texas to the valley of the Trinity River. It grows best in the rich moist soils of upper bottomlands. The bark is gray and furrowed, the branchlets smooth and gray with rust-colored winter buds.

The compound opposite LEAVES are generally straight, 8 to 12 inches long, with 5 to 9 (usually 7) sharp pointed leaflets, dark green above and paler and whitish beneath.

The male and female FLOWERS appear on separate trees, the male in dense reddish-purple clusters and the female in more open branches. The FRUIT is a samara, 1 to 1½ inches long, resembling the blade of a canoe paddle in outline, with the smooth, terete body at the handle end. The fruit matures in late summer and is distributed effectively by the winds.

The WOOD of white ash is extremely valuable because of its toughness and elasticity. It is preferred for small tool handles, athletic equipment, and agricultural implements, and is used extensively for furniture and interior finish.

The ashes comprise the only group of trees in eastern America that have opposite, pinnately compound leaves with 5 or more leaflets. This fact provides a ready means of identifying the group. There are at least seven other species of ash in Texas.