[TlBRARYJ
UNIVERSITY OF
CALIFORNIA
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BY CHARLES S. NEWHALL
I
THE TREES OF NORTHEASTERN AMERICA
With an introductory note by Nath. L. Britton. With illus-
trations made from tracings of the leaves of the various trees.
8° . . . $2 50
II
THE LEAF COLLECTOR'S HANDBOOK AND HERBARIUM
An aid in the preservation and in the classification of specimen
leaves of the trees of Northeastern America. Illustrated $2 oo
III
THE SHRUBS OF NORTHEASTERN AMERICA
Fully illustrated. Large 8° $2 50
IV
THE VINES OF NORTHEASTERN AMERICA
Very fully illustrated. Similar in general style to " The Trees
of Northeastern America." (In preparation.)
THE TREES
OF
NORTHEASTERN AMERICA
ILLUSTRATIONS FROM ORIGINAL SKETCHES
CHARLES S. NEWHALL
With an Introductory Note Dy
NATH. L. BRITTON, E.M.. PH.D., COLUMBIA COLLEGE
G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS
NEW YORK LONDON
V} WEST TWENTY-THIRD STREET 24 BEDFORD STREET
Jinickerbocher
1897
COPYRIGHT i8go
BY
CHARLES S. NEWHALL
Electrotyped. Printed and Bound by
"Cbc Tknichcrbochci- press, t\e\v Korfc
G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS
I said I will not walk with men to-day,
But I will go among the blessed trees, —
Among the forest trees I '11 take my way,
And they shall say to me what words they please.
And when I came among the trees of God,
With all their million voices sweet and blest,
They gave me welcome. So I slowly trod
Their arched and lofty aisles, with heart at rest.
Then all around me as I went,
Their loving arms they lightly bent,
And all around leaf-voices low
Were calling, calling soft and slow.
I could not fail to know ^
The words they whispered so,
Nor could I onward go
From words so sweet and low.
— From The Trees.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
PREFACE. . . . ... xiii
INTRODUCTORY NOTE xiv
GUIDE TO THE TREES . . . . . i
LIST OF GENERA ....... 3
DESCRIPTION OF TREES (WITH ILLUSTRATIONS) . 4
EXPLANATION OF TERMS . . . ; .237
GLOSSARY .... . 243
INDEX TO THE TREES ...... 245
ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGH
Figures i and 2. — CUCUMBER TREE and SWEET BAY . . . 7
Figure 3. — UMBRELLA TREE 9
Figure 4. — PAPAW 1 1
Figure 5. — RED BUD .' . . . . . . . -13
Figure 6. — SOUR GUM 15
Figure 7. — PERSIMMON 17
Figure 8. — SASSAFRAS 19
Figure 9. — BASSWOOD 23
Figures 10 and n. — AMERICAN HOLLY 25
Figure 12. — WILD BLACK CHERRY 29
Figure 13. — WILD RED CHERRY .29
Figure 14. — WILD PLUM 31
Figure 15. — CRAB-APPLE 33
Figure 16. — WHITE THORN FRUIT 35
Figure 17. — BLACK THORN 35
Figure 18. — COMMON THORN 37
Figure 19. — COCKSPUR THORN 39
Figure 20.— SHAD-BUSH . ..... 41
Figure 21. — SORREL TREE 43
Figures 22 and 23. — WHITE ELM and SLIPPERY ELM ... 45
Figure 24. — HACKBERRY . . . -~ 49
Figure 25. — RED MULBERRY 51
Figure 26. — BUTTONWOOD 54
Figures 27 and 28. — WHITE BIRCH and PAPER BIRCH. . . 57
Figures 29 and 30. — RED BIRCH and YELLOW BIRCH . . .61
Figure 3 1. — SWEET BIRCH 63
Figure 32. — HOP-HORNBEAM 65
Figure 33. — HORNBEAM 67
Figure 34. — CHESTNUT . , 69
Illustrations.
PAGE
Figure 35. — BEECH 71
Figure 36. — BLACK WILLOW 73
Figure 37. — SCYTHE- LEAVED WILLOW . . . / -75
Figure 38. — SHINING WILLOW 77
Figure 39. — LONG-BEAKED WILLOW .....'. 79
Figures 40, 41, 42, and 43. — WHITE WILLOW, YELLOW WILLOW,
WEEPING WILLOW, and CRACK WILLOW . . . .81
Figure 44. — ASPEN .......... 85
Figure 45. — LARGE-TOOTHED ASPEN 87
Figure 46. — DOWNY-LEAVED POPLAR 89
Figure 47. — COTTON WOOD 91
Figures 48 and 49. — BALSAM POPLAR and BALM OF GILEAD . 93
Figure 50. — LOMBARDY POPLAR . . . . . . .95
Figure 51. — SILVER-LEAF POPLAR 95
Figure 52. — TULIP TREE . 99
Figure 53. — WHITE OAK .103
Figure 54. — POST OAK . . . . . . 105
Figure 55. — BURR OAK 107
Figure 56. — SWAMP WHITE OAK . 109
Figure 57 — CHESTNUT OAK in
Figure 58. — YELLOW CHESTNUT OAK 113
Figure 59. — BLACKJACK 115
Figure 60. — SPANISH OAK 117
Figure 61. — SCARLET OAK 119
Figure 62 — BLACK OAK 121
Figure 63. — RED OAK .- 123
Figure 64. — PIN OAK 125
Figure 65. — WILLOW OAK .127
Figure 66. — SHINGLE OAK . . . . . . . .129
Figure 67. — SWEET GUM 131
Figure 68. — FLOWERING DOGWOOD 135
Figure 69. — ALTERNATE-LEAVED DOGWOOD . .- . .137
Figure 70. — FRINGE TREE 139
Figure 71. — CATALPA 141
Figures 72 and 73. — BLACK HAW and SWEET VIBURNUM . . 145
Illustrations.
PACK
Figure 74. — STRIPED MAPLE ...... 149
Figure 75. — SUGAR MAP£E ........ 151
Figure 76. — BLACK MAPLE ........ 153
Figure 77. — SILVER-LEAF MAPLE ...... 155
Figure 78. — RED MAPLE . . ...... 157
Figures 79, 80, 81, and 82. — GRAY PINE, SCRUB PINE, TABLE
MOUNTAIN PINE, and RF.D PINE ..... 163
Figures 83, 84, and 85. — YELLOW, PITCH, and WHITE PINE . 167
Figures 86 and 87. — BLACK SPRUCE and WHITE SPRUCE . . 169
Figure 88. — NORWAY SPRUCE ....... 171
Figure 89. — HEMLOCK ......... 173
Figures 90 and 91. — BALSAM FIR and LARCH . . . .177
Figures 92 and 93. — WHITE CEDAR and ARBOR VIT^E . . 179
Figure 94. — RED CEDAR ........ 183
Figure 95. — AILANTHUS ........ 187
Figure 96. — LOCUST ......... 189
Figure 97. — KENTUCKY COFFEE TREE ..... 191
Figure 98. — HONEY LOCUST ....... 193
Figure 99. — STAG-HORN SUMACH ..... . 197
Figure 100. — POISON SUMACH . . . . . . 199
Figure 101. — MOUNTAIN ASH ....... 201
Figures 102 and 103. — BLACK WALNUT and BUTTERNUT . . 205
Figure 104. — SHAG-BARK . ...... 207
Figure 105. — MOCKER-NUT ........ 209
Figure 106.— SMALL-FRUITED HICKORY ..... 211
Figure 107. — PiG-NuT ......... 213
Figure 108. — BITTER-NUT . . ..... 215
Figure 109. — ASH-LEAVED MAPLE ...... 219
Figure no. — WHITE ASH ........ 221
Figure in. — RED ASH ........ 223
Figure j 1 2. — GREEN ASH ....... * . 225
Figure 113. — BLUE ASH ........ 227
Figure 114. — BLACK ASH ........ 229
Figure 115. — SWEET BUCKEYE ....... 233
Figure 116. — OHIO BUCKEYE . . . . . , . 235
PREFACE.
" C , if you and I were to meet a man on the
street and ask him his name, he could tell us. I wish a
tree could do as much. Here are splendid specimens all
around us, and I don't know one of them."
" Get a book that will help you."
" I cannot find such a book. I can find no book
which, in simple fashion, will so describe the tree, from
its foliage and bark and style, that I can recognize it."
14 Then I will make one for you."
The trees described in the following pages include
all the native trees of Canada and the Northern United
States east of the Mississippi River. Mention has also
been made of the more important of the introduced and
naturalized species. The work has been so arranged that
any given specimen can be readily found by help of the
GUIDE on page i.
My chief authority for the geographical distribution
of the species is Sargent's report in the Tenth Census
xiv Introductory Note.
of the United States ; for the scientific nomenclature,
Nath. L. Britton, E.M., Ph.D.
I am greatly indebted to Professors Thomas C. Porter,
of Lafayette College, and N. L. Britton, of Columbia
College, for valuable aid and suggestions ; also to Rev.
S. W. Knipe, of Oceanic, N. J.
INTRODUCTORY NOTE.
COLUMBIA COLLEGE HERBARIUM,
NEW YORK, May 12, 1890.
DEAR SIRS : — I have been interested in glancing over
the manuscript of Mr. Newhall's book on our native
trees, and am much pleased to learn that it is to be
published. There is great need of such a popular work.
It will do much good in supplying information to our
people about some of the common things around them,
and this in an attractive manner.
Yours very truly,
N. L. BRITTON.
LIST OF GENERA.
A—/
777 (a)
PAGE
I'AGE
Magno'ia . .
. . 6
Liriodendron . .
. 98
AVirm a
10
Oucrcus
IOI
Cercis ....
12
Nyssa ....
. . 12
(b)
Diospyros . .
Sassafras .
. . 16
. . 18
Liquidamber
. 130
77
B— 7
Tilia
. 22
Ilex
2zl
• 134
Prunus
. . 27
Chionanthus . . .
. 138
Pyrus ....
• • 32
Catalpa ....
. 140
Crat&gus .
• • 34
Amelanchier
. . 40
77
Oxydendrum
. . 42
Viburnum . . .
. 144
Ulmus . . .
• • 44
Celtis ....
. . 48
Ill
Morus
CO
Broussonetia
. • 52
Acer
. 148
Platanus . . .
• • 53
Betula ....
£>strya . . .
• • 55
64
c
Carpinus . . .
. . 66
Castanea
68
Pinus
161
Fagus .
• 7°
Plcea
1 68
Salix ....
. . 72
Tsuga
. 172
Popalus .
. 84
Abies .
. 174
Larix ....
Chamaecyparis .
Thuya . . .
Junlperus . .
D— 7
Ailanthus . .
Roblnia . . .
Gymnocladus
Gledltschia . .
77
Rhus ....
Pyrus ....
Juglans . . .
Hicoria .
PAGE
• 175
, I78
. 180
. 181
1 86
188
190
192
196
200
203
206
E— 7— 77
Negundo . . .
Fraxinus .
218
220
.-Esculus 238
•a
I
v
GUIDE.
For explanation of all terms see glossary at end of book
v ("edge entire. Go to / under A
g J " toothed. " // " A
i i j | Lobes, entire. Goto III (a ) under A
-3 [ :dj Lobes, toothed. « III(b) " A
v f edge entire. Go to / under B
'g J " toothed. " II " B
Du] , , j ( Lobes, entire. Goto III fa) under B
&[ lobedj Lobes, toothed. " III(b) " B
indeterminate. Go to / under C
entire. Go to / under D
s \. J ) Clinic. ^-t\j \,yj J. uiji«av-i j— '
fa ( alternate, edge|toothed .. ff .. D
"5 ^••<
8 *S ] i ( entire. Go to / under E
- [opposite, edge toQthed „ (l R
W i ^-5 1
4) «Tj CL> I
C CL, J
^ rrt "\
^-5 I
opposite, edge toothed. Go to / under F
*NoTE. — The leaflets of a compound leaf can be distinguished from a simple leaf
by the absence of leaf-buds from the base of their stems.
GUIDE (Continued).
NOTE. — Names in italics are given also under another division.
A— 7
Ill (a)
PAGE
PAGE
Magnolias
. 6-8
Tulip-tree ....
98
Papaw
10
Oaks
IOI
Gum, sour . . .
. 12
Sassafras ....
18
Judas-tree
. 12
Button-wood ....
53
Persimmon . . .
. 16
Sassafras ....
. 18
(*)
Oak, willow . . .
. 126
Gum, sweet ....
130
Dog-wood, alt. leaved
Willow, long-beaked
. 136
. 78
Poplar, silver-leaf . .
Mulberry . . .
94
5°
II
Mulberry, paper . .
52
Oaks
IOI
Basswoods
22-24
Hollies ....
24-26
Cherries ....
27-28
B — 7
Plum
• 30
Dog-wood, flowering .
134
Crab-apple . . .
• 32
Fringe-tree ....
138
Thorns ....
34-38
Catalpa
140
Shad-bush . . .
. 40
Sorrel-tree . . .
. 42
77
Elms
Hackberry . . .
Mulberry ....
44-47
. 48
• 50
Black haw ....
Viburnum, sweet . .
144
146
Mulberry, paper
Button-wood
• 52
• 53
Ill (a)
Birches ....
55-62
{V
Hornbeam, Hop .
. 64
Hornbeam
. 66
Maples . . . 148-156
Chestnut ....
. 68
Beech
. 70
C— 7
Willows ....
72-83
Poplars ....
84-94
Pines, cedars, spruce,
Oaks, chestnut .
. 101 i etc. .
160
D— /
PACK
Ailanthus .... 186
Locusts . . . 188-190
Coffee-tree, Kentucky, 190
Locust, honey . . . 192
Sumach, poison . . 198
II
Sumach, staghorn
Ash, mountain .
Walnut, black .
Butternut . .
Hickories . . .
Locust, honey
. . 196
. . 200
. . 203
. . 204
2O6-2I4
. . I92
E— /
Ask,redznAwhite, 220-222
II
Ash-leaved maple . . 218
Ash, black, blue, green,
red, and white . 220-228
F— /
Buckeyes .
Horse-chestnut .
232-234
• • 234
DESCRIPTION OF TREES.
NOTE i. — Those species are considered trees (in dis-
tinction from shrubs) which, as the rule, spring from the
ground with a single branching trunk.
NOTE 2. — The arrangement of the illustrations and
descriptions under each section is according to the natural
order of the genera.
NOTE 3. — In using the guide and the following leaf-
illustrations it should be remembered that leaves from
vigorous young sprouts are not usually the best specimens.
It is seldom that two leaves, even upon the same mature
branch, exactly agree ; but they follow the type, while
often the younger growth varies from it.
NOTE 4. — When describing the trees, items that are
specially helpful in determining the species are given in
italics.
TREES WITH SIMPLE LEAVES
LEAVES ALTERNATE
(EDGE ENTIRE)
A I
Genus MAGNOLIA, L. (Magnolia.)
From " Magnol," the name of a botanist of the seventeenth century.
Fig. i.— Cucumber Tree, Mountain Magnolia. M. acuminata, L.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE ENTIRE.
Outline, long oval. Apex, pointed. Base, pointed.
Leaves, five to ten inches long, thin, dark green above ;
green beneath and slightly downy ; growing along
the branch and not simply in a cluster at its end.
Bark, dark and rough.
Flowers, three to six inches across, bluish or yellowish-
white, abundant and fragrant. May, June.
Fruit, in a cylinder-shaped bunch, two to three inches
long, and somewhat resembling a small cucumber.
Found, in rich woods from Western New York to Southern
Illinois and southward, and in cultivation. Its finest
growth is in the southern Alleghany Mountains.
A tree sixty to ninety feet high, with a straight trunk
and rich foliage. The wood is durable, soft, and light.
Used for cabinet-work, for flooring, for pump-logs, and
water-troughs. As in other magnolias the juice is bitter
and aromatic.
Fig. 2.— Sweet Bay, Swamp Laurel, Small Magnolia. M.
glauca, Z.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE ENTIRE.
Outline, long oval or slightly reverse egg-shape. Apex,
slightly blunt-pointed. Base, pointed.
Fig. 2
Fig. I. — Cucumber Tree. (M. acuminata, L.)
Fig. 2. — Sweet Bay. (M. glauca, L.)
NATURAL SIZE.
8 Trees with Simple Leaves. LA i
Leaf, about three to six inches long, thick and smooth ;
dark green and polished above ; white below ; the
middle rib green and distinct ; the side ribs slight
and indistinct.
Bark of trunk, smoothish, light gray, aromatic and bitter.
Flowers, large (two to three inches wide), white, at the
ends of the branches, very fragrant. June, July.
Fruit, bright red berries, at first in small cone-like clus-
ters, then hanging by slender threads. September.
Found, in swampy ground, from Massachusetts southward,
usually near the coast.
A small tree (often a bush), four to twenty-five feet
high, or higher southward, where its leaves are evergreen.
All parts of the tree (and it is the same with the other
magnolias) have an intensely bitter, aromatic juice, which
is stimulating and tonic.
Fig- 3.— Umbrella Tree, Elkwood. M. tripttala, L.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE ENTIRE.
Outline, long oval or slightly reverse egg-shape. Apex,
short, sharp-pointed. Base, pointed.
Leaves, twelve to thirty-six inches long, six to eight inches
wide ; rather dark green above ; lighter beneath ;
silky when young, but soon smooth ; growing in
clusters at the ends of the branches.
Bark, smoothish and light.
Flowers, seven to eight inches across, at the ends of the
branches, white, and fragrant. May, June.
Fruit, in a cylinder-shaped bunch, four to five inches
long, and rose-colored as it ripens.
Fig. 3.— Umbrella Tree. (M. tripetala, L.)
ONE THIRD NATURAL SIZE.
io Trees with Simple Leaves. [A i
Found, in Southeastern Pennsylvania and southward along
the Alleghany Mountains, and in cultivation.
A tree twenty to thirty feet high, with irregular
branches, and light, soft wood. As in other magnolias
the juice is bitter and fragrant.
Genus ASIMINA, Adans. (Papaw.)
Fig. 4. — Papaw, Custard Apple. A. trlloba (L.), Dunal.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE ENTIRE.
Outline, long, reverse egg-shape. Apex, pointed, in small
leaves, sometimes rounded. Base, taper-pointed or
slightly rounded.
Leaf, five to ten inches long, thin, rusty downy when
young, soon becoming smooth and polished.
Bark, silvery-gray, smooth and polished ; young shoots
downy.
Flowers, one and a half inches wide ; dark to light, in
drooping clusters, appearing with the leaves. March,
April.
Fruit, about three inches long by one and a half inches
thick, egg-shape, yellow, about ten-seeded, fragrant,
sweet, and edible. October.
Found, from Western New York to Southern Iowa and
southward.
A small tree of unpleasant odor when bruised, ten to
twenty feet high (or often only a bush) and densely
clothed with its long leaves.
Fig. 4.— Papaw. A. trlloba (L.), Dunal.
LEAF, NATURAL SIZE. FRUIT, TWO THIRDS NATURAL SIZE.
1 2 Trees with Simple Leaves. LA i
Genus CERCIS, L. (Red Bud.)
From a Greek word meaning "shuttle," because of the shuttle-shaped pod.
Fig. 5. — Red Bud, Judas Tree. C. Canadensis, L.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE ENTIRE.
Outline, round heart-shape. Apex, tapering and rather
blunt, sometimes with a short bristle. Base, heart
shape.
Leaf -stem, smooth and swollen at each end into a sort of
knob.
Leaf, usually about four to five inches long and wide ; rather
thin ; smooth above and below ; with seven prominent
ribs radiating from the end of the leaf-stem.
Flowers, reddish, acid, usually abundant in small clusters
along the branches ; appearing before the leaves.
March to May.
Fruit, a small, many-seeded, flat pod, winged along the
seed-bearing seam. Seeds, reverse egg-shape.
Found, in rich soil, Western Pennsylvania, westward and
southward. Common in cultivation.
A small and fine ornamental tree, with long, flat-leaved
branches.
The name "Judas tree" is traditional. " This is the
tree whereon Judas did hang himself, and not the elder
tree, as it is said."
Genus NYSSA, L. (Sour Gum.)
From the name of a water nymph, because of the location of the original species.
Fig. 6.— Sour Gum, Black Gum, Pepperidge, Tupelo. N.
sylvatica, Marsh.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE ENTIRE.
Outline, oval or reverse egg-shape. Apex, pointed.
Base, pointed.
Leaf-stem, slightly hairy when young.
Fig. 5.— Red Bud. (C. Canadensis, L.)
NATURAL SIZE.
H Trees with Simple Leaves. [A i
Leaf, two to five inches long ; usually about half as broad ;
dark green and very shining above, especially when
old ; light green and shining below ; thick, tough,
and firm. Middle rib slightly hairy when young ;
side ribs rather indistinct and curved.
Bark, grayish and often broken into short sections.
Fertile flowers, small, in clusters of three to eight on
slender stems. April, May.
Fruit, nearly one half inch long ; bluish-black when ripe ;
egg-shape or oval ; acid and rather bitter until
"frosted." Stone, oval, somewhat pointed at each
end, slightly flattened, and with three or four blunt
ridges on each side. September.
Found, from Southern Maine to Michigan, and southward
to Florida and Texas.
A tree twenty to forty feet high (larger southward),
with flat, horizontal branches. The wood, even in short
lengths, is very difficult of cleavage, and so is well fitted
for beetles, hubs of wheels, pulleys, etc. Its leaves are
the first to ripen in the fall, changing (sometimes as early
as August) to a bright crimson.
I was commenting, one day, to a reverend doctor and
professor on the frequent reference to this tree in stories
and anecdotes of Southern life, when he fluently quoted :
" Possum up a gum-tree,
Cooney in de holler,
Nigger in de corn-field,
Don't yer hear him holler."
A better version changes the last two lines :
" Possum up de gum-tree,
Cooney in de hollar.
Fetch him down, little boy,
Give yer half a dollar."
The professor added the explanation that the opossums
climb the tree in search of its fruit.
Fig. 6.— Sour Gum. (N. sylvatica, Marsh.)
NATURAL SIZE.
1 6 Trees with Simple Leaves. [Ai
Genus DIOSPYROS, L. (Persimmon.)
From two Greek words meaning fruit of Jove.
Fig. 7. — Persimmon. D. Virginiana, L.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE ENTIRE.
Outline, long oval or long egg-shape. Apex, pointed.
Base, pointed or rounded.
Leaf, three to five inches long, thickish ; dark and
smooth, usually shining, above ; below dull, with the
ribs curved and irregular and minutely downy. On
the upper surface the ribs are quite indistinct, except
as the leaf is held toward the light when they appear
almost transparent. In the same position the leaf is
seen also to be edged with a slight delicate fringe
(appearing in the dried leaf like a line of yellow
light).
Bark of trunk dark and rough.
Flowers, greenish-yellow and small, at the base of the leaf-
stems. June.
Fruit, about one inch in diameter, rounded, nearly stem-
less, orange-red when ripe, with about eight large
flat seeds. After frost it is of very pleasant flavor ,
before, exceedingly " puckery."
Found, from Connecticut southward to Florida and west-
ward to Southeastern Iowa.
A tree twenty to sixty feet high ; sometimes, at the
South, more than one hundred feet high. The wood is
hard and close-grained ; the bark tonic and astringent.
Fig. 7.— Persimmon. (D. Virginia, L.)
NATURAL SIZE.
1 8 Trees with Simple Leaves. [A i
Genus SASSAFRAS, Nees. (Sassafras.)
Fig. 8. — Sassafras. S. officinale, Nees.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE ENTIRE OR LOBED.
Outline, when the edge is entire usually oval or egg-
shape ; when lobed usually broader and reverse egg=
shape. Base, pointed or wedge-shape. Apex of the
leaf or of the lobes rounded or slightly blunt-pointed.
Leaf, variable in size, dark, thin, smooth ; rather shining
above ; the lobes, when present, two or three in
number and usually more or less bulging, with the
hollows always rounded.
Flowers, greenish-yellow, in clusters. May, June.
Fruit, oval, one-seeded, blue, with a reddish, club-shaped
stem ; pungent.
Bark, obliquely and curiously furrowed and broken, gray
without, reddish within ; young twigs yellowish.
Found, from Southwestern Vermont, southward and west-
ward.
A tree fifteen to fifty feet high with light and soft
wood. All parts of the tree have a pleasant, spicy taste
and fragrance. From the bark of the roots a powerful
aromatic stimulant is obtained.
NOTE. — See Alternate-leaveJ Dogwood, with its genus. Section B, /., p. 136.
NOTE. — See Willow Oaks, with their eenus. Section A, ///. (a), pp. 126-128
Fig. 8.— Sassafras. (S. officinale, Nees.)
NATURAL SIZE.
TREES WITH SIMPLE LEAVES
LEAVES ALTERNATE
CONTINUED
(EDGE TOOTHED)
A II
Genus TILIA, L. (Basswood.)
Fig. 9. — Basswood, American Linden, Whitewood, Lime
Tree, Bee Tree. T. Americana, L.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE SOMEWHAT IRREGU-
LARLY VERY SHARP-TOOTHED.
Outline, rounded, often very one-sided. Apex, pointed.
Base, strongly heart-shaped.
Leaf, usually about three to four inches wide, four to five
inches long ; sometimes much larger ; rather thick,
very smooth and shining above ; with small tufts of
reddish hairs in the angles of the ribs below ; and
often with the ribs themselves hairy.
Bark of the trunk very thick ; on the young branches
dark brown.
Fruit, gray-downy, ovate, the size of small peas, clustered
on a long stem of which the lower half is joined to
half the length of a narrow, leaf-like bract, usually
with a tapering base.
Found, in rich woods, from British America southward to
Virginia and along the Alleghany Mountains and
westward.
A straight-trunked tree, sixty to eighty feet high (often
unbranching to half its height) and two to four feet in
diameter. Its very tough inner bark is used for mats and
coarse rope. The wood is white and soft and clear of
knots. It is much used for wooden ware, in cabinet-work,
and for the panelling of carriages, though now less es-
teemed than the tulip tree for these uses, owing to its
liability to crack in bending.
Fig. 9.— Basswood. (T. Americana, L.)
NATURAL SIZE.
24 Trees with Simple Leaves. [A n
White Basswood, Wahoo. T. heterophylla, Vent.
This species differs from T. Americana chiefly in the
following items :
Leaf, five to eight inches long ; deep green and shining
above, beneath velvety and silvery white with purplish
ribs.
Found, from the mountains of Pennsylvania to Georgia
and westward.
Height, usually twenty to thirty feet.
T. pubescens, A it., differs chiefly from T. Americana in
these particulars :
Leaves, smaller (two to three inches long), thinner, and
somewhat downy beneath.
Fruit, rounded, about one fourth of an inch in diameter,
and with the base of the leaf-like bract to which it
is attached usually rounded at the base.
Found, New York to Florida and westward.
The cultivated European Linden [T. Europaea] resem-
bles the Basswood in its foliage, but the tree is smaller
(about forty feet high) and with a pyramid-shaped top.
Genus ILEX, L. (Holly.)
Fig. 10. — American Holly. /. opaca, Ait.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE WITH REMOTE, VERY
SHARP SPINE-LIKE TEETH, with rounded spaces between.
Outline, oval. Apex and base, pointed.
Leaf, about two inches long ; dark polished green above ;
below rather yellowish-green ; thick and stiff; smooth
throughout ; ribs very indistinct below.
Fig. 11
Fig. io.— American Holly. (I. opaca, Ait.)
Fig. ii. — I. monticola.
NATURAL SIZE.
26 Trees with Simple Leaves. LA n
Bark, light gray and smooth.
Fruit, a nearly round, bright-red berry, the size of a pea.
It ripens in September and continues upon the
branches into the winter.
Found, from Massachusetts southward near the coast to
Florida, and from Southern Indiana southwest, and
southward to the Gulf.
An evergreen tree, ten to thirty feet high, with a
compact head of spreading branches. Its wood is easily
worked, white, of fine grain, and light in weight.
The use of holly and other evergreens in religious
ceremonies dates from pagan times. " Trummying of the
temples with floures, boughes, and garlondes, was taken
of the heathen people, whiche decked their idols and
houses with suche array." Early church councils made rules
and restrictions concerning the practice — e.g., in France
Christians were forbidden " to decke up their houses with
lawrell, yvie, and green boughes in the Christmas season,"
for " Hedera est gratissima Baccho"*
Pig. II. — Ilex monflcola, Gray.
This is usually regarded as a shrub, "but it not seldom
attains the size and exhibits the port of a small tree " — (T.
C. Porter). It differs from I. opaca chiefly in these items:
Leaves, not evergreen ; egg-shape or long oval, rather
thin with edge finely toothed, and apex taper-pointed.
Found, in damp woods in the Catskill and Tahonic Moun-
tains, and in Cattaraugus County, New York;
through Pennsylvania as far east as Northampton
County, and southward along the Alleghanies.
* The ivy is most acceptable to Bacchus.
Edge Toothed. 27
Genus PRUNUS L. (Cherry, Plum.)
Fig 12.— Wild Black Cherry, Rum Cherry. P. serbtina, Ehr.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE TOOTHED (with the
points of the teeth so incurved as to appear blunt),
and often finely " crinkled."
Outline, usually long oval or long egg-shape. Base,
rounded or slightly pointed. Apex, pointed.
Leaf-stem, usually with two to five tooth-like glands near
the base of the leaf.
Leaf, two to five inches long ; thickish ; polished, and of
a deep shining green above ; beneath, lighter and
smooth, with the middle rib sometimes downy toward
the base. In the autumn the leaves turn to orange,
and later to a pale yellow.
Bark of old trunks, blackish and rough ; of young trunks
and on the larger branches, reddish or purplish
brown ; marked with scattered lines ; on young
shoots, at first green or olive brown, gradually be-
coming darker, and sprinked with small orange dots.
flowers, white, with short stems, closely set in a long,
cylinder-shaped cluster. May, June.
Fruit, about one and a quarter inches in diameter ; with
short stems (one and a quarter to one and a third
inches) hanging in long, close clusters from the ends
of the twigs. It is nearly black when ripe, and of a
pleasant flavor though somewhat bitter ; it is eagerly
eaten by the birds. August.
Found, very widely distributed north, south, and west. It
reaches its finest growth on the western slopes of the
Alleghany Mountains.
28 Trees with Simple Leaves. [A n
A tree fifty to eighty feet high. The wood is
light and hard, of a brown or reddish tinge, becoming
darker with exposure, and of very great value in cabinet-
work and interior finish. It is now becoming scarce, so
that stained birch is often used as a substitute. The
bitter aromatic bark is used as a valuable tonic ; " cherry
brandy " is made from the fruit.
Fig. 13. — Wild Red Cherry, Bird Cherry, Pin Cherry.
P. Pennsylvanica, L.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE, or alternate in pairs ; EDGE
FINELY AND SHARPLY TOOTHED.
Outline, narrow egg-shape. Apex, taper-pointed. Base,
rounded or slightly pointed.
Leaf-stem, grooved above.
Leaf, two to six inches long, shining and smooth and of
about the same shade of green on both sides.
Bark, reddish-brown and smooth, with swollen, rusty-
colored dots, and usually stripping, like that of the
garden cherry, around the trunk.
Flowers, white, on stems about one inch or more in
length, in nearly stemless clusters. May.
Fruit, the size of a large pea, light red, on long stems
(about three fourths to one inch long), sour, in
clusters of two to five at the sides of the branches,
and usually from the base of the leaf-stems ; seldom
abundant. July.
Found, Common in all northern forests. In Northern
New England it quickly occupies burned-out pine
regions.
A slender tree, usually twenty to twenty-five feet
high, of no value as timber.
Fig. 13
Fig. 12.— Wild Black Cherry. (P. serdtina, Ehr.)
Fig' 13.— Wild Red Cherry. (P. Pennsylvania. L).
NATURAL. SIZE.
30 Trees with Simple Leaves.
Fig. 14. — Wild Plum, Canada Plum, Horse Plum. P. Ameri-
cana, Marsh.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE SHARP-TOOTHED.
Outline, long oval to reverse egg-shape. Apex, taper-
pointed. Base, pointed or rounded.
Leaf-stem, one fourth to one half inch long, smooth,
reddish, usually with two small wart-like glands on
the raised border near the base of the leaf.
Leaf, two to three inches long ; smooth when mature ;
"net-veined," with distinct furrows over the ribs;
somewhat downy on the ribs and in their angles.
Bark of trunk very dark reddish-green or bronze-green,
resembling that of a cherry-tree.
Fruit, one half to two thirds inch in diameter ; broad
oval ; yellow, orange, or red ; with a thick and acid
skin and a pleasant flavor. August.
Stone, slightly flattened, and with both edges winged and
sharp.
Found, from Canada southward to Florida and westward,
and often in cultivation.
A small tree (sometimes a bush), eight to twenty feet
high, with hard, reddish wood. In cultivation it forms
an excellent stock on which to graft the domestic plums.
Fig. 14.— Wild Plum. (P. Americana, Marsh.)
NATURAL SIZE.
S2 Trees with Simple Leaves. [A n
Genus PYRUS L. (Apple, Mt. Ash.)
NOTE. (See others of same genus, Sec. D, //.)
Fig. 15. — Crab-Apple. P. coronaria, L.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE DISTINCTLY TOOTHED
WHEN MATURE \ sometimes nearly three-lobed.
Outline, egg-shape or oval. Apex, pointed. Base,
rounded or somewhat heart-shaped.
Leaf-stem, one half to one inch long, very slender, downy.
Leaf, about two to three inches long, two thirds as wide,
smooth.
Flowers, large ; rose-colored and white, in loose clusters
of five to ten blossoms, and very fragrant. May.
Fruit, round, one to one and a half inches in diameter ;
yellowish, fragrant, hard, and sour ; fit only for pre-
serving.
Found, from Ontario to Western New York, Pennsyl-
vania, and the District of Columbia ; along the
Alleghany Mountains, and westward.
A small tree, ten to twenty feet high, rarely thirty
feet, gaining its finest growth in the valleys of the lower
Ohio. Often its presence is recognized before it is seen
by means of the delightful fragrance of its blossoms.
The Narrow-leaved Crab- Apple (P. angustifolia, Ait.)
is sometimes, though very seldom, found as far north as
Southern Pennsylvania.
Its leaves are narrower and its fruit and flowers
smaller than in the northern species.
Fig. 15. — Crab-Apple. (P. coronaria, L.)
NATURAL SIZE.
34 Trees with Simple Leaves. [A n
Genus CRATYEGUS, L. (Thorn.)
From a Greek word meaning strength.
Fig. 16.— White Thorn, Scarlet-fruited Thorn, Red Haw.
C. cocclnea, L.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE (and in alternate bunches) ;
EDGE UNEVENLY SHARP-TOOTHED (with five to nine
deep cuts almost forming small lobes).
Outline, rounded egg-shape. Apex, pointed. Base, usu-
ally slightly pointed, but often blunt or slightly
heart-shape.
Leaf-stem, slender and often with small wart-like glands.
Leaf, usually one and a half to two and a half inches long,
but of variable size on the same tree ; thin ; smooth ;
shining.
Branchlets, greenish, or whitish and shining, as though
washed with silver. Thorns, one to two inches long,
stout, often whitish, usually slightly curved.
Fevers, about two thirds of an inch across ; white (often
with a rosy tinge) ; twelve or so in a bunch ; with a
strong and rather disagreeable odor. May.
Fruit, nearly one half inch in diameter ; rounded or egg-
shape ; bright red ; with thin pulp and one to five
stones ; somewhat edible. September.
Found, through the Atlantic forests southward to Northern
Florida! and Eastern Texas.
A low tree (or often a bush), ten to twenty feet high,
with crooked, spreading branches ; very common at the
North ; rare in the South.
Fig. 17
Fig. 16.— White Thorn and Fruit. (C. cocdnea, L.)
Fig. 17.— Black Thorn. (C. tomentdsa, L.)
NATURAL SIZE.
36 Trees with Simple Leaves. [A n
A variety with its leaves downy, at least on the under
side, and with its red fruit large and downy (var. mollis),
is found from Central Michigan southward and westward.
Fig. 17. — Black Thorn, Pear Thorn. C. tomenlbsa, L.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE SHARPLY AND UN-
EQUALLY TOOTHED (sometimes with quite deep and
sharp cuts, almost forming small lobes).
Outline, oval or reverse egg-shape. Apex, slightly pointed.
Base, tapering in a hollow curve and along the sides
of the leaf-stem to a point.
Leaf-stem, bordered by the leaf, to its base.
Leaf, about three to five inches long, one and a half to
three inches wide ; upper surface smoothish, and fur-
rowed above the ribs ; under surface downy, at least
when young ; rather thick ; permanently downy on
the ribs. Thorns, one to two inches long.
Bark of trunk, smooth and gray. New twigs, light
greenish-brown.
Flowers, often one inch across ; white ; eight to twelve in
a cluster ; at the ends of the branches ; fragrant.
May, June.
Fruit, about one half inch in diameter ; round or pear-
shaped ; orange-red or crimson ; edible. October.
Found, through the Atlantic forests to Western Florida,
and from Eastern Texas far westward. Common.
A thickly branching tree (or often a shrub) eight to
twenty feet high ; the most widely distributed of the
American Thorns. It varies greatly in size, and in the
style of its fruit and leaves.
Fig. 18.— Common Thorn. (C. punctata, Jac.)
NATURAL SIZE.
38 Trees with Simple Leaves. [A n
Fig. 18. — Common Thorn, Dotted-fruited Thorn. C. punctata,
Jac.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE UNEVENLY SHARP-
TOOTHED ABOVE THE MIDDLE ; sometimes, toward the
apex deeply cut.
Outline, reverse egg-shape. Apex, usually slightly pointed.
Base, strongly wedge-shape, tapering from above the
middle of the leaf and along the leaf-stem to a point.
Leaf -stem, one half to one inch long, slender, and winged
by the tapering leaf.
Leaf, one and a half to two and a half inches long ; about as
wide ; light green ; rather thick ; downy when young ;
when mature, smooth and dull, or sometimes hairy
below, especially on the ribs. Ribs, very straight
below ; above, marked by deep furrows. Thorns, one
to two inches long, stout and curved, or often wanting.
Bark, rough.
Flowers, white ; eight to fifteen in somewhat leafy bun-
ches. May.
Fruit, about one half inch in diameter, or more ; usually
dull red or yellow, with whitish dots ; round ; some-
what edible. September.
Found, from New Brunswick and Vermont southward
and westward.
A thick, wide-spreading tree, twelve to twenty-five
feet high.
Fig. 19.— Cockspur Thorn. C. crus-galli, L.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE, SHARPLY TOOTHED
ABOVE J ENTIRE BELOW.
Outline, reverse egg-shape. Apex, usually rounded,
sometimes pointed. Base, tapering to a point, quite
variable.
Leaf-stem, short.
Fig. 19.— Cockspur Thorn. (C. crus-galli, L.)
NATURAL SIZE.
40 Trees with Simple Leaves. [AII
Leaf, one to two and a half inches long, half to three
quarters as wide ; dark green ; thick, smooth, very
shining above. Thorns, two to three inches long,
rather slender and straight.
Flowers, white ; fragrant ; in bunches of about fifteen
blossoms, on very short side branchlets. June.
Fruit, about one third inch in diameter ; pear-shaped or
round ; red remaining on the tree during the winter.
Found, along the St. Lawrence and westward, and from
Vermont, southward and westward ; not common.
A small, thick-branching tree, ten to twenty feet high.
It is the best species of thorn for hedges.
Var. pyracanthifblia has a somewhat narrower leaf
and longer leaf-stem.
Genus AMELANCHIER, Medik. (June-berry.)
Fig. 20. — Shad-bush, June-berry, Service Tree. A. Cana&nsi*
(LJ, Medik.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE VERY SHARPLY ANI>
FINELY TOOTHED.
Outline, long oval, long egg-shape, or reverse egg-shape,
Apex, sometimes bristle-pointed. Base, slightly heart-
shaped or rounded.
Leaf, usually two to three inches long, somewhat downy
when young, afterward very smooth above and below.
Bark of branches and twigs usually purplish-brown and
very smooth.
Flowers, large, white, in long and loose clusters at the
^.nds of the branchlets ; appearing before the leaves.
April, May.
Fig. 20.— Shad-bush. A. Canadfensis (L.), Medik.
NATURAL SIZE.
42 Trees with Simple Leaves. [An
Fruit, berry-like, round, purplish, sweet, and edible. June.
Found, in woods and along streams ; common at the
North ; rare in the South.
A small tree, ten to thirty feet high, or in some of its
numerous forms reduced to a low shrub ; noticeable and
showy in early spring because of its flowers.
The variety A. C. oblongifblia, T. and G., differs some-
what from the above in the dimensions of the flowers and
flower clusters, etc.
The name "shad-bush" is given because the trees
blossom about the time that the shad " run."
Genus OXYDENDRUM, D. C. (Sorrel Tree.)
From two Greek words meaning sour and tree.
Fig. 21. — Sorrel Tree, Sour Wood. O. arbbreum (L.), D. C.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE TOOTHED.
Outline, oval. Apex, pointed. Base, rounded or slightly
pointed.
Leaf, four to six inches long, one and a half to two and a
half inches wide, soon becoming smooth, with a
decided acid taste (whence the name).
Bark of trunk, rough and deeply furrowed.
Flowers, white, in loose and long one-sided clusters.
Found, from Pennsylvania and Ohio southward, chiefly
along the Alleghany Mountains, and usually in dry,
gravelly soil.
A tree forty to sixty feet high, with hard, close-
grained wood, which is used for the handles of tools, the
bearings of machinery, etc.
Fig. 21.— Sorrel Tree. O. arbdreum (L.), D. C.
NATURAL SIZE.
44 Trees with Simple Leaves. [AII
Genus ULMUS, L. (Elm.)
Fig. 22. — White Elm. U. Americana, L.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE SHARPLY AND OFTEN
DOUBLY TOOTHED.
Outline, oval or egg-shaped, or inversely egg-shaped;
always one-sided.
Base, rounded, or slightly heart-shaped, rarely pointed.
Apex, taper-pointed.
Leaf-stem, about one quarter inch long. Buds, smooth.
Leafy usually two to five inches long, and one and a half
to two and a half wide ; somewhat downy when
young, afterward roughish below ; above, either
rough in one direction, or (especially if taken from
the ends of the long branches) smooth and shining.
The ribs prominent and straight.
Bark of the branches not marked with " corky ridges" ;
branchlets, smooth.
Seeds, flat egg-shaped or oval, winged and fringed all
around. Last of May.
Found, northward to Southern Newfoundland ; southward
to Florida; westward to the Black Hills of Dakota.
Toward the western and southwestern limits it is
found only in the river-bottom lands.
One of the very noblest of American trees, eighty feet
or more in height, and of strong and graceful proportions.
The trunk divides at a slight angle into two or three arch-
ing limbs, and these again into many smaller curving and
drooping branches. The trunk and the larger branches
are often heavily fringed with short and leafy boughs.
The tree is widely cultivated. Streets planted with it
become columned and arched like the aisles of a Gothic
cathedral.
The wood is hard, and very tough from the interlacing
of its fibres. It is used in making saddle-trees and for
Fig. 23
Fig. 22. — White Elm. (U. Americiuia, L.)
Fig. 23.— Slippery Elm. (U. fulva, Michaux.)
NATURAL SIZE.
46 Trees with Simple Leaves. [A n
wheel-hubs, and is now largely exported to England to
be used in boat- and ship-building.
One day I found four men in a stone quarry, working
with iron bars and rollers over a heavy flat slab. They
were moving the stone slowly up a narrow plank into
their cart. "John," I said, " I would not think that board
could hold a stone of such weight two minutes. Is it
hickory?" " No sir," said John, "that 's an elm plank;
it can't break." It did not break.
It was one of the woods which the Deacon used in
building his famous " one-hoss shay" :
" So the deacon inquired of the village folk
Where he could find the strongest oak,
That could n't be split nor bent nor broke, —
That was for spokes and floor and sills ;
He sent for lancewood to make the thills ;
The cross-bars were ash, from the straightest trees ;
The panels of whitewood, that cuts like cheese,
But lasts like iron for things like these ;
The hubs of logs from the ' Settler's Ellum,' —
Last of its timber, — they could n't sell 'em,
Never an axe had seen their chips,
And the wedges fleiv from between their lips,
Their blunt ends frizzled like celery-tips ; "
— OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES.
Corky White Elm. U. racembsa, Thomas.
In foliage and shape and in the qualities of its timber
this tree very closely resembles the white elm. A very
noticeable difference is in its branches, which are often
marked lengthwise with many large, corky, almost winged
ridges. Its seeds resemble but are rather larger than
those of the white elm.
Found, from Southwestern Vermont through Western
New York and Southern Michigan tc Northeastern
Iowa, and southward through Ohio to Central Ken-
tucky. Its finest growth is in Southern Michigan.
Leaves Alternate. 47
Fig. 23. — Slippery Elm, Red Elm. U.fulva, Michaux, U. rubra,
Michaux, f.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE SHARPLY AND DOUBLY
TOOTHED.
Outline, oval or long egg-shape. Apex, taper-pointed.
Base, slightly heart-shaped or rounded.
Leaf-stem, about one eighth inch long, stout and rough.
Buds hairy.
Leaf, four to seven inches long, three to four inches wide.
The upper surface is rough both ways, and very rough
downwards, almost like a fine file. The under sur-
face is slightly rough.
The ribs beneath are prominent and straight, and hairy
in their angles.
Bark of the larger branches, brownish ; branchlets, light-
gray and very rough, becoming grayish-purple. The
inner bark is very gummy and "slippery"
Seeds, flat, round, winged, but not fringed. Last of May.
Found, along the lower St. Lawrence to Ontario, and
from Western New England westward and south-
ward ; in woods and along streams.
A tree thirty to forty feet high. Its wood is hard
and strong, but splits easily when dry. Though otherwise
inferior, for posts it is superior to white elm. Its inner
bark is sold by druggists as " slippery elm," and is nutri-
tious and medicinal. Its name of red elm is due to the
reddish-brown tinge of its large rounded and hairy buds
in the spring.
The English Elm [U. campestris, L.] was introduced
early, and is often found in cultivation. It differs from
the white elm, especially in these items :
Leaves, usually smaller, and more closely placed upon the
branch.
48 Trees with Simple Leaves. [An
Bark, darker and much more broken.
Branches, compact and more or less horizontal and straight
to their ends, instead of arching and drooping.
Seeds, resembling in shape those of the slippery elm.
The tree is sometimes seen sixty to seventy feet high,
but usually is much smaller. Like all the elms it is of
rapid growth.
Genus CELTIS, L. (Hackberry.)
An ancient name for the Lotus.
Fig. 24. — Hackberry, Sugar Berry. C. occidentalis, L.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE SHARP-TOOTHED, but
entire at the base.
Outline, obliquely egg-shaped, very one-sided. Apex,
taper-pointed. Base, usually somewhat heart-shaped,
or slightly pointed or rounded.
Leaf, two to three inches long, one to two inches wide ;
rough.
Bark of the trunk, rough ; sometimes much crumpled.
Fruit, about the size of a pea ; solitary ; drooping from
the bases of the leaf-stems, on stems once or twice as
long as the leaf-stems ; rounded ; pulp thin, sweet,
and edible ; purplish red ; ripe in September.
Found, from the valley of the St. Lawrence westward and
southward.
A tree fifteen to thirty feet high (but much larger at
the South), most common, and reaching its finest growth
in the basin of the Mississippi. It is very variable in size
and in the shape and texture of its leaves.
Variety crassifblia is sometimes found, in which the
leaves are thicker and usually toothed all around.
Fig. 24.— Hackberry. (C. occident&is, L.)
NATURAL SIZE.
50 Trees with Simple Leaves. [An
Genus MORUS, L. (Mulberry.)
Fig. 25. — Red Mulberry. M. rubra, L,
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE COARSELY AND SOME-
WHAT IRREGULARLY TOOTHED ; or, at times, unequally
and very variously TWO- TO THREE-LOBED.
Outline, egg-shape. Apex, long pointed (when there are
side lobes their ends may be rounded). Base, heart-
shaped, and more or less one-sided.
Leaf, three to seven inches long, rather thin, rough above
and downy below, sometimes becoming very smooth.
The ribs are very distinct, and whitish below.
Bark, grayish, and much broken.
Berries, about the size and shape of small blackberries.
When ripe they are very dark purple (nearly black),
juicy, and sweet. July.
Found, from Western New England, westward and south-
ward.
A tree fifteen to twenty-five feet high ; in the Middle
and Western States much larger. It is most common
and reaches its finest growth along the lower Ohio and
the Mississippi rivers. Its wood is valuable, light, and
soft, but very durable in contact with the ground.
The White Mulberry [M. alba] is sometimes found
around old houses and in fields. It was introduced from
China, and was formerly cultivated as food for silk-worms.
Its leaves resemble those of the Red Mulberry in shape,
but are smooth and shining.
i£- 25.— Red Mulberry. (M. rubra, L.v
NATURAL SIZE.
52 Trees with Simple Leaves. [AK
Genus BROUSSON&TIA, L'Her.
Paper Mulberry. [£. papyrifera, Vent]
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE IRREGULARLY SHARP-
TOOTHED, or, at times, unequally and very variously
two- to three-lobed.
Outline, very nearly that of the Red Mulberry (Fig. 25)
broad egg-shape. Apex, taper-pointed (when there
are side lobes their ends also pointed). Base,
rounded or slightly pointed, rarely, in the small
leaves, slightly heart-shaped.
Leaf-stem, rough.
Leaf, usually about five inches long, sometimes nine
inches ; thick ; rough above, very velvety-rough. The
main ribs are very distinct, and are thickly netted
with smaller ones.
Bark, light and smoothish.
Flowers, in long aments and balls.
Fruit, not edible.
An introduced tree, common around houses or escaped
from cultivation.
A low-branching, large-headed shade tree of medium
size, introduced from Japan.
In Japan and China the bark of the Paper Mulberry
is made into paper, whence the name.
Leaves Alternate. 53
Genus PLATANUS, L. (Buttonwood.)
From a Greek word meaning broad, in reference to the breadth of its shade or of its
leaf.
Fig. 26. — Buttonwood, Buttonball Tree, Plane Tree,
Sycamore.* P. ocrident&lis, L.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE VARIABLE, EITHER
COARSE-TOOTHED OR SOMEWHAT LOBED J With the
teeth or lobes sharp, and the hollows between them
rounded.
Outline, rounded. Apex, pointed. Base, more or less
heart-shaped, squared, or rounded.
Leaf-stem, downy when young, smoothish when old ; and
covering the leaf-bud with its swollen base.
Leaf, three and a half to eight inches wide, and usually
broader than long ; downy beneath when young, be-
coming smooth.
Bark, the thin outer bark peels off each year in hard and
brittle strips, leaving the branches and parts of the
trunk with a mottled, whitish, polished-looking sur-
face.
Flowers, small, in compact, round balls (about one inch
in diameter) like round buttons, which dry and
harden, and cling to the branches by their slender
stems (three to four inches long), and swing like
little bells during a good part of the winter.
Found, from Southern Maine, southward and westward,
in rich, moist soil, oftenest along streams. Its finest
growth is in the bottom lands of the Mississippi and
Ohio rivers.
* The name " sycamore," though a common one, should be dropped. It belongs
to another and very different tree.
Fig. 26.— Buttonwood. (P. occidentalis, L.)
NATURAL SIZE.
Leaves Alternate. 55
The largest of the trees of the Atlantic forests, com-
monly sixty to eighty feet high ; along the western rivers
often eighty to one hundred and thirty feet high, some-
times more, with a circumference of forty to fifty feet.
A tree in Eaton, N. J., is one of the largest in the
State. It is eighty-five feet high. At a point eight feet
from the ground its circumference is fourteen feet three
inches. The largest trunks are usually hollow. The
wood is hard and compact, difficult to split and work, of
a reddish-brown color within. Its principle use is in
the making of tobacco boxes.
There is a fine and somewhat noted group of these
trees on the grounds of James Knox, in Knoxboro, N. Y.
In old times they formed a favorite camping place for
the Indians in their trading expeditions. They all
measure not far from three feet in diameter.
Genus BETULA, L. (Birch.)
Fig. 27.— White Birch, Old-field Birch, Gray Birch. B.
populifblia, Marsh.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE (often alternate in pairs) ;
EDGE UNEQUALLY SHARP-TOOTHED, with the base
entire.
Outline, triangular. Apex, taper-pointed. Base, vari-
able, more or less squared, sometimes slightly
hollowed, rounded, or pointed.
Leaf-stem, long and slender, about three quarters of an
inch or more in length.
Leaf, one and three quarters to three inches long.
Smooth and shining on both sides.
56 Trees with Simple Leaves. [An
The outer bark of the mature trunk is chalky-white and
thin, but not, like the bark of the Paper-birch, easily
separable into layers. Usually it is marked with
blackish dots and lines. Often the branchlets and
twigs are blackish, and in very young trees the bark
may be light reddish-brown, and marked with white
dots.
Found, on poor soil, from Delaware and Pennsylvania
northward (mostly toward the coast), and in orna-
mental cultivation. It springs up abundantly over
burned and abandoned lands.
A slender, short-lived tree, twenty to thirty feet high,
with white, soft wood, not durable ; used largely in mak-
ing spools, shoe-pegs, etc., and for fuel.
A still more graceful cultivated species is the Eu-
ropean Weeping Birch [B. pendula]. Its branches are
very drooping, with more slender leaves, and a spray that
is exceedingly light and delicate, especially in early
spring.
Fig. 28.— Paper Birch, Canoe Birch, White Birch. B.papy-
rifera, Marsh.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE SHARPLY AND UN-
EQUALLY DOUBLE-TOOTHED.
Outline, egg-shaped. Apex, pointed. Base, rounded,
slightly heart-shaped, or, rarely, wedge-shaped.
Leaf-stem, downy.
Fig. 27
Fig. 27.— White Birch. (B. populifclia, Marsh.)
Fig. 28. — Paper Birch. (B. papyrifera, Marsh.)
NATURAL SIZE.
58 Trees with Simple Leaves. [AII
Leaf, two to three inches long ; dark green and smooth
above ; beneath, dull, and with the ribs somewhat
hairy, especially in their angles.
Bark of trunk very tough and durable ; thick ; snow-
white on the outside ; easily removed from the wood,
and then itself very separable into paper-like sheets.
The inner sheets are of a reddish tinge.
Found, in the mountains of Northern Pennsylvania, New
England, and far northward, farther than any other
non-evergreen tree of America, excepting the aspen.
A tree, forty to seventy feet high. The wood is light,
hard, and very close-grained, but decays rapidly when
exposed — more rapidly than the bark, which often
remains as a shell long after the wood within has
disappeared. It is very largely used in making spools,
pegs, shoe-lasts, in turnery, for wood-pulp, and for fuel.
The waterproof bark is much used by Indians and
trappers for their canoes.
" Give me of your bark, O Birch-Tree !
Of your yellow bark, O Birch-Tree !
Growing by the rushing river,
Tall and stately in the valley !
I a light canoe will build me,
That shall float upon the river,
Like a yellow leaf in autumn,
Like a yellow water-lily.
' Lay aside your cloak, O Birch-Tree I
Lay aside your white-skin wrapper,
For the summer time is coming,
And the sun is warm in heaven,
And you need no white skin wrapper ! ' "
Hiawatha.
Leaves Alternate. 59
Fig. 29.— Red Birch, River Birch. B. nigra, L.; B. rubra,
Michaux, f. ' ,
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE UNEQUALLY DOUBLE-
TOOTHED ; entire at base.
Outline, egg-shape, often approaching diamond-shape.
Apex, pointed. Base, somewhat pointed, often
rather blunt wedge-shaped.
Leaf-stem, short (about one half to three fourths of an
inch) and downy.
Leaf, about three inches long by two inches wide, or often
less ; whitish and (until old) downy beneath ; dotted ;
in autumn turning to a bright yellow.
Bark of the trunk reddish-brown. As the tree grows the
bark becomes torn and loose, hanging in thin shreds
of varying shades. The young twigs are downy.
Found, on low grounds, especially along river banks, from
Massachusetts westward and southward. It becomes
common only in the lower part of New Jersey. Its
finest growth is in the South. It is the only birch
which grows in a warm climate.
A tree usually thirty to fifty feet high, with the
branches long and slender, arched and heavily drooping.
Often the branches cover the trunk nearly to the ground.
" Birch brooms" are made from the twigs.
60 Trees with Simple Leaves. [An
pig, 30. — Yellow Birch. B. Ibtea, Michaux.f,
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE (often alternate in pairs) ;
EDGE VERY SHARPLY, UNEQUALLY, AND RATHER
COARSELY TOOTHED.
Outline, egg-shape. Apex, pointed. Base, narrowed and
heart-shaped.
Leaf-stem, short and downy.
Leaf, about four by two and one fourth inches, or often
smaller; thin ; downy when young, becoming smooth.
Ribs, straight.
Outer bark of trunk thin and a silvery yellow, and separat-
ing into narrow ribbons curling outwards at the ends.
The twigs and the bark are sweet-tasting and aromatic,
but less so than in the " Sweet Birch."
Found, in moist woods, along the Alleghany Moun-
tains, in Delaware and Southern Minnesota, and
northward into Canada.
A tree forty to eighty feet or often more in height ; one
of the largest and most valuable non-evergreen trees of
New England and Canada. Its hard, close-grained wood is
largely used for fuel, in making furniture, button-moulds,
wheel-hubs, pill-boxes, etc.
Fig. 29
Fig, 30
Fig. 29.— Red Birch. (B. nigra, L.)
Fig. 30.— Yellow Birch. (B. mtea, Michaux, f.)
NATURAL SIZE.
62 Trees with Simple Leaves. [An
Fig. 31 —Sweet Birch, Cherry Birch, Black Birch. B. lenta, L.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE FINELY AND SHARPLY
DOUBLE-TOOTHED.
Outline, egg-shape. Apex, pointed. Base, heart-shaped.
Leaf-stem, short and downy.
Leaf, two to four inches long ; about one half as wide ;
silky-hairy when young, but becoming smooth, except
on the ribs beneath.
Bark of trunk, a dark chestnut-brown ; smoothish when
young, but becoming rough in old trees. The smaller
branches are smooth and dotted with white spots.
In its leaves and the color of the twigs it somewhat
resembles the garden cherry. The foliage and bark
are very aromatic and sweet-tasting.
Found, from Newfoundland to Northern Delaware, west-
ward, and southward along the mountains. It is
very common in the northern forests.
A tree thirty to sixty feet high, with many slender
branches. The wood is hard, fine-grained, and of a red-
dish tint. It is largely used for cabinet-work (sometimes
in place of the more valuable Black Cherry) and for fuel.
3I-— Sweet Birch. (B. lenta, L.)
NATURAL SIZE.
64 Trees with Simple Leaves. [AII
Genus OSTRYA, Scop. (Hop- Hornbeam.)
Fig. 32, a and b. — Hop-Hornbeam, Ironwood, Leverwood.
O. Virginicina (Mill), Willd.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE VERY SHARPLY AND
SLIGHTLY IRREGULARLY AND UNEQUALLY TOOTHED.
Outline, long oval or long egg-shape. Apex, taper-
pointed. Base, slightly heart-shaped.
Leaf -stem, about one fourth inch long, and often rough.
Leaf, usually three to four inches long, and about half as
wide, but with many smaller leaves of varying size on
the same branch ; smoothish above, paler and some-
what downy below. The straight ribs and their
angles hairy.
Bark of trunk, brownish or dark gray, and remarkable for
being finely furrowed up and down, with the ridges
broken into three- to four-inch lengths. These divi-
sions are narrower than on any other rough-barked
tree, and they become narrower and finer as the tree
grows older. The new shoots are reddish green and
dotted with brown ; the younger branches purplish-
brown and dotted with white or gray. When the
branch is two to three inches thick, its bark becomes
grayish and begins to crack.
Fruit, in long oval, drooping clusters, resembling those of
the hop-vine, with long, unlobed scales that lap each
other like shingles. August, September.
Found, oftenest on dry hill-sides. Common North, South,
and West, especially in Southern Arkansas.
A tree twenty to thirty feet high, with white, very
strong, and compact wood. It would be very valuable, if
it were more abundant and of larger growth.
(Or)
Fig. 32.— Hop-Hornbeam. O. Virginiana (Mill), Willd.
a. Leaves, b. Fruit.
NATURAL. SIZE.
66 Trees with Simple Leaves. [AII
Genus CARPINUS, L. (Hornbeam.)
Fig. 33, a and b. — Hornbeam, Ironwood, Water Beech, Blue
Beech. C. Caroliniana, Walt.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE VERY SHARPLY AND
QUITE IRREGULARLY AND UNEVENLY TOOTHED.
Outline, long egg-shape, or reverse long egg-shape.
Apex, taper-pointed. Base, rounded or slightly
heart-shaped.
Leaf-stem, about one half inch long, slender and smooth,
or slightly hairy.
Leaf, usually three to four inches long, and about half as
wide, but with many smaller leaves of varying size
on the same branch ; nearly smooth, slightly hairy on
the straight and distinct ribs and in their angles.
Bark of trunk, a deep bluish-gray or slate ; smooth, but
often marked up and down with irregular ridges,
which run from each side of the lower branches.
The new shoots are somewhat hairy, and brownish
or purplish ; the older branchlets, an ashy-gray color,
with a pearly lustre.
Fruit, in loose drooping cluster, with leaf-like scales that
are strongly three-lobed and placed in pairs base to
base. October.
Found, along streams and in swamps. Quite common
North, South, and West ; northward often only as
a low shrub.
A small tree or shrub, usually ten to twenty feet high,
but in the southern Alleghany Mountains sometimes
reaching a height of fifty feet. Its wood is white and
very compact and strong.
33-— Hornbeam. (C. Caroliniana, Walt.)
a. Fruit scales, b. Leaves.
NATURAL SIZE.
68 Trees with Simple Leaves. [AH
Genus CASTANEA, L. (Chestnut.)
From the name of a town in Thessaly.
Fig. 34. — Chestnut. C. satlva (L.), var. Americana (Michaux), Sarg.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE SHARP-TOOTHED with
the teeth bristle-pointed and the hollows between
rounded.
Outline, very narrow oval. Base and Apex taper-pointed.
Leaf, four to eight inches long, two to three inches wide ;
smooth above and below ; with straight ribs terminat-
ing in the bristle-teeth.
Bark of trunk grayish and in young trees very smooth.
Fruit, with large bristly husks. Usually there are two or
three nuts pressed closely in each cell, and therefore
flat on one or both sides. The nut, though smaller,
is sweeter and more delicate than in the European
variety, the "Spanish Chestnut."
Found, from Southern Maine to Delaware and Southern
Indiana; southward along the Alleghany Mountains
and west to Middle Kentucky and Tennessee. Its
finest growth is on the western slopes of the southern
Alleghany Mountains.
A tree fifty to eighty feet high or more, with light,
soft wood, largely used in cabinet-work, for railway ties,
posts, etc.
34-— Chestnut. C= Satlva (L.), var. Americana (Michaux), Sarg.
NATURAL SIZE.
70 Trees with Simple Leaves. [AH
Genus FAGUS, L. (Beech.)
Fig. 35- — Beech. F. ferruginea, Ait.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE SHARP-TOOTHED, WITH
SMALL AND REMOTE TEETH.
Outline, oval or egg-shape. Apex, taper-pointed. Base,
rounded.
Leaf, three to six inches long, about half as wide ; a very
"finished" leaf; when young, fringed with soft,
white hairs ; becoming smooth and polished ; with
distinct and straight unbranched side-ribs, ending in
the teeth of the edge. The dead, bleached leaves
often cling thickly to the branches throughout the
winter.
Bark of the trunk, light gray, smooth, and unbroken.
Fruit, a small four-celled prickly burr, splitting half-way
to the base when ripe, and with two sweet, three-
sided nuts in each shell.
Found in rich woods, Nova Scotia to Florida and west-
ward, with its finest growth on the " bluffs " of the
lower Mississippi basin.
Large stately trees, with spreading branches and a
delicate spray, fifty to eighty feet high. The wood is
hard and very close-grained, and is used largely in the
making of chairs, handles, plane-stocks, shoe-lasts, and
for fuel. When the tree is not crowded, it sends out its
nearly horizontal or drooping branches as low as from
ten to thirty feet above the ground.
Lumber-men make the distinction of " Red Beech "
and "White Beech," claiming that the former is harder,
with a redder and thicker heart-wood.
Fig. 35.— Beech. (F. ferruginea, Ait.)
NATURAL SIZE.
72 Trees with Simple Leaves. [A n
Among woodsmen and the Indians, the Beech is said
to be a favorite refuge in thunder-storms. They claim
that it is scarcely ever struck by lightning.
Lumber-men claim a difference in the quality of trees
which retain their leaves and those which shed them.
" Said a neighbor to me one day : ' You might 'a knowed
that beech would split hard with all the dry leaves on it,"
— and it did. That was the first I 'd ever heard of the
sign, but I Ve never known it fail since."
LIST OF WILLOWS.
(A) Native trees ; all small :
Black Willow (S. nigra, Marshall).
Scythe-leaved Willow (S. n., var. falcata, Torn).
(S. amygdaloides, Anders.).
Shining Willow (S. lucida, Muhl.).
Long-beaked Willow (S. rostrata, Richards).
(B) Not native trees ; all large :
White Willow (S. alba, L.).
Blue Willow (S. a., var. caerulea).
Yellow Willow (S. a., var. vittelina).
Weeping Willow (S. Babylonica, Tourn.).
Crack Willow (S. fragilis, L.).
Genus SALIX, L. (Willow.)
From two Celtic words meaning " near" and "water."
Fig. 36, a and b.— Black Willow. S. nigra, Marsh.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; FINELY AND SHARPLY TOOTHED.
Outline, long and narrow. Apex, long, taper-pointed
Base, pointed or slightly rounded.
Fig. 36.— Black Willow. (S. nigra, Marsh.)
a. Commonest form. b. Large form.
NATURAL SIZE.
74 Trees with Simple Leaves. [AII
Leaf-stem, short and woolly.
Leaf, one and a half to four inches long ; commonest
length about two inches (Fig. 33, a) ; downy when
young, becoming smooth excepting on the upper side
of the mid-rib, which is usually woblly.
Bark of trunk, dark and rough ; branches very brittle at
the base and yellowish ; twigs tough and purplish or
yellow.
Found, in Southern New Brunswick and Ontario, and
from Northern Vermont southward. Common on
low ground, especially in New York and Pennsylvania.
A small tree, fifteen to twenty feet high ; quite variable
in the style of its foliage ; the latest to flower, in May.
S. amygdalbides, Anders, (sometimes considered a
variety of S. nigra) is found on the shores of the Great
Lakes and westward.
Fig. 37.— Scythe-leaved Willow. S. nigra, var. falc&ta, Torr.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE VERY FINELY SHARP-
TOOTHED.
Outline, long and narrow, often " scythe-shaped." Apex,
long, taper-pointed. Base, gradually narrowing and
pointed or slightly rounded.
Leaf-stem, short. Stipules (two small, leaf-like appendages
at the base of the leaf-stem), not falling off when
young, as in most of the willows ; moon-shaped, finely
toothed, wider than long.
i
) in groups of three (Pitch and sometimes Yellow Pines) . . . 166
(c) in groups of five (White Pine) . . . . . . .168
Leaves clustered, in many-leaved groups (Larch) . . . . . .175
Leaves not clustered, flat, and, when young, arranged all around the twigs.
becoming two-ranked (Fir) . . . . .. . . • 174
Leaves not clustered, flat, and arranged in two distinct ranks (Hemlock) . . 172
Leaves not clustered, needle-shaped, four-sided, and arranged all around the
twigs (Spruce) 168-172
Leaves not clustered, scale-like (Arbor ViUie and Cedars) .... 178-180
CONE-BEARING TREES.
Genus PINUS, L. (Pine.)
From a Celtic word meaning rock or mountain.
Fig. 79. — Gray Pine, Northern Scrub Pine, Prince's Pine.
P. Banksiana, Lam.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; INDETERMINATE in position because of
their closeness, but arranged along the branches in
two-leaved, sheathed bunches.
Leaf, needle-shape, about one inch long, pointed, stiff,
curved, rounded on the back, grooved above.
Cones, nearly two inches long, gray, usually in pairs, and
curved like small horns, with a peculiar habit of
always pointing in the same direction as the branches.
Scales, blunt, smooth, not armed with points or knobs.
Found, along the northern frontier of the United States
and far northward. Its best growth is north of
Lake Superior.
A small evergreen tree, or often a shrub, five to thirty
feet high, with long, spreading branches, and light, soft
wood that is of but slight value.
162 Trees with Simple Leaves. [c i
Fig. 80. — Jersey Pine, Scrub Pine. P. Virginiana, Mill. P
inops, Ait.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; INDETERMINATE in position because of
their closeness, but arranged along the branches in
two-leaved sheathed bunches.
Leaf, needle-shape, one and three fourths to two and
three fourths inches long, stiff, bluntish ; on the outer
side smooth and rounded ; on the inner side flat, and
rough downwards.
Cones, one and three fourths to three inches long, usually
single and pointing downward. Scales, tipped with
a stiff, straight prickle.
Bark of the trunk, rough and blackish. Young branches
smooth (in other pines scaly). Twigs, purplish.
Found, from Long Island along the coast to South Caro-
lina, and through Eastern and Middle Kentucky to
Southeastern Indiana; in sandy and generally barren
soil.
An evergreen tree fifteen to forty feet high, irregular
in shape and with straggling, spreading, or drooping
branches. The timber is very ''pitchy," soft, and durable,
but poor even for fuel.
" Next to the Gray Pine, the Jersey Pine is the most
uninteresting species of the United States." — MICHAUX, f.
Fig. 81.— Table Mountain Pine, Hickory Pine. P. pungens,
Michx.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; INDETERMINATE in position because of
their closeness, but arranged along the branches in
two-leaved sheathed bunches.
Fig. 79
Fig, 81
Fig, 82
pig- 79-— Gray Pine. (P. Banksiana, Lam.)
Fig. 80.— Scrub Pine. (P. Virginiana, Mill.)
Fig. 81.— Table Mountain Pine. (P. pungens, Michx.)
Fig. 82.— Red Pine. (P. resindsa, Ait.)
NATURAL SIZE.
1 64 Trees with Simple Leaves. [c i
Leaf, needle-shape, about two and one half inches long ;
stiff; outer side smooth and rounded ; inner side
hollowed.
Cones, about three and one half inches long, of a light
yellow color, stemless, often united in clusters of
fours. Scales, with a stout spine, widening at its
base, one sixth of an inch in length.
Found, within narrower limits than any other American
Pine ; along the Alleghany Mountains from Pennsyl-
vania to Tennessee, especially upon Table Mountain
in North Carolina, one of the highest peaks of the
range.
A tree ten to fifty feet high, with light and soft wood,
largely used for charcoal.
Fig. 82. — Red Pine, Norway Pine. P. resinbsa, Ait. P. rubra,
Michx, /.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; INDETERMINATE in position because of
their closeness, but arranged along the branches in
two-leaved sheathed bunches.
Leaf, needle-shape, five to eight inches long ; dark, dull,
green ; rounded and smooth on the outside ; on the
inside hollowed.
Cones, about two to three inches long ; rounded at the
base ; sometimes crowded in large clusters. Scales,
not armed with points or knobs.
Bark of the trunk, comparatively smooth and reddish, of
a clearer red than that of any other species in the
United States.
Leaves Indeterminate. 165
Found, in dry and sandy soil from Newfoundland and the
northern shores of the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the
Winnipeg River, through the Northern States to
Massachusetts, in the mountains of Northern Penn-
sylvania. Rare in the Eastern States, except in the
extreme northern parts of New England.
An evergreen tree fifty to eighty feet high, or more,
with hard and durable wood, useful for all kinds of con-
struction. It is low-branching and regular in shape.
In a note given in confirmation of his estimate of the
height of the red pine, Michaux says that when the
French in Quebec built the war-ship St. Lawrence, fifty
guns, they made its main-mast of this pine.
Fig. 83.— Yellow Pine, Short-leaved Pine, Spruce Pine. P.
eepin&ta, Mill. P. mitis, Michx.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; INDETERMINATE in position because of
their closeness, but arranged along the branches in
two-leaved sheathed bunches. (On vigorous young
shoots the leaves are sometimes clustered in threes,
not on the old branches.)
Leaf, needle-shape, two and a half to five inches long,
usually four to five inches ; dark green ; slender ;
rounded on the outer side ; on the inner side,
hollowed.
Cone, about two to three inches long, in old trees scarcely
more than one and a half inches long ; the smallest
of the American Pine cones ; surface roughened by
the slightly projecting ends of the scales ; not grow-
ing in large clusters. Scales, tipped with a weak
prickle pointing outward.
1 66 Trees with Simple Leaves. [C i
Found, in Staten Island and New Jersey, and southward
to Western Florida ; through the Gulf States,
Arkansas, and parts of Kansas, Missouri, and
Illinois.
An evergreen tree forty to eighty feet high, with
straight trunk, regular branches, and pyramid-shaped
head. The timber is hard and very valuable, second in
value (among the Yellow Pines) only to the "Georgia
Pine " (P. palustris — " Long-leaved Pine," " Southern
Pine ").
Fig. 84.— Pitch Pine. P. rigida, Mill.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; INDETERMINATE in position because of
their closeness, but arranged along the branches in
three-leaved sheathed bunches.
Leaf, needle-shaped, three to six inches long ; stiff and
sharp ; the outer side flattish ; the inner side slightly
ridged, and rough downwards.
Bark, very thick and rough, and deeply fissured ; dark,
often with a reddish or purplish tinge.
Cones, two to three inches long, oftenest in clusters of
two to four. Scales, tipped with stiff and sometimes
curved prickles.
Found, from New Brunswick to Lake Ontario, through
the Atlantic States to Northern Georgia, and
extending to the western slope of the Alleghany
Mountains, in West Virginia and Kentucky. Usually
in dry, sandy soil, sometimes in deep swamps. Very
common.
An evergreen tree thirty to eighty feet high, with
very irregular branches, and a trunk that is seldom
straight to the top. The wood is hard and full of pitch,
of slight value except for fuel and charcoal and coarse
lumber.
Fig. 83
Fig. 83.— Yellow Pine. (P. ecpinata, Mill.)
Fig. 84.— Pitch Pine. (P. rlgida, Mill.)
Fig- 85.— White Pine. (P. Strobus, L.)
NATURAL SIZE
1 68 Trees witk Simple Leaves. [c i
Fig. 85.— White Pine, Weymouth Pine. P. Strobus, L.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; INDETERMINATE in position because of
their closeness, but arranged along the branches in
Jive-leaved bunches, with their sheaths lacking or very
short, excepting when young.
Leaf, needle-shape, three to five inches long, light bluish-
green, three-sided, soft, and very slender.
Cones, four to six inches long, cylinder-shape, about one
inch in diameter before the scales loosen ; solitary,
drooping, slightly curved. Scales, thin, without
prickles.
Bark of trunk, lighter than in the other pines ; in young
trees smooth, and only slightly rough when older.
Found, from Newfoundland to the Winnipeg River,
southward through the Northern States, and along
the Alleghany Mountains to Georgia. Its finest
growth is in the region of the Great Lakes.
An evergreen tree of soft and delicate foliage, eighty
to one hundred and fifty feet high ; one of the most valu-
able timber trees of any country. The wood is clear of
knots, straight-grained, and soft, and is used in immense
quantities for building and in many kinds of manufactur-
ing. The branches are given off in flat, regular whorls
around the straight trunk.
Genus PICEA, Link. (Spruce.)
Fig. 86.— Black Spruce. P. Mariana (Mill) £. S. P. P. nigra,
Link.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; INDETERMINATE in position because of
their closeness ; arranged singly and thickly all
around the branchlets.
Fig. 86
Fig. 87
Fig. 86.— Black Spruce. P. Mariana (Mill), B. S. P.
Fig. 87.— White Spruce. P. Canadensis (Mill), B. S. P.
NATURAL SIZE.
1 70 Trees with Simple Leaves. [c i
Leaf, needle-shape, five twelfths to two thirds of an inch
long, four-sided, mostly straight, stiff, and sharp ;
dark green.
Cones, three fourths to one and one half inches long,
drooping at the ends of the branchlets ; broad oval ;
dark purple when young, becoming reddish-brown
as they ripen. Scales, long reverse egg-shape, thin,
with a wavy or toothed edge toward their apex.
Found, along the Alleghany Mountains from the high
peaks of North Carolina to Pennsylvania, through
the Northern States, and far northward. In the
North it often forms large, dark forests.
An evergreen tree thirty to sixty feet high, with
straight, tapering trunk. The wood is light and straight-
grained and is used for lumber, for the masts and spars of
ships, in building, etc. From its twigs is prepared the
" essence of spruce."
Fig. 87. — White Spruce. P. Canadensis (Mill), B. S. P.
P. alba, Link.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; INDETERMINATE in position because of
their closeness ; arranged singly all around the
branchlets.
Leaf, needle-shaped, five twelfths to three fourths of an
inch long, four-sided, curved, sharp, rather slender,
bluish-green, much lighter than the leaf of the Black
Spruce.
Bark, lighter than that of the Black Spruce.
Cones, one to two inches long, and always in the pro-
portion of about two inches in length to one half
Fig. 88. — Norway Spruce. [P. excfelsa.]
NATURAL SIZE.
172 Trees with Simple Leaves. [ci
or three fourths of an inch in thickness ; drooping
at the ends of the branchlets ; long oval or cylinder-
shape ; pale green when young, becoming brownish
as they ripen. Scales, broad reverse egg-shape, with
an entire edge, and rounded or somewhat two-lobed
at the apex.
Found, in Maine, Northeastern Vermont, Northern Michi-
gan, Minnesota, and far northward, on low ground
and in swamps. It is most common north of the
United States boundaries.
An evergreen tree, forty to seventy feet high. One
of the most important of the Northern timber trees.
Fig. 88.— Norway Spruce. [P. excelsa]
This spruce is not a native, but is now very widely
cultivated, and is sometimes found escaped from cultiva-
tion. It is a finer and larger tree than the native spruces,
and differs from them especially in these items :
Cones, five inches and more in length ; about one and a
half inches in thickness.
Branches and branchlets, heavily drooping, especially in
the older trees.
Genus TSUGA, Cam (Hemlock.)
Fig. 89. — Hemlock. T. Canadtnsis (L.), Carr. Abies Canadensis,
Michx.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; INDETERMINATE in position because of
their closeness ; arranged singly in two flat distinctly
opposite ranks up and down the branchlets.
Leaf, one half inch long, narrow; blunt; sometimes
minutely toothed toward the apex ; flat ; green
above ; silvery white beneath.
Fig. 89.— Hemlock. T. Canadfensis (L.)f Carr.
NATURAL SIZE.
1 74 Trees with Simple Leaves. [c i
Bark, reddish and scaly ; when old, somewhat roughened
by long, shallow furrows.
Cones, very small (three fourths of an inch long) ; droop-
ing; oval or egg-shape. Scales, few, thin, rounded,
and entire. The seed with the wing is about three
fourths the length of the scale. The cone does not
fall apart when ripe.
Found, from Southern New Brunswick and the Valley of
the St. Lawrence through the Northern States to
Delaware, and along the Alleghany Mountains to
Alabama. Common northward, often forming large
forests.
An evergreen tree, sixty to eighty feet high, irregular
in outline, very graceful, especially when young, with
light and delicate foliage and horizontal or drooping
branches. The timber is very coarse ; the bark much
used for tanning, and with medicinal qualities.
Genus ABIES, Link. (Fir.)
Fig. 90. — Balsam Fir, Balm of Gilead Fir. A. bahamea (L.),
Miller.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; INDETERMINATE in position because of
their closeness ; arranged singly up and down the
branchlets, at first radiating about equally on every
side, afterward flattened into two ranks, as in the
Hemlock.
Leaf, one half to one inch long, narrow ; apex blunt or
notched ; edge entire ; flat, with a grooved line
above and a corresponding raised line below ; bright
green above ; silvery white below.
Leaves Indeterminate. 175
Bark, smooth and unbroken (especially when young), and
usually covered with "blisters"
Cones, two to four inches long, one inch broad, erect, at
the sides of the branchlets ; violet-colored. Scales,
thin and flat, broad and rounded. The thin bracts
between the scales are tipped with a slender bristle.
The cone falls apart when ripe.
Found, from the far North through the Northern States
to Pennsylvania, and along the Alleghany Mountains
to the high peaks of West Virginia. Common
northward in damp forests.
A slender, evergreen tree, twenty to sixty feet high ;
pyramid-shaped, with regular horizontal branches ; its
wood is very light and soft. From the " blisters," which
form under the bark of the trunk and branches, the valu-
able Canada balsam is obtained.
The tree is short-lived, and therefore of less value in
cultivation.
Genus LARIX, Tourn. (Larch.)
Fig. 91.— Larch, Tamarack, Hackmatack. L. laricina ( Du Roi),
Koch. L. Americana, Michx.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; INDETERMINATE in position because of
their closeness ; arranged along the branches in
many-leaved bunches without sheaths.
Leaf, thread-like, one to two inches long, withering and
falling in the autumn.
Bark, smooth.
1 76 Trees with Simple Leaves. [c i
Cones, about one half inch long ; broad egg-shaped ;
green or violet when young, becoming purple and
brownish as they ripen. Scales, thin, nearly remind,
their edges entire.
Found, from Pennsylvania, Northern Indiana, and North-
ern Illinois through the Northern States and far
northward. It grows usually in low, swampy land,
where it often thickly covers large areas.
A tree fifty to one hundred feet high (not evergreen),
with a straight trunk and slender, horizontal branches.
The wood is durable, hard, and very strong, and is largely
used in ship-building, for posts, railroad ties, etc.
The Indians and Canadians were accustomed to use
the fibres of the Larch roots for sewing their bark canoes ;
and for tightening the seams, the gum of the Balsam Fin
" Give me of your roots, O Tamarak !
Of your fibrous roots, O Larch-Tree !
My canoe to bind together,
So to bind the ends together,
That the water may not enter,
That the river may not wet me !
" Give me of your balm, O Fir-Tree !
Of your balsam and your resin,
So to close the seams together
That the water may not enter,
That the river may not wet me !
" And the Fir-Tree tall and sombre,
Sobbed through all its robes of darkness,
Answered wailing, answered weeping,
' Take my balm, O Hiawatha ! ' "
Fig. 91
Fig. 90.— Balsam Fir. A. balsamea (L.), Miller.
Fig. 91.— Larch. L, lariclna (Du Roi), Koch.
NATURAL SIZE.
178 Trees with Simple Leaves. [ci
Genus CHAM^ECYPARIS, Spach. (White Cedar.)
Fig. 92.— White Cedar. C. thyoldes (L .), B. S. P. C. spharoidea, Spach.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; INDETERMINATE in position because of
their smallness and closeness. They are scale-like,
somewhat egg-shape, overlapping each other, and
closely pressed in four rows up and down the very
flat branchlets. Each leaf has at its centre a raised
gland, easily distinguished if held between the eye
and the light.
Bark, fibrous. The " spray" (formed from the flat branch-
lets) is itself flat and very delicate and of a dull green.
Cones, about one fourth of an inch in diameter, round,
variously placed, compact, purplish as they ripen ;
opening when ripe toward the centre line (i. e., not
toward its base). Scales, fleshy, shield-shaped and
apparently fastened near their centres, with the edge
several-pointed, and with a sharp point or knob in the
centre. Seeds, usually four to eight under each scale,
oval, with wide wings at the sides.
Found, in deep, cold swamps (filling them densely and
exclusively), from Southern Maine along the coast
to Florida, and along the Gulf coast to Mississippi.
A tapering evergreen tree, thirty to seventy feet high,
with light and durable wood, largely used in boat-building,
for wooden-ware, shingles, etc.
Fig. 92
Fig. 93
Fig. 92.— White Cedar. C. thyoides (L.), B. S. P.
* F»£' 93-— Arbor Vita. (T. occidentals, L.)
NATURAL SIZE.
i8o Trees with Simple Leaves. [C i
Genus THUYA, L. (Arbor Vitae.)
From a Greek word meaning to sacrifice, because of the use of the fragrant wood in
sacrifice.
Fig. 93. — Arbor Vitae, White Cedar. T. ocddentalis, L.
Leaves, SIMPLE ; INDETERMINATE in position because of
their smallness and closeness. They are scale-like,
somewhat egg-shape, overlapping each other, and
closely pressed in four rows up and down the very
flat branchlets. Each leaf has at its centre a raised
gland, easily distinguished if held between the eye
and the light.
Bark, fibrous. The " spray" (formed from the flat branch-
lets) is itself flat and of rather a bright green.
Cones, about five twelfths of an inch in length, long oval
or reverse egg-shape, nodding, yellowish-brown as they
ripen, dry and opening to the base when ripe. Scales,
pointless, oval or egg-shape, smooth (i. e., not pointed
on the edge or near the centre.) Seeds, one to two
under each scale, long and narrow (like a small
caraway seed) ; broadly winged all around, with the
wing notched at one end.
Found, along the Alleghany Mountains from the high
peaks of North Carolina to Northern Pennsylvania
and Central New York, northward into Southern
Canada and westward ; along rocky banks of streams
and in swamps ; very common at the North, where it
often occupies large areas of swamp land. It is very
widely cultivated, especially in hedges.
A tapering evergreen tree, twenty to fifty feet high,
with close, dense branches, and a light and durable wood.
Leaves Indeterminate. 181
Genus JUNIPERUS, L. (Red Cedar.)
From a Celtic word meaning rough.
Fig. 94. — Red Cedar, Savin. J. Virginiana, L,
Leaves, SIMPLE ; INDETERMINATE in position because of
their smallness and closeness. They are arranged in
four rows up and down the branchlets.
In young or rapidly growing sprouts the leaves are awl-
shaped or needle-shaped, somewhat spreading from
the branch, very sharp and stiff, placed in pairs (or
sometimes in threes), usually about one fourth of an
inch long, and with the fine branchlets, which they
cover, rounded.
In the older and slower-growing trees the leaves are scale-
like and overlapping, egg-shape, closely pressed to
the branchlets which they cover, and with the branch-
lets square. As the branchlets grow, the lower scales
sometimes lengthen and become dry and chaffy and
slightly spreading.
Bark, brown and sometimes purplish-tinged, often shred-
ding off with age and leaving the trunk smooth and
polished.
" Berries" about the size of a small pea, closely placed
along the branchlets, bluish, and covered with a
whitish powder.
Found, in Southern Canada, and distributed nearly
throughout the United States — more widely than
any other of the cone-bearing trees.
1 82 Trees with Simple Leaves. LCI
An evergreen tree, fifteen to thirty feet high (much
larger at the South), usually pyramid-shaped, with a
rounded base, but varying very greatly, especially near
the coast, where it is often twisted and flattened into
angular and weird forms. The wood is very valuable,
light, straight-grained, durable, fragrant. It is largely
used for posts, for cabinet-work, for interior finish, and
almost exclusively in the making of lead pencils. The
heart-wood is usually a dull red (whence the name), the
sap-wood white.
Among the most picturesque objects in a Turkish
landscape, standing like sentinels, singly or in groups,
and as slender and upright as a Lombardy Poplar, are
the black cypress trees (C. sempervirens). They mark
the sites of graves, often of those which have long since
disappeared. In America, more than any other northern
tree, the red cedar gives the same sombre effect, whether
growing wild or planted in cemeteries.
The Common Juniper (J. communis, L.), common as
a shrub, is occasionally found in tree form, low, with
spreading or drooping branches, and with leaves re-
sembling those of a young Red Cedar, awl-shaped and
spreading, but arranged in threes instead ot opposite.
Fig. 94.— Red Cedar. (J. Virginiana, L.)
a. Young, b. Old.
NATURAL SIZE.
TREES WITH COMPOUND LEAVES
(FEATHER-SHAPED)
LEAVES ALTERNATE
(EDGE ENTIRE)
D I
Genus AILANTHUS,* Desf.
From a Greek word meaning " tree of heaven."
* 95- — AiliLnthus. [A. glandulbsa, Desf.}
Leaves, COMPOUND (odd-feathered, but with the odd leaflet
often dwarfed or broken off ; leaflets, twenty-one to
forty-one) ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE OF THE LEAFLETS
ENTIRE, with one or two coarse, blunt teeth at each
side of their base.
Outline, of leaflet, long egg-shape or lance-shape. Apex,
taper-pointed. Base, squared, or heart-shaped.
Leaf-stem, smooth, round, swollen at base. Leaflet-stems,
smooth and short
Leaf, one and a half to six feet long. Leaflets vari-
able, usually about six inches by two and a quarter,
rather smooth and thin.
Bark of the trunk, smooth and brown ; the new shoots
marked with whitish dots.
Flowers, in long bunches at the ends of the branches ;
greenish, and of very disagreeable odor. June,
July.
Seeds, flat, at the centre of greenish and sometimes pink-
tinged wings, in Jarge, loose clusters. October.
Found, common in cultivation, and to some extent
naturalized.
* This spelling of the name should rule because so given by its author, although,
etymologically, Ailantus would be correct, the native Amboyna name being " Ay-
lanto."
1 86
-— Ailanthus. [A. glanduldsa, Desf.]
NATURAL SIZE.
1 88 Trees with Compound Leaves. [Di
A large, showy tree (sixty to seventy feet high) of
remarkably vigorous and rapid growth. It is a native of
China. A Jesuit missionary sent its seeds in 1751 to
England. In 1784 it was brought from Europe to the
United States, and started near Philadelphia. Also
about 1804 it was brought to Rhode Island from South
America. But the source of most of the trees now found
abundantly in the region of New York is Flushing, Long
Island, where it was introduced in 1820. It has been a
great favorite, and would deserve to be so still were it
not for the peculiar and disagreeable odor of its flowers.
Genus ROBIN I A, L. (Locust.)
Fig. 96. — Locust, Yellow Locust. R.pseudacada, L.
Leaves, COMPOUND (odd-feathered ; leaflets, eleven to
twenty-five) ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE ENTIRE.
Outline, oval or egg-shape. Apex, rounded. Base,
rounded.
Stem of leaf, smooth, and covering the leaf-bud of the
next year.
Leaflets, very smooth, thin, often slightly tipped with the
end of the mid-rib.
Bark of trunk, dark, rough, and very deeply ridged. The
smaller branches and young trunks are armed with
strong, triangular prickles, but these disappear when
the parts are three to four inches thick.
Flowers, showy and abundant ; in long, loose clusters
drooping from the sides of the branchlets ; white ;
and very fragrant. May, June.
Fruit, a smooth and rather blunt pod, two to three inches
long, one and a half inches wide, four- to six-seeded.
Seeds, dark brown. September.
Fig. 96.— Locust. (R. pseudacacia, L.)
NATURAL SIZE.
190 Trees with Compound Leaves. [D i
Found. Native in the Alleghany Mountains from Penn-
sylvania (Monroe County — Porter) to Georgia ; but
now very generally naturalized throughout the United
States east of the Rocky Mountains.
A tree usually forty to fifty feet high, sometimes ninety
feet, and of rapid growth. Its wood is exceedingly hard
and strong, and remarkably durable when in contact with
the ground. It is used largely for posts, in ship-building,
and in turnery, and it is preferred to all other native wood
for treenails. It is one of the most valuable trees of this
or of any country. But its cultivation as a timber tree,
which at one time was very general, has nearly ceased in
the United States on account of the constant damage
done by the grub of the Painted Clytus (Clytus pictus).
This troublesome borer not only injures the new growth,
but also pierces and detaches large branches, leaving the
tree ragged and stunted.
Clammy Locust. R. viscbsa, Vent.
This species is native to the high ranges of the southern
Alleghany Mountains, but is now very widely cultivated
and sometimes naturalized in the Atlantic States.
It differs from the common locust especially in its
smaller size, in having its leaf-stem and branchlets "sticky"
and slightly rough, and its flowers rose-tinted and scarcely
fragrant, and in close and erect bunches.
Genus GYMNOCLADUS, Lam. (Coffee Tree.)
Fig. 97.— Kentucky Coffee Tree, Stump Tree. G. dtslcus (L.)t
Koch. G. Canadensis, Lam.
Leaves, UNEQUALLY TWICE-COMPOUND (odd- feathered ; leaf-
lets very numerous — seven to thirteen on the different
branches of the main leaf-stem) ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE
OF LEAFLETS ENTIRE.
Fig. 97.— Kentucky Coffee Tree. G. dlsicus (L.), Koch.
NATURAL SIZE.
192 Trees with Compound Leaves. [DI
Outline of leaflets, egg-shape or oval. Apex, sharply taper-
pointed. Base, slightly heart-shaped or rounded.
Leaf-stem, in the autumn takes a violet tinge.
Leaf, one and one half to three feet long, about one half
as wide. Leaflets, one to two and one half inches
long, of a dull green.
Bark of trunk, rough and scaly, separating in small and
hard crosswise and backward-curled strips. Branch-
lets stout and not thorny.
Flowers, in white spikes along the branches. May— July.
Fruit, in large curved pods (six to ten inches long, by
two inches broad), pulpy within, of a reddish-brown
color, flattened and hard. Each pod contains several
hard, gray seeds one half of an inch or more in
diameter. September, October.
Found, in Franklin County, Pennsylvania (Porter), Wes-
tern New York, westward and southward to Middle
Tennessee. Not common.
A tree sixty to eighty feet high, or more, with a rather
small and regular head. The fewness and the abruptness
of its large branches give to it in the winter a dead and
stumpy look, whence one of its common names. Its
bruised and sweetened leaves are used at the South for
poisoning flies. Its seeds were formerly used as a substi-
tute for coffee.
Genus GLEDITSCHIA, L. (Honey Locust.)
Fig. 98. — Honey Locust, Three-thorned Acacia, Honey
Shucks. G. triacanthos, L.
Leaves, COMPOUND ; (even-feathered ; leaflets, ten to
twenty-two or more, usually about fourteen), some-
times twice-compound ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE OF LEAF-
LETS ENTIRE as seen above, but as seen below often
remotely and slightly toothed.
Fig. 98.— Honey Locust. (G. triacanthos, L.)
NATURAL SIZE.
J94 Trees with Compound Leaves. [DI
Outline of leaflet, long oval or long egg-shape. Base
and narrowed Apex, rounded.
Leaf-stem and very short Leaflet-stem, downy.
Leaflets, three fourths to one and a half inches long ;
about one third as wide. Often several of them
(one to three) are partly or wholly divided into
smaller leaflets. Surfaces smooth and shining.
Bark of trunk, gray, and much less rough than that of
the common Locust (which has a somewhat similar
leaf) ; branchlets brown and often warty. The
branches and the trunk, excepting in very young
and in quite old trees, are usually thickly covered
with spines, two to four inches long, which are
curved at the base, often two- or three-branched, and
of a reddish-brown color.
Flowers, small and greenish.
Fruit, a long, flat pod (nine to eighteen inches long),
reddish ; somewhat twisted, and filled between the
seeds with a pulp which at first is sweet (whence the
name " Honey " Locust) but which soon becomes
sour. The seeds are flat, hard, and brown.
Found, native in Pennsylvania, westward and southward,
but also somewhat naturalized and widely introduced
northward.
A tree sometimes seventy feet high, with wide-spread-
ing and graceful branches, and light and delicate foliage.
It is often used as a hedge plant.
A variety entirely bare of thorns (var. inermis) is
sometimes found ; also a variety (var. brachycarpos )
with shorter fruit and thorns.
NOTE.— See Poison Sumach (R. venenata D. C.), with its species, under D, //.,
page 198.
TREES WITH COMPOUND LEAVES
(FEATHER-SHAPED)
LEAVES ALTERNATE
CONTINUE!)
(EDGE TOOTHED)
D ii
Genus RHUS, L. (Sumach.)
Fig. 99. — Stag-horn Sumach. R. typhina, L.
Leaves, COMPOUND (odd-feathered ; leaflets, eleven to
thirty-one) ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE OF LEAFLETS EVENLY
AND SHARPLY TOOTHED.
Outline of leaflet, narrow egg-shape. Apex, long, taper-
pointed. Base, rounded or slightly heart-shaped.
Leaflet-stem, lacking. Leaf-stem, densely velvety-hairy.
Leaflet, usually two to four inches long and about one
fourth as wide ; the under surface whitish and more
or less downy.
Leaf, one to two feet or more in length.
Branchlets and stalks, especially towards their ends, cov-
ered with a very dense velvet-like down, often crimson-
tinged. The juice is milky and acid.
Flowers, greenish-yellow, in upright, pyramid-shaped
bunches at the ends of the branches. June.
Berries, rounded, somewhat flattened, bright crimson,
velvety, crowded. Stone, smooth. Juice, acid. Sep-
tember, October.
Found, from New Brunswick and the valley of the St.
Lawrence through the Northern States, and south-
ward along the Alleghany Mountains to Central
Alabama.
196
99-— Stag-horn Sumach. (R. typhina, L.)
NATURAL SIZE.
198 Trees with Compound Leaves. [D n
A small tree, ten to thirty feet high (or often a shrub),
with straggling and evenly spreading branches that are
leaved mostly toward their ends, giving an umbrella-like
look to the tree. The wood is very soft and brittle ;
yellow within ; the sap-wood white. The young shoots,
with the pith removed, are used in the spring as "sap
quills " in drawing the sap from the sugar maples. The
downy and irregular branchlets are suggestive of the
horns of a stag, whence the name.
An infusion of the berries is sometimes used as a
gargle for sore-throat.
This species is not poisonous.
A variety with deeply gashed leaves (var. lacini'ata)
is reported from Hanover, N. H.
Fig. 100. — Poison Sumach, Poison Dogwood, Poison Elder.
R. venenata, D. C.
Leaves, COMPOUND (odd-feathered ; leaflets, seven to thir-
teen) ; ALTERNATE J EDGE OF LEAFLETS ENTIRE.
Outline of leaflet, long oval or egg-shape. Base, rounded
or pointed. Apex, taper-pointed.
Leaflet-stems, short and purplish, or lacking. Leaf-stem,
smooth, reddish throughout to the end of leaflet, not
winged.
Leaflets, thin ; one and a half to three inches long ; about
one half as wide ; smooth.
Branches and stalks, smooth.
Flowers, greenish ; in long, loose bunches at the bases of
the upper leaves.
Berries, rounded, greenish-white, smooth, shining, dry,
about the size of a small pea. September.
Fig. zoo.— Poison Sumach. (R. venenata, D. C.)
NATURAL. SIZE.
200 Trees with Compound Leaves. [D n
Found, from Northern New England westward and south-
ward, oftenest in swamps.
A small tree (or more often a tall shrub), six to
eighteen feet high. It is violently poisonous to the
touch, causing in most persons a painful eruption ; some
are poisoned by it without touching it ; probably by rea-
son of the drifting pollen of its flowers. A recommended
application is sugar of lead, applied after the use of saline
cathartics ; or a thick paste of bicarbonate of soda rubbed
into the skin as soon as the eruption appears. It is also
claimed that relief and, if used promptly, frequent cure
follow the use of belladonna, of apis mellifica, or of
arsenicum album — taken in homoeopathic doses.
Apart from other differences the Poison Sumach can
be easily and quickly distinguished from all the other
sumachs by these signs : It differs from the Stag-horn
Sumach and the Smooth Sumach (a shrub) in having the
edge of its leaflets entire ; from the Dwarf Sumach (a
shrub) in the absence of the winged stem between its
leaflets, and by its red leaf-stem.
Genus PYRUS, L. (Mountain Ash.)
(NOTE. — See others of the same genus, Sec. A, //., p. 32.)
Fig. ioi.— Mountain Ash. P. Americana, D. C.
Leaves, COMPOUND (odd-feathered ; leaflets, nine to fifteen);
ALTERNATE (often alternate in threes) ; EDGE OF LEAF-
LETS FINELY AND SHARPLY TOOTHED.
Outline of leaflet, long and narrow egg-shape. Apex,
taper-pointed. Base, rounded or slightly pointed.
Leaflet-stem, lacking, or very short.
Fig. ioi.— Mountain Ash. (P. Americana, D. C.)
REDUCED ONE FOURTH.
202 Trees with Compound Leaves. [D n
Leafy eight to twelve inches long. Leaflet, two to three
and one half inches long ; surfaces smooth.
Bark of the trunk, reddish-brown and rather smooth.
Flowers, small and white, in large, flat clusters, over the
surface of the tree — fifty to one hundred or more
flowers in a cluster. May, June.
Fruit, very ornamental, about the size of peas, scarlet, in
large, flat clusters, ripening in autumn and -remaining
into the winter.
Found, from Labrador and Newfoundland through the
Northern States and southward along the Alleghany
Mountains. Its finest growth is on the northern
shores of Lake Huron and Lake Superior.
A slender, somewhat pyramid-shaped, tree, ten to
thirty feet high, much and justly prized as one of the
best of the native trees for ornamental planting. Its
bark and the unripe fruit are very astringent, and are
sometimes used medicinally.
A slightly different species (P. sambucifolia) is some-
times found in cold swamps and on the borders of streams,
along the Northern frontier.
The cultivated European Mountain Ash or Rowan
Tree [P. ancuparia], which is very common in many parts
of Europe, and especially in the Highlands of Scotland,
differs but slightly from the American Mountain Ash. It
varies chiefly in the following items : Leaflets blunter,
and rather coarsely double-toothed. Bark rather rough.
Fruit larger, oftenest red, but sometimes orange.
Leaves Alternate. 203
The Mountain Ash or " Rowan Tree " has for a long
time been renowned as a safeguard against witches and
all evil spirits. A mere twig of it suffices.
" Rowan-tree and red thread
Put the witches to their speed."
" The spells were vain, the hag returned
To the queen in sorrowful mood,
Crying that witches have no power
Where there is row'n-tree wood."
Genus JUGLANS, L. (Walnut)
From two Latin words meaning nut of Jupiter.
Fig. 102.— Black Walnut, y. nigra, L.
Leaves, COMPOUND (odd-feathered ; leaflets, thirteen to
twenty-one) ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE OF LEAFLETS SHARP-
TOOTHED.
Outline of leaflet, long egg-shape. Apex, taper-pointed.
Base, rounded or slightly heart-shaped, and one-sided.
Leaf-stem, slightly downy. Leaflet-stem, very short.
Leaf, twelve inches long, or more. Leaflets, about two to
four inches long ; the lower pairs shortest ; slightly
downy beneath.
Bark, blackish and thick.
Fruit, about two inches in diameter ; rounded ; the husk
greenish-yellow when ripe, roughly dotted, spongy,
decaying without splitting into sections ; the nut
dark, and deeply and roughly furrowed. October.
Found, from Western Massachusetts westward and south-
ward. Its finest growth is west of the Alleghany
Mountains. Eastward it is now everywhere scarce.
204 Trees with Compound Leaves. . [D n
A tree thirty to sixty feet high, or often much higher.
Its rich, dark-brown heart-wood is of great value, and has
been more widely used in cabinet-work, for interior finish,
and for gun-stocks than the wood of any other North
American tree.
Fig. 103.— Butternut, White Walnut. J. anlrea, L.
Leaves, COMPOUND (odd-feathered ; leaflets, fifteen to seven-
teen) ; ALTERNATE J EDGE OF LEAFLETS SHARP-TOOTHED.
Outline of leaflet, long egg-shaped or long oval. Apex,
taper-pointed. Base, rounded.
Leaf -stem, downy and "sticky"
Leaf, twelve to twenty inches long. Leaflet, three inches
or more in length ; downy, especially beneath.
Bark of the branches, light gray and smoothish. Twigs,
as well as leaf-stems and fruit, very sticky.
Fruit, long (two to three inches), pointed. Husk, very
sticky ; green at first ; brown when ripe, becoming
very dark ; not splitting in sections. Nut, deeply
and roughly furrowed and sharp-ridged, with a sweet,
oily kernel. September.
Found, in Southern Canada, and common in New Eng-
land and the Middle and Western States.
A tree twenty to fifty feet high, with a short, stout
trunk and very wide-reaching, horizontal branches. The
heart-wood is reddish or light brown, not as dark nor as
hard as in the Black Walnut. It is used for ornamental
cabinet-work and interior finish.
Fig. 103
Fig. 102.— Black Walnut. (J. nigra, L.)
Fig. 103. — Butternut. (J. cinerea, L.)
LEAFLETS AND FRUIT REDUCED ONE THIRD.
206 Trees with Compound Leaves. LD n
Genus HICORIA, Raf. CARYA, Nutt. (Hickory.)
From a Greek word meaning round, in allusion to the shape of the nut.
Fig. 104. — Shag-bark, Shag-bark Hickory, Shell-bark
Hickory. H. ovata (Mill), Britton. C. alba, Nutt.
Leaves, COMPOUND (odd-feathered ; leaflets, five) ; ALTER-
NATE ; EDGE OF LEAFLETS SHARP-TOOTHED.
Outline of leaflet, long oval, reverse egg-shape or egg-
shape, the lower pair differing in shape from the
others, and much smaller. Apex, long-pointed.
Base of the end leaflet, wedge-shape ; of the others,
more or less blunted.
Leaf-stem, rough throughout. Buds, large and scaly,
often of a green and brown color.
Leaflet-stems, lacking (or scarcely noticeable), excepting
the roughish stem of the end leaflet.
Leaflets, four to eight inches long ; roughish below.
Bark, dark and very rough in the older trunks, peeling
up and down in long, shaggy strips. Often the
strips cling at their middle and are loose at each
end.
Fruit, round, nearly one and a half to two inches
in diameter ; the husk, thick (nearly half an
inch), depressed at the centre, grooved at the
seams, and wholly separating into four pieces at
maturity ; the nut, about one inch long, often the
same in breadth, slightly flattened at the sides,
angular, nearly pointless, whitish, with a rather thin
shell, and a large finely flavored kernel. October.
Found, from the valley of the St. Lawrence River to
Southeastern Minnesota, and southward to Western
Florida. Its finest growth is west of the Alleghany
Mountains.
Fig. 104.— Shag-bark. H. ovata (Mill), Britton.
LEAF AND FRUIT REDUCED ONE THIRD.
2o8 Trees with Compound Leaves. [D n
A tree, fifty to eighty feet high, of great value. Its
tough and elastic wood is used in making agricultural
implements, carriages, axe-handles, etc. It ranks also
among the best of woods for fuel. Most of the " hickory
nuts " of the markets are from this species.
All the Hickories are picturesque trees. Their
tendency, even when standing alone, is to grow high,
and with heads that, instead of being round, are cylinder-
shaped to the very top, with only enough breaks and
irregularities to add to the effect. This tendency is more
marked in the Hickories than in any other of the leaf-
shedding trees of North America. They are worthy of
the name sometimes given them of " the artist's tree."
Big Shell-bark, King Nut. H. sulcata ( Willd), Britton. C. sulcata,
Nutt.
This species differs from the Shag-bark chiefly in
these items :
Leaflets, seven to nine, usually nine.
Leaf, ten to twenty inches long.
Nut, oval, strongly pointed, with a dark yellowish shell,
nearly twice as large as the Shag-bark nut, and with
a less pleasantly flavored kernel.
Bark, in narrower strips and of a lighter color.
Found, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania (Porter), and
westward. Local and rare.
Fig. 105. — Mocker-nut, White-heart Hickory, Black Hickory,
Big-bud Hickory. H. alba (L.), Britton. C. tomentbsa, Nutt.
Leaves, COMPOUND (odd-feathered, leaflets, seven to nine) ;
ALTERNATE | EDGE SLIGHTLY AND RATHER ROUNDLY
TOOTHED.
Outline of leaflets, mostly long oval, the lower pairs be-
coming smaller and more egg-shaped. Apex and
Base, about the same as in the Shag-bark.
Fig. 105.— Mocker-nut. H. alba (L.), Britton.
LEAF AND FRUIT REDUCED ONE THIRD.
210 Trees with Compound Leaves. [D n
Leaf-stem, rough throughout. Buds, large and round and
covered with downy, yellowish-brown scales, or, in
winter, with hard and grayish-white scales.
Leaflet-stems, lacking (or scarcely noticeable), except the
short, roughish stem of the end leaflet.
Leaflets, two to seven inches long, rough beneath, especially
on the ribs ; fragrant when crushed.
Bark, rough, becoming cracked across, but not scaly.
Fruit, rounded, slightly egg-shaped or oval, one and one
half to two inches or more in length. The husk is
about one fourth of an inch thick and splits nearly
to the base when ripe. Nut, slightly six-angled, light
brown, with a very thick and hard shell. The kernel
is sweet, but small. October.
Found, common, in dry woods, especially southward and
westward. It grows in Southern Canada and in all
the Atlantic States. In size and in the quality of its
timber the tree resembles the Shag-bark.
Fig. 106. — Small-fruited Hickory. H. microccirpa (Nutt), Britton
C. microcarpa, Nutt.
Leaves, COMPOUND (odd-feathered ; leaflets, five to seven,
oftenest five) ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE OF LEAFLETS SHARP-
TOOTHED.
Outline of leaflets, mostly long oval. Apex and Base
pointed.
Leaf-stem, smooth.
Leaflet-stems, lacking (or scarcely noticeable), excepting
the short stem of the end leaflet.
Leaflets, mostly four to eight inches long, remarkably
smooth, excepting that the under surface is tufted in
the angles of the ribs and usually dotted with dark
glandular spots.
Bark, rough and close.
Fruit, broad egg-shape. Husk, thin, splitting part way to
the base. Nut, small, (three fourths of an inch in
Fig. 106.— Small-fruited Hickory. H. microcarpa (Nutt), Britton.
LKAF AND FRUIT REDUCED ONE THIRD.
212 Trees with Compound Leaves. [D n
diameter), not angled, not sharp-pointed, and with a
thin shell.
Found, on moist ground, New York to Delaware, west to
Michigan and Illinois, rarely, if ever, in New England.
In size and in the quality of its timber the tree re-
sembles the other hickories. By its leaves the species
appears to be allied with the Pig-nut ; by its nuts, with
the Mocker-nut.
Fig. 107, a and b. — Pig-nut, Broom Hickory. H. glabra (Mill),
Britton. C. glabra, Torr. C. porcina, Nutt.
Leaves, COMPOUND (odd-feathered ; leaflets, five to nine,
usually seven) ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE OF LEAFLETS SHARP-
TOOTHED.
Outline of leaflets, usually long oval. Apex, taper-pointed.
Base of end leaflet, wedge-shaped, of the others more
or less rounded or slightly pointed.
Leaf-stem, smooth. Leaf-buds, egg-shape and pointed or
rounded, and with their outer scales a polished-brown.
Leaflet-stems, lacking, except the smooth, very short stem
of the end leaflet.
Leaflets, .mostly two to five inches long (the lower ones
much the smallest), smooth above and below.
Bark, not shaggy.
Fruit, of two forms : a, pear-shape, b, rounded. Husks,
very thin, splitting about half-way to the base. Nut,
about one inch in diameter ; in b somewhat flattened
at the sides and slightly hollowed above, and with
the apex a sharp point. Shell, rather thin, smooth,
hard, and bluish-gray. Meat, small and sweetish or
slightly bitter.
Found, from Southern Maine westward and southward.
In size and in the quality of its timber the tree re-
sembles the other hickories.
Fig. 107, a and <$.— Pig-nut. H. glabra (Mill), Britton.
LEAF AND FRUIT REDUCED ONE THIRD.
2H Trees with Compound Leaves. [D n
Fig. 108. — Bitter-nut, Swamp Hickory. H. minima (Marsh),
Britton. C. amara, Nutt.
Leaves, COMPOUND (odd-feathered ; leaflets, seven to
eleven) ; ALTERNATE ; EDGE OF LEAFLET SHARP-
TOOTHED.
Outline of leaflet, long oval or long egg-shape. Apex,
taper-pointed. Base, pointed or blunted.
Leaf-stem, rather slender, somewhat downy, and often
flattened and winged. Leaf-buds, small, slightly
rounded or (at the ends of the branchlets) pointed,
and yellow.
Leaflet-stems, 'lacking, except the short stem of the end
leaflet.
Leaflets, four to six inches long, the upper one usually
short ; smooth on both sides, or with a slight, scat-
tered down below.
Bark, rather smooth.
Fruit, rounded or slightly egg-shaped, dark green. Husk,
very thin and fleshy, never becoming entirely hard,
with prominent winged edges at the seams, only two
of which reach more than half-way to the base. It
divides half-way down when ripe. Nut, barely one
inch long, heart-shaped at the top, broader than long,
white and smooth. Shell, so thin that it can be
broken with the fingers. Kernel, intensely bitter.
Found, usually in wet grounds, though often also on rich
uplands, from Southern Maine westward and south-
ward. It reaches its finest growth in Pennsylvania
and Ohio.
A rather smaller and less valuable tree than the rest
of the hickories.
NOTE. — See Honey Locust (G. triacanthos, L.), under D, /., page 192.
Fig. 108.— Bitter-nut. H. minima (Marsh), Britton.
LEAF AND FRUIT REDUCED ONE THIRD.
TREES WITH COMPOUND LEAVES
(FEATHER-SHAPED)
LEAVES OPPOSITE
(EDGE ENTIRE OR TOOTHED)
E i, n
Genus NEGUNDO, Moench.
Fig. 109. — Ash-leaved Maple, Box Elder. JV. acerdides, M.
Leaves, COMPOUND (odd-feathered ; leaflets, three, some-
times five, rarely seven) ; OPPOSITE ; EDGE OF LEAFLET
REMOTELY AND UNEQUALLY COARSE-TOOTHED.
Outline of leaflets, egg-shape or oval. Apex, taper-pointed.
Base, variable and often uneven.
Leaflets, slightly rough ; the ribs very marked.
Bark of young trunks, smoothish and yellowish-green ;
twigs, light green.
Flowers, small and greenish, in delicate, drooping clusters
from the sides of the branches.
Fruit, large, yellowish-green, smooth, in long, loose, late-
hanging clusters.
Found, North, South, and West. One of the most widely
distributed of the North American trees, with its
finest growth in the region of the Wabash and
Cumberland rivers.
A tree twenty to thirty feet high, with spreading
branches. Its wood is light and of slight value.
218
Fig. 109. — Ash-leaved Maple. (N. aceroides, M.)
NATURAL SIZE.
220 Trees with Compound Leaves. [E i, n
(Genus FRAXINUS, L. (Ash.)
From a Greek word meaning " separation," because of the ease with which the wood
of the Ash can be split.
Fig. IIO. — White Ash. F. Americana, L.
Leaves, COMPOUND (odd-feathered ; leaflets, seven to nine) ;
OPPOSITE ; EDGE OF LEAFLETS SLIGHTLY TOOTHED OR
ENTIRE ; entire at the base.
Outline of leaflet, long oval or long egg-shape. Apex,
taper-pointed. Base, somewhat pointed.
Leaf-stem, smooth. Leaflet-stem, about one fourth of an
inch long, or more ; smooth. Leaf-bud, rusty-
colored and smooth.
Leaflet, two to six inches long ; pale beneath ; downy
when young, but becoming nearly smooth, except
on the ribs.
Bark of the trunk, light gray. In very young trees it
is nearly smooth, but it soon becomes deeply
furrowed — the furrows crossing each other, and
so breaking the bark into irregular, somewhat
square or lozenge-shaped plates. Then in very
old trees it becomes smooth again, from the scaling
off of the plates. The branches are smooth and
grayish-green. The young shoots have a polished,
deep-green bark, marked with white lines or dots.
Winged seeds, one and a half to two inches long, with the
" wing " about one fourth of an inch wide, hanging in
loose clusters from slender stems. The base of the
seed is pointed and not winged.
Found, in rich woods, from Southern Canada to Northern
Florida and westward. It is most common in the
Northern States. The finest specimens are seen in
the bottom lands of the lower Ohio River basin.
Fig. no.— White Ash. (F. Americana, L.)
LEAF AND FRUIT REDUCED ONE THIRD.
222 Trees with Compound Leaves. [E i, ir
A tree forty to eighty feet high. Often the trunk
rises forty feet without branching. Its tough and elastic
timber is of very great value, being widely used in the
manufacture of agricultural implements, for oars, and the
shafts of carriages, and in cabinet-work.
I find in the notes of an old copy of White's " Natural
History of Selborne " this comment : " The Ash, I think,
has been termed by Gilpin the Venus of British trees."
Gerardes' " Herbal " comments: "The leaves of the
Ash are of so great a vertue against serpents, as that
the serpents dare not be so bolde as to touch the morning
and evening shadowes of the tree, but shunneth them
afarre off, as Pliny reporteth in his 16 book, 13 chap.
He also afnrmeth that the serpent being penned in with
boughes laide rounde about, will sooner run into the fire,
if any be there, than come neere to the boughes of the
Ash."
In Scandinavian mythology the great and sacred tree,
Yggdrasil, the greatest and most sacred of all trees, which
binds together heaven and earth and hell, is an Ash. Its
roots spread over the whole earth. Its branches reach
above the heavens. Underneath lies a serpent ; above is
an eagle ; a squirrel runs up and down the trunk, trying
to breed strife between them.
Fig. III. — Red Ash. F. pubhcens, Lam.
Leaves, COMPOUND (odd-feathered ; leaflets, seven to nine) ;
EDGE OF LEAFLETS NEARLY ENTIRE OR SLIGHTLY
TOOTHED.
Outline of leaflet, long oval or egg-shape. Apex, taper-
pointed. Base, somewhat pointed.
Fig. in.— Red Ash. (F. pubescens, Lam.)
LEAF AND FRUIT REDUCED ONE THIRD.
224 Trees with Compound Leaves. [E i, n
Leaf-stem, velvety-downy. Leaflet-stem, about one fourth
of an inch long, or somewhat less, and velvety-downy.
Leaf-bud, rounded, nearly concealed by the leaf-stem,
downy, and of a dark, rusty brown.
Leaflet, two to six inches long, downy beneath, and pale,
becoming reddish.
Bark of the trunk, dark ashy or granite-gray, or of a
deep brown. It is slightly furrowed up and down,
the furrows seldom joining or crossing. The branches
are grayish. The young shoots are velvety, with a
grayish or rusty down.
Winged seeds, resembling those of the White Ash, but
usually with the end of the wing more rounded.
Found, along borders of streams and in low and swampy
ground — New Brunswick to Minnesota, and south-
ward to Northern Florida and Alabama ; but rare
west of the Allegheny Mountains. Its finest growth
is in the Northern Atlantic States.
A medium-sized tree, usually thirty to fifty feet high,
of less value than the White Ash.
Fig. 112.— Green Ash. F. viridis, Michx.,/.
Leaves, COMPOUND (odd-feathered ; leaflets, five to nine) ;
OPPOSITE ; EDGE OF LEAFLETS USUALLY SHARP-TOOTHED,
but with the base entire.
Outline of leaflet, egg-shape or oval. Apex, taper-pointed.
Base, pointed, often wedge-shaped.
Leaf-stem, smooth. Leaflet-stem, about one fourth of an
inch long ; smooth. Leaf-bud, grayish-brown and
smooth.
Fig. 112.— Green Ash. (F. vlridis, Michx., f.)
LEAF AND FRUIT REDUCED ONE THIRD.
226 Trees with Compound Leaves. [E i, n
Leaflet, green, and of nearly the same shade on each
side ; not shining, but smooth throughout, excepting
that sometimes it is slightly downy in the angles of
the ribs.
Bark of the branches, grayish-brown and smooth.
Winged seeds, smaller than those of the White Ash, but
with the wing about the same length.
Found, in New England, but mostly southward and
westward.
A tree twenty to thirty feet high, of inferior value.
Fig. 113. — Blue Ash. F. quadrangulata, Michx.
Leaves, COMPOUND (odd-feathered ; leaflets, five to nine) ;
OPPOSITE ; EDGE OF LEAFLETS SHARPLY TOOTHED.
Outline of leaflet, oval to long egg-shape. Apex, taper-
pointed. Base, pointed.
Leaflet-stem, very short. Leaf-bud, velvety.
Leaflet, three to four inches long, both sides green ;
downy beneath.
Bark of the trunk cracks and separates in thin plates,
like that of the White Oak. Branchlets smooth and
square, or margined when young, becoming nearly
round.
Winged seeds, about one and a half inches long, one
fourth to one half of an inch wide ; blunt, and of
nearly the same width at both ends, and with the
apex often notched.
Found, usually on limestone hills, from Southern Michi-
gan to Central Minnesota, southward to Northeastern
Kansas.
A tree sixty to eighty feet high, used for flooring,
carriage building, etc. Its inner bark furnishes a blue dye.
Fig. 113.— Blue Ash. (F. quadrangulata, Michx.)
LEAF AND FRUIT REDUCED ONE THIRD.
228 Trees with Compound Leaves. [E i, n
Fig. 114. — Black Ash, Water Ash, Hoop Ash. F. sambudfblia.
Lam.
Leaves, COMPOUND (odd-feathered ; leaflets, seven to eleven,
usually nine) ; OPPOSITE ; EDGE OF LEAFLET TOOTHED.
Outline of leaflet, narrow, long oval or long egg-shape.
Apex, taper-pointed. Base, rounded.
Leaf-stem, smooth, somewhat flattened or channelled, and
with sharp edges above the leaflets.
Leaflet-stem, lacking.
Leaf -bud, deep blue or blackish.
Leaflet, three to five inches long, smooth and green on
both sides, excepting where it is slightly hairy along
the lower part of the middle rib. When crushed it
has an Elder-like odor.
Bark of trunk, dark granite-gray, somewhat furrowed and
broken up and down with roughnesses, which con-
tinue in the old tree. The young branches are
smooth and grayish and marked with black and
white dots and warts.
Winged seeds nearly one and one half inches long, with
the wing three eighths of an inch wide and extending
around the seed. Ripe in July.
Found, along low river-banks and in swamps, which it
sometimes fills ; in Delaware, the mountains of Vir-
ginia, Northwestern Arkansas, through the Northern
States to Canada. It is the most Northern of the
American Ashes.
Usually a small or medium-sized tree. The wood is
largely used for barrel-hoops, baskets, in cabinet-work,
and interior finish.
Fig. 114. — Black Ash. (F. sambuciftlia, Lam.)
LEAF AND FRUIT REDUCED ONE THIRD.
TREES WITH COMPOUND LEAVES
(HAND-SHAPED)
LEAVES OPPOSITE
(EDGE TOOTHED)
F 1
Genus ^ESCULUS, L. (Buckeye, Horse Chestnut.)
Fig. 115.— Sweet Buckeye, Big Buckeye. JE.flava, Ait.
Leaves, COMPOUND (hand-shaped ; leaflets, usually five,
sometimes seven) ; OPPOSITE ; EDGE TOOTHED.
Outline of leaflet, long oval, long egg-shape, or long
reverse egg-shape. Apex, taper-pointed. Base,
pointed.
Leaflet, four to nine inches long, one to three inches wide,
usually minutely downy beneath.
Flowers, pale yellow. April, May.
Fruit, two to two and one half inches in diameter, rounded.
Husk, not prickly, but uneven. Nut, one or two in
a husk, large and brown.
Found, from Alleghany County, Pennsylvania, southward
along the Alleghany Mountains to Northern Georgia
and Alabama, and westward.
A tree thirty to seventy feet high. Its wood is light
and hard to split. With the other species of the same
genus it is preferred, above any other American wood, for
the making of artificial limbs.
232
Fig. 115.— Sweet Buckeye. (JE. flava, Ait.)
REDUCED ONE THIRD.
234 Trees with Compound Leaves. [E i, n
Fig. 116.— Ohio Buckeye, Fetid Buckeye. &. glabra, Willd.
^E. Ohio^nsis, Michaux.
Leaves, COMPOUND (hand-shaped ; leaflets, five) ; OPPOSITE ;
EDGE TOOTHED.
Outline of leaflet, oval or long oval. Apex, taper-pointed.
Base, pointed.
Leaflets, three to seven inches long ; one and a half to
three inches wide.
Bark, with a disagreeable odor.
Flowers, small, yellowish-white. June.
Fruit, about three fourths of an inch in diameter. Husk,
prickly when young. Nut, smooth.
Found, along the western slopes of the Alleghany
Mountains — Pennsylvania to Northern Alabama and
westward.
A small, ill-scented tree (eighteen to thirty-five feet
high), with wood in quality and use much like that of the
Sweet Buckeye.
Horse Chestnut. \^E. Hippocastanum, Z.]
A very common introduced and cultivated species,
native in Northern India.
Leaflets, five to seven (usually seven), with ribs straight,
and brown-woolly when young.
Flowers, at the ends of the branches ; large ; in large, up-
right, pyramid-shaped clusters ; cream-white, spotted
with yellow and purple. May, June.
Fruit, large. Husk, with stiff prickles. Nut, mahogany-
colored, with a large, round, whitish scar ; bitter, and
said to be somewhat poisonous.
A compact, rounded tree, of medium size ; very orna-
mental when in flower. Its bark has been used as a sub-
stitute for cinchona bark in the treatment of intermittent
fevers.
Fig. 116.— Ohio Buckeye. (JE. glabra, Willd.)
REDUCED ONE THIRD.
I tarried there that day ; I worshipped there, —
For in that forest God seemed everywhere.
And when the shining day was wholly done
And twilight's peaceful hours were well begun,
I homeward bore the forest's loving words
That filled my heart like melodies of birds
And seemed God's benediction from above, —
Those woodland gladsome messages of love.
— From The Trees.
EXPLANATION OF TERMS
EXPLANATION OF TERMS.
I.
TREES, as distinguished from shrubs, are those species
which, as the rule, spring from the ground with a single,
branching trunk.
II.
A LEAF is :
(i) Simple, when it is of one piece. (Fig. a, Willow
Oak.)
(2) Compound, when there are two or more entirely
separate pieces (called leaflets} on the one leaf-stem.
(Figs, b and c, Dwarf Sumach and Horse Chestnut.)
See note 2.
COMPOUND LEAVES are :
(1) Feather-shaped, when the leaflets are placed
along the sides of the leaf-stem. (Fig. b.)
(When the compound leaf ends with a pair of leaflets
it is even-feathered ; when it ends with one leaflet it is
odd-feathered^)
(2) Hand-shaped, when all the leaflets radiate from
the end of the leaf-stem, like fingers from the palm of
the hand. (Fig. cJ)
NOTE i.— Compound leaves may be once, twice, or three times compound.
NOTE 2. — The leaflets of a compound leaf can be distinguished from a simple
leaf by the absence of leaf-buds from the base of their stems.
238
Explanation of Terms.
239
FIG.
FIG. c.
III.
The EDGE of the leaf is :
(1) Entire, when it is an even line, without indenta-
tions.
(2) Toothed, when it is set with an indefinite number
of sharp or blunt teeth. (Fig.
[Hippocastanum] .
234
Beech Blue .
66
Ohioensis
234
Beech, Water . . .
. 66
[Ailanthus]
[AILANTHUS glandu!6sa]
1 86
1 86
Bee Tree ....
BETULA lenta
22
. 62
AMELANCHIER Canadensis
40
lutea
6o>
var. oblongif61ia
42
nigra . . .
• 59
Apple, Crab
32
papyrifera . .
. 56.
Arbor Vitae
1 80
[pendula] .
• 5*
Ash, Black
228
populifolia . .
• 55-
Blue
226
rubra . . .
• 59-
[European Mountain] .
202
Bilsted
. 130
Green
224
Birch, Black ....
62
Hoop
228
Canoe ....
• 56-
Mountain . . . .
20O
Cherry . . •
62
Red
222
Gray ....
• 55-
Water
228
Oldfield
• 5S
White
220
Paper ....
• 5*
Ash-leaved Maple .
218
Red ....
• 59
245
246
Index of Trees.
Birch River
PAGE
59
CHIONANTHUS Virginica
PAGE
yog
SweeU.. - . . . .
62
Clammy Locust ....
1 -J°
I90
[Weeping] ....
56
Cockspur Thorn ....
3S
White
55
Coffee Tree, Kentucky .
IQO
White (Paper Birch) .
56
Cornel
134
Yellow ....
60
Alternate-leaved .
136
Bitter-nut
214
CORN us alternifolia
136
Black Haw
144
florida ....
134
Black Jack ....
114
Cottonwood .....
no
Black Oak
1 20
River ....
Vw
88
Black Spruce . ...
168
Swamp
88
^lack Thorn , .
36
Crab-apple .
00
Black Walnut . .
203
Narrow-leaved
J^
32
Box Elder . . '. .
218
CRAT^GUS coccinea . . . .
34
BROUSSONETIA papyrifera
52
var. mollis
36
Buckeye, Big .' . .
232
crus-galli
38
Fetid ....
234
var. pyracan-
Ohio
234
thifolia .
40
Sweet ....
232
punctata
38
Burr Oak . . . . .
106
tomentosa
36
Butternut • • » •
204
Cucumber Tree ....
6
Buttonball Tree ....
53
CUPRESSUS. See CHAM^ECY PARIS.
Buttonwood .....
53
Custard Apple .
10
C
D
CARPiNUS Caroliniana .
66
DIOSPYROS Virginiana .
16
•CARYA. See Hic6RiA.
Dogwood, Alternate-leaved . .
136
•CASTANEA sativa, var. Americana .
68
Flowering
134
Catalpa . . . .
140
Poison ....
198
CATALPA bignonoides
140
speciisa ....
140
E
Catawba .....
140
Elder, Box . .
218
Cedar, Red
181
Poison ....
196
White . . . .
178
Elkwood .....
8
White (Arbor Vitae)
CELTIS occidentalis
var. crassif61ia .
1 80
48
48
Elm, Corky white . . •• .
[English] ....
f>ed
46
47
47
CERCIS Canadensis
CHAM/ECYPARIS sphaeroidea .
12
I78
Slippery
White ....
*t/
47
44
thyoides
I78
Cherry, Bird
28
F
Pin . . .
28
Rum .....
27
FAGUS ferruginea . ". . .
70
Wild black
27
Fir, Balm of Gilead
174
Wild red .
28
Balsam
174
Chestnut .....
68
FRAXINUS Americana .
220
Chestnut Oak . . .
no
pubescens
222
Index of Trees.
247
PAGE
I
FRAXINUS quadrangulata . ,
226
PACK
sambucifolia .
228
ILEX montlcola
. 26
viridis . ^
224
opaca ....
. 24
Fringe Tree . .
I-jg
Indian Bean
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* o°
Ironwood (Hop-Hornbeam) .
* 14