Part 8

232. RED HAW or hawthorn (Crataegus species) probably about four species in the county. Three are easily distinguished by the shapes of the leaves and the size of the fruits:

(a) Leaves: very wooly when young, broad near base and nearly as broad as long, doubly toothed and often shallowly lobed; especially susceptible to the cedar rust. Fruit: red, resembling large rose hips, edible, mealy, about ¾ inch across, ripening in September and falling early. Grows in the vicinity of White Rock Creek and Lake. Leaves and flowers in early April.

(b) Leaves: usually obovate, tapering at base and somewhat blunt at tip, darker and smoother than (a). Fruit: about ½ inch or less across, ripening October or November, clinging late into winter. Flowers and leaves both smaller and appearing later than (a). Same region.

(c) Leaves: deeply and sharply cut. Fruit: ¼ inch or less across, many in a drooping cluster. River bottoms in southeastern part of county.

A fourth species is distinctive for its loose, flaky bark.

Wood: tough and hard but all trees in this region too small to be of commercial importance.

233. PRAIRIE ROSE (Rosa setigera Michx.) rare, climbing or trailing, vine-like shrub of low sandy land. Leaves: compound leaflets; mostly three, or five. Stems: green, with stout, scattered prickles, sometimes 20 feet long, usually much less. Flowers: bright pink, styles united into a column. Fruit: rounded, red in autumn, nearly ½ inch in diameter. B (Vol. II, p. 283.)

234. PASTURE ROSE (Rosa foliolosa Nutt.) a common, very low shrub. Habitat: meadows, roadsides, open woods, White Rock Lake, etc. Flowers: white or pale pink, solitary, sweet-scented. Stem: 6 to 12 inches tall, reddish, slender, with few prickles. Fruits: red, haw-like, in fall and winter. Leaves: pinnately compound, small leaflets 7 to 11, red in autumn or green and tardily deciduous. D (p. 106.)

235. DEWBERRY (Rubus trivialis) abundant trailing “shrub” of woods, roadsides, thickets and ditches. Leaves: compound, 3 to 5 leaflets, rose-like, evergreen or nearly so. Stems: green, prickly, usually lying on the ground, several feet long. Flowers: white, 5 petals, like small single roses. Fruit: black, many-seeded, juicy, ripe April-May, popular with birds, boys and redbugs.

236. WILD BLACK CHERRY (Prunus serotina Ehr.) a rare, small tree observed in low, sandy woods. Leaves: oval or longer, pointed at tip, finely serrate, dark red glands at base; glossy above, paler below. 2-6 inches long. Flowers: in grape-like clusters, drooping, white, in late March. Fruit: resembling small grapes, bitter but edible. Bark: of branches and young trunks glossy, reddish brown, marked with white, horizontal lines, finally becomes rough and broken into irregular plates. Wood: is second in value only to black walnut, reddish brown, fine grained, used for furniture, and interiors. Fruit: used to flavor rum, the bark in medicines.

237. WILD PLUM (Prunus mexicana S. Watson) common tree in woodlands, especially in low, rich ground. Leaves: oval, finely toothed, 2 to 3 inches long, downy or smooth but not shiny. Flowers: white, sweet-scented, in February and March. Fruit: oval, about 1 inch diameter, red, with a bloom; makes a delicious, tart jelly; different trees ripen from August into October. Winter TWIGS: smooth, dark purplish, the smaller ones often thorny-tipped. Bark: smooth on branches but peeling, finally rough and dark gray. J (p. 565.)

238. DWARF PLUM (Prunus angustifolia var. varians Wight & Hedr.) a shrub, often flowering when 1 or 2 feet high, rarely a very small tree, common on dry hillsides, meadows and fence rows, often forming thickets. Leaves: slightly narrower than those of the tree plum, smooth or shiny above, often tending to fold together lengthwise. Flowers: small, white, in March. Fruit: about ½ inch in diameter, bright red, ripe in midsummer. Twigs: very glossy and dark reddish purple, with sharp thorns. J (p. 570.)

239. PEACH (Prunus persica (L.) Sieb & Zucc.) an uncommon escape from cultivation, growing readily from seeds along roadsides, etc. These trees usually bear small, hard, flavorless fruit but may be used as parent stock on which to graft desirable cultivated varieties. Flowers: showy, pink.

PEA FAMILY

240. MESQUITE (Prosopis glandulosa Torr.) an abundant small tree with a short trunk and open, spreading crown. Habitat: hilly pastures west of the Trinity River. Flowers: tiny, yellow, in catkins, blooming about May first and often again after summer rains. Pods: 4 to 9 inches long, somewhat constricted between the seeds, containing a sweet pulp as well as 10 to 20 seeds; valuable as food for livestock. Leaves: Twice-pinnately compound, alternate, 8 to 10 inches long, composed of one or two pairs of primary divisions each bearing 12 to 20 leaflets usually much less than two inches long. Twigs: have spines, usually in pairs at the leaf-axils. Wood: heavy, hard, closegrained, durable in soil, used for fence posts, underpinnings of buildings and fuel. The roots are large and heavy, giving rise to the saying that West Texans dig for their wood.

241. REDBUD (Cercis canadensis L.) a medium or small tree common in woodlands. Leaves: heart-shaped or truncate at base and blunt or slender-pointed at tip, 3 to 5 inches long and wide, smooth above, margin entire. Twigs: smooth, dark reddish brown, slender. Bark: of larger trunks finally divided into long, narrow plates, the surface separating into thin scales. Flowers: pea-shaped, pink with a red calyx, ½ inch long, in clusters close to the branches and sometimes even down on the trunk. Fruit: reddish brown pods 2 to 4 inches long, about ½ inch wide, flattened, often persistent into winter. Wood: dark brown, hard but weak, not valued commercially. The tree is common in cultivation because of its attractive early-blooming flowers; it is easily grown from seed.

242. REDBUD (Cercis reniformis Engl.) a small tree or tall shrub of limestone ridges southwest of Dallas. Leaves: kidney-shaped, not pointed, generally more glossy above than C. canadensis, “Mountain Redbud.”

243. HONEY LOCUST (Gleditsia triacanthos L.) a very thorny tree common in a variety of soils. Leaves: some once-pinnately compound and some twice, both kinds on the same tree, leaflets numerous, 1 to 1½ inches long and ½ wide, nearly entire, turning yellow in autumn. Twigs: slender, shining, usually reddish brown, distinctive for the large, pronged thorns which they bear in the second year and retain for many years. Bark: of trunk becoming rough, its broad ridges with thick, recurved edges, highly variable as to the number of thorns retained. Flowers: tiny, yellow, in catkins, very sweet-scented. Fruit: flat, reddish brown pods, 10 to 18 inches long, usually twisted, containing a sweetish pulp between the hard seeds; they are widely scattered by many animals which relish the pulp but fail to digest the seeds. Wood: hard, strong, coarse-grained, durable in the soil, bright red-brown, used for fence posts, wheel hubs and in construction. This tree is very resistant to drouth but gives scanty shade and causes much litter.

244. EVE’S NECKLACE (Sophora affinis Torr. & Gray) a small, slender tree becoming almost vine-like when crowded by other trees, common on stream borders, limestone hills, or prairie ravines. Leaves: pinnately compound of 13 to 19 pointed or blunt leaflets about 1½ in. long and 1 wide with entire or slightly wavy margins. Twigs: dull or glossy green becoming mottled with gray, sometimes zigzag. Bark: thin, gray, finally breaking into many, loose, oblong scales. Flowers: ½ in. long, white to lavender rose, in drooping clusters, pea-shaped. Fruit: dull black pods 1 to 4 inches long, tightly constricted between the seeds, often clinging to the tree with the flowers of the following spring. Wood: light red with 10 or 12 layers of bright yellow sapwood, heavy, hard and strong but too small to be of commercial importance. This little tree is native only to eastern and central Texas and the borders of adjacent states. K (p. 147.)

245. RIVER LOCUST (Amorpha fruticosa L.) or false indigo: a tall shrub fairly common in low, moist ground, more common in sun than shade. Leaves: pinnately compound, of 9 to 25 leaflets, oblong or elliptical, ½ to 1½ in. long, gland-dotted. Flowers: in dense, erect clusters, each floret consisting of one dark purple petal wrapped around the ten gold-tipped stamens and the style. Fruit: pods about ¼ in. long heavily dotted with amber-colored glands. K (p. 160.)

RUE FAMILY

(Citrus Fruits In This Family)

246. PRICKLY ASH (Xanthoxylum clava-herculis L.) also called tear-blanket or toothache tree: a rather small tree common in rich lowlands, “of its largest size on the rich intervale lands of the streams flowing into the Trinity River”. Leaves: pinnately compound of 3 to 9 pairs of leaflets, usually ovate with acute or acuminate tips, 1 to 2½ in. long, shiny above, dull beneath, margins crenate-serrate, aromatic and tingling-spicy as are the fruit and bark. Twigs: have scattered, hooked spines, often black on young shoots. Bark: smooth, bluish gray, conspicuous for its corky, cone-shaped knobs which are sometimes still tipped with sharp spines; bark of root is especially stimulating and tonic, used by negroes for toothache and rheumatism. Flowers: small, white or greenish, in small cymes, opening after the leaves. Fruit: ¼ inch long, and nearly round, pitted capsules split in early autumn to reveal the shiny black seeds; relished by many birds. Wood: light weight, close-grained, light brown with yellow sapwood, not valued as much as the bark.

247. WAFER ASH (Ptelea trifoliata L.) or hop tree: a rare, small tree or shrub of low woodlands. Leaves: pinnately compound, usually composed of three, rarely five leaflets, 2 to 5 inches long, 1 to 3 wide, the terminal generally larger and more tapering toward the base than the others, margins entire or finely serrate, dark and shiny above, gland-dotted beneath. Twigs: dark, glossy, resembling cherry; winter buds rounded, whitish. Bark: of branches resembles cherry, dark and shining but cracks and curls, becoming rough; bitter, tonic. Flowers: greenish white, compound terminal cymes; in midsummer; disagreeable odor. Fruit: winged seed disks similar to those of elm but larger, nearly 1 inch; the drooping clusters conspicuous on winter branches; occasionally used in place of hops in beer brewing. Wood: heavy, hard and close-grained.

MAHOGANY FAMILY

248. CHINABERRY (Melia azederach L.) a familiar cultivated tree occasionally escaped from cultivation; a native of China much planted for shade in the southern states; sometimes found in remote woods where birds must have dropped the seeds. Leaves: alternate, twice-pinnately compound, dark green above, margins of leaflets often shallowly lobed or wavy. Twigs: thick, upright, dark. Bark: dark, somewhat smooth on branches. Flowers: lavender, in large, loose clusters on wood of the previous year, scented, in April or May. Fruit: Opaque, yellow, size of marbles, remaining into winter. Wood: light and brittle, color resembles mahogany but the grain is much coarser and does not polish well. I (p. 353.)

QUASSIA FAMILY

248A. TREE OF HEAVEN, Chinese sumac, (Ailanthus glandulosa Desf.) Several sprouts of this tree were observed in Kessler Park woodlands after this booklet had been set in type. The 1 to 3 foot, pinnately compound LEAVES and very stout TWIGS are ready marks of identification. Flowers: greenish, in large panicles, the staminate ill-scented. Fruit: winged seeds rusty colored. Wood: soft and weak. An escape from cultivation, undesirable because of its numerous root-suckers.