Part 49

=Fruit=.—Matures in late summer and persists through the following fall and winter; a bright red berry-like drupe about the size of a pea, smooth, shining, containing a 4-ribbed, brown nutlet.

=Bark=.—Smooth, or slightly rough with age, grayish or grayish-brown.

=Wood=.—Hard, tough, close-grained, chalky-white in color.

=Range=.—Maine to Florida, west to Texas and Missouri.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Observed in the following counties: Boone, Braxton, Fayette, Logan, Mingo, McDowell, Nicholas, Randolph, Upshur, Webster and Wyoming. Rare east of the mountains and sparsely scattered in other counties along the Ohio River.

=Habitat=.—Prefers moist soil near rivers or rich loamy and rocky ground.

=Notes=.—Holly wood is very valuable for inlaid work, cabinet making, interior finish, and piano keys, but the trees in West Virginia are usually small, and afford little timber. During the holidays the evergreen foliage with bright red fruits are much sought after. The tree is slow-growing but is otherwise very desirable for ornamental planting.

MOUNTAIN HOLLY

=Ilex monticola=, Gray.

=Form=.—Height 15-25 feet, diameter 2-8 inches; a shrub or small tree with short trunk and slender ascending branches.

=Leaves=.—Alternate, simple, deciduous, 4-5 inches long, ovate or lance-oblong, taper-pointed, thin-membranaceous, smooth, sharply serrate.

=Flowers=.—May-June; polygamo-dioecious; staminate and pistillate flowers on very short pedicels, white, clustered, about one-third of an inch across.

=Fruit=.—Ripens in early autumn; globose, about two-fifths of an inch in diameter, bright scarlet, containing 4-6 striate nutlets ridged on the back.

=Bark=.—Thin, somewhat rough and warty on old trees, light brownish-gray.

=Wood=.—Hard, close-grained, nearly white.

=Range=.—New York, southward along the Alleghanies.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Not common except locally. Found principally at high altitudes. Common near Davis, Tucker County, and in various parts of Randolph and Pocahontas counties.

=Habitat=.—Upland sandy flats, cool mountainsides, and swamp borders.

=Notes=.—This small tree is not important except for ornamental use. Its bright foliage and fruits recommend it for this purpose. The species may easily be confused with Winterberry (Ilex verticillata, (L.) Gray) which often grows with it. The nutlets of the latter, however, are smooth and smaller, its flowers are shorter-stalked and its leaves somewhat downy beneath.

STRIPED MAPLE

=Acer pennsylvanicum=, L.

=Form=.—Height 10-25 feet, diameter 6-12 inches; trunk medium short; crown irregular, usually broad.

=Leaves=.—Opposite, simple, 5-6 inches long, nearly as broad, 3-lobed above the middle with short, pointed lobes, sharply and doubly serrate, rounded or cordate at base, rather smooth above and rusty pubescent beneath.

=Flowers=.—May-June; usually monoecious, yellow, bell-shaped, in long, drooping, terminal racemes.

=Fruit=.—Matures in autumn; paired samaras in long racemose drooping clusters, wing ¾ inch long, widely divergent, marked on one side of each nutlet by a small cavity.

=Bark=.—Smooth, thin, greenish or reddish-brown, marked longitudinally by pale stripes.

=Wood=.—Light, soft, close-grained, pinkish brown, with thick sapwood.

=Range=.—Novia Scotia south along the mountains to Georgia, west to Minnesota.