Common Forest Trees
Of
i^orth Carolina

Holmes

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1923

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^UKEST RESOURCES

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S00427292 Q

COMMON

FOREST
TREES

OF

NORTH CAROLINA

HOW TO KNOW THEM

THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE DATE
INDICATED BELOW AND IS SUB-
JECT TO AN OVERDUE FINE AS
POSTED AT THE CIRCULATION
DESK.

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A PO

North Carolini
Survejl

In Co-oper*
U. S. Dt

NORTH CAROUNA GEOLOGICAL AND
ECONOMIC SURVEY

Joseph Hyde Pratt^ Director,
Chapel Hill, N. C.

Geological Board

Governor Cameron Morrison^ Chairman ex-officio.

Frank R. Hewitt Asheville

C. C. Smoot, III North Wilkesboro

John H. Small, Washington

Dr. S. Westray Battle Ashe^ille

Forestry Division

J. S. Holmes^ State Forester.

In Co-operation With

THE FOREST SERVICE, UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

COMMON

FOREST TREES

— OF—

NORTH CAROLINA

WO\N TO KNOW THEM

c^ POCKET MANUAL

Prepared by
J. S. Holmes, State Forester

NORTH CAROLINA GEOLOGICAL AND
ECONOMIC SURVEY

With the Collaboration of the State Foresters of

Tennessee, Virginia and Mag:yland, and

the help and advice of the

FOREST SERVICE
U. S. Department of Agriculture

CHAPEL HILL, N C.
1923

raiRe^T "FRIERS

FOREWORD

This handbook has been planned and published by
the North Carolina Geological and Economic Sur-
vey in order that our people may have a convenient
book of reference, by the help of which they may
learn to recognize the trees common to their locality.
Should the use of this handbook lead to the desire
for further knowledge, the State Forester will gladly
direct inquirers to literature on any phase of
forestry.

Bulletin 6 of the Survey, "The Timber Trees of
North Carolina," by Gitford Pinchot and W. W.
Ashe, has been out of print for many years, and
while the present small book in no way takes its
place, it does in part supply a demand for informa-
tion concerning our trees which has each year be-
come more insistent. The Survey hopes sometime
in the future to prepare a volume on our trees more
in keeping with the importance of the subject. Until
that time, it is hoped that this manual will have the
wddest possible circulation.

The text has been prepared by the State Forester
in collaboration with the State Foresters of Tennes-
see, Virginia and Maryland, each of whom is adapt-
ing it to use in his own State and publishing it
simultaneously The style of the book and many
of the descriptions have been based on similar man-
uals published by Massachusetts, Maine and Ver-
mont. The cuts, as will be noted, have been secured
from several sources. Those of the foliage and fruit
of many of the hardwoods and all of the hardwood
twigs are from original drawings by Mrs. A. E.
Hoyle, made especially for this publication, and fur-
nished free by the U. S. Forest Service. The other
plates have been purchased or borrowed. Special ac-
knowledgment is due to Professor C. S. Sargent for
figures illustrating the conifers (pines, cedars, etc.)
which are from his "Manual of Forest Trees of
North America," here used by permission of and by
special arrangement with Houghton -Mifflin Com-

pany ; and, to the Vermont Experiment Station for its
courtesy in loaning a number of these illustrations.
The valuable and unstinted aid of Mr. W. R. Mat-
toon, Extension Specialist, U. S. Forest Service, is
hereby gratfully acknowledged. Without his initia-
tive and guidance and that of the Forest Service,
the production of this handbook at the present time
would have been well-nigh impossible.

The inclusion in this book of the botanical or
scientific names of the trees is thought advisable in
order to avoid the confusion likely to arise from the
use of the common names alone, which often vary
not only in different States, but even in separate
localities within the same State.

A similar confusion has also been observed in the
use of the scientific names of certain trees because
of the difficulty of knowing which tree the botanist
had in mind when he gave it the name. Hence, the
practice has arisen of attaching the initials or ab-
breviation of the name of the botanist who gave the
plant that particular scientific name. It seems wise,
therefore, to follow the usual custom and give in
full these scientific names for the sake of accuracy,
but the general reader is not urged to burden his
memory with them.

Trees are the largest and oldest of living crea-
tures. They are in one way or another perhaps
more closely associated with our own daily lives
than is any other class of living things, yet most of
us know less about them and can hardly even tell
one of these friends from anotherJ It is hoped that
this book will furnish information which will enable
even the child to know our common trees at sight,
and will stimulate so great an interest in the life
and habits of these denizens of our forests that all
North Carolinians may learn to appreciate, foster
and protect the great heritage of our trees.

In using this book it should be borne in mind that
nearly two-thirds of the area of our State is still

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classed as forest land ; that most of this has had the
greater part or all of the merchantable timber cut
from it; and that through destructive lumbering,
turpentining, roving livestock and forest fires, this
timber has been replacing itself very slowly or not
at all.

It should also be remembered that a happy change
is taking place. Landowners are cutting more care-
fully ; cattle and hogs have been controlled in nearly
all our counties; and protection from fires is being
extended as rapidly as County, State and Federal
funds become available. The chief thing lacking
now is the interest and co-operation of the people
of the towns as well as of the country in growing
and protecting our trees and forests. If this little
book will bring about a better understanding of
trees and a greater appreciation of their aesthetic
and economic value to us and those who come after,
its purpose will have been accomplished.

Joseph Hyde Pratt, Director
N. C. Geol. and Econ. Survey.

A TREE.

A tree is one of nature's words, a word of peace to man ;
A word that tells of central strength from whence all things

began ;
A word to preach tranquillity to all our restless clan.

Ah, bare must be the shadeless ways, and bleak the path

must be,
Of him who, having open eyes, has never learned to see,
And so has never learned to love the beauty of a tree.

Who loves a tree, he loves the life that springs iu stars and

clod,
He loves the love that gilds the clouds, and greens the April

sod;
He loves the Wide Beneficence; his soul takes hold on Cod.

— From "Arhor and Bird Day Manual for
North Carolina, 1915."

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WHITE PINE {P'mus strohus L.)

THE white pine occurs naturally throuuliout the
mountains and extends into the adjacent region.
It grows on high, dry, sandy and rocky ridges, but
prefers the cooler or nioister situations. Its straight
stem, regular pyramidal shape and soft gray-green
foliage make it universally appreciated as an orna-
mental tree. Its rapid growth and hardiness, and

the high quality of the wood maho it one of the most
desirable trees for forest planting.

The trunk is straight, and, when growing in the
forest, clear of branches for many feet. The branches
extend horizontally in whorls (i. e., arranged in a
circle on the stem), marking the successive years
of upward growth. The bark is thin and greenish
red on young trees, but thick, deeply furrowed and
grayish brown on older trees. The tree commonly
attains heights of 50 to 60 feet and diameters of
1 to 2 feet, though much larger specimens are still
to be found.

The leaves^ or needles, are 3 to 5 inches in length,
bluish green on the upper surface and whitish be-
neath, and occur in bundles of 5, which distinguishes
it from all other eastern pines. The cone, or fruit,
is 4 to 6 inches long, cylindrical, with thin, usually
very gummy scales, containing small, winged seeds
which require two years to mature.

The wood is light, soft, not strong, light brown in
color, often tinged with red, and easily worked. The
lumber is in large demand for construction pur-
poses, box boards, matches and many other products.

SHORTLEAF PINE (Rosemary Pine)

{Pinus echinata Mill.)

THE shortleaf pine, also known as rosemary
piue, yellow pine and old-field pine, is widely
distributed throughout the South. It is the char-
acteristic pine over the uplands and the lower moun-
tain slopes, where it occurs mixed with hardwoods
and in pure second-growth stands. The young tree
in the open has a straight and somewhat stout stem

fiHORTLEAF PINE.
One-half natural size,

with slightly ascending branches. In maturity the
tree has a tall, straight stem and an oval crown,
reaching a height of about 100 feet and a diameter
of about 41/^ feet. The young tree, when cut or
burned back, reproduces itself by sprouting from the
stump.

The leaves are in clusters of two or three, from
3 to 5 inches long, slender, flexible, and dark blue-
green. The cones, or burrs, are the smallest of all
our pines, li/^ to 2i^ inches long, oblong, with small
sharp prickles, generally clustered, and often hold-
ing to the twigs for 3 or 4 years. The small seeds are
mottled and have a wing, which is broadest near
the center. The bark is brownish red, broken into
rectangular plates ; it is thinner and lighter-colored
than that of loblolly pine.

The wood of old trees is rather heavy and hard,
of yellow-brown or orange color, fine-grained and
less resinous than that of the other important south-
ern pines. It is used largely for interior and ex-
terior finishing, general construction, veneers, paper
pulp, excelsior, cooperage, mine props, and other pur-
poses.

LOBLOLLY PINE (Pniws factZa L.)

A fast-growing member of the yellow pine
group, loblolly pine is a tree of the Coastal
Plain, ranging southward from the southernmost
county of Delaware. It is variously known locally
as shortleaf pine, fox-tail pine and old-field pine.
As the last name implies, it seeds up abandoned
fields rapidly, particularly in sandy soils w^here the

LOBLOLLY PINE
One-half natural size.

water is close to the surface. It is also frequent in
clumps along the borders of swamps and as scat-
tered specimens in the swamp hardwood forests.

The bark is dark in color and deeply furrowed,
and often attains a thickness of as much as 2 inches
on large-sized trees. The leaves, or needles, 6 to 9
inches long, are borne three in a cluster, and, in the
spring, bright green clumps of them at the ends of
branches give a luxuriant appearance to the tree.
The fruit is a cone, or burr, about 3 to 5 inches
long, which ripens in the autumn of the second year,
and, during fall and early winter, sheds many seeds
which, by their inch-long wings, are widely dis-
tributed by the wind.

The resinous wood is coarse-grained, with marked
contrast, as in the other yellow pines, between the
bands of early and late wood. The wood of second-
growth trees has a wide range of uses where dura-
bility is not a requisite, such as for building ma-
terial, box shooks, barrel staves, basket veneers,
pulpwood, lath, mine pror>«!, piling and fuel.

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LONGLEAF PINE {Pinus palustria MiU.)

THE young longleaf pine forms one of the most
striking features of the southern forest. When
5 to 10 years of age, the single upright stem with
its long, dark, shiny leaves, forms a handsome plume
of sparkling green, while in later youth the stalwart,
sparingly branched sapling, with its heavy twigs
and gray bark, attracts immediate attention. The

older trees have tall, straight trunks, 1 to 3 feet in
diameter and open, irregular crowns, one-third to
one-half the length of the tree.

Longleaf pine is confined to the Coastal Plain
region. It has been extensively logged, bled for tur-
pentine, repeatedly burned and ranged over by native
"razor-back" hogs until in many sections it has been
almost exterminated or replaced by other pines.

The leaves are from 10 to 15 inches long, in clus-
ters of 3, and gathered toward the ends of the thick,
scaly twigs. The flowers, appearing in early spring
before the new leaves, are a deep rose-purple, the
male in prominent, short, dense clusters and the
female in inconspicuous grouj)s of 2 to 4.

The cones, or burrs, are 6 to 10 inches long,
slightly curved, the thick scales armed with small
curved prickles. The cones usually fall soon after
the seeds ripen, leaving their bases attached to the
twigs.

The wood is heavy, hard, strong, tough and dura-
ble. As Georgia pine, pitch pine and southern pine,
it has been, and still is, used for all kinds of build-
ing and other construction. Naval stores, consist-
ing of tar, pitch, rosin and turpentine, are obtained
almost exclusively from this tree and its close rela-
tive, the slash pine, by bleeding the trees for their
raw gum.

8

PITCH PINE, OR BLACK PINE

{Phins rigida Mill.)

THE pitch pine grows on dry ridges and slopes
and in cold swamps and bottoms in the mouti-
tains and outlying hilly regions up to about 3,500
feet elevation. It occurs scattered, or in small
groups with hardwoods or other pines.

It attains a height commonly 50 to 75 feet and
a diameter of 1 to 2 feet. The trunk is erect, and

PITCH PINE, OR BLACK PINE
Oiie-balf natural size.

at heights of 20 to 30 feet branches into a close
head made up of rather large branches and notice-
ably thick foliage. It has longer leaves and larger
cones, or burrs, and generally a rougher and less
straight trunk than the shortleaf pine with which
it is often found.

The leaves, which are found in clusters of 3 each,
are 3 to 5 inches long, stiff, dark yellowish green in
color and stand out straight from the twigs. They
fall during the second year after forming. The cones
are 1 to 3 inches long and light brown in color. They
usually cling to the branches for several years,
sometimes for 10 to 12 years. The bark on the stems
and branches is rough. On mature trees it is dark
gray or reddish brown, and irregularly divided into
broad, flat, continuous ridges.

The wood is light, soft and brittle. It is sawed
into lumber for general construction and is used
for fuel. This tree is able to grow on very poor soil
and has the capacity, when young, of sprouting suc-
cessfully from the base of the stump when burned
or cut back.

SPRUCE PINE (Scrub Pine)

{Pinus virginiana Mill.)

THE spruce pine, scrub or southern jack pine, is
found in greatest abundance over the upper and
hilly parts of the State. It occurs often in pure
stands in old fields and is very persistent in gully-
ing, broken and very dry soils. It is one of our
slower-growing pines. The side branches usually
persist for many years, even after dying, thus giving

SPRUCE PINE
One-half natural size.

a scrubby appearance to the tree which is responsi-
ble for one of its common names.

The twisted and spreading leaves are borne two
in a cluster. They rary from li/^ to 3 inches in
length, are grayish green in color, and are shorter
than those of any other pine native to the State. The
fruit is a cone, or burr, averaging about 2 inches in
length, narrow, and often slightly curved, with small
prickles. Cones are produced almost every year,
and, as they persist on the branches from 3 to 5
years, a tree top with many dry, open cones is char-
acteristic of the species. The bark is thin, reddish
brown, and broken into shallow plates. Even with
age, the fissures in the bark are so shallow as to
give a somewhat smooth appearance to the trunk of
the tree.

Except in the occasional large-sized trees, the
wood is very knotty because of the persistence of
the side branches. It is light and soft, but fairly dur-
able in contact with the soil, so that it is being used
to some extent for posts, poles and piling. The lum-
ber is increasingly used for rough construction, but
it warps easily with alternate wetting and drying.
It is much used for paper pulp and firewood.

10

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POND PINE (Pmws serotina Michx.)

THE pond pine, also known as pocosin pine, bay
pine or black-bark pine, is found in small swamps
and on flat, undrained, poor, sandy, or low, peaty
soils of the Coastal Plain. It averages 40 to 70 feet
in height and 1 to 2 feet in diameter. The trunk
is often slightly crooked and somewhat rough with
knots or bulges. The tree somewhat resembles lob-

POND PINE
One -half natural 8ize.

l«bby pine, but can be distinguished most easily by
the broader and shorter cones, and its location gen-
erally on wet or very sour lands.

The leaves occur in clusters of 3, or occasionally
4, and range in length from 5 to 8 inches. They
persist on the branches for 3 to 4 years. The cones,
or burrs, when open are noticeably globular in out-
line, somewhat flattened, 2 to 2i/2 inches long. Like
all pines, they require two seasons for ripening, but
remain closed for 1 to 2 years afterward, and per-
sist on the branches for several years,
I The bark is dark red-brown and irregularly di-
vided by shallow furrows.

The wood is resinous, heavy, often coarse-grained,
orange-colored, wath pale yellowish, wide sapwood.
It is sawed and sold without discrimination along
with lumber of other southern pines. In the earlier
days of lumbering this pine was not much used for
lumber. It is one of the few species of pine which,
following cutting or killing-back by fire, sprouts
frem the stumps of young vigorous saplings.

11

TABLE MOUNTAIN PINE

{Pinus pmigens Lambert.)

THE table mountain pine, for which mountain
pine is suggested as being a more appropriate
name, is a rather small tree, 20 to 60 feet high, with
an average diameter of 1 to 2 feet. It occurs scat
tared sparingly through the higher Appalachian
Mountains on the drier slopes and ridges and asso-
ciated with the black or pitch pine.

TABLE MOUNTAIN PINK
One-half natural size.

The bark of the trunk is lighter-colored than that
of the black pine, but the bark of the small branches
is broken into thin loose scales.

The leaves are short, 2 to 4 inches long, in clus-
ters of two, rarely of three, bluish green, stiff, stout
and more or less twisted, persisting for 2 to 3 years.
The flowers are of two kinds on the same tree, the
male in long loose clusters on the old twig, the
female in whorls of 2 to 7 on the new growth.

This pine can readily be distinguished by its
heavy massive cones, 2 to 3 inches long, with very
stout curved prickles, which occur usually in close
groups around the twigs. The cones open when ripe
and shed their seed gradually, but the empty cones
remain on the tree often for many years.

The wood is soft, light, not strong, resinous and
coarse-grained. Along with associated species it is
sometimes cut for rough lumber, and in other places
for charcoal, but its chief value is for fuelwosd.

12

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RED SPRUCE {Picea rubra Dietr.)

TKE red spruce is found on the summits and
upper slopes of our highest mountains where it
grows on well-drained but moist and rocky soil, at
elevations of 4,000 to 6,700 feet. Here it naturally
combined with the southern balsam to form dense
forests, which unfortunately have been largely de-
stroyed in recent years.

RED SPRUCE

One-half natural size.

The red spruce is narrowly conical in outline. It
Is a medium-sized tree, commonly reaching a height
of 60 to 80 feet and a diameter of 1 to 2 feet. The
trunk is straight and tapers gradually. The branches
are somewhat drooping below, horizontal in the mid-
dle, ascending above, and are very persistent even
in a dense stand.

The leaves are linear, four-sided, about one-half
inch long, sharp-pointed, dark yellow-green and
glossy. They grow from all sides of the twigs. The
flowers are of two kinds on the same tree and
mature in one season. The cones, or burrs, are
oblong, 1 to 2 inches long, with thin reddish brown
F.cales. Unlike those of the balsam, the cones of the
spruce hang down and soon after the seeds are scat-
tered they fall without breaking apart.

The wood is light and moderately soft but strong
and elastic. It is in great demand for special con-
struction purposes and newspaper pulp. Its com-
bined elasticity and strength lit it admirably for use
in making musical instruments and airplanes.

13

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HEMLOCK {Tsuga canadensis Carr.)

THE hemlock, sometimes known as hemlock
spruce or spruce pine, is a large timber tree,
attaining a height of 00 to 100 feet and a diameter
of 2 to 4 feet. It is common along streams and on
cool slopes throughout the mountains and extends
somewhat into the adjoining regions. Its horizontal
or ascending branches and drooping twigs, forming

a pyramidal crown, make it one of our handsomest
and most desirable trees for shade and ornament.

The leaves are from one-third to two-thirds of an
inch in length, oblong, dark green and lustrous on
the upper surface and whitish beneath, and, although
spirally arranged, appear to be 2-ranked on the
stem ; they fall during the third season. The cones
are oblong, about three-fourths of an inch long, light
brown in color. The cone scales are broadly ovate
and about as wide as they are long. The seed is
small and winged, maturing in the fall and dropping
during the winter.

The wood is light, soft, not strong, brittle and
splintery. It is used for coarse lumber and for paper
pulp. The bark on old trunks is cinnamon-red or
dark gray and divided into narrow, rounded ridges,
and is one of our chief sources of tannin.

The Carolina hemlock {Tsuga caroliniana En-
gelm.) differs from the above by having its leaves
not conspicuously 2-ranked on the twigs but point-
ing in all directions, giving the tree a rough appear-
ance; while the cone scales are narrow oval, much
longer than they are wide. It grows on dry, rocky
ridges and cliffs along the Blue Ridge and in north-
eastern Tennessee. It is a very desirable tree for
ornamental planting.

14

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SOUTHERN BALSAM (Southern Balsam Fir)

(Ahics frasrrl Poir.)

THE southern balsam, also known as mountain
balsam, Fraser fir, and locally as slie-balsam, is
found on our highest mountains, usually associated
with red spruce, from which it can easily be dis-
tinguished by its cones and leaves. It prefers moist,
cool slopes at elevations of 4,000 to 0,700 feet. It is
a tree of medium size, 40 to 70 feet high and 1 to

SOUTHERN BALSAM
One-half natural size.

•ver 2 feet in diameter. The bark on the younger
trees is pale gray, smooth, thin and prominently
marked by "blisters" filled with resin or balsam.
The branches are produced regularly in whorls on
the young tree, and the head retains its pointed
pyramidal shape until old age.

The leaves are flat, linear, one-half to one inch
long, with point rounded and often notched, dark
green and lustrous above, silvery white beneath, ar-
ranged on the twig apparently in two ranks.

The flowers are of two kinds, the male yellow
tinged with red, the female cone-shaped, and the
prominent yellow-green bracts are spine-tipped. The
fruit is an upright purple cone, the long yellow-
green bracts, however, often making it appear this
latter color. The seeds have very Avide wings, and
when ripe, fall together with the scales and bracts
of the cone, leaving the hard central axis standing
upright on the twig.

The wood is light, soft, not strong, coarse-grained.
It is used for construction lumber and with spruce
for paper pulp

T

CYPRESS {Tawodium distichum Eich.)

HE cypress, or bald cypress, is a tree found
exclusively in deep swamps which are usually
flooded for long periods at a time, aud on wet stream
banks and bottomlands in the lower Atlantic
Coastal Plain and Mississippi Valley region. Its
straight trunk with numerous ascending branches,
and narrow conical outline makes the tree one of

CTPKESS
One-half natural size.

considerable beauty. In old age, the tree generally
has a broad fluted or buttressed base, a smooth
slowly tapering trunk and a broad, open, flat top of
a few heavy branches and numerous small branch-
lets. The original-growth timber attained heights
of 80 to 130 feet and diameters of 5 to 10 feet.

The bark is silvery to cinnamon-red and finely
divided b}' numerous longitudinal fissures. The
leaves are about one-half to three-fourths of an inch
in length, arranged in feather-like fashion along two
sides of small branchlets, which fall in the autumn
with the leaves still attached ; or they are scale-like
and much shorter, light green, and sometimes silvery
below.

The fruit is a rounded cone, or "ball," about one
inch in diameter, consisting of thick irregular scales.

The wood is light, soft, easily worked, varies in
color from a light sapwood to dark-brown heart-
wood, and is particularly durable in contact with
the soil. Hence it is in demand for exterior trim
of buildings, greenhouse planking, boat and ship
building, shingles, posts, poles and crossties.

16

WHITE CEDAR (Juniper)

(Ghamaccyparis thyoidcs B. S. P.)

EXCLUSIVELY a tree of the Coastal Plain, it is
found in year-round swamps from New England
{southward to Florida and Mississippi. It occurs
with bald cypress and deep swamp hardwoods, but
more often is found in pure stands called ''glades,"
Avhere the smooth, clean trunks are so closely set as
to give the impression of "serried ranks." The

WHITE CEDAR
One-half natural size.

branches are very short and horizontal, so that even
w^hen grown in the open the tree has a long, narrow,
conical shape.

The leaves are minute, scale-like, overlapping, 4-
ranked, of a bluish green color, and entirely cover
the ends of the slender, drooping twigs. The fruit
is a rather inconspicuous, smooth cone, nearly
round, about one-fourth inch in diameter, maturing
in one year and containing from four to eight
winged seeds.

The bark is quite thin, varies in color from ashy
gray to light reddish brown, and readily separates
into loose plate-like scales, Avhich easily peel off in
long fibrous strips. The wood is light, soft, close-
grained, slightly fragrant, especially in contact with
water. These qualities make it in demand for boat
and canoe building, cooperage, shingles and fence
posts. It is being substituted for chestnut for tele-
phone poles, as the supply of the latter species be-
comes scarcer. Because of the limited supply avail-
able, its lumber is not well known in the general
markets.

17

RED CEDAR {Juniperus virginiana L.)

AVERY valuable tree found in all classes and
conditions of soils — from swamp to dry rocky
ridges — seeming to thrive on barren soils where few
other trees are found. It is scattered throughout
the State except in the high mountains, but it is
most important in the middle section.

There are two kinds of leaves^ usually both kinds
being found on the same tree. The commoner kind

is dark green, minute and scale-like, clasping the
stem in four ranks, so that the stems appear square.
The other kind, usually appearing on young growth
or vigorous shoots, is awl-shaped, quite sharp-
pointed, spreading and whitened.

The two kinds of flowers are at the end of minute
twigs on separate trees. Blooming in February or
March, the male trees often assume a golden color
from the small catkins, which, when shaken, shed
clouds of yellow pollen. The fruit, which matures
in one season, is pale blue, often with a white bloom,
one-quarter of an inch in diameter, berry-like, enclos-
ing one or two seeds in the sweet flesh. It is a
favorite winter food for birds.

The bark is very thin, reddish brown, peeling off
in long, shred-like strips. The tree is extremely
irregular in its growth, so that the trunk is usually
more or less grooved.

The heart wood is distinctly red, and the sapwood
white, this color combination making very striking
effects when linished as cedar chests, closets and
interior woodwork. The wood is aromatic, soft,
strong and of even texture, and these qualites make
it most desirable for lead pencils. It is very dura-
ble in contact with the soil, and on that account is in
great demand for posts, poles and rustic work.

18

.<f$^-<e -e> -5'^-^-^

•^>-;^^<2?:|>-

WHITE WALNUT, OR BUTTERNUT

{Juglans cinerca L.)

THE white walnTit, usually called butternut in
tlie North, is a smaller tree than the black wal-
nut, though in the highlands and where it attains
its best development, it reaches a height of 70 feet
and a diameter of 3 feet. The trunk is usually
forked or crooked, and this makes it less desirable
for saw timber. The bark differs from that of the

WHITE WALNUT, OR BUTTERNUT
Twig, one-half natural size. Leaf, one-third natural size

black walnut in being light gray on branches and
on the trunk of small trees, becoming darker on
large trees. This tree may also be distinguished
from black walnut by the velvet collars just above
the scars left by last year's leaves.

The compound leaves are 15 to 30 inches long,
each with 11 to 17 sharp-pointed, oblong, finely
toothed leaflets 2 to 3 inches long.

The flowers are of two kinds on the same tree,
the male in long yellow-green drooping catkins,
the female recognized by the rather conspicuous
red-fringed stigmas. The fruit is a nut enclosed in
an oblong, somewhat pointed, yellowish green husk,
about 2 inches long, which is covered with short
rusty, clammy, sticky hairs. The nut has a rough,
grooved shell and an oily, edible kernel.

The wood is light, soft, not strong, coarse-grained,
light brown, and takes a good polish. It is used for
interior finish of houses and for furniture. A yellow
or orange dye can be made from the husks of the
nuts.

19

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•^>-^%><^

BLACK WALNUT {Juglans nigra L.)

TniS valuable forest tree occurs on rich bottom-
lauds and moist fertile hillsides throughout the
Slate. In the forest, where it grows singly, it fre-
quently attains a height of 100 feet with a straight
stem, clear of branches for half its height. In
open-grown trees the stem is short and the crown
'oroad and spreading.

BLACK w

Leaf, onp-fifth n<;

Twig, three-quarters

The leaves are alternate, compound, 1 to 2 feet
long, consisting of from 15 to 23 leaflets of a yel-
lowish green color. The leaflets are about 3 inches
long, extremely tapering at the end, and toothed
along the margin. The bark is thick, dark brown
in color, and divided by rather deep fissures into
rounded ridges.

The fruit is a nut, borne singly or in pairs, and
enclosed in a solid green husk which does not split
open, even after the nut is ripe. The nut itself is
black with a very hard, thick, finely ridged shell,
enclosing a rich, oily kernel edible and highly nu-
tritious.

The heartwood is of superior quality and value.
It is heavy, hard and strong, and its rich chocolate-
brown color, freedom from warping and checking,
susceptibility to a high polish, and durability make
it highly prized for a great variety of uses, including
furniture and cabinet work, gun-stocks, and air-
plane propellers. Small trees are mostly sapwood,
which is light colored and not durable. Walnut
is easily propagated from the nuts and grows
rapidly on good soil, where it should be planted
and grown for timber and nuts,

20

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-e> -«^€%=><5^-

BITTERNUT HICKORY

(Ilicoria minima Britton)
{Carya cordiformis K. Koch)

THE bitternut hickory is a tall slender tree with
broadly pyramidal crown, attaining a height of
100 feet and a diameter of 2 to 3 feet. It is found
throughout the State on moist rich soils, but is
nowhere very abundant.

The bark on the trunk is granite-gray, faintly
tinged with yellow and less rough than in most of

Twig, one-half
natural size.

BITTERNUT HICKORY.
Leaf, one-third natural size.

the hickories, yet broken into thin, plate-like scales.
The winter buds are compressed, scurfy, bright yel-
low, quite different from those of its relatives.

The leaves are alternate, compound, from 6 to 10
inches long, and composed of from 7 to 11 leaflets.
The individual leaflets are smaller and more slender
than those of the other hickories.

The flowers are of two kinds on the same tree.
The fruit is about 1 inch long and thin-husked,
while the nut is usually thin-shelled and brittle, and
the kernel very bitter.

The wood is hard, strong and hea\7, reddish
brown in color. From this last fact it gets its local
name of red hickory. It is said to be somewhat in-
ferior to the other hickories, but is used for the same
purposes.

■f^<T<St>-^ -Q>-^^^'^'

T

"TRESES

^>-^^<Q^

SCALY-BARK OR SHELL-BARK HICKORY

{Hicoria ovata Britton) {Carya ovata K. Koch)

THE scaly-bark hickory is known by every child
of the community because of its sweet and de-
licious nuts. It is a large commercial tree, aver-
aging 00 to 100 feet high and 1 to 2 feet in diameter.
It thrives best on rich, damp soil and is common
along streams and on moist hillsides throughout
the State.

Leaf, one-third
natural size.

SCALY BARK HICKORY

Twig, one-half natural size.

The bark of the trunk is rougher than on other
hickories, light gray and separating into thick plates
which are only slightly attached to the tree. The
terminal winter buds are egg-shaped, the outer bud-
scales having narrow tips.

The leaves are alternate, compound, from 8 to 15
inches long and composed of 5, rarely 7 obovate
to ovate leaflets. The twigs are smooth or clothed
with short hairs.

The fruit is borne singly or in pairs, and is globu-
lar. The husk is thick and deeply grooved at the
seams. The nut is much compressed and pale, the
shell thin, and the kernel sweet. The flowers are of
two kinds, opening after the leaves have attained
nearly their full size.

The wood is heavy, hard, tough and very strong.
It is used largely in the manufacture of agricultural
implements and tool handles, and in the building of
carriages and wagons. For fuel the hickories are the
most satisfactory of our native trees.

22

-#^<^-^ -o -m^^i^'

ST TR

^> -#^-05^-^ -e> -e^<^-

WHITEHEART OR WHITE HICKORY
(Mockernut Hickory)

(Hicoria alba Britton) {Carya alba K. Koch)

THE white hickory, whiteheart, mockernut, or
big-bud hickory is common on well-drained soils
throughout the State. It is a tall, short-limbed tree
averaging 60 feet high and 1 to 2 feet in diameter.

The bark is dark gray, hard, closely and deeply
furrowed, often apparently cross-furrowed or netted.
The winter buds are large, round or broadly egg-
shaped, and
covered with
downy, hard

WIIITEHEAKT
OK WHITE
HICKORY

Leaf, one-fifth
natural size.

scales. The recent shoots are short, stout and more
or less covered with a downy growth.

The leaves are large, strong-scented and hairy,
composed of 7 to 9 obovate to oblong, pointed leaf-
lets which turn a beautiful yellow in the fall.

The flowers, like those of all other hickories, are
of two kinds on the same tree ; the male in three-
branched catkins, the female in clusters of 2 to 5.
The fruit is oval, nearly round or slightly pear-
shaped with a very thick, strong-scented husk which
splits nearly to the base when ripe. The nut is of
various forms, but is sometimes 4 to 6 ridged, light
brown, and has a very thick shell and small, sweet
kernel.

The wood is heavy, hard, tough and strong; it is
white excepting the comparatively small, dark-
brown heart, hence the name white hickory. It is
used for vehicle parts, handles and picker-sticks. It
furnishes the best of fuel. This and the other
hickories are very desirable both for forest and
shade trees.

23

2>.#^<fc?^.^ -e>

^•m^<^

PIGNUT HICKORY

{Hicoria glabra Britton) (Carya glabra Sweet)

THE pignut hickory is a medium to large upland
tree, occurring plentifully on poor soil in the
middle section and less frequently in the other parts
of the State. It has a tapering trunk and a narrow
oval head.

The bark is close, ridged and grayish, but oc-
casionally rough and flaky. The twigs are thin,
smooth and glossy brown. The polished brown win-
ter buds are egg-
shaped, the outer
reddish brown
scales falling in
the autumn.

11

PIGNUT HICKORY Twig, one-half

one-third natural size. natural size.

The leaves are smooth, 8 to 12 inches long and
composed of 5 t® 7 leaflets. The individual leaflets
are rather small and narrow.

The fruit is pear-shaped or rounded, usually with
a neck at the base, very thin husks splitting only
half way to the base or not at all. The nut is smooth,
light brown in color, rather thick-shelled, and has an
edible kernel.

The wood is heavy, hard, strong, tough and flexi-
ble. Its uses are the same as those of the other
hickories.

The small-fruited hickory {Gary a microcarpa
Nutt.), by some considered a variety of the pignut
hickory, differs from it in having a round fruit and
a bark which frequently separates into narrow
plates.

The pale-leaved hickory {Gary a pallida Ashe)
is found scatteringly in the upland woods. It has
pale, delicate foliage. The leaves are woolly or
hairy underneath, and when young are covered with
(silvery scales. The husks are thicker than those of
the pignut.

m-^<^--

BLACK WILLOW (Salix nigra Marsh.)

THE black willow is common along streams
throughout the State except in the high moun-
tains. It rarely comes to be over 50 feet in height
and is frequently found growing singly or in chimps
ah)ug tlie water courses. In winter the easily sepa-
rable, bright reddish-brown or golden, naked twigs
are quite conspicuous.

The leaves are from 3 to 6
inches long and less than one-
half an inch wide; the tips are
very much tapered and the en-
tire margins finely toothed.
The leaves are bright green on
both sides, turning pale yellow
in the early autumn.

The flowers are in catkins,
the male and female on sepa-
rate trees. The fruit is a pod
bearing numerous minute seeds
which are furnished
with long silky down,
enabling them to be
blown long distances.

The bark is deeply di-
vided into broad, flat
ridges which separate
into thick plate-like
scales. On old trees it
becomes very shaggy.
In color it varies from
light brown tinged
with orange to dark
brown or nearly bhick.
The wood is soft, light and not strong. A high
grade of charcoal, used in the manufacture of gun-
powder, is obtained from willow wood, and it is
the chief wood used in the manufacture of artificial
limbs.

There are many species, or kinds, of willows not
easily distinguished. They are of high value in
checking soil erosion and Avaste along stream banks,
for which purpose they should be more extensively
grown.

BLACK WILLOW

Two-thirds natural size.

s> -^^-c^^s-s -& -mx^'

-€>

SWAMP COTTONWOOD

{Populus lieterophylla L.)

THIS is a tree of low, wet swamps and the borders
of rivers, in the Atlantic coastal and Mississippi
A'alley regions. The seeds are carried far by winds
and germinate on wet sandy soils. The tree attains
a height of 70 to 90 feet and a diameter of I? feet.
The branches are usually short, forming a narrow,
round-topped head, and the buds are resinous.

SWAMP COTTONWOOD.
Twig, three-quarters natural size.
Leaf, oue-half natural size.

The leaves are broadly ovate, 3 to 6 inches wide
and 4 to 7 inches long, gradually narrowed at the
tip and slightly rounded toward the base, usually
finely toothed along the edges, dark green above,
pale and smooth below ; on rounded leaf -stems from
2 to 3 inches long.

The flowers, which bloom in early spring, are in
catkins, the female catkins few-flowered. The fruit,
containing the tiny seeds supported by "cotton," is
borne on female, or pistillate, trees, and the male,
or staminate, flowers occur separately on other trees.
The fruit ripens before the leaves are fully grown.

The wood is light and soft and, as lumber, re-
quires special attention in drying to prevent its
warping badly. It makes excellent paper pulp for
printing half-tone illustrations.

The European white poplar {Populus alba L.)
with light-gray bark and leaves, white woolly be-
neath, is often found near old houses and along
roadsides. The Lombardy poplar, a tall narrow
form of the European black poplar {Populus nigra
var. italica Du Koi) is often planted and is a strik-
ing tree for the roadside.

CAROLINA POPLAR (Cottonwood)

{Populus deltoides Marsh.)

THE Cottonwood, or Carolina poplar, is scattered
v\adely but nowhere occurs in great abundance;
it does not grow naturally in the mountains. The
tree is easily propagated by cuttings and grows
rapidly, hence it has been widely planted to get
shade quickly. For this purpose, however, the tree is
unsatisfactory, because it begins to shed the leaves

CAROLINA POPLAR

Leaf, one-half natural size. Twig, one-third natural size.

by midsummer, the "cotton" from the female, or
seed-bearing, tree is often a nuisance, the soft wood
is easily broken by winds, and the rank growth of the
roots often results in stopping drain pipes and
cracking and lifting sidewalks.

The leaves are simple, alternate, broadly ovate
or triangular, pointed, square at the base, and
coarsely toothed no the edges, 3 to 5 inches across
each way, covered with soft white hairs on the under
side, supported by flattened slender stems, 2 to ;>
inches long. The winter buds are covered with
chestnut-brown, resinous scales. The flowers are in
catkins of two kinds, male and female, and appear
before the leaves. The fruit containing the seed has
a cluster of white silky hairs, which carries it for
long distances.

The wood is soft, light-weight, warps easily upon
drying, but is used for many purposes, sometimes as
a substitute for yellow poplar and linden. It makes
the highest grade of gloss magazine paper for the
printing of half-tone illustrations.

27

'f%.<!5^>-^ •€>-§€%><:3^-S -«>-;J^<K^-^ ^>.^^<<J:^:^ -e>^^<^

RIVER BIRCH (Red Birch) {Betula nigra L.)

THIS is the only native birch found at low eleva-
tions in the South. It is at home, as the name im-
plies, along water courses, and inhabits the deep,
rich soils along the borders of streams, ponds, lakes,
and swamps which are sometimes inundated for
weeks at a time.

The bark provides a ready means of distinguish-
ing this tree. It varies from reddish brown to cinna-

RIVER BIRCH

One-third natural size.

mon-red in color, and peels back in tough papery
layers. These layers persist on the trunk, present-
ing a very ragged and quite distinctive appearance.
Unlike the bark of our other birches, the thin papery
layers are usually covered with a gray powder. On
older trunks, the bark on the main trunk becomes
thick, deeply furrowed, and of a reddish-brown
color.

The leaves are simjile, alternate, 2 to 3 inches
long, more or less oval in shape, with double-toothed
edges. The upper surface is dark green and the
lower a pale yellowish green.

The flowers are in catkins, the two kinds grow-
ing on the same tree. The fruit is cone-shaped
about 1 inch long, and densely crowded with little
winged nutlets that ripen from May to June.

The wood is strong and fairly close-grained. It
has been to some extent used in the manufacture
of woodenware, in turnery and for wagon hubs.
Since, however, this tree is scattered in its distribu-
tion and mostly confined to the banks of streams, it
does not figure largely in commercial lumbering,
but is cut chiefly for firewood.

28

-e>-#a-<^*'

YELLOW BIRCH {Betula liitea Michx.)

THE yellow birch is confined to our cool, high
mountain slopes, generally at greater elevations
than the black birch, from which it can usually be
distinguished by its bark. It is a large tree, often
with a short or crooked trunk, occasionally reaching
a height of 100 feet and a diameter of 4 feet.

The bark on the trunk and large branches is sil-
very or yellow-gray, with thin papery layers sepa-

YELLOW BIRCH
One-half natural size.

rating and often curling at the edges, giving the
trunk a ragged appearance. The twigs are light
brown, lustrous and slightly aromatic, but less so
than those of the black birch.

The leaves are simple, alternate, oval or approxi-
mately oblong, doubly and finely toothed, 3 to 5
inches long, dark green and lusterless on the upper
surface.

The flowers are in catkins; the male, or stami-
nate catkins, purplish and visible all the winter
previous to opening; the female, or pistillate, cat-
kins greenish, erect, shorter and thicker than those
of the black birch, and developing in the spring.

The wood is heavy, strong, hard, close-grained
and light brown in color. It is used for flooring,
woodenware, furniture, and other uses, but is con-
sidered inferior to the black birch. It is prized as

firewood.

29

BLACK BIRCH {Betula lenta L.)

THE black birch, also known as sweet birch or
cherry birch, occurs only in the highlands and
mountain sections. It attains its best development
in the mountain coves and on rich slojjes where it
reaches an average height of 70 feet and a diameter
of 2 to 3 feet. The tree is moderately slow growing,
but is of value for its products and protection to the
soil in the high mouatains,

BLACK BIRCH

Twig, one-half natural size. Leaf, one-third natural size.

The bark of the trunk is dark brown, almost
black, dull and broken into large irregular, but not
papery, plates. The small branches and twigs, also
dark in color but lustrous and very aromatic, are
frequently cut and distilled for the production of
birch oil, much used as wintergreen flavoring.

The leaves are simple, alternate, oval or ap-
proaching oblong, 3 to 4 inches long, finely toothed
and dark green, dull on the upper surface.

The flowers are of two kinds; the male catkins,
usually 3 to 4 on a shoot, forming in the summer and
blooming the following spring when the female cat-
kins or "cones" open from the winter buds. The
seeds ripen in late summer or autumn and fall with
the loosened scales of the "cone."

The wood is heavy, very strong, hard and compact.
The dark-brown color of the wood has given rise to
the common local name of mahogany, or mountain
mahogany. It is used for furniture, often being
sold as "mahogany," and for flooring and interior
trimming ; locally it is prized as firewood.

30

IRONWOOD (Hop Hornbeam)

{Ostrya virginiana K. Koch)

THE tree gets its common names from the quali-
ties of its wood and the hop-like fruit. It is a
small, slender, generally round-topped tree, from
20 to 30 feet high and 7 to 10 inches in diameter.
The top consists of long slender branches, commonly
drooping toward the ends. It„ is found mostly on
rather dry soils throughout the upland and moun-
tain regions.

IRONWOOD
Twig, one-half natural size. Leaf, one-third natural size.

The bark is mostly light brown or reddish brown,
and finely divided into thin scales by which the
tree, after a little acquaintance, can be easily rec-
ognized.

The leaves are simple, alternate, generally oblong
with narrowed tips, sharply toothed along the mar-
gin, sometimes doubly toothed, from 2 to 3 inches
long.

The flowers are of two kinds on the same tree;
the male, in drooping catkins which form the pre-
vious summer, the female, in erect catkins on the
newly formed twigs. The fruit, which resembles
that of the common hop vine, consists of a branch
of leafy bracts 1 to 2 inches long containing a num-
ber of flattened ribbed nutlets.

The wood is strong, hard, durable, light brown to
white, with thick pale sapwood. Often used for
fence posts, handles of tools, mallets and other
small articles.

31

?^<s5t5>^ -Q>-ms><^^^'

HORNBEAM {Carpinus caroUniana Walt.)

THE horabeam, often known as ironwood and
occasionally as water beech, is a small, slow-
growing, bushy tree with a spreading top of slender,
crooked, or drooping branches. It is found along
streams and in low ground throughout the State.
Its height is usually from 20 to 30 feet and its
diameter 4 to 8 inches, although it sometimes grows
larger.

The trunk is fluted with irregular ridges extend-
ing up and down the tree. The bark is
light brownish gray to dark bluish gray
in color, sometimes marked with dark
bands extending horizontally on the
trunk.

The leaves are simple, alternate, oval,
long- pointed,
doubly toothed
along the mar-
gin, 2 or 3
inches in length.
They resemble
those of the
black or sweet
birch, but are
smaller.

Twig one-half
natural size. Leaf,

HORNBEAM
one-third natural size.

The flowers

are borne in cat-
kins separately on the same tree; the male catkin
about 11/2 inches long, the female about three-fourths
of an inch, with small, leaf -like, 3-lobed green scales.
The fruit is a nutlet about one-third of an inch long.
It falls, attached to the leaf -like scale which acts as
a wing in aiding its distribution by the wind.

The wood is tough, close-grained, heavy and
strong. It is sometimes selected for use for levers,
tool handles, wooden cogs, mallets, wedges, etc. The
tree is of little commercial importance and often
occupies space in the woods that should be utilized
by more valuable kinds.

32

fe=^t>-

BEECH {Fagus grandifoUa Ehrh.)

THE beech occurs throughout the State. It makes
its best growth, however, in the moist coves in
the mountains. It is widely found scattered with
oaks and hickories on rich, well-drained bottoms,
and in the mountains sometimes occurs in unmixed,
dense stands. It is one of the most beautiful of all
trees, either in summer or winter.

The simple, oval leaves are 3 to 4
inches long, pointed at the tip, and
coarsely toothed along the margin.

BEECH

One-half natural size.

When mature, they are almost leathery in texture.
The beech produces a dense shade. The winter buds
are long, slender and pointed.

The bark is, perhaps, the most distinctive charac-
teristic, as it maintains an unbroken, light gray sur-
face throughout its life. So tempting is this smooth
expanse to the OAvner of a jackknife that the beech
lias been well designated the ''initial tree."

The little, brown, three-sided beech nuts are
almost as well known as chestnuts. They form
usually in i)airs in a prickly burr. The kernel is
sweet and edible, but so small as to offer insufficient
reward for the pains of biting open the thin-shelled
husk.

The wood of the beech is very hard, strong, and
tough, though it will not last long on exposure to
Aveather or in the soil. The tree is of no great eco-
nomic importance as a lumber tree, though the wood
is used to some extent for furniture, flooring, car-
penters' tools, and novelty w^ares.

33

B>-^#^<:5S>-^-e>

s-e>-^^<^

CHESTNUT {Castanea dcntata Borkh.)

OVER the Southern States the chestnut is native
to the hilly and mountain sections. It is one
of our most useful trees and as such, has been called
the ''farmer's best friend."

The long-pointed leaves with their coarse teeth,
each bearing a slender spine, are quite distinctive.
They are simple, alternate, average 5 to 10 inches in

CHESTNUT

Leaf, one-third natural size.
Twlff, one-half natural size.

/

length, and are dark green in color. The flowers
are of two kinds on the same tree, the long, slender,
whitish catkins opening in midsummer. The fruit
is a prickly burr, which opens at the first frost, or
earlier, and drops 2 or 3 shiny, brown, sweet, edible
nuts.

The bark becomes broken into light-gray, broad,
flat ridges, which often have a tendency toward a
spiral course around the trunk.

The wood is light, soft, not strong, coarse-grained,
and very durable in contact Avith the soil — qualities
v.hich make it particularly valuable for posts, poles,
orossties, as well as for light building construction.
The wood is rich in tannin, and in the southern Ap-
palachians it is extensively cut and used for the ex-
traction of this valuable commercial product.

A bark disease, known as the chestnut blight, is
proving fatal to the chestnut, and has already prac-
tically exterminated the tree over much of north-
eastern United States. It has already reached por-
tions of \'irginia and North Carolina.

34

-e> -#g%^<55:S>-^ -e>-^:je%><^p,^

WHITE OAK {Qucrciis alba L.)

WITHIN its natural range, which includes prac-
tically the entire eastern half of the United
States, the white oak is one of the most important
timber trees. It commonly reaches a height of (50
to 100 feet and a diameter of 2 to 3 feet; sometimes
it becomes much larger. It is found in a wide variety
of soils. When grown in a dense stand it has a

WHITE OAK

Twis, one-half natural size.

Leaf, one-quarter natural size.

straight continuous trunk, free of side branches for
over half its height. In the open, however, the tree
develops a broad crown with far-reaching limbs.
Well-grown specimens are strikingly beautiful.

The leaves are alternate, simple, 5 to 9 inches
long and about half as broad. They are deeply di-
vided into 5 to 9 rounded, finger-like lobes. The
young leaves are a soft silvery gray or yellow or
red while unfolding, becoming later bright green
above and much paler below. The fruit is an acorn
maturing the first year. The nut is three-quarter
to one inch long, light brown, about one-quarter en-
closed in the Avarty cup. It is relished by hogs and
other live stock. The bark is thin, light ashy graj
and covered with loose scales or broad plates.

The wood is useful and valuable. It is heavy,
strong, hard, tough, close-grained, durable, and light
brown in color. The uses are many, including con-
struction, shipbuilding, tight cooperage, furniture,
wagons, imi)lements, interior finish, flooring, and
fuel. Notwithstanding its rather slow growth, white
oak is valuable for forest, highway and ornamental
planting.

35

POST OAK

[Qucrctts stellata Wang., formerly Q. minor Sarg.)

THE post oak is usually a medium-sized tree, with
a rounded crown, commonly reaching a height of
50 to 80 feet and a diameter of 1 to 2 feet, but some-
times considerably larger. It occurs throughout the
State, ascending in the mountains to 2,500 feet, but
is most abundant on the poorer soils of the middle
districts.

The bark is rougher
and darker than the
white oak and broken
into smaller scales.
The stout young
twigs and the leaves
are coated at first
with a thick light-
colored fuzz which
soon becomes darker
POST OAK ^^^ ^^^^^ drops away

One-third natural size. entirely.

The leaves are

usually 4 to 5 inches long and nearly as broad,
deeply 5-lobed with broad rounded divisions, the
lobes broadest at the ends. They are thick and
somewhat leathery, dark green and shiny on the
upper surface, lighter green and rough hairy be-
neath.

The flowers, like those of the other oaks, are
of two kinds on the same tree, the male in drooping,
clustered catkins, the female inconspicuous. The
fruit is an oval acorn, one-half to 1 inch long, set
in a rather small cup which may or may not be
stalked.

The wood is very heavy, hard, close-grained, light
to dark brown, durable in contact with the soil.
It is used for crossties and fence posts, and along
with other oaks of the white oak class for furniture
and other purposes.

j^'CX^^^

s -e> -^^-35:|>-^ -o f^<K^.^ -e> i!€%=>•«3^-^'-e>•^^<?l>-
OVERCUP OAK {Qucrcus lyrata Walt.)

THE overcup oak, sometimes known as swamp
post oak, is a large tree with small, often pendu-
lous branches rarely reaching a height of 100 feet
and a diameter of 3 feet. It occurs in river bottoms
and rich low grounds of the Coastal Plain and the
Mississippi basin, but is nowhere very abundant.

The leaves are 7 to 9 inches long, 1 to 4 inches

broad, oblong,
wider towards the
point, narrowed at
the base, dark
green above, whit-
ish beneath, with
7 to 9 distinct,
deep, pointed
lobes. They fre-
quently turn to a
bright scarlet or to
scarlet and orange
in the fall. The
bark is rough,
flaky, gray tinged
with red.

The flowers

open in April with the unfolding of the leaves. The
acorn, or fruit, ripens the first year. It is thor-
oughly characteristic of the species. The large
rounded or somewhat flattened acorn, one-half to
1 inch long, is nearly covered by the ovate or
nearly spherical cup, which is thickened at the base
but gradually grows thinner to the thin, often ir-
regularly split, margin of the cup. The name of
the tree comes from this characteristic.

The wood is heavy, hard, strong and durable
and is used for the same purposes as that of white
oak.

OVERCUP OAK

Leaf, one-third natural size.
Twig, two-thirds natural size.

37

-e> -#^-e5jp-^ -e> -^^-=35^-

CHESTNUT OAK

{Quercus montana Willd., formerly Q. prinus L.)

CHESTNUT OAK, also known as mountain oak
and rock oak, has acquired these names from
its leaf, which resembles that of the chestnut, and
from its fondness for rocky or mountain ridges.
It is found widely distributed throughout the moun-
tains on dry gravelly and rocky slopes, ridges and
stream banks, and less commonly in the upland
part of the State in
similar dry, rocky situ-
ations.

It is noticeably a
spreading tree of medi-
um height; at 15 to 20
feet, the trunk frequent-
ly divides into several
large, angular limbs,
making an open, irregu-
lar-shaped head. The
bark is dark reddish
brown, thick, deeply di-
vided into broad,
rounded ridges, and is
of high commercial
value for the extraction
of tannic acid.
The leaves are simple, alternate, oblong, often
rounded at the point, irregularly scalloped or wavy
on the edge (not sharp-toothed as in chestnut), 5 to
9 inches long, and shiny yellowish green above,
lighter and slightly fuzzy beneath. The fruit is an
acorn about an inch long, oval, shiny brown, and
enclosed up to half its length in a cup. It ripens
in one season, and, like the acorn of the white oak,
sprouts in the autumn soon after falling to the
ground.

The wood is generally similar to that of the other
upland white oaks, heavy, hard, strong, and durable
in contact with the soil. It is extensively cut into
crossties and heavy timbers for bridge, railroad, and
other rough construction, and used for fence posts

and fuel.

38

CHESTNUT OAK

One-third natural size.

e> -#^<xs:i>.^ .<3> -^6^<?l

SWAMP CHESTNUT OAK
(Basket Oak, or Cow Oak)

(Quercus prinus L., formerly Q. michauxii Nutt.)

THIS tree occurs in its greatest abundance in tlie
bottomlands of the eastern part of the State,
and is found sparsely in other sections, outside of
the mountains. In the appearance of its bark and
branches it closely resembles the ordinary white
oak, but may be distinguished by means of the
leaf and acorn. The tree attains heights of about
100 feet and diameters of about 4 feet.

The leaves are oval,
broader towards the
point and notched on
the edge somewhat like
the chestnut oak. They
vary from 4 to 8 inches
in length, are downy
beneath and turn a rich
crimson in the fall. The
bark is a very light
gray, and on old trees
is broken into broad
flakes or divided into
strips.

The acorn, or fruit,
attains a diameter of
more than an inch and
a length of ly^ inches.
The acorn, which is a bright shiny brown and
set in a rather shallow cup, is considerably larger
than that of the white oak. It is frequently eaten
by cows and this fact gives the tree one of its
common names.

The wood is heavy, hard, tough, strong, and takes
an excellent polish. It is used in manufacturing
lumber, veneer, boards (shakes), tight cooperage;
for fuel and fence posts; and extensively for mak-
ing baskets.

SWAMP CHESTNUT OAK
Leaf, one-third natural size.
Twig, one-half natural size.

39

f^><-?:i3>-^ -e>"-^^<<?:|>-

^o>-^gfe^-03^-

LIVE OAK {Quercus virginiana Mill.)

THE live oak extends from southeastern Vir-
ginia through the lower Coastal Plain of North
Carolina and southward. It is a tree of striking
character from its wide-spreading habit, sometimes
reaching more than 100 feet in spread ; with a short,
stout trunk, 3 to 4 feet in diameter, dividing in
several large limbs with nearly horizontal branches,
forming a low, dense,
round-topped head. Its
height is commonly
from 40 to 50 feet. The
bark on the trunk and
large branches is dark
brown tinged with red,
and slightly furrowed.
It grows to largest size
on the rich hammocks
and low ridges near
the coast and only a
few feet above the
water level. It is one
of the most desirable
trees for roadside and
ornamental planting in
the Coastal Plain. It
is of moderately slow growth but long-lived and
handsome.

The leaves are simple, evergreen, thick, leathery,
oblong, smooth above, pale and silvery white be-
neath ; from 2 to 4 inches in length and 1 to 2 inches
in breadth.

The fruit is an acorn about an inch long and one-
third inch wide, borne on a long stem or peduncle;
it is oblong, dark brown and lustrous, and set in a
top-shaped, downy cup of a light reddish-brown
color.

The wood is very heavy, hard, strong and tough,
light brown or yellow, with nearly white, thin sap-
wood. It was formerly largely used, and still is
occasionally, for ships' knees in building wooden
ships.

40

LIVE OAK
Two-thirds natural siae.

> -^£6p<J3t>-^ -^ -i^^i^'

•<S> -f^<XK|?-^ -^> •^^^<x^

NORTHERN RED OAK

{Qucrcus hGrcalis maxima Ashe,
formerly Q. rubra L.)

THE northern red oak occurs throughout the
State, but is most common and of best quality in
tlte higher mountains. It is not found in swamps.
It usually attains a height of about 70 feet and a
diameter ranging from 2 to 3 feet, but is sometimes
much larger. The forest-grown tree is tall and
straight with a clear trunk and narrow crown.

The bark on young
stems is smooth, gray to
brown, on
older trees
thick and
broken by
shallow fis-
sures into
regular, flat,
smooth - sur-
faced plates.

The leaves

are simple,
alternate, 5
to 9 inches
long and 4 to
Cinches wide,
broader to-
ward the tip,
divided into

7 to 9 lobes, each lobe being somewhat coarsely
tootled and bristle-tii3ped, and firm, dull green
above, paler below, often turning a brilliant red
after frost. The flowers, as in all the oaks, are of
two kinds on the same tree, the male in long, droop-
ing, clustered catkins, opening with the leaves, the
female solitary or slightly clustered. The fruit is
a large acorn maturing the second year. The nut
is from three-fourths to 1% inches long, blunt-
topped, flat at base, with only its base enclosed in
the very shallow dark-brown cup.

The wood is hard, strong, coarse-grained, with
light reddish-brown heartwood and thin lighter-col-
ored sapv\'ood. It is used for cooperage, interior fin-
ish, construction, furniture, and crossties. Because
of its average rapid growth, high-grade wood, and
general freedom from insect and fungus attack, it is
widely planted in the higher portions of the State
for timber production and as a shade tree.

NORTHERN RED OAK
Leaf, one-third natural size.
Twig, one-liulf natural size.

41

-^^<;5t5>-^ ^>-^t%-<?^-

-e>

SOUTHERN RED OAK

{Que.'cus rubra Linn., formerly Q. digitata Sudw.)

THE southern red oak, commonly known as red
oak and referred to in books as Spanish oak,
usually grows to a height of 70 to 80 feet and a di-
ameter of 2 to 3 feet, though larger trees are not
infrequently found. It is one of the most common
southern upland oaks. Its large spreading branches
form a broad, round, open top. The bark is rough,

though not
deeply fur-
rowed, and
varies from
light gray on
younger trees
to dark gray or
almost black on
older ones.

The leaves

are of two dif-
ferent types :
(1) irregular-
shaped lobes,
mostly narrow,
bristle - tipped,
the central lobe
often the longest; or (2) pear-shaped with 3 rounded
lobes at the outer end. They are dark lustrous
green above and gray downy beneath, the contrast
being strikingly seen in a wind or rain storm.

The flowers appear in April while the leaves are
unfolding. The fruit ripens the second year. The
small rounded acorn, about half an inch long, is
set in a thin saucer -shaped cup which tapers to a
short stem.

The wood is heavy, hard, strong, coarse-grained,
and is less subject to defects than most other red
oaks. It is used for rough lumber and for furni-
ture, chairs, tables, etc. It is a desirable timber
tree, especially on the poorer, drier soils. The
bark is rich in tannin.

The freedom of this tree from disease, its thrifty
growth, large handsome form and long life make
it very desirable for shade or ornamental use.

SOUTHERN BED OAK
Leaf, one-third natural size.
Twig, one-half natural size.

42

:-ei-^$p

^> -^--<;^-

BLACK OAK {Quercus velutina Lam.)

THE black oak, sometimes farther north called
yellow oak or yellow-barked oak, usually grows
to be about 80 feet in height and 1 to 3 feet in diame-
ter. It is found commonly throughout the State
on dry plains and ridges, but seldom on rich ground.
The crown is irregularly shaped and wide, with a
clear trunk for 20 feet or more on large trees. The

bark on
the very
young
trunks is
s m o o t 'h
and dark
brown but
soon be-
comes
thick and
black,
with deep
furrows
and rough
broken
ridges.
Thebright-
yellow
color and

bitter taste of the inner bark; due to tannic acid,
are distinguishing characteristics.

The leaves are alternate, simple, 5 to 10 inches
long and 8 to 8 inches wide, shalloAV or deeply
lobed, the shape varying greatly. When mature,
the leaves are dark green and shiny on the upper
surface, pale on the lower, more or less covered
with down, and with conspicuous rusty brown hairs
in the forks of the veins.

The fruit matures the second season. The light-
brown nut is from one-half to 1 inch long, more
or less hemispherical in shape, and from one-half
to three-quarters enclosed in the thin, dark-brown,
scaly cup. The kernel is yellow and extremely
bitter.

The wood is hard, heav^, strong, coarse-grained
and checks easily. It is a bright red-brown with
a thin outer edge of paler sapwood. It is used for
the same purposes as red oak, under which name
it is put on the market. Its growth is rather slow.

Twig one-half
natural size.

BLACK OAK

Leaf, one-third natural size.

43

SCARLET OAK {Qurcus coccinea Muencli.)

SCARLET OAK, also known as pin, Spanish or
spotted oak, occurs usually on dry, rocky, or
sandy soils, throughout the uplands of the lower
mountains, but is nowhere very abundant or of first
importance. It usually reaches a height of GO or 80
feet, with a trunk diameter of 2 or 3 feet, and is
sometimes larger. The branches droop at the ends

and form a narrow,
open crown and the
trunk tapers rapidly.
The bark
on young
stems i s
smooth
and light
brown. On
old trunks
it is di-
vided into
ridges not
so rough
as those of
the black
oak and
not so flat-
topped a s

SCARLET OAK Twig one-half thoseof

Leaf, one-third natural size. natural size. ,i nnrfh

ern red oak. The bark is often mottled or spotted
with gray. The inner bark is reddish.

The leaves are simple, alternate, somewhat oblong
or oval, 3 to 6 inches long, 2i/2 to 4 inches wide,
usually 7-lobed, the lobes bristle-pointed and sepa-
rated by rounded openings extending at least tAvo-
thirds of the distance to the midrib, giving the leaves
a very deeply "cut" appearance. The leaves turn a
brilliant scarlet in the autumn before falling. The
flowers are of two kinds on the same tree and ap-
pear when the leaves are two-thirds or one-half
grown. The fruit takes 2 years to mature. The
acorn is one-half to 1 inch long, reddish brown,
often striped, and about half -enclosed in the cup.

The wood is heavy, hard, strong and coarse-
grained . The lumber is sold as red oak and has the
same uses. It is usually somewhat inferior in qual-
ity and sometimes known as pin oak. Scarlet oak
is used considerably in ornamental planting.

44

'^<!^^^ -^3>-^^<J^-

-e> -f^^X?;^^ ^> -^^<5:|>-

BLACK JACK OAK

{Qucrcus marilandica Muench.)

THE occurrence of blackjack oak is said to indi-
cate poor soil. It is certain that it often occurs
on dry or poorly drained gravel, clay, or sandy up-
land soils where few other forest trees thrive. This
perhaps accounts chiefly for its slow rate of growth.
It is found in all parts of the State except the high
mountain regions. The tree sometimes reaches a

BLACK JACK OAK
Twig, two-thirds natural size. Leaf, one-third natural size.

height of 50 or 60 feet and a diameter of IG inches,
but it is usually much smaller. Its hard, stiff,
drooping branches form a dense crown which usually
contains many persistent dead twigs. The bark is
rough, very dark, often nearly black, and broken
into small, hard scales or flakes.

The leaves are of leathery texture, dark green on
the upper surface, lighter underneath, broadly
wedge-shaped, 4: to 10 inches long and about the
same in width. The fruit is an acorn about three-
quarters of an inch long, yellow-brown and often
striped, inclosed for half its length or more in a
thick light-brown cup.

The wood is heavy, hard and strong ; when used
at all, it is used mostly as firewood.

45

WATER OAK {Qiicrcus nigra L.)

THE water oak is found native along the borders
of swamiDS and streams and on rich bottomlands,
over the Coastal Plain and somewhat farther inland.
It has been considerably planted in the Southern
States along streets and in parks as a shade tree.
When fully grown this tree reaches a height of about
80 feet and a diameter of from 1 to over 3 feet. The

trunk is shapely.
The bark is
smooth, light
brown winged
with red, and has
many smooth thin
scales over the
surface. The
water oak can be
most readily dis-
tinguished from
the willow oak —
a close associate,
but longer-lived —

WATER OAK

Leaf, one-third natural size.
Twig, one-half natural size.

by the differences in the general shape and size of
the leaves.

The leaves are simple, quite variable in shape,
mostly oblong, broader near the point, and narrower
at the base, giving a wedge-shaped effect. They are
usually slightly 3-lobed at the outer end, thin, and
of a dull bluish-green color, paler below than above ;
mostly smooth, and usually 2 to 3 inches long and
1 to 2 inches wide ; they remain green for some time
and gradually fall from the tree during the winter.

The flowers appear in April when the leaves are
beginning to unfold. The fruit, or acorn, matures
at the end of the second season. The acorn is from
one-half to two-thirds of an inch in length and
nearly as broad, light brown or yellowish brown and
often striped, enclosed at the base only in a thin
saucer-shaped cup.

The wood is heavy, hard, and strong, light brown
in color, with lighter-colored sapwood. It is not
used to a great extent as lumber, but the trees are
cut and utilized for piling, crossties and fuel.

46

i^<;^-

WILLOW OAK {Qucrcus yhellos L.)

THE willow oak, often called water oak, occurs
generally over the State, except on the higher
slopes and mountains. It is most often found in
lowlands and along the borders of rivers and
swamps, but often also on rich sandy uplands. It is
a beautiful and long-lived tree, and desirable for
roadside, lawns and parks, for which it has been
widely planted.

The slender willow-like leaves, on a tree whose
habit of growth is manifestly that of an oak,
make the tree easy to
identify in the forest.
The leaves are 2 to 4
inches long and one-
half to 1 inch
wide, with smooth
or slightly Avavy
margin, bristle-
pointed, smooth, light green
y y « •*'■ and shiny above, but dull and

usually smooth below; alter-
nate in arrangement on the
twig and borne on a short stout
stem. The bark is generally
smooth and of a reddish brown color ; with age, the
bark becomes slightly roughened and divided by
narrow ridges.

The small acorns, closely set along the stem, ma-
ture at the end of the second year. The nut is a
light-brown hemisphere, about one-half an inch in
diameter, its base scarcely enclosed in the shallow,
reddish-brown cup. The nuts are eaten as food by
bluejays, grackles ("black birds"), and several other
species of birds, as well as by rodents.

The wood is not separated commercially from
other species in the red oak group. It is heavy,
strong, rather coarse-grained, light brown tinged
with red, and not durable when exposed to the
weather. It is used locally for crossties, bridge
planks, barn sills, and general construction.

WILLOW OAK

Twig,
one-half natural size.

Leaf,
one-third natural size.

47

B>i^'C5^'^ -e>-^^<K?:§>-s ^>-#^<5<j^^ -^-e^^i^

WHITE ELM (American Elm)

{Ulmus amcricana L.)

THE famous shade tree of New England, whose
range, however, extends to the Rocky Mountains
and southward to Texas. Within this vast area, it
is generally common exceiit in the high mountains
and wet bottom lauds. It reaches an average height
of 60 to 70 feet and a diameter of 4 to 5 feet. The
bark is dark gray, divided into irregular, flat-topped,
thick ridges, and is generally firm, though
on old trees it tends to come off in flakes.
An incision into the inner bark will show
alternate layers of brown and white.

The leaves are alternate, simple, 4 to 6
inches
long, rath-
er t h i c k,
somewhat
one- sided,
doubly
toothed on
the mar-
gin, and
generally
smooth
above and
downy below. The leaf veins are very pronounced
and run in parallel lines from the midrib to leaf-
edge.

The flowers are small, perfect, greenish, on slen-
der stalks sometimes an inch long, appearing before
the leaves in very early spring. The fruit is a light
green, oval shaped samara (winged fruit) with the
seed portion in the center and surrounded entirely
by a wing. A deep notch in the end of the wing is
distinctive of the species. The seed ripens in the
spring and by its wing is widely disseminated by
the wind.

The wood is heavy, hard, strong, tough, and dif^-
cut to split. It is used for hubs of wheels, saddle
trees, boats and ships, barrel hoops, and veneer for
baskets and crates. ^

Because of its spreading fan-shaped form, grace-
ful pendulous branches, and long life, the white elm
justly holds its place as one of the most desirable
shade trees.

■^■smx^

Twig one-half
natural size.

WHITE ELM
Leaf, one-third natural size.

48

-e>

Fa R (EST TR^&S^

V^INGED ELM [Ulmus alata Michx.)

THE winged elm gets its common name from the
thin corky growth, or "wings," usually found on
the smaller branches. It occurs scattered generally
over the State except in the mountains, usually on
dry, gravelly uplands, but often in moist soils and
in waste places. It grows rapidly in moist situa-
tions, and at the same time is one of the best trees
for planting along road-
sides in dry poor loca-
tions. It is compara-
tively free from disease,
though not notably
long-lived. This elm is
a medium-sized tree of
40 to 50 feet in height
and rarel}^ as large as
2 feet in diameter. It
forms a rather open,
round-topped head. The
bark is light brown,
tinged with red, and
divided into irregular
flat ridges and fissures.

The leaves are simple, alternate, 2 to 4 inches
long and 1 to 2 inches broad, coarsely double-toothed,
thick, dark green and smooth above, and pale and
softly downy below. They are smaller than those
of any other elm native in the State, The flowers
appear in early spring, long before the leaves unfold.
The fruit ripens in the spring about the time the
leaves appear; it is winged, tipped with 2 small in-
curved awns, or beaks, oblong, reddish brown, about
one-third of an inch long, with a long slender stalk
at the base, and covered with white hairs.

The wood is very similar to that of the other
elms — heavy, hard, strong and difficult to split. It
is occasionally used for hubs and mauls. Formerly,
rope made of the inner bark was used for binding
the covers to cotton bales.

WINGED ELM

Two-thirds natural size.

-e> •$^<^^-

HACKBERRY (CeZfis occidentalis L.)

THE hackberry is found sparsely throughout the
State, except in the high mountains. It occurs
most abundantly and of greatest size in the rich
alluvial lands in the lower part of the State, but
thrives, however, on various types of soil, from the
poorest to the richest. It is usually a small or
medium-sized tree from 30 to 50 feet high and 10

HACKBERRY
Leaf, one-third natural size.
Twig, one-half natural size.

to 20 inches in diameter. Its limbs are often crooked
and angular and bear a head made of slender,
pendant branches or short, bristly, stubby twigs.
In the open the crown is generally very symmetrical.
It makes an excellent shade tree.

The bark is grayish and generally rough with
scale-like or warty projections of dead bark. In
some instances the bark is smooth enough on the
limbs to resemble that of the beech.

The leaves are simple, ovate, alternate, one-sided,
2 to 4 inches long, the edges toothed towards the
long point.

The flowers are inconspicuous, and the two kinds
are borne on the same tree. They appear in April or
May, and are of a creamy greenish color. The fruit
is a round, somewhat oblong drupe, or berry, from
one-quarter to one-third of an inch in diameter. It
has a thin, purplish skin, and sweet, yellowish flesh.
From this characteristic it is sometimes called
sugarberry. The berries frequently hang on the
tree most of the winter.

The wood is heavy, rather soft, weak, and decays
readily when exposed. It is used chiefly for fuel,
but occasionally for lumber.

50

RED MULBERRY (l/orws rw6ra L.)

THE red mulberry occurs throughout the State.
It prefers the rich soils of the lower and middle
districts, but is nowhere abundant. It is commonly-
called mulberry as there are no other native species.
The white mulberry and paper mulberry, which are
sometimes found in waste places, are introduced
species which have to some extent become natural-

KED MULBERRY
Twig, two-thirds natural size. Leaf, one-third natural size.

ized. The red mulberry is a small tree, rarely 50
feet high and 2 feet in diameter, often growing in
the shade of larger trees.

The bark is rather thin, dark grayish brown, peel-
ing otf in long narrow flakes.

The leaves are alternate, thin, rounded or some-
what heart-shaped, toothed, pointed, 3 to 5 inches
long, rough hairy above and soft hairy beneath.
Often some of the leaves, especially on young trees
and thrifty shoots, are mitten-shaped or variously
lobed.

The flowers are of two kinds, on the same or dif-
ferent trees, in long drooping catkins, the female
catkins shorter, appearing with the leaves. The
fruit is dark red or black, and resembles a black-
berry ; however, a stalk extends through it centrally,
and it is longer and narrower. The fruit is sweet
and edible and greatly relished by birds and various
animals.

The wood is rather light, soft, not strong, light
orange-yellow, very durable in contact with the soil.
It is chiefly used for fence posts. The tree might be
planted for this purpose and to furnish food for
birds.

51

CUCUMBER TREE {Magnolia acuminata L.)

THE cucumber tree attains an average height of
00 to 80 feet and a diameter of 2 to 4 feet. It
occurs singly among other hardwood trees through-
out the richer, cooler slopes and coves of our moun-
tains, and extends somewhat into the nearby regions.
This is the only one of our magnolias which has
rough bark and a small leaf.

The bark

is aromatic
and bitter;
that of the
young
twigs is a
lustrou s
red-brown,
while the
bark of
the trunk
i s rather
thin, dark
brown,
furrowed
and broken
into thin
scales.

CUCUMBER TREE

Leaf, one-third natural size.

Twig, two-thirds natural size.

The leaves are alternate, oblong, short-pointed,
rounded at the base, silky hairy when unfolding,
later smooth or slightly silky, 6 to 10 inches long,
4 to 6 inches wide, often with wavy edges, dark
green above, lighter beneath.

The flowers are single, large — though smaller than
those of the other magnolias — 2i/2 to 3 inches long.
The G upright petals are whitish green, tinged with
yellow. The fruit is a smooth, dark-red, often
crooked "cone," 'Zy^ to 3 inches long, somewhat
resembling a small cucumber. The seeds are one-
half inch long, and covered with a pulpy scarlet
coat, which attracts the birds, particularly as the
seeds hang by thin cords from the opening "cones."

The wood is light, soft, close-grained, durable,
of a light yellow-brown color. It is cut and used
extensively along with yellow poplar for cabinet
and carriage making, and other similar uses. Be-
sides being a valuable timber tree, it is quite de-
sirable for roadside and ornamental planting.

52

SWEET BAY, OR WHITE BAY

{Magnolia virginiana L.)

SWEET BAY, or white bay, is a small slender
tree with gray branches attaining heights of
15 to 30 feet, depending upon the soil conditions.
It is found on low, moist or wet lands, and along
the margins of water in the Coastal Plain and less
abundantly in the eastern portion of the Piedmont
region. It is associated with white cedar in the
"juniper bays." It sprouts up freely after fires and
sometimes forms thickets. It
is often cultivated as a gar-
den plant in this country
and in Europe.

The leaves are simple, ob-
long, pale green above and
white beneath, most of them
dropping off during the win-
ter, especially in the Pied-
mont. The winter buds
are thickly
"la \\M// fiwMill ^--mPTT^xioyered

with fine
hairs.

The fra-
grant
f 1 owers,
with 9 to

12 pure white petals ou slender smooth stems, meas-
ure from 2 to 3 inches across. They continue to
open during several weeks in the spring and early
summer. The fruit cluster, or "cone," is oval in
shape, dark red, smooth, about 2 inches long by
one-half an inch broad, and contains scarlet seeds
which are variably oval and much flattened, about
one-quarter of an inch long.

The wood is soft, light brown tinged with red,
with cream-white sapwood. The tree is usually
too small for the wood to be of much commercial
importance, although it is sometimes used along
with gum for woodenware and for making paper
pulp. ^

SWEET BAY, OK WHITE BAY

Leaf, one-third natural size.
Twig, two-thirds natural size.

53

MOUNTAIN MAGNOLIA {Magnolia frascri Walt.)

THE mountain magnolia, sometimes locally
known as walioo, is a small tree, 30 to 40 feet
high, with a straight, leaning, or divided trunk,
9 to IS inches in diameter and has wide-spreading,
rather brittle branches. It is found in the rich
coves and on the cool slopes of the southern Appa-
lachian Mountains at elevations from 2,000 to 4,000

feet.

The bark is
usually smooth
and grayish
brown. The
terminal win-
ter buds are
smooth, jnirple,
lYo to 2 inches
long.

The leaves
are distinctive,
being oblong
with the lower
end narrowed
and "auricled"
(i. e., having
lobes like ears)
at the base.
They are
smooth, 10 to
12 inches long,
crowded at the
ends of the
twigs, and drop
off in the
autumn. The
flowersare
white, fragrant,
8 to 10 inches wide, and ''perfect" (i. c, having
stamens and pistils in the same flower.)

The fruit at maturity is red and shai)ed like a
cucumber, 4 to 5 inches long, bearing many scar-
let seeds, each in a carpel, or cell, on which is a
long stiff point.

The wood is light, soft, weak and easily worked.
It is only occasionally used for lumber or pulp-
wood, in places where practically all species are
being cut.

The tree is occasionally planted for ornamental
purposes, but it is said to be less hardy than the
other magnolias.

MOUNTAIN MAGNOLIA
Leaf, one-third natural size.
Twig, two-thirds natural size.

54

-^ -^£&=.<,'^S><

-€>-;?^<i:t>-

YELLOW POPLAR, OR TULIP TREE

{Liriodendron tulipifera L.)

YELLOW POPLAR, or tulip tree, received its
names from the yellow color of its heartwood
aud its attractive tuiip-like flowers. It is one of
the largest and most valuable hardwood trees of
the United States. It occurs commonly throughout
the State, but reaches its largest size in the deep
moist soils along streams and in the lower moun-

Leaf, one-third natural size.

YELLOW POPLAR

Twig, two-thirds
natural size.

tain coves. As more commonly seen, it has a height
of 60 to 100 feet and a diameter of 3 to 4 feet. Origi-
nal-growth trees, however, attain heights of 150 to
190 feet and diameters up to 10 feet. Growing with
a straight central trunk like the pines, and often
clear of limbs for 30 to 50 feet, it has a narrow
pyramidal head which in older age becomes more
spreading. The tree has been extensively cut, but
is reproducing rapidly and remains one of the most
abundant and valuable trees in our young second-
growth forests. It has been planted as an orna-
mental and shade tree.

The leaves are simple, 4 to 6 inches in length and
breadth, 4-l()bed, dark green in summer, turning
to a clear yellow in the fall.

The greenish-yellow tulip-shaped flowers appear
in April. The fruit is a narrow light-brown, upright
cone, 2 to 3 inches long, made up of seeds, each en
closed in a hard bony coat and provided with a
wing which makes it easily carried by the wind.

The wood is light, soft, easily worked, light yel-
low or brown, with wide cream-colored sapwood.
It is extensively cut into lumber for interior and
exterior trim, vehicle bodies, veneers, turnery and
other high-grade uses.

SASSAFRAS (Sassafras officinale N. and E.)

THE sassafras is a small, aromatic tree, usually
not over 40 feet in height or a foot in diameter.
It is common throughout the State on dry soils,
except in the higher mountains, and is one of the
tirst broad-leaf trees to come up on abandoned lields,
where the seeds are dropped by birds. It is closely
related to the camphor tree of Japan. The bark of

SASSAFRAS
Twig, one-half natural size. Leaf, one-third natural size.

the trunk is thick, red-brown and deeply furrowed
and that of the twigs is bright green.

The leaves are very characteristic. It is one of the
few trees having leaves of widely different shape on
the same tree, or even on the same twig. Some are
oval and entire, 4 to 6 inches long; others have one
lobe, resembling the thumb on a mitten; while still
others are divided at the outer end into 3 distinct
lobes. The young leaves and twigs are quite mu-
cilaginous.

The flowers are clustered, greenish yellow, and
open with the first unfolding of the leaves. The male
and female flowers are usually on different trees.
The fruit is an oblong, dark blue or black, lustrous
berry, containing one seed and surrounded at the
base by what appears to be a small orange-red or
scarlet cup at the end of a scarlet stalk.

The wood is light, soft, weak, brittle, and durable
in the soil ; the heartwood is dull orange-brown. It
is used for posts, rails, boat-building, cooperage and
for ox -yokes. The bark of the roots yields the very
aromatic oil of sassafras much used for flavoring
candies and various commercial products.

56

^^<J5§^-^ -e> -^^^<^4^-

^> -^^<X?:t>^ ^> -^^<^^

SWEET GUM (Red Gum)

(Liquidambar styraciflua L.)

THE sweet gum is a large valuable forest tree. It
occurs on rich river bottoms and in swamps sub-
ject to frequent overflow, as well as on drier uplands
throughout the lower and middle parts of the State.
It is usually abundant in second growth on old fields
and in cut-over woods. The bark is a light gray,
roughened by corky scales, later becoming deeply
furrowed. After the second year the
twigs often develop 2 to 4 corky pro-
jections of the bark, which
give them a
winged a p -
pearance.

The simple,
al t er n ate
star - shaped
leaf, with its
5 to 7 points
or lobes, is
5 to 7 inches
across and
very a r o-
matic. In the
fall its
coloring i s
brilliant,
ranging from
red to a deep

SWEET GUM

Leaf, one-third natural size.

Twig, two-thirds natural size.

pale yellow through orange and
bronze.

The flowers are of two kinds on the same tree,
unfolding with the leaves. The fruit at first glance
reminds one of the balls of the sycamore, but on
closer inspection proves to be a head. It meas-
ures an inch or more in diameter and is made up of
many capsules with projecting spines. It fre-
quently hangs on the tree by its long swinging
stem late into the winter.

The wood is heavy, moderately hard, close-
grained, and not durable on exposure. The reddish
brown heartwood, which suggests the name red gum,
is not present to any appreciable extent in logs
under 16 inches in diameter. The wood is exten-
sively used for flooring, interior finish, paper pulp
and veneers for baskets of all kinds. Veneers of
the heartwood are largely used in furniture, some-
times as imitation mahogany or Circassian walnut.
This tree should be more widely planted for orna-
mental use.

57

'^<i^.^ -©--^^-o^-

SYCAMORE {Platanus occidentalis L.)

THE sycamore, also called buttonwood, is con-
sidered the largest hardwood tree in North
America. It occurs throughout the State but is
most abundant and reaches its largest size along
streams and on rich bottomlands. It is one of the
more rapid-growing trees. In maturity it occasion-
ally attains a height of 140 to 170 feet and a diame-

STCAMORE

Leaf, one-third
natural size.

Twig one-half
natural size.

ter of 10 to 11 feet. It often forks into several
large secondary trunks, and the massive spreading
limbs form an open head sometimes 100 feet across.

The bark of the sycamore is a characteristic fea-
ture. On the younger trunk and large limbs it is
very smooth, greenish gray in color. The outer
bark yearly flakes off in large patches and exposes
the nearly white younger bark. Near the base of
old trees the bark becomes thick, dark brown and
divided by deep furrows.

The leaves are simple, alternate, 4 to 7 inches
long and about as broad, light green and smooth
above, and paler below. The base of the leafstalk is
hollow and in falling oflf exposes the winter bud.
The fruit is a ball about 1 inch in diameter, con-
spicuous throughout the winter as it hangs on its
flexible stem, which is 3 to 5 inches long. During
early spring the fruit ball breaks up, and the smaU
seeds are widely scattered by the wind.

The wood is hard and moderately strong, biit
decays rapidly in the ground. It is used for
butchers' blocks, tobacco boxes, furniture and in-
terior finish.

The European sycamore, or planetree, is less sub-
ject to disease than our species and has been Avidely
planted in this country for ornament and shade.

58

-e>-^^<

SERVICE-BERRY, OR SERVICE-TREE

(Amelanchier canadensis Medic.)

THE service-tree, also known as service-berry and
locally as "sarvis," is found throughout the State
but attains its best development on the mountain
slopes. It is a small tree, 20 to 50 feet high and
G to 18 inches in diameter, with a rather narrow,
rounded top, but is often little more than a shrub.
The bark is thin, ashy gray, smooth on the branches
and upper part of the stem, and breaking into shal-
low fissures on the
ghort trunk.

The leaves are alter-
nate, slender - stalked,
ovate, pointed, finely
toothed, 2 to 4 inches
long, purplish brown
until nearly mature,
then becoming a light
green, and early cov-
ered with scattered
silky hairs.

The white flowers ap-
pear in erect or droop-
ing clusters in early
spring, before or with

the leaves, making the tree quite conspicuous in the

leafless or budding forest.

The fruit is sweet, edible, rounded, dark purple
when ripe, one-third to one-half an inch in diame-
ter, ripening early in June. Birds and other deni-
zens of the forest are very fond of the fruit, and
men have been known to cut down and destroy
the trees to gather one good crop of fruit.

The wood is heavy, exceedingly hard, strong,
close-grained and dark brown. It is occasionally
used for handles. This is a desirable ornamental
tree and should be planted for this purpose and
to encourage the birds.

SERVICE-BERRY, OR

SERVICE-TREE
One-half natural size.

> .#^<j3^j>-^ '-^-mf-^^'

^>-^-^<^

BLACK CHERRY (WUd Cherry)

{Prunus serotina Erh.)

A medium-sized tree, up to about 70 feet high
and 1 to 3 feet iu diameter, black cherry as a
tree is at its best in the high mountains. The forest-
grown trees have long clear trunks with little taper ;
open grown trees have short trunks with many
branches and irregular spreading crowns. The bark
on branches and young trunks is smooth and bright

reddish brown,
marked by conspicu-
ous, narrow, white,
horizontal

BLACK CHERRY
Twig, two-thirds natural Blze.
Leaf, one-third natural size.

oval to lance-like in shape, with edges broken by
many fine incurved teeth, thick and shiny above,
and paler beneath.

The fruit is dull purplish black, about as large
as a pea, and is borne in long hanging clusters.
It ripens in late summer, and is edible, although
it has a slightly bitter taste.

The wood is reddish brown wdth yellowish sap-
wood, moderately heavy, hard, strong, fine-grained,
and does not warp or split in seasoning. It is
valuable for its lustre and color and is used for
furniture, interior finish, tool^, and implement han-
dles. With the exception of black walnut, the
cherry lumber has a greater unit value than any
other hardwood of the eastern United States.

60

^<4^3-^ .e> -ti^^i

REDBUD (Cercis canadensis L.)

THE redbud, sometimes called Judas-tree from
its oriental relative of that name, is a small
tree occurring under taller trees or on the borders
of fields on hillsides and in valleys throughout the
State, except in the mountains, though it is more
abundant in the middle district. It ordinarily at-
tains a height of 25 to 50 feet and a diameter of

REDBUD
Leaf, one-fifth natural size. Twig, two-thirds natural size.

6 to 12 inches. Its stout branches usually form
a wide flat head.

The bark is bright red-brown, the long narrow
plates separating into thin scales.

The leaves are alternate, heart-shaped, entire, 3
to 5 inches long and wide, glossy green turning in
autumn to a bright clear yellow.

The conspicuous, bright purplish red, pea-shaped
flowers are in clusters along the twigs and small
branches and appear before or with the leaves in
early spring. With the redbud in its full glory,
a drive through the country is likely to be one
long remembered.

The fruit is an oblong, flattened, many-seeded pod,
2 to 4 inches long, reddish during the summer, and
often hanging on the tree most of the winter.

The wood is heavy, hard, not strong, rich dark
brown in color, and of little commercial importance.
The redbud is cultivated as an ornamental tree and
for that purpose might be planted more generally
in this State.

61

>-^^<j5:|}>-^ -e>-^s%><!<?^-s ^>-^?#=>'55^^-^ -^-$^-c5:§^^ -e^

HONEY LOCUST {Gleditsia triacanthos L.)

THE honey locust occurs scattered throughout
the State except high in the mountains. It grows
under a wide variety of soil and moisture condi-
tions. It sometimes occurs in the forest, but more
commonly in corners and waste places beside roads
and fields. It reaches a diameter of 30 inches and
a height of 75 feet. The bark on old trees is dark

gray and is
divided into
thin tight
scales. The
strong
thorns—
straight,
brown,
b r an c hed,
sharp and
shiny which
grow on the
1 - year - old
wood and re-
m ai n for
many years
— are suffi-
cient to iden-
tify the honey
locust.

HONEY LOCUST
Twig, three-quarters natural size.
Leaf, one-quarter natural size.

The leaf is

pinnate, o r
feather - like,
with 18 to 28 leaflets; or it is twice-pinnate, con-
sisting of 4 to 7 pairs of pinnate or secondary leaf-
lets, each 6 to 8 inches long and somewhat resem-
bling the leaf of the black locust.

The fruit is a pod, 10 to 18 inches long, often
twisted, 1 to 11/2 inches wide, flat, dark brown or
black when ripe and containing yellow sweetish
pulp and seeds. The seeds are very hard and each
is separated from the others by the pulp. The
pods are eaten by many animals, and as the seeds
are hard to digest, many are thus widely scattered
from the parent tree.

The wood is coarse-grained, hard, strong and
moderately durable in contact with the ground.
It is used for fence posts and crossties. It should
not be confused with the very durable wood of the
black locust.

62

5>-m=^<i^'

BLACK LOCUST (Yellow Locust)

{Rohinia pscudacacia L.)

THE black locust occurs throughout the entire
State and in all soils and conditions of moisture
except in swamps. It is found as a forest tree only
in the mountains, where it attains a height of 80 to
100 feet and a diameter of 30 inches. Throughout
the other sections of the State it occurs generally
in thickets on clay banks or waste places, or singly

along fence rows.
The twigs and
branchlets are armed
w i t h straight o r
slightly curved sharp,
strong spines, some-
times as much as 1
inch in length which
remain attached to
the outer bark for
many years. The
bark is dark brown
and divides into
strips as the tree
grows older.

The leaves are pin-
nate, or feather-like,
from 6 to 10 inches
iu length, consisting
of from 7 to 19 ob-
long thin leaflets.

The flowers a jo
fragrant, white or
cream-colored, and
appear i u early
spring in graceful
pendant racemes.
The fruit is a pod
from 3 to 5 inches long containing 4 to 8 small hard
seeds which ripen late in the fall. The pod splits
open during the winter, discharging the seeds. Some
seeds usually remain attached to each half of the
pod, and this acts as a wing upon which the seeds
are borne to considerable distances before the strong
spring winds.

The wood is yellow in color, coarse-grained, very
heavy, very hard, strong, and very durable in con-
tact with the soil. It is used extensively for fence
posts, poles, tree nails, insulator pins and occasion-
ally for lumber and fuel.

BLACK LOCUST
Leaf, one-third natural sizf.
Twig, two-thirds natural sizo.

'i^-<^-

HOLLY (7ica? opaca Ait.)

THE hollj occurs sparingly scattered throughout
the State. It prefers a rich moist soil, but is
also found on the higher and drier situations. It
is much less abundant now than formerly, due to
the large amount gathered and shipped to the cities
for Christmas decorations.

It is a small evergreen tree, seldom exceeding 30
feet in height and 12 inches in diameter. The
bark is light gray and
roughened by wart-like
growths. The numerous
short, slender branches
form a dense, narrow
pyramidal head of strik-
ing dark-green color efifect,
especially when well laden
with the conspicuous red
berries.

The leaves are simple,

alternate, oval, thick and

leathery, 2 to 4 inches

long, and armed with

spiny teeth; they persist

on the branches for about

three years, then they drop

off in the spring.

The flowers are small, whitish and inconspicuous ;

the male and female flowers are usually borne on

separate trees.

The fruit, which ripens late in the fall and per-
sists on the branches over the winter, is a dull
red or sometimes yellow, nearly round berry, about
one-quarter of an inch in diameter containing 4
to 6 ribbed nutlets.

The wood is light, tough, not strong, and nearly
white. It is valued and much used for cabinet
work and wood-turning. For this purpose many
of the larger, finer trees have been cut and mar-
keted.

HOLLY

Two-thirds natural size.

84

•e> -#^<j?:|?>-^ -e>

SUGAR MAPLE {Acer saccharum Marsh.)

THE sugar maple, often called sugar tree, is
common only on the cool slopes of our higher
mountains. It is generally a rather sloAv-growiug
tree, but in the open it grows faster and has a
very symmetrical, dense crown, affording heavy
shade. It is therefore quite extensively planted as
a shade tree. The bark on young trees is light gray

to brown
and rather
smooth,
but as the
tree grows
older i t
breaks up
into long,
irregular
plates o r
scales,
which vary
from light
gray to
almost
black. The
twigs are
smooth
and red-
dish brown, and the winter buds sharp-pointed.
The tree attains a height of more than 100 feet and
a diameter of 3 feet or more. The sap yields maple
sugar and maple syrup.

The leaves are 3 to 5 inches across, simple, oppo-
site, with 3 to 5 pointed and sparsely toothed lobes,
the divisions between the lobes being rounded. The
leaves are dark green on the upper surface, lighter
green beneath, turning in autumn to brilliant shades
of dark red, scarlet, orange and clear yellow.

The flowers are yellowish green, on long thread-
like stalks, appearing with the leaves, the two kinds
in separate clusters. The fruit, which ripens in the
fall, consists of a two-winged "samara," or "key,"
the two wings nearly parallel, about 1 inch in length
and containing a seed. It is easily carried by the
wind.

The wood is hard, heavy, strong, close-grained
and light brown in color. It is known cuniiiuirciully
as hard maple, and is used in the manufacture of
flooring, furniture, shoe-lasts and a great variety of
novelties.

SUGAR MAPLB
Leaf, one-third natural size.
Twig, ouf-half natural size.

65

RED MAPLE {Acer ruhrum L.)

THE red maple, or swamp maple, is widely dis-
tributed throughout the State. It is usually
a medium-sized tree, quick-growing and relatively
short-lived. It is used as a shade tree, though much
inferior for this purpose to the other maples, espe-
cially the sugar maple. The bark is smooth and
light gray on young stems, and dark gray and rough
on the old limbs and trunk.

RED MAPLE

Leaf, one-third natural size.

Twig, one-half natural size.

The leaves are 2 to 5 inches long and have from
3 to 5 pointed, saw-toothed lobes, which are sepa-
rated by sharp angular sinuses or openings. The
upper surface when mature is light green and the
lower surface whitish and partly covered with pale
down. In autumn the leaves turn to brilliant shades
of red, orange and yellow.

The red flowers in dense clusters appear in early
spring before the leaves, the buds turning a deep
red sometime before they open. The winter buds
are small, red and round or blunt-pointed. The
fruit ripens in late spring or early summer. It
consists of pairs of winged seeds, or keys, one-half
to 1 inch in length, on long drooping stems, red,
reddish brown or yellow in color.

The wood, which is commercially known as soft
maple, is heavy, close-grained, rather weak and of
a light-brown color. It is used in the manufacture
of furniture, and for turnery, woodenware, and also
for fuel.

YELLOW BUCKEYE

(Aesculus octandra Marsh.)

THE yellow buckeye, or sweet buckeye, generally
known simply as buckeye, flourishes in the rich
mountain coves of the southern Appalachians, where
it attains a height of 90 feet and a diameter of -i
feet. It extends eastward and westward from the
mountains in rich bottoms and moist uplands,
chiefly, however, as a shrub.

YELLOW BUCKEYE

Nut, one-third natural sizp. Twig, three-quarters natural size.

Leaf, oue-Quarter natural size.

The bark is gray -brown and somewhat smooth but
breaks up into thin irregular scales.

The leaves^ unlike those of any other of our tree
species except the other member of the buckeye
group, are divided into usually 5, but sometimes
{y or 7 oblong, pointed, sharply toothed leaflets 4
1o () inches long, all set on the end of the leaf stems,
which are about as long as the leaflet. The leaves
usually fall very early in the autumn on account
of the attacks of a disease which causes large brown
spots.

The flowers are yellowish (sometimes purplish),
in large clusters opening when the leaves are about
lialf grown. The fruit is smooth, roundish, rusty
brown, enclosing one or two rounded, chestnut-
brown, shiny seeds called buckeyes. The kernel
is "sweet" enough to be eaten readily by hogs and
cattle.

The wood is cream-white, light and soft and de-
cays rapidlj' when exposed to the weather. It is
used for wooden ware, artificial limbs, and for paper
pulp.

67

^■^^='<^^'

LINDEN, OR BASSWOOD {Tilia species)

THE lindens, basswoods or lins, are a grouii of
forest trees distinctive, yet as a group so simi-
lar that they are being considered together. They
grow chiefly in the mountains, where they are com-
mon and valuable timber trees, attaining heights
of 80 feet and diameters of i feet. The bark is
light brown, deeply furrowed, and is often peeled
for making rough camp buildings. The inner bark
furnishes bast for making mats.

The leaves are
more or less heart-
shaped, 3 to 6
inches long, thin,
saw -toothed,
smooth on both
sides in some
species, but woolly
on the under sur-
face of others.

The flowers are
yellowish white,
in drooping clus-
ters opening in
early summer, and
the flower-stem is
united to the mid-
dle of a long, nar-
row, leaf-like bract. They are very fragrant and
from them the bees make large amounts of choice-
grade honey.

The fruit is a berry-like, dry, 1 or 2 seeded and
rounded pod, one-quarter to one-half an inch in
diameter, covered with short, thick and brownish
wool. It remains attached in clusters to the leafy
bract, which later acts as a wing to bear it away on
the wind.

The wood is light, soft, tough, not durable, light
brown in color. It is used in the manufacture of
pulp, wooden ware, furniture, trunks, excelsior and
manv other articles.

LINDEN, OK BASSWOOD
Leaf, one-third natural size.
Twig, one-half natural size.

68

DOGWOOD (Cormis florida L.)

THE dogweod, sometimes referred to in books as
flowering dogwood, is found growing throughout
the State, usually under the larger forest trees. It
is a small tree, usually 15 to 30 feet high and (5 to 12
inches in diameter, occasionally larger, with a rather
flat and spreading crown and short, often crooked
trunk. The bark is reddish brown to black and

broken up into small
4-sided scaly blocks.
The leaves are op-
posite, ovate, 3 to 5
inches long, 2 to 3
inches wide, pointed,
entire or wavy on
the margin, bright
green above, pale
green or grayish
beneath.

The flowers, which
unfold from the con-
spicuous, round,
grayish, winter flow-
er buds before the
leaves come out, 2-

are small, greenish
yellow, arranged in
dense heads s u r-
rounded b y large
white or rarely pink-
ish petal-like bracts,
which give the ap-
pearance of large spreading flowers 2 to 1 inches
across.

The fruit is a bright scarlet "berry," one-half an
inch long and containing a hard nutlet in which are
1 or 2 seeds. Usually several fruits, or "berries," are
contained in one head. They are relished by birds,
squirrels and other animals.

The wood is hard, heavy, strong, very close-
grained, brown to red in color. It is in great demand
for cotton-mill machinery, turnery handles and
forms. One other tree has quite similar wood — the
persimmon. '

The dogwood, wittf its masses of early spring flow-
ers, its dark-red autumn foliage and its bright-red
berries, is probably our most ornamental native tree.
It should be used much more extensively in roadside
and ornamental planting.

DOGWOOD

Leaf, one-half natural size.
Twig, two-thirds natural size.

^>-m=><^'

SOURWOOD {Oxydcndrum arhorcum DC.)

THE sourwood is found scattered throughout the
State on both rich and poor soil, but is least
abundant in the low alluvial parts of the State. It
is a tree of small dimensions, 8 to 12 inches in diame-
ter and 30 to 40 feet high, rarely larger.

The bark is thin, light gray and divided into nar-
row shallow ridges. On the strong, straight, first-
year shoots it is often a bright red.

SOURWOOD

Leaf, one-lmlf naturni size.

Twig, two-thirds natural size.

The leaves are from 2 to 5 inches long, simple,
alternate, decidedly acid to the taste, often rough
with solitary stiff hairs. They are a lustrous green
on the upper surface, generally turning a deep crim-
son in the fall.

The flowers are small, white or cream-colored,
borne in panicles from 5 to 10 inches long on the
ends of the twigs, and appear in late summer. They
provide storehouses of nectar from which bees make
excellent honey.

The fruit is a conical, dry capsule, one-third to
one-half an inch in length, containing numerous
small seeds. These capsules hang in drooping clus-
ters sometimes a foot in length, often late into the
fall.

The wood is heavy, hard, very close-grained, com-
pact, brown in color, sometimes tinged with red. It
is used to some extent for turnery, handles, and for
some other uses.

70

(EST TTRSC^S

BLACK GUM {Nyssa sylvatica Marsh.)

THE black gum, often called sour gum, has been
considered a weed in the forest. Weed-like, it
finds footing in many types of soil and conditions of
soil moisture throughout the State. In the lowlands
it is occasionally found in year-round swamps with
cypress, and in the hills and mountains on dry slopes
with oaks and hickories.

The leaves are simple, 2 to 3 inches
long, entire, often broader near the apex,
shiny, and dark green in color. In the

fall the
leaves
turn a
most bril-
liant red.

BLACK GUM

One-half natural size.

The
bark on

y ounger
trees is
furrowed
b etwee n
flat ridges,
and grad-
ually de-
velops into quadrangular blocks that are dense, hard
and nearly black.

The greenish flowers on long slender stems ap-
pear in early spring when the leaves are about
one-third grown. They are usually of two kinds,
the male in many-flowered heads and the female
in two to several-flowered clusters on different trees.
The fruit is a dark blue, fleshy berry, two-thirds of
an inch long, containing a single hard-shelled seed,
and is borne on long stems, 2 to 3 in a cluster.

The wood is very tough, cross-grained, not dur-
able in contact with the soil, hard to work, and
warps easily. It is used for crate and basket
veneers, box shooks, rollers, mallets, rough floors,
mine trams, pulpwood, and fuel. In the old days,
the hollow trunks were used for "bee gums."

71

TUPELO GUM (Cotton Gum)

{Nyssa aqiiatica Marsh.)

THE tupelo gum, or cotton gum, inhabits only
the deep river swamps or coastal swamps which
are usually inundated during a part of the year.
The commonly enlarged base, large-sized fruit, or
"plum," hanging on a long stem, together with the
brittleness of the twigs, serves to distinguish it
from the black gum. It forms a tall, often slowly
tapering, somewhat crooked
trunk, 50 to 75 feet in height r

and 2 to 3 feet in diameter.
The spreading, rather small ^
branches form a narrow, ob- '\
long or pyramidal head. '

The branches are generally
smooth and light brown in
color. The bark of the trunk
is thin, dark brown, and fur-
rowed up and down the
trunk.

The leaves are sim-
ple, ovate or oblong
in shape, acute and
often long - pointed.
When mature, they
are thick, dark green
and lustrous on the
upper side, pale and
somewhat downy on
the lower side, 5 to 7
inches long and 2 to 4 inches at the top, wedge-
shaped at the base, irregular and slightly notched or
toothed on the margin. The leaf-stem is stout, 1 to

2 inches long, grooved and enlarged at the base.
The flowers, which appear in March or April,

are of two kinds, usually l)oi*ne on separate trees,
the male in dense round clusters, and the female
solitary on long slender stems.

The fruit, ripening in early fall, is a so-called
"plum," oblong or obovate in shape, about an inch
long, dark purple, and has a thick, tough skin en-
closing a flattened stone, borue on a slender stalk

3 to 4 inches hmg.

The wood is light, soft, and not strong. It ia
used for woodenware, brooiu handles, fruit and
vegetable packages. As lumber it is marketed as
tupelo or bay poplar. The root-wood is often ex-
tremely light in weight and is sometimes used for
floats for fish nets.

72

TUPELO GUM
Leaf, one-third natural size.
Twig, two-thirds natural size.

^<:^'

PERSIMMON {Diospyros virginiana L.)

THE persimmon, often called "simmon," is well
known throughout its range. It is a small tree,
rarely exceeding 50 feet in height and 18 inches in
diameter, occurring throughout the State, except
in the high mountains. It seems to prefer dry, open
situations, and is most abundant in old fields,
though it occurs on rich bottomlands. The bark of

old trees is almost
black and sepa-
rated into thick
nearly square
blocks, much like
the black gum.

The leaves are
alternate, oval,
entire, 4 to 6
inches long, dark
green and shining
above, paler be-
neath.

The small flow-
erS;, which appear
in May, are yel-
lowish or cream-
white, somewhat
bell-shaped, the
two kinds occur-
ring on separate
trees ; the male in

clusters of 2 or 3, the female solitary. They are

visited by many insects.

The fruit is a pulpy, round, orange-colored or
brown berry, an inch or more in diameter and con-
taining several flattened, hard, smooth seeds. It is
strongly astringent while green, but often quite
sweet and delicious when thoroughly ripe. It is
much relished by children, and by dogs, 'possums
and other animals.

The wood is hard, dense, heavy, strong, the heart-
wood brown or black, the wide sapwood white or yel-
lowish. It is particularly valued for shuttles, golf-
stick heads, and similar special uses, but is not ot
sufficient commercial use to warrant its general en-
couragement as a timber tree.

PERSIMMON

Leaf, one-half natural size.

Twig, three-quarters natural size.

73

.^-^^^sft^.^ ^-m><i^'

SILVERBELL {Halesia Carolina L.)

THIS tree occurs in its best development in the
Great Smoky Mountains, but extends through-
out the whole mountainous region. It attains a
height of about 100 feet and a diameter of 30 inches
or more, but only in favorable localities does it grow
large enough for commercial use. It is commonly
found along the upper watercourses. It is occasion-
ally planted, as it makes a desirable ornamental tree.

The leaves arc simple, opposite,
oval, pointed, thin, finely toothed,
and vary in length from 4
to 6 inches.

The bark ranges in color

from very light gray in

\ -Wy/ U i ( \i^' young trees to a very dark

I \\\ \Xf ^ reddish brown in old

tt \^7 /^U- trees. It separates into

^ R ^)l\^^fev scales and strips as the

tree grows older.

The flowers are white
or sometimes tinged with
pink, nearly an inch long,
and appear in early spring
with the unfolding of the
leaves. The pendent, bell-like flowers suggest the
names silverbell and snowdrop tree. The fruit is
from 1 to 2 inches long and nearly an inch wide,
with a corky, four-winged covering. The solitary
seed is a bony stone.

The wood is soft, light cherry-colored streaked
with white ; the sapwood is white or creamy. Where
large enough, it is cut for lumber and used as a sub-
stitute for cherry.

The large commercial tree is by some considered
a separate species, Halesia ino)iticola Sarg.

SILVERBELL

Leaf, one-half natural size.

Twig, one-third natural size.

74

WHITE ASH {Fraxinus americana L.)

THE white ash is found throughout the State, but
grows to best advantage in the rich moist soils
of mountain coves and river bottomlands. It reaches
an average height of 50 to 80 feet and a diameter of
2 to 3 feet, though much larger trees are found in
virgin forest. The bark varies in color from a light
gray to a gray -brown. The rather narrow ridges are

WHITE ASH

Twig, one-half natural size.

Leaf, one-third natural size.

separated with marked regularity by deep, diamond-
shaped fissures.

The leaves of the white ash are from 8 to 12 inches
long and have from 5 to 9 plainly stalked, sharp-
pointed leaflets, dark green and smooth above, pale
green beneath. The ashes form the only group of
trees in ea tern America that have opposite, com-
pound leaves with 5 or more leaflets. This fact in
Itself provides a ready means of identifying the
group. The flowers are of two kinds on different
trees, the male in dense reddish purple clusters and
the female in more open bunches. The fruit of the
ash is winged, 1 to 11/2 inches long, resembling the
blade of a canoe paddle in outline, with the seed at
the handle end. The fruits mature in late summer
and are distributed effectively by the winds.

The wood of the white ash is extremely valuable
on account of its toughness and elasticity. It is
preferred to all other native woods for small tool
handles, such athletic implements as rackets, bats
and oars, and agricultural implements. It is also
used extensively for furniture and interior finish.

75

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Abies IS

Acer 65-66

Aeeculus 67

Amelanchier 59

Ash, White 75

Bald Cypress... 16

Balsam, Mountain 15

She 15

Southern 15

Basswood 68

Bay, Pine 11

Sweet 53

White 53

Beech 33

Betula 28-30

Birch, Black 30

Cherry 30

Red 28

River 28

Sweet 30

Yellow i»

Bitternut Hickory . 21

Buckeye, Sweet 67

Yellow 67

Butternut *• 10

Buttonball .^. 58

Buttonwood f7. 58

Carpiuus 32

Carya 21-24

Castanea 34

Cedar, Red 18

White 17

Celtls 50

Cercis 61

Chamaecyparis 17

Cherry, Black 60

Wild 60

Chestnut 34

Comus 69

Cottonwood 27

Cottonwood, Swamp 26

Cucumber Tree 52

Cypress, Bald 16

Diospyros 73

Dogwood „„ 69

Page

Elm, American. 48

White 48

Winged 49

Fagus 33

Fir. Fraser 15

Fraxinus 75

Gleditsia 62

Gum, Black 71

Cotton 72

Red 57

Sweet 57

Tupelo 72

Hackberry 50

Halesia 74

Hemlock 14

Hemlock, Carolina 14

Hemlock Spruce 14

Hickory, Bitternut 21

Mockernut 23

Pale-leaved 24

Pignut 24

Scaly-bark 22

Shagbark 22

Shellbark 22

Small-fruited ... 24

White 23

Whiteheart 23

Holly 64

Honey Locust 62

Hop Hornbeam 31

Hornbeam 32

Ilex 64

Ironwood 31, 32

Judas-tre0 61

Juglans 19-20

Juniper 17

Juniperus 18

Linden 68

Linn 68

Liquidambar 57

Liriodendron 55

Locust, Black 63

Honey 62

YeUow 63

Magnolia, Mountain 53,54

76

TABLE OF CONTENTS— Commued

Page

Maple, Hard 65

Red 66

Soft 66

Sugar 65

Swamp 56

Mockei-nut Hickory 23

Moms 51

Mulberry, Red 51

Nyssa 71-72

Oak, Basket 39

Black 43

Black jack 45

Chestnut 38

Cow 39

Live 40

Mountain 38

Northern red 41

Overcup 37

Post 36

Red 42

Rock 38

Scarlet 44

Spanish 42,44

Southern red 42

Swamp chestnut 39

Swamp post 37

Water 46,47

White 35

Willow 47

Yellow 43

Ostrya 31

Oxydendrum 70

Persimmon 73

Picea 13

Pine, Bay 11

Black 9

Black-bark 11

Loblolly 7

Longleaf 8

Mountain 12

Old field 6,7

Pitch 9

Pocosin 11

Pond 11

Rosemary 6

Page

; Scrub 10

Shortleaf 6,7

Spruce 10

Table mountain 12

White 5

Yellow 7

Pinus 5-12

Plane tree 58

Platanus 58

Poplar, Black 26

Carolina 27

Tulip 55

White 26

Yellow 55

Populus 2G-27

Pruuus 60

Quercus 35-47

Redbud 61

Robinia 63

Salix 25

Sarvis 59

Sassafras 56

Scaly-bark hickory 22

Service-berry 59

Service tree 59

Silverbell 74

Simmon 73

Snowdrop tree 74

Sourwood 70

Spruce, Red 10

Sugarberry 50

Sycamore 58

Sycamore, European 58

Taxodium 16

Tilia 68

Tulip tree 55

Tupelo gum 72

Tsuga 14

Ulmus 48-49

Wahoo 54

Walnut, Black 20

White 19

Water beech 32

Willow, Black * 25

^■i^m>tw^»v)^^,