Part 37

=Fruit=.—Matures in spring soon after the flowers; oval samara consisting of a flat seed surrounded by a wing which has a terminal notch and ciliate margin.

=Bark=.—Rough, with deep fissures and scaly ridges, ashy-gray.

=Wood=.—Heavy, hard, strong, not easily split, light brown.

=Range=.—Newfoundland to the Rocky Mountains and south to Florida and Texas.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—A very common tree, especially at low elevations. Not often found in the counties adjoining the Alleghanies.

=Habitat=.—Prefers rich bottom lands.

=Notes=.—The American or White Elm is one of the most valuable and magnificent trees of the United States. Its wood is extensively used where toughness is desired, as in wagon hubs. It grows to a very large size and over a wide range, and is unsurpassed in elegance of form and other characteristics which make it valuable for park and street planting. In low wet grounds it may be grown for forestry purposes.

HACKBERRY

=Celtis occidentalis=, L.

=Form=.—Height 25-80 feet, diameter up to 30 inches; trunk long when in close stands with other trees; crown spreading or round.

=Leaves=.—Alternate, simple, ovate, narrowed to sharp points, rounded oblique base, coarsely serrate, rough above, with prominent veins, light yellow-green. The leaves are soft hairy beneath and pilose above when young.

=Flowers=.—May, with the leaves; monoecious, or with some perfect flowers; the staminate on drooping pedicels at base of season’s growth; the pistillate, few-flowered in axils of the upper leaves, greenish and small.

=Fruit=.—Ripens in September, a berry-like drupe, ¼ to ½ inch thick, dark purple, sweet and edible, on slender pedicels, often remaining on the tree during the winter.

=Bark=.—Usually rough with warty projections, light gray.

=Wood=.—Heavy, soft, coarse-grained, yellowish, resembling ash, with light-colored sapwood.

=Range=.—Most of the United States, east of the Rocky Mountains.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Common in the eastern Panhandle and scattered throughout the State; rare or not occurring in the counties along the Alleghanies and in those adjacent on the west.

=Habitat=.—Grows best on moist, rich land, but is found in a variety of soils.

=Notes=.—Sugar Berry and Hoop Ash are two common local names of this species. In some places along the Ohio River the tree grows to a fairly large size with a long clear trunk; in the eastern part of the State it is usually small and scrubby. The tree is most easily distinguished by its peculiar warty bark and by the witches’ brooms which are usually present. The wood is often sold as Ash and is used for cheap furniture, cooperage, crates, boxes, agricultural implements, etc. The very small shrubby trees found in the Eastern part of the State should probably be classed as Variety pumila, Muhl.

RED MULBERRY

=Morus rubra=, L.

=Form=.—Height 15-25 feet, diameter 10-20 inches; trunk usually straight, short, bearing a rounded crown.

=Leaves=.—Alternate, simple, 3-6 inches long, nearly orbicular in outline, or with 3-5 lobes, coarsely serrate, dark green and usually slightly rough above, paler and hairy beneath.

=Flowers=.—May-June; monoecious or dioecious; the staminate in dense spikes 1-2 inches long; the pistillate arranged in the same way but in shorter spikes.

=Fruit=.—July-August; very small drupes aggregate in a dense cylindric cluster about 1 inch long, blackish when ripe, sweet, juicy and edible.

=Bark=.—On trunks, brownish-gray, roughened by narrow ridges.

=Wood=.—Light, soft, tough, coarse-grained, very durable, light orange color.

=Range=.—Massachusetts to Florida, west to Kansas and Nebraska.