Part 7

OREGON MAPLE (Acer macrophyllum)

Shape compactly round headed; to 80 ft. tall. Bark gray, divided into narrow, ribbon-like, braiding ridges, sometimes cross marked into small squarish plates. Leaves 3-15 in. long, turning brilliant orange in autumn. Flowers with conspicuous petals, fragrant. Range: Alaska to the mts. of s. Calif. This stately colorful timber tree is often associated with Sequoia, when, “with their slender stems and large graceful leaves nicely balanced on the long stalks against the faint light filtered through the high forest canopy, they are in pointed contrast to the titanic features of the Redwood.” (Jepson). BLACK MAPLE (Acer nigrum) is very like Sugar Maple but the leaves are concave, drooping, and the undersides are downy, not paler. L. Champlain through s. Ont. to s. Kans. and e. Okla. Along the uplands to Ga. and Ala. and centr. Miss. Scarcely distinguished by most people, it too produces Maple Sugar.

SILVER MAPLE CUTLEAF MAPLE (Acer saccharinum)

Shape pagoda-like, the upper short branches ascending, the lower long, sweeping nearly to the ground; up to 120 ft. tall. Bark reddish brown or gray, becoming furrowed and thinly scaly. Leaves 6-7 in. long, thin, translucent, beautifully silvery below, the toothing very ornamental; drooping on bright red stalks; pale yellow in Fall. Range: N.B. through Gt. Lakes region to centr. Minn., e. Neb., to Ark., s. to Ga., Ala., and centr. Miss. The wood is used like that of Sugar Maple. This swift-growing tree is especially fine in the Middle West where it gives dignity and depth to humble farm yards, and forms spacious glades along the slow rivers. RED MAPLE (Acer rubrum) also called Swamp Maple, is similar, but the leaves not “cut-leaf,” the undersides with a blue bloom but not silvery; autumn foliage scarlet and yellow. Que. to Fla., s. Minn. and e. Tex.

COMMON BOX-ELDER (Acer Negundo)

Shape broadly round topped; 15-50 ft. tall. Trunk slender and often crooked, short and wavy ridged. Bark light brown gray with narrow shallow furrows and short, flat topped ridges. Twigs light olive. Leaves of 3-6 veiny leaflets, dark or olive green. Range: throughout the e. U.S.A. (probably not native in N.E.) and s. Can. to the Rockies, and southwestward through the desert states. Variable over its wide range, sometimes with foliage white- or yellow-margined or spotted, this river bank tree passes unnoticed in the e. forest belt, but owing to its ability to stand drought, wind, cold, and heat, it is highly appreciated on the prairies and semi-deserts for shade. Where better wood is lacking, it is used for furniture, construction, pulp and woodenware. WESTERN BOX ELDER (Acer californicum) has thicker leaflets (only 3) densely hairy beneath. Western States.

SWEET BUCKEYE (Aesculus octandra)

Shape a narrowly pyramidal head; up to 90 ft. tall. Bark dark brown, grayer with age, rough scaly. Branches small, pendulous. Leaves of 5-7 leaflets, turning brown in autumn. Petals unequal, longer than the stamens. Seed chestnut-like but inedible, called Horsechestnut. Range: Pa. to Ala., especially in the s. Appalachians and w. to Wis., Ia., Okla. and Tex. When, in spring, the turrets of golden flowers rise on the branch tips, this symmetrical tree seems lighted with candelabra. OHIO BUCKEYE (Aesculus glabra) is a large tree, differing in its smaller, pale yellow flowers; petals unequal, shorter than the curved stamens; fruit covered with prickles when young; bark ill-scented. W. Pa. to Mich., Mo., Kans., Okla., Tenn. and n. Ga. CALIFORNIA BUCKEYE (Aesculus californica) is a fine, broad-topped tree with pink or white flowers. Calif.

AMERICAN LINDEN (Tilia glabra)

Shape round-topped, symmetrical, to 130 ft. tall. Bark brownish gray and fissured, the ridges braiding. Twigs slender, smooth, ruddy. Leaves smooth but for hairy tufts on the veins beneath, turning yellow in autumn. Range: N.B. through the Gt. Lakes region and southw. to Tex., s. to Ga. on the mts. This stately tree, also called Basswood, Lime-tree and Whitewood, is a favorite with the bees on account of its honey scented flowers in May and June. They perfume the air for many yards around. DOWNY BASSWOOD (Tilia Michauxii) has smaller leaves with dense gray down on the under surface. A small, straggling tree, from Long Island to n. Fla. and Tex. WHITE BASSWOOD (Tilia heterophylla) has very large, unsymmetrical leaves, the undersides silvery downy. Appalachians from s. N. Y. to Ala. and w. to s. Ill.

BLACK GUM (Nyssa sylvatica)

Bark light brown tinged with red or dark brown or nearly black, smooth even in old age or sometimes becoming deeply furrowed. Branches short, with spur-like short twigs. Leaves thick, shining, turning a brilliant maroon brown in autumn. Berry solitary or twin. Range: Me. to Fla. and Tex., w. to n. Ind. and Mo. This curious tree, which inhabits the lower slopes of the s. Appalachians as well as swamps and savannahs near the coast, is often hollow in old age, a favorite hide-out of raccoon and opossum. TUPELO (Nyssa aquatica) is a swamp tree with the same range as Bald Cypress, and, like it, has usually a much swollen butt and very spongy great roots. It differs from the preceding in the thicker twigs, larger leaves, and blue, not purple-black, fruit.

EASTERN DOGWOOD (Cornus florida)

Shape very broadly round- or flat-topped, up to 40 ft. tall. Trunk slender, short, inclined to lean or twist. Bark black and roughish. Leaves clustered toward the ends of the erect up-curved twigs. Flowers consisting in many little green florets enclosed in the 4 big, petal-like, greenish or white (or, exceptionally, pinkish) bracts, March-May. Range: Me. and Que. w. to Minn., s. to Fla. and Tex. The bark has been used as a substitute for quinine. This enchanting little tree, best developed in the s. Appalachians, unfolds its great starry blossoms while the leaves are yet small. WESTERN DOGWOOD (Cornus Nuttallii) is a taller tree with broader leaves, the undersides downy, the bracts (“petals”) even more showy, and 4-6 in number. It ranges from B. C. to s. Calif.

PACIFIC MADROÑA (Arbutus Menziesii)

Bark on young trees and branches reddish, peeling off; on old trunks reddish-brown. Leaves 3-4 in. long, evergreen, thick, smooth and glistening above, the undersides pale with a bloom. Flowers in branched clusters, 5-6 in. long, in spring. Fruit bright orange red, pulpy and seedy, often seen on the tree at the same time as the flowers. Range: B. C. to mts. of Calif. This superb ornamental tree sometimes rises to 100 ft. in the damp coastal forests, the brilliant fruit and graceful flowers waving at the summit. ARIZONA MADROÑA (Arbutus arizonica) is a much smaller tree, with light gray or nearly white bark, shorter leaves, and shorter, thick clusters of flowers. Fruit dark orange red. The contrast between the white bark, red branches and pale green foliage is very lovely.

HOLLY (Ilex opaca)

Shape with narrowly pyramidal top, 40-50 ft. tall. Trunk short. Bark smooth, gray mottled with whitish. Leaves evergreen, thick, paler beneath, occasionally without the usual spiny teeth. Berries red or rarely yellow. Range: Gulf States n. to Mo. and s. Ind. and up the coast plain to s. Mass; reaches the Blue Ridge in the Carolinas and Ga. This lovely little tree is in great danger of extermination owing to the demands of a relentless Christmas trade. It is now rare in a wide radius of all cities and large towns. YAUPON (Ilex vomitoria) is a pretty little evergreen tree, very like holly, the leaf margins toothed but never spiny. Related to the Paraguay tea, Yerba Maté, its leaves when boiled yield a tea more valuable medicinally than pleasant to drink, though Indians used to travel far to obtain it. Gulf States n. to Ark. and along the coast to s. Va.

VIRGINIA PERSIMMON (Diospyros virginiana)

Shape with a round topped head: up to 115 ft. tall. Bark dark brown or black or gray, covered with warty, corky, rectangular plates. Leaves rather thick, shiny above, pale and often downy beneath, turning deep claret in fall. Flowers thick petaled with an odor like Gardenia, the sexes on separate trees. Fruit at first green, hard, and astringent, becoming amber or ruddy about the time of the first frosts, soft and edible. Range: s. Conn. to Fla. and e. Tex., Ozarks and Ia. Scarcely n. of the Ohio. The heartwood is nearly black, much valued for tools on account of its hardness. Only when thoroughly soft, if at all, are the fruits edible. The opossum is notoriously fond of them. BLACK PERSIMMON (Diospyros texana) differs in having leaves broadest near the end. The fruit, called Chapote, which has a black skin and thin insipid flesh, yields a black dye. w. Tex. and Mex.

WHITE ASH (Fraxinus americana)

Shape broadly round topped. Trunk massive. Bark light gray, deeply and regularly furrowed, with narrow braiding ridges. Branches ascending, the lower often long and finally drooping. Twigs stout, smooth, brittle, greenish gray. Buds rusty. Leaves of 5-9 stalked leaflets, silvery below, turning yellow or purple in autumn. Range: N. S. to w. Ont., and Minn., e. Neb., Kan., Okla. and Tex., s. to n. Fla. A superb shade tree, it is also one of the most valuable of our timber trees. Its wood is heavy, strong, and white, in demand for tools. BLUE ASH (Fraxinus quadrangulata) is a slender tree with 4-angled twigs, slender leaflets with coarse teeth, and flowers containing both sexes. A slender tree, to 120 ft. tall, it is a good timber species and the bark yields a blue dye. Mich. to Ark. and Ala. OREGON ASH (Fraxinus oregona). Leaflets not stalked. A lofty tree with valuable wood. Mts. Wash. to s. Calif.

CATALPA (Catalpa bignonioides)

Shape round topped, up to 50 ft. tall. Bark silvery gray, only slightly furrowed, finally with ribbon-like scales. Branches few. Twigs stout. Leaves 6-7 in. broad, downy beneath, very late in appearing and early turning dull brown and dropping. Flowers in beautiful upright clusters, the petals marked with gold and purple spots, exhaling a heavy fragrance. Pods persistent almost through the winter on the leafless twigs. Range: near the coast through the Gulf States. Widely planted and naturalized elsewhere. This tropical looking tree is lovely at flowering time. Honey from its flowers is reputed to be poisonous. CIGAR TREE (Catalpa speciosa) is much taller (up to 100 ft.) with thicker trunk and thick, strongly furrowed bark; flowers larger, but pure white. Mississippi valley from s. Ill. to Ark. and Tenn.

INDEX

A Arbor Vitae, Eastern 32 Western 33 Ash, Blue 92 Oregon 92 White 92 Aspen, Large Toothed 38 Quaking 38

B Balsam, Canada 22 He 22 Basswood, Downy 86 White 86 Bay, Sweet 66 Beech, American 47 Big-Tree, California 27 Birch, Black 45 Canoe 45 Cherry 46 River 45 Yellow 46 Box-Elder, Common 84 Western 84 Buckeye, California 85 Ohio 85 Sweet 85 Butternut 43

C Catalpa 93 Cedar, Incense 29 Port Oxford 30 Red 35 Rocky Mt. 35 Virginia 35 White 31 Cherry, Black 76 Pin 76 Wild Red 76 Chestnut 52 Chinquapin, Giant 52 Southern 52 Cigar Tree 93 Cottonwood, Carolina 40 Fremont 40 Crab Apple, American 75 Iowa 75 Oregon 75 Cypress, Alaska 30 Bald 26