Part 6

GREAT LEAVED MAGNOLIA (Magnolia macrophylla)

Shape broadly spreading, to 50 ft. tall. Trunk slender. Bark light gray, divided into minute scales and shallowly furrowed. Buds silky. Leaves 1-3 ft. long, clustered at the tips of the branches, white-downy beneath. Flowers bell shaped, 8-12 in. across, blooming in May and June. Range: Gulf States to Ark. and e. Ky. Rare in w. N. C. This tropical looking tree, with astonishing great leaves and flowers, has no value but an ornamental one. EAR LEAVED UMBRELLA TREE (Magnolia Fraseri) is a slender little tree with smooth brown bark, smooth, lustrous, deep green leaves crowded at the ends of the branches, broadest near the end, with two little ear-like lobes near the narrowed base. Flowers 3-9 in. broad, creamy, sour-smelling, in May and June. Chiefly in the s. Appalachians (Ky. and Va. to Ala.) and s. to the Gulf (Miss., Fla.)

CALIFORNIA LAUREL (Umbellularia californica)

Shape short trunked, with a dense crown, making a broad based, dome shaped thick tree 50-60 ft. tall. Bark drab or brown. Leaves evergreen, aromatic, thick, 3½-4½ in. long. Fruit olive-like, reddish or brown-purple when ripe, 1-1½ in. long; seed large. Range: Coast ranges from Ore. to s. Calif., also on the w. slopes of the Sierra Nevada. A magnificent unique tree, often forming groves of great beauty in cañons and mountain valleys. The wood is heavy, hard, strong, intricately patterned and is used for turned articles, especially furniture and interior finish. In the early lumbering days it was employed for the log railways and ox yokes. The seed, as sweet as chestnuts, was eaten roasted by the Indians. A decoction of the leaves is used for an insecticide.

SASSAFRAS (Sassafras officinale)

Shrub or tree up to 120 ft. tall. Trunk reaching 7 ft. in diameter. Bark becoming very rugged, brown, broken into braided twisted ridges on young trees cracked into short blocks. Branches very crooked, ascending. Twigs bright green, very limber, the bark mucilaginous as are the Leaves which are paler beneath, aromatic when crushed, turning orange and scarlet in autumn. Flowers appearing with the leaves in early spring, greenish gold, the sexes on separate trees. Fruit a “stone-fruit”, very handsome slate blue on a thick red stalk, in Aug. Range: S. States to s. N. E., centr. Mich. and s. Ont., e. Ia. and Kans. The fragrant wood is used in boat building and cooperage. Oil of sassafras, used in medicine, is distilled from the bark and sassafras tea, brewed from the leaves, is a rustic spring tonic.

SWEET GUM (Liquidambar styraciflua)

Shape broad headed, 40-140 ft. tall. Trunk massive. Branches ascending above, horizontal below, often corky ridged on the twigs. Bark gray brown, deeply furrowed vertically, the ridges broad, flat and scaly. Twigs bright green. Leaves fragrant when crushed, turning deep yellow or rich red in autumn. Fruit a hard, spherical head, often persistent all winter, most of its chambers empty of fertile seeds. Range: s. States n. to Mo., and, near the coast, through the Middle Atlantic States to se. Conn. This curious tree, often contorted and ungraceful, attains its greatest development in the Mississippi basin. Its hard, heavy wood is used for the outside finish of houses, for flooring, barrels and cabinet making, and from the resinous sap a fragrant oil is distilled, used for catarrhal troubles and as a basis for chewing gum.

PAWPAW (Asimina triloba)

Shrub or low tree, up to 40 ft. tall. Trunk at most 1 ft. thick. Bark dark brown marked with large ash colored blotches. Leaves 6-12 in. long. Flowers borne singly, about 1½ in. across, with 6 fleshy maroon or purple petals and 3 reflexed green sepals, blooming March-April. Fruit fleshy, 3-5 in. long, by 1-1½ in. thick, weighing 6-12 ounces, the skin brown, finally black. Range: s. states to se. Neb., s. Mich., Ont., rarer up the Atlantic seaboard to e. Pa. The leaves of this curious little tree are unpleasantly scented while the flowers smell like those of red Trillium or Strawberry Bush. The fruit is generally ripe about the time of the first frosts: it is in condition to eat when the skin turns black and warps away from the flesh, and that of certain individual trees may be excellent, as custardy fruits go.

JUNEBERRY SHADBUSH SERVICE TREE (Amelanchier canadensis)

Shape narrowly round-topped, up to 40 ft. high. Bark gray, with sepia brown striping, becoming furrowed into flat scaly ridges on old trees. Leaves turning rusty red in autumn. Flowers blooming while the leaves are just expanding (March-May,) similar to those of apple or hawthorn, but the petals strap-shaped and more graceful. Fruits edible, similar to those of hawthorn. Ripe in summer. Range: Me. to Ga., Ia., La., and Mo. In N.E. this is a mere shrub, but it becomes quite a fine tree southward. In the s. Appalachians it is very beautiful when in flower. It is believed in New England to flower when the shad begin to swim up stream. The name of Service Tree or “Sarviss Tree” in the Appalachians is a corruption of the old English name for the Service Tree of Europe which is, in turn probably only a rustical attempt at the Latin name, Sorbus.

COMMON SYCAMORE PLANE (Platanus occidentalis)

Shape broadly round topped, 50-150 ft. tall. Trunk massive, up to 13 ft. thick, becoming our most ponderous tree, except the Sequoias. Bark smooth, peeling in roundish, thin, brittle plates, leaving blotches of white, green, and tan. Leaves 4-9 in. wide, turning russet in autumn. Fruit a soft spherical head of nutlets embedded in hairs, green becoming light brown. 2-4 balls together. Range: Throughout the e. U.S.A. except s. Fla. and the far north. The wood of this picturesque river-bank tree is heavy, coarse-grained and strong but short-lived and warping. It is used for cigar boxes and interior finish. CALIFORNIA SYCAMORE (Platanus racemosa) differs in having 5-7 fruiting heads together, and very deeply cut leaves with narrow lobes; the upper parts are usually bone white. Coast ranges and interior valley of centr. and s. Calif.

AMERICAN CRABAPPLE (Malus coronaria)

Shape with broadly hemispherical, irregular top, 18-30 ft. tall. Trunk usually forking in a shrubby way. Bark fissured, dark red-brown, scaly. Branches contorted, twiggy, and often thorny. Leaves lobed or un-lobed, finally more or less smooth on both sides, turning yellow or purplish in autumn, or nearly evergreen in the South. Flowers white or pink, fragrant, in late spring. Fruit greenish or yellowish, waxy, fragrant, hard and sour. Range: N. Y. to Fla., Miss., Mo. and Ill. When in full flower this is one of the loveliest of all trees. The fruits are unexcelled for making jellies and conserves. IOWA CRAB (Malus ioensis) has leaves downy on the undersides, Minn. to Tex., Mo., and Ind. OREGON CRAB (Malus fusca) has leaves pale, downy, and finally rusty beneath; fruits becoming purple-black, Alaska to Cal., Coast Ranges.

BLACK CHERRY (Prunus serotina)

Shape narrowly oblong, to 100 ft. tall. Trunk stout and straight. Bark at first smooth, glossy, mahogany red, becoming finally covered with innumerable small scales. Twigs bright red. Leaves thickish, shining above, clear yellow in autumn, with a dark red gland near the stalk. Flowers from March-June. Fruit dark red becoming black with purple flesh. Range: N.S. to N.D., Tex. and Fla. and, in a slightly different variety, N. Mex. and Ariz., in mt. cañons. This stately, beautiful species is one of the most valued timber trees of the country. The strong wood, on exposure to air, turns dark as mahogany and is often employed as a substitute for it, being popular in cabinet work and veneering. The bitter bark yields a good cough syrup.

PIN CHERRY (Prunus pennsylvanica)

Shape narrowly ovoid at the top, or rarely broadly rounded; up to 40 ft. tall. Bark ruddy, shiny brown, smooth or nearly so, with numerous horizontal lines or dots, becoming rather rough and “curly” on old trees. Twigs slim, glossy, sparingly dotted. Leaves rather sparse, drooping like those of the peach, the margin undulating paler beneath. Flowers appearing with the leaves (April-May) or even before them. Fruit about the size of a pea, on a long stalk, ruby red and translucent, very sour. Range: Lab. to B.C. s. to Colo., Ia. and Pa., and on the mts. to Tenn. and N. C. A mere shrub in the north, this is quite a fine little tree in the s. Appalachians. WILD PLUM (Prunus americana) has thorn-like twigs, flowers appearing before the leaves in early spring, white and frail and very fragrant; fruit in summer red, about ⅞ in. thick, sweet but tough-skinned. Conn. to Fla. and Colo.

KENTUCKY COFFEE TREE (Gymnocladus dioica)

Shape broadly oval at the top, up to 100 ft. tall. Bark grayish, rough with firm prominent scales. Trunk columnar, often branchless for 70 feet. Branches in winter appearing stump-like. Twigs bright yellow. Leaflets pale yellow green below, margins slightly curled under. The leaves appear very late (May) and, turning clear yellow in autumn, drop early. Flowers in summer, the sexes on separate trees. Pods hanging unopened on branches all winter; a sweet pulp between the bean-like seeds. Range: w. N. Y. through the s. Gt. Lakes region to the Missouri; w. of the Alleghenies to Miss. and Okla. This strange, lovely tree is perhaps rarer in the wild than in cultivation. The beans were formerly used for “coffee,” and the wood is employed for posts, ties, and furniture, because it is so durable.

BLACK LOCUST (Robinia Pseudoacacia)

Shape rather narrowly oblong, up to 80 ft. tall. Bark grayish to blackish, with very high, sinewy, braiding ridges. Twigs armed with spines sometimes 1 in. long. Leaves very thin, dull dark blue green, paler beneath, turning yellow in autumn. Flowers in May and June, fragrant. Pods persistent long after leaf-fall. Range: Appalachians, Pa. to Ga., and in Okla. and Ark. Widely planted and naturalized elsewhere. The wood of this favorite street and lawn tree is hard and durable, used for ship-building, fence posts and turnery. The bark of the roots is valued in pharmacy. CLAMMY LOCUST (Robinia viscosa) is at most a small tree, with very slender trunk: twigs and leaf stalks sticky hairy. Widely planted for its superb rose red, odorless flowers. In the wild confined to w. N. C. and e. Tenn.

HONEY LOCUST (Gleditsia triacanthos)

Shape with a broad, flat topped head, up to 140 ft. tall. Bark dark gray, scaly. Twigs zigzag, with swollen joints. Spines red to brown, in leaf axils or on stem and branches. Leaves turning yellow in autumn. Flowers in June, intensely fragrant. Pods many-seeded, pulpy within, contracting by cork-screw twists in withering. Range: from w. slopes of Alleghenies (Pa. to Ala.) across the Gt. Valley to Neb. and Kans., n. to Wis. and Mich. and w. N. Y., s. to ne. Tex. The durable wood is used for railroad ties and farm implements. Because of its bee-haunted flowers and airy foliage, this is a favorite farm tree, cultivated far beyond its range in the wild. WATER LOCUST (Gleditsia aquatica) of the Gulf States, up the Gt. Valley to Mo., Ky. and Ind., along the coast to N. C., differs in its broader, oblique leaflets and its 2-seeded, oval, pulpless pod.

SUGAR MAPLE (Acer saccharum)

Shape at first with narrowly oval head, gradually becoming broad topped; up to 120 ft. tall. Trunk stout and often lofty. Bark light gray brown, finally furrowed and separating into small scales. Leaves 4-5 in. across, dark and thickish, turning brilliant shades in autumn, of deep red, scarlet, orange and clear yellow. Range: s. Newf. to Minn., e. Tex. and w. Fla. This noble tree, which makes glorious in fall the quiet streets of old villages in N. E. and e. Can., has heavy strong pale wood valued for interior finish, tool handles, keels and shoe-lasts. Accidental forms with contorted grain yield “bird’s-eye maple,” to the cabinet maker. When the sap rises, from Feb. to April, the trunk is tapped and the sap made into maple sugar and maple syrup. ROCKY MOUNTAIN MAPLE (Acer grandidentaum) has the leaf lobes with lobe-like, sinuous big teeth. Wyo. to Utah, N. Mex., and Mex.