Part 10

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades mostly ovate, abruptly pointed at the apex, more or less heart-shaped at the base, up to 6 inches long and sometimes nearly as broad, coarsely toothed, sometimes 2-lobed, sometimes 3-lobed, often unlobed, green and usually rough to the touch on the upper surface, paler and with short white hairs on the lower surface; leafstalks up to 1½ inches long, smooth at maturity. The leaves turn yellow in the autumn.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate flowers borne separately, either on the same tree or on different trees, appearing as the leaves unfold, the staminate crowded into narrow, green clusters up to 2 inches long, the pistillate crowded into short, thick spikes up to 1 inch long.

Fruit: A cluster of tiny drupes up to 1½ inches long, at first red, becoming purple or nearly black, rarely remaining pale, sweet, juicy.

Wood: Light in weight, soft, durable, coarse-grained, orange-brown.

Uses: Fence posts and barrels; the fruit is edible.

Habitat: Woods, particularly along streams.

Range: Vermont across to Minnesota and South Dakota, south to Texas, east to Florida.

Distinguishing Features: Red Mulberry differs from White Mulberry in the presence of some hairs on the lower surface of the leaves.

TUPELO GUM _Nyssa aquatica_ L.

Other Names: Swamp Tupelo; Water Tupelo; Cotton Gum.

Growth Form: Large tree up to 85 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 4 feet, often swollen at the base; crown spreading, with numerous branchlets.

Bark: Light gray to dark gray to brown, broken into thin scales.

Twigs: Stout, more or less angular, gray or brown, smooth; leaf scars alternate, broadly U-shaped, with 3 bundle traces.

Buds: Rounded, smooth, about ⅛ inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades oblong to somewhat ovate, pointed at the tip, tapering to rounded to even heart-shaped at the base, up to 8 inches long and about half as broad, the edges smooth or with a few coarse teeth, dark green, shiny, smooth or somewhat hairy on the upper surface, paler and soft-hairy on the lower surface; leafstalks stout, up to 3 inches long, hairy.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne on separate trees, appearing as the leaves begin to unfold, greenish, small, the staminate several in spherical clusters, the pistillate solitary on long stalks arising from the leaf axils.

Fruit: Fleshy, oblong, dark purple with pale speckles, up to 1 inch long, bitter, 1-seeded, ripening in September.

Wood: Light in weight, soft, close-grained, pale brown.

Uses: Paper pulp, broom handles, floors.

Habitat: Swamps and low woods.

Range: Virginia to southern Missouri, south to Texas, east to Florida.

Distinguishing Features: The Tupelo Gum is characterized by its large, irregularly toothed leaves and its oblong, purple fruits.

SOUR GUM _Nyssa sylvatica_ Marsh.

Other Name: Black Gum.

Growth Form: Medium to large tree to 75 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 3 feet; crown rounded, often with many small, drooping branchlets.

Bark: Brown to black, often broken up into squarish blocks.

Twigs: Rather stout, reddish-brown, smooth, sometimes zigzag; leaf scars alternate, crescent-shaped, with 3 bundle traces. The pith is continuous but marked with distinct partitions.

Buds: Short-pointed, yellowish or reddish, smooth, about ⅛ inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades abruptly pointed at the tip, tapering or rounded at the base, up to 6 inches long and usually about half as wide, smooth or with a few coarse teeth along the edges, dark green, shiny, and usually smooth on the upper surface, paler and usually somewhat hairy on the lower surface; leafstalks up to 1½ inches long, smooth or sparsely hairy. The leaves turn scarlet in the autumn.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne on separate trees, appearing after the leaves begin to unfold, greenish, very small, the staminate several in spherical clusters, the pistillate 2-several on long stalks arising from the leaf axils.

Fruit: Fleshy, oval, dark blue, up to ⅔ inch long, bitter, 1-seeded, ripening in October.

Wood: Heavy, strong, soft, not durable, pale yellow.

Uses: Pulpwood, gun-stocks, flooring; sometimes used as an ornamental.

Habitat: Dry wooded slopes, low woods.

Range: Maine across to Michigan and Wisconsin, south to Missouri and Texas, east to Florida.

Distinguishing Features: Sour Gum is easily confused with Persimmon, but differs by its leaves which are abruptly short-pointed at the tip, and by its twigs which have continuous pith marked by distinct partitions.

HOP HORNBEAM _Ostrya virginiana_ (Mill.) K. Koch

Other Name: Ironwood.

Growth Form: Small tree up to 35 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 1 foot; crown usually rounded.

Bark: Brown and scaly at maturity.

Twigs: Slender, reddish-brown, sometimes hairy, tough to break; leaf scars alternate, crescent-shaped, slightly elevated, with 3 bundle traces.

Buds: Small, pointed at the tip.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades elliptic to ovate, pointed at the tip, rounded or tapering to the base, up to 5 inches long, finely doubly toothed, green and usually smooth on the upper surface, paler and usually slightly hairy on the lower surface; leafstalks up to ¼ inch long, hairy.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately but on the same tree. The staminate catkins are on the tree through the winter before opening in late April or May.

Fruit: Nutlets enclosed by an inflated bladder, crowded together in a cluster resembling hops.

Wood: Hard, strong, durable.

Use: Tool handles.

Habitat: Upland woods; rocky slopes; along streams.

Range: Nova Scotia across to Manitoba and northeastern Wyoming, south to eastern Texas and northern Florida.

Distinguishing Features: The Blue Beech, with similar leaves, differs by its scaly bark. Elms, which also have somewhat similar leaves, usually have their leaves asymmetrical at the base.

PRINCESS TREE _Paulownia tomentosa_ (Thunb.) Steud.

Other Name: Paulownia.

Growth Form: Small to medium tree to 45 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 1½ feet; crown rounded.

Bark: Gray, more or less smooth.

Twigs: Stout, grayish, finely hairy; leaf scars opposite, nearly spherical but with a notch at the top, with many bundle traces in a ring.

Buds: Half-round, minutely hairy.

Leaves: Opposite, simple; blades mostly heart-shaped, tapering to a short point at the tip, up to about 10 inches long and nearly as broad, smooth along the edges, minutely hairy on both surfaces.

Flowers: Large, showy, fragrant, several in a large cluster, appearing in late April or early May, the clusters sometimes a foot long, each flower up to 2 inches long, the petals violet with yellow stripes.

Fruit: Ovoid capsules up to 1½ inches long, pointed at the tip, brown, containing numerous winged seeds.

Use: Popular as an ornamental because of its handsome flowers.

Habitat: Along roads, around home sites.

Range: Native of Asia; occasionally escaped in the eastern United States.

Distinguishing Features: The leaves of the Princess Tree resemble those of the Catalpa, but they are always opposite and never in whorls. The violet flowers and the short, ovid capsules further distinguish the Princess Tree.

JACK PINE _Pinus banksiana_ Lamb.

Other Names: Gray Pine; Scrub Pine.

Growth Form: Medium tree to 75 feet tall in some parts of the United States; trunk diameter up to 2½ feet; crown open but often irregular.

Bark: Reddish-brown, rough and scaly.

Twigs: Slender, dark brown, becoming roughened.

Leaves: Needles in clusters of 2, stiff, curved, up to 1½ inches long, dark green.

Flowers: Staminate crowded into several yellow spikes up to ½ inch long; pistillate crowded into few to several purple clusters.

Fruit: Cones oblong, curved, upright, up to 2 inches long, each scale comprising the cone bearing a small curved prickle; seeds triangular, up to ¹/₁₂ inch long, with a wing up to ⅓ inch long.

Wood: Light in weight, soft, reddish-brown.

Uses: Railroad ties, fence posts, fuel, pulpwood.

Habitat: Rocky woods.

Range: Quebec across to Yukon, south to Minnesota, northern Illinois, and New York, Nova Scotia.

Distinguishing Features: The Jack Pine is distinguished by its short, stiff, curved needles in clusters of 2 and by its short, curved cones.

SHORTLEAF PINE _Pinus echinata_ Mill.

Other Name: Yellow Pine.

Growth Form: Large tree to 80 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 2 feet; crown pyramidal or rounded.

Bark: Reddish-brown, broken into large plates.

Twigs: Slender, reddish-brown, becoming shreddy.

Leaves: Needles in clusters of both 2 and 3 on the same tree, flexible, up to 5 inches long, dark green.

Flowers: Staminate crowded into several pale purple spikes up to ¾ inch long; pistillate in groups of 1-3, rose-colored.

Fruit: Cones 1-3 in a group, ovoid, up to 2½ inches long, each scale comprising the cone often bearing a small sharp prickle on the back; seeds triangular; less than ¼ inch long, with an asymmetrical curved wing up to ½ inch long.

Wood: Hard, heavy, coarse-grained, reddish-brown.

Uses: Interior finishing, paper pulp, construction.

Habitat: Dry, rocky slopes; widely planted in a variety of sites.

Range: Southern New York across Pennsylvania and southern Illinois to Oklahoma, south to Texas, east to northern Florida.

Distinguishing Features: Shortleaf Pine is distinguished by its needles which may be in clusters of 2 and 3 on the same tree.

RED PINE _Pinus resinosa_ Ait.

Growth Form: Medium to large tree to 150 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 3 feet; crown pyramidal.

Bark: Reddish-brown, divided irregularly into plates.

Twigs: Stout, reddish-brown, becoming roughened.

Leaves: Needles in clusters of 2, flexible, up to 6 inches long, dark green.

Flowers: Staminate crowded into several purple spikes up to ½ inch long; pistillate crowded into fewer scarlet clusters.

Fruit: Cones ovoid, mostly straight, up to 2 inches long, each scale comprising the cone without any prickles; seeds triangular, up to ⅛ inch long, with a wing up to ¾ inch long.

Wood: Rather hard, heavy, close-grained, reddish-brown.

Uses: Ships, bridges, general construction.

Habitat: Dry, rocky woods.

Range: Newfoundland across to Manitoba, south to Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey; also north-central Illinois and West Virginia.

Distinguishing Features: The Red Pine is distinguished by its dark green needles usually clustered near the tips of the twigs.

WHITE PINE _Pinus strobus_ L.

Growth Form: Tall tree well over 100 feet tall in some regions of the United States; trunk diameter sometimes in excess of 3 feet; crown pyramidal.

Bark: Brown, divided into broad ridges by shallow fissures.

Twigs: Slender, orange-brown, smooth or slightly hairy.

Leaves: Needles in clusters of 5, very flexible, up to 5 inches long, blue-green.

Flowers: Staminate crowded into several yellow spikes up to ⅓ inch long; pistillate crowded into fewer groups, pink to purple.

Fruit: Cones oblong, curved, drooping, up to 8 inches long, each scale comprising the cone lacking any prickles; seeds narrowly oblong, up to ¼ inch long, with a wing up to ¾ inch long.

Wood: Light in weight, soft, light brown.

Uses: Interior finishing, construction.

Habitat: Moist woods, wooded slopes.

Range: Newfoundland across to Manitoba, south to Iowa, northern Illinois, and in the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia.

Distinguishing Features: The soft, blue-green needles in clusters of 5 readily distinguish the White Pine.

SCOTCH PINE _Pinus sylvestris_ L.

Growth Form: Medium tree to 65 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 2 feet; crown irregular.

Bark: Large branches reddish-brown, broken into plates.

Twigs: Slender, brown, roughened.

Leaves: Needles in clusters of 2, stiff, to 3 inches long, gray-green.

Flowers: Staminate crowded into several yellow spikes up to ½ inch long; pistillate crowded into 1 to several clusters.

Fruit: Cones narrowly ovoid, to 2½ inches long, each scale comprising the cone without any prickles.

Uses: Often planted as an ornamental, Christmas trees.

Habitat: Planted in plantations in Illinois, rarely escaped.

Range: Native of Europe; widely planted in the eastern United States.

Distinguishing Features: The rather short, stiff, gray-green needles in clusters of 2 distinguish this pine.

LOBLOLLY PINE _Pinus taeda_ L.

Other Name: Old-field Pine.

Growth Form: Large tree sometimes over 125 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 2 feet; crown rounded.

Bark: Reddish-brown, divided into irregular plates.

Twigs: Slender, brown, becoming roughened.

Leaves: Needles in clusters of 3 or occasionally 2, stiff, up to 9 inches long, light green.

Flowers: Staminate crowded into several yellow spikes up to ½ inch long; pistillate crowded into 1 to several yellow clusters.

Fruit: Cones ovoid to oblong, mostly straight, up to 6 inches long, each scale comprising the cone with a short, sharp prickle; seeds rounded, up to ¼ inch long, with a wing up to 1 inch long.

Wood: Weak, brittle, coarse-grained, yellow-brown.

Uses: Pulpwood, construction.

Habitat: Planted in plantations in Illinois, rarely escaped.

Range: New Jersey to Tennessee, south across Arkansas to eastern Texas, east to central Florida; not native in Illinois.

Distinguishing Features: The Loblolly Pine is distinguished by its stiff, long needles usually in clusters of 3 and by its long cones. It is similar to Shortleaf Pine but has longer needles and cones.

WATER ELM _Planera aquatica_ Gmel.

Other Name: Planer-tree.

Growth Form: Small tree to 30 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 10 inches; crown broadly rounded, with slender branchlets.

Bark: Gray or pale brown, smooth at first but later splitting into large scales.

Twigs: Slender, reddish-brown to gray, usually smooth; leaf scars alternate, nearly circular, each with 3 bundle traces.

Buds: Slender, pointed, brownish, smooth or somewhat hairy, up to ¼ inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades lance-ovate, rounded or somewhat pointed at the tip, tapering to the usually asymmetrical base, up to 3 inches long, less than half as broad, regularly coarsely toothed, smooth or a little roughened on the upper surface at maturity, smooth or hairy on the lower surface; leafstalks up to ½ inch long, finely hairy.

Flowers: Of three kinds, all on the same tree, appearing after the leaves have begun to expand, greenish-yellow, without petals, the staminate in several small clusters, the pistillate and perfect in drooping clusters of 1-3 flowers.

Fruit: Oblong, fleshy, up to ½ inch long, with warts irregularly scattered over the surface, pale brown.

Wood: Soft, light in weight, close-grained, pale brown.

Uses: Fence posts, fuel.

Habitat: Swampy areas.

Range: North Carolina across southern Illinois to southeastern Missouri, south to Texas, east to Florida.

Distinguishing Features: The Water Elm resembles other native elms in Illinois, but has only single-toothed leaves. The warty fruits are also distinctive.

SYCAMORE _Platanus occidentalis_ L.

Other Names: Buttonwood; Plane-tree.

Growth Form: Large tree sometimes more than 100 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 8 feet; crown broad, often irregular.

Bark: Reddish-brown when young, quickly breaking into thin, flat scales, falling away in sections to expose large patches of whitish or greenish inner bark.

Twigs: Smooth, light brown, somewhat zigzag; leaf scars alternate, encircling the buds, somewhat elevated, with 5-7 bundle traces.

Buds: Light brown, pointed, about one-fourth inch long, entirely covered by the base of the leafstalk. When the leaves fall off, exposing the buds, they leave a scar which surrounds the base of each bud.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades circular in outline but divided into 3 or 5 shallow, sharp-pointed lobes, heart-shaped or cut straight across at the base, up to 7 inches long (longer on vigorous shoots) and often as broad, bright green and smooth on the upper surface, paler and smooth on the lower surface except for the sparsely hairy veins; leafstalks to 5 inches long, slightly hairy; stipules, resembling the leaves but only about an inch long, often persist near the base of the leafstalks.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate flowers borne separately but on the same tree, minute, crowded together in dense, round heads.

Fruit: Round light brown heads, about one inch in diameter, on long drooping stalks, containing many small seeds surrounded by hairs.

Wood: Hard and strong.

Uses: Furniture, interior finishing. Sometimes planted as an ornamental because of its rapid growth and unusual bark.

Habitat: Bottomlands, along streams, around lakes and ponds.

Range: Maine across southern Wisconsin to eastern Nebraska, south to eastern Texas, east to northern Florida.

Distinguishing Features: The large palmately lobed leaves and the brown and gray mottled bark readily distinguish this tree.

WHITE POPLAR _Populus alba_ L.

Other Names: Silver-leaved Poplar; Abele.

Growth Form: Moderate tree to 50 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 2 feet; crown broadly rounded but often irregular.

Bark: Grayish to whitish, at first smooth, later becoming deeply fissured and very dark gray to nearly black.

Twigs: Greenish-gray, white-hairy at least when young; leaf scars alternate, crescent-shaped, each with 3 bundle traces.

Buds: Ovoid, pointed, hairy, up to ⅛ inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades usually ovate, with a few broad teeth along the edges, bluntly pointed at the tip, cut straight across or a little heart-shaped at the base, up to 4 inches long, dark green on the upper surface, silvery-hairy or white-wooly on the lower surface; leafstalks up to 3 inches long, densely hairy, not flat.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne on separate trees, crowded together in catkins, appearing when the leaves unfold.

Fruit: Often curved, flask-shaped capsules, greenish, hairy, up to ¼ inch long, containing many seeds with cottony hairs attached.

Wood: Light weight, soft.

Use: Grown as an ornamental because of its silvery leaves.

Habitat: Along roads, around old homesteads.

Range: Native of Europe and Asia; frequently planted and escaped from cultivation in the United States.

Distinguishing Features: The leaves, with their silvery or white-wooly under-surface and their few broad teeth, provided the best means of identifying this tree.

COTTONWOOD _Populus deltoides_ Marsh.

Growth Form: Large rapidly growing tree up to 100 feet tall; trunk diameter up to eight feet; crown spreading or broadly rounded, with some drooping branches. The largest tree in Illinois, in Grundy County, is a Cottonwood measuring twenty-eight feet six inches in circumference.

Bark: Smooth and gray when young, becoming furrowed at maturity.

Twigs: Yellow-green, gray, or tan, smooth, moderately stout, with numerous pale “dots”; leaf scars alternate, triangular, with 3 large bundle traces.

Buds: Lance-shaped, long-pointed, up to ½ inch long, sticky, chestnut-colored.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades to 5 inches long and often nearly as broad, triangular, abruptly pointed at the tip, cut straight across or even slightly heart-shaped at the base, with coarse rounded teeth along the edges, green, smooth, and shiny on the upper surface, paler on the lower surface; leafstalks to 4 inches long, smooth, often yellow, flat.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne on separate trees, the staminate crowded in rather thick, reddish catkins, the pistillate crowded in narrower, greenish-yellow catkins, both sexes appearing before the leaves begin to unfold.

Fruit: Elliptic, greenish-brown capsules up to ¼ inch long, grouped in elongated clusters, containing numerous seeds with cottony hairs attached.

Wood: Light weight, soft, readily warping.

Uses: Pulpwood, fuel.

Habitat: Bottomland woods, along streams.

Range: New Hampshire across to southeastern North Dakota, south central Texas, east to northern Florida.

Distinguishing Features: The Cottonwood is easily recognized by its triangular leaves with flattened leafstalks. The cottony seeds, when the fruits are mature, are also distinctive.

BIG-TOOTH ASPEN _Populus grandidentata_ Michx.

Other Name: Large-tooth Aspen.

Growth Form: Medium tree to 60 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 1½ feet; crown rounded.

Bark: Grayish-green, smooth at first, becoming shallowly fissured and broken up into thin scales.

Twigs: Grayish-green, with numerous orange “dots,” hairy when young but becoming smooth; leaf scars alternate, raised, 3-lobed, each with 3 bundle traces.

Buds: Ovoid, pointed, chestnut-brown, somewhat hairy, up to one-eighth inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades nearly circular in outline, short-pointed at the tip, rounded at the base, up to 5 inches long, nearly as broad, with several rather coarse teeth along the edges, green on the upper surface, paler on the lower surface, smooth when mature; leafstalks up to 3 inches long, flat, enabling the leaf to rustle even in gentle breezes.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne on separate trees, crowded together in catkins up to 5 inches long, appearing as the leaves unfold.

Fruit: Long, narrow, flask-shaped, green, slightly hairy capsules, grouped in elongated clusters, containing many seeds with cottony hairs attached.

Wood: Light weight, soft, pale brown.

Use: Pulpwood.

Habitat: Wooded slopes, edges of woods.

Range: Quebec across to Manitoba, south to central Illinois, east to Maryland; Kentucky and north-central Tennessee east to western North Carolina.

Distinguishing Features: The coarsely toothed, tremoring leaves and the grayish-green trunks combine to make this a tree easy to recognize.

SWAMP COTTONWOOD _Populus heterophylla_ L.

Other Name: Swamp Poplar.

Growth Form: Up to 90 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 2 feet; crown very irregular, with a few, large, upright branches.

Bark: Gray or brown, smooth when young, becoming scaly ridged at maturity.