Part 22

=Fruit=.—A berry-like strobile, maturing in autumn, about ¼ inch in diameter, dark blue with white bloom, sweet and resinous.

=Bark=.—Thin, peeling off in long strips, reddish-brown.

=Wood=.—Light, soft, fragrant, close-grained, very durable, red, with whitish sapwood.

=Range=.—Nova Scotia and Ontario, south to Florida and Texas.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Occasionally found in Randolph, Tucker, Upshur, Pocahontas, Webster, Barbour, Harrison, Taylor, Lewis, and in the mountainous parts of Nicholas, Greenbrier, Grant, Preston and Monongalia counties. A scattered growth throughout the western and southern hilly counties. Plentiful in Jefferson, Berkeley, Morgan, Hampshire, and in parts of Gilmer, Calhoun and Putnam counties.

=Habitat=.—Prefers rough limestone soils and dry hillsides, but grows in a variety of soils and situations.

=Notes=.—This species is valued on account of its durable wood and attractive appearance. During the past two or three years many red cedars have been destroyed in the eastern section of the State in order to stamp out apple rust which exists in one of its stages upon this tree.

BLACK WILLOW

=Salix nigra=, Marsh.

=Form=.—Height 30-50 feet, diameter 1-2 feet; trunk often crooked or leaning; crown open with long straggling limbs.

=Leaves=.—Alternate, simple, narrowly lanceolate, taper-pointed, margins finely serrate, 3-6 inches long, ¼-¾ inch broad; large semicordate stipules.

=Flowers=.—March-April, before the leaves; dioecious; both kinds of flowers borne in slender, hairy catkins, 1-3 inches long; calyx and corolla wanting; scales yellow, with 3-6 stamens.

=Fruit=.—A capsule ⅛ inch long, early splitting open and liberating the hairy seeds which are carried about by the wind.

=Bark=.—On twigs reddish-brown; on old trunks thick, and rough with many broad connecting ridges, often becoming shaggy.

=Wood=.—Light, soft, brittle, not durable, very dark colored with light sapwood.

=Range=.—New Brunswick south to Florida, west to Dakota, Arizona and central California.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—A common tree along streams in nearly all parts of the State.

=Habitat=.—Banks of streams and pond borders.

=Notes=.—This is the commonest and most easily recognized of the willows. Its greatest value in West Virginia is probably the part it plays in holding stream banks in place. The wood is sometimes used for fuel and charcoal.

AMERICAN ASPEN

=Populus tremuloides=, Michx.

=Form=.—Height 30-40 feet, diameter 10-20 inches; trunk usually continuous, supporting a rounded loose crown.

=Leaves=.—Alternate, simple, 1½-2 inches long, roundish, heart-shaped, thin, margins finely serrate; petioles long and slender, permitting the leaves to tremble with the slightest breeze.

=Flowers=.—April, before the leaves; dioecious; both kinds of flowers on drooping aments.

=Fruit=.—A 2-valved capsule ¼ inch long; seeds brown, with long, white hairs.

=Bark=.—Smooth, greenish, sometimes with raised, warty bands and dark blotches below the bases of limbs.

=Wood=.—Light, soft, not strong nor durable, brownish with lighter sapwood.

=Range=.—Alaska to Newfoundland south to Pennsylvania and along the mountains to Kentucky, west to California and Mexico; the widest range of any North American species.