Part 13

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately, but on the same tree, appearing when the leaves begin to unfold, minute, without petals, the staminate in slender, drooping clusters, the pistillate in groups of 1-4.

Fruit: Acorns solitary or 2 together, with or without a short stalk, the nut ovoid or ellipsoid, up to ¾ inch long, reddish-brown, not more than ½ enclosed by the cup, the cup with scales not appressed at the tip, thus appearing ragged.

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

Uses: General construction, fuel, fence posts.

Habitat: Mostly upland woods.

Range: Maine across to south-central Minnesota, south to eastern Texas, east to northern Florida.

Distinguishing Features: Black Oak is easily distinguished by its large, angular, gray-hairy buds and its acorns with their ragged-edged cup.

CAROLINA BUCKTHORN _Rhamnus caroliniana_ Walt.

Growth Form: Small tree to 30 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 6 inches; crown spreading.

Bark: Gray, somewhat roughened.

Twigs: Slender, gray or pale brown, smooth or somewhat hairy; leaf scars alternate, crescent-shaped, with 3 bundle traces.

Buds: Lance-shaped, pointed, up to ¼ inch long, very hairy.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades elliptic, short-pointed at the tip, tapering or somewhat rounded at the base, up to 6 inches long, up to 2 inches broad, finely toothed or toothless along the edges, dark green, smooth, and glossy on the upper surface, paler and smooth or finely hairy on the lower surface; leafstalks finely hairy, up to 1 inch long.

Flowers: Few in umbrella-like clusters, inconspicuous, appearing when the leaves are nearly grown, each flower with 5 small petals.

Fruit: Spherical berries, up to ⅓ inch in diameter, red and shiny, containing 2-4 seeds.

Wood: Hard, light in weight, close-grained, light brown.

Use: Fuel.

Habitat: Rocky woods and along streams.

Range: Virginia across to Kansas, south to Texas, east to Florida.

Distinguishing Features: The Carolina Buckthorn is distinguished by its shiny, elliptical leaves, its red berries, and its small stature.

COMMON BUCKTHORN _Rhamnus cathartica_ L.

Growth Form: Small tree to 25 feet tall, often branching from near the base; trunk diameter up to 10 inches; crown spreading and irregular.

Bark: Gray to brown, roughened when mature.

Twigs: Gray to brown, usually smooth, some of them usually ending in a spine; leaf scars opposite to nearly so, narrow, with 3 bundle traces.

Buds: Lanceolate, brown, smooth, up to ¼ inch long.

Leaves: Broadly elliptic to ovate to nearly orbicular, rounded to pointed at the tip, usually rounded at the base, up to 2½ inches long and up to 1½ inches wide, finely toothed along the edges, smooth on both surfaces, the veins prominent; leafstalks slender, smooth, up to 1 inch long.

Flowers: Borne in clusters from the axils of the leaves, during May and June, some of them either only staminate or only pistillate, some of them with both stamens and pistils, each flower with 4 small petals.

Fruit: Nearly round, fleshy, black, up to ¼ inch in diameter, bitter, containing 3 or 4 seeds.

Wood: Heavy, hard, durable, yellowish, fine-grained.

Uses: This tree is sometimes planted as an ornamental hedge. The wood is used in making such things as tool handles. The fruits serve as a powerful purging agent.

Habitat: Thickets.

Range: Native of Europe and Asia; naturalized throughout much of northeastern North America.

Distinguishing Features: The spine-tipped twigs, nearly opposite leaves, and small black fruits readily distinguish this species.

SHINING SUMAC _Rhus copallina_ L.

Other Names: Dwarf Sumac; Winged Sumac.

Growth Form: Small tree to 35 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 6 inches; crown widely spreading.

Bark: Dark brown, roughened.

Twigs: Rather stout, gray-brown to reddish-brown, sometimes hairy, with conspicuous red lenticels; leaf scars alternate, U-shaped, elevated with 6-9 bundle traces.

Buds: More or less rounded, rusty-hairy, about ⅛ inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound, with as many as 21 leaflets; leaflets oblong to elliptic, up to 3 inches long and 1 inch broad, sharp pointed at the apex, tapering or rounded at the sometimes asymmetrical base, smooth or with low teeth along the edges, dark green, smooth and shiny on the upper surface, paler and hairy on the lower surface, all leaflets attached to a winged stalk. The leaves turn a deep red or wine color in the autumn.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate sometimes borne on separate plants, sometimes on the same plant, sometimes in the same flower, numerous in much branched clusters, appearing from late May to mid-August, each flower greenish-yellow, small.

Fruit: Cluster of red berries, each berry round, finely hairy, up to ⅛ inch in diameter, containing a single orange seed.

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

Use: Sometimes grown as an ornamental.

Habitat: Dry hills, fields.

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

Distinguishing Features: The Shining Sumac is readily distinguished by the winged stalk to which the leaflets are attached.

SMOOTH SUMAC _Rhus glabra_ L.

Growth Form: Small tree up to 20 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 8 inches; crown widely spreading.

Bark: Light brown, smooth on young plants, becoming somewhat rough at maturity.

Twigs: Stout, angular, smooth, reddish-brown or greenish-brown and covered by a whitish coat which can be wiped off, leaf scars alternate, nearly encircling the bud, elevated, with 6-9 bundle traces.

Buds: More or less rounded, smooth, about ⅛ inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound, with up to 31 leaflets; leaflets lance-shaped, up to 4 inches long, less than 2 inches broad, sharp pointed at the apex, tapering or rounded at the often asymmetrical base, toothed along the edges, green and smooth on the upper surface, nearly white and smooth on the lower surface. The leaves turn red in the autumn.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate sometimes borne on separate plants, sometimes on the same plant, sometimes in the same flower, numerous in much branched clusters, appearing from late May to mid-August, each flower greenish-yellow, small.

Fruit: Cluster of red berries, each berry round, smooth, up to ⅛ inch in diameter, containing a single brown seed.

Wood: Light in weight, soft, pale.

Use: Sometimes grown as an ornamental.

Habitat: Woods, fields, disturbed areas.

Range: Nova Scotia across to Manitoba and North Dakota, south to Texas, east to Florida; also in Mexico.

Distinguishing Features: This species lacks the winged leaf stalks of the Shining Sumac and lacks the velvety twigs of the Staghorn Sumac.

STAGHORN SUMAC _Rhus typhina_ L.

Growth Form: Small to medium tree up to 40 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 15 inches; crown broadly rounded or sometimes flat.

Bark: Dark brown, smooth at first, becoming scaly in age.

Twigs: Stout, dark brown, covered by velvety hairs; leaf scars nearly encircling the twigs, with 6-9 bundle traces.

Buds: More or less rounded, hairy, about ⅛ inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound, with up to 31 leaflets; leaflets lance-shaped, up to 5 inches long, less than 2 inches broad, pointed at the tip, tapering or rounded at the usually asymmetrical base, toothed along the edges, dark green and smooth on the upper surface, paler and smooth except for the hairy veins on the lower surface. The leaves turn purple to red to orange in the autumn.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate sometimes borne on separate plants, sometimes on the same plant, sometimes in the same flower, numerous in much branched clusters, appearing from June to August, each flower greenish, greenish-yellow, or reddish.

Fruit: Dense cluster of red berries, each berry round, conspicuously hairy, up to ⅛ inch in diameter, containing a single brown seed.

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

Use: Sometimes grown as an ornamental.

Habitat: Woods and thickets.

Range: Nova Scotia across to Minnesota, south to Iowa and Kentucky, east to North Carolina.

Distinguishing Features: The densely velvety twigs are distinctive for this species.

POISON SUMAC _Rhus vernix_ L.

Growth Form: Small tree or shrub to 20 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 5 inches; crown narrowly rounded.

Bark: Gray, smooth.

Twigs: Rather stout, smooth, orange-brown to gray; leaf scars alternate, rounded except for where the bud is, with several bundle traces.

Buds: Rounded or somewhat pointed, about ¼ inch in diameter, except for the larger, terminal one, hairy, often purplish.

Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound, with 7-13 leaflets; leaflets elliptic to obovate, pointed at the tip, rounded or tapering to the base, up to 4 inches long, up to half as wide, dark green and smooth on the upper surface, paler and usually smooth on the lower surface, the edges without teeth. The leaves turn a brilliant scarlet in the autumn.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate sometimes borne on separate plants, sometimes on the same plant, sometimes in the same flower, numerous in much branched clusters, appearing from May to July, each flower greenish-yellow, small.

Fruit: Cluster of white or creamy berries, each berry round, smooth, shiny, up to ½ inch in diameter, containing a single yellow seed.

Wood: Soft, light in weight, coarse-grained, yellow-brown.

Use: Little used because of the extremely poisonous nature of most parts of the plant to the touch.

Habitat: Bogs and swampy woods.

Range: Maine across southern Ontario to Minnesota, south to Texas, east to Florida.

Distinguishing Features: This species differs from other sumacs with numerous leaflets by the absence of teeth along the edges of the leaves and by the absence of a winged stalk between the leaflets.

BLACK LOCUST _Robinia pseudoacacia_ L.

Growth Form: Moderate tree up to 70 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 2½ feet; crown narrowly oblong, with irregularly ascending or spreading branches.

Bark: Gray or black, deeply furrowed, with numerous, elevated, scaly ridges.

Twigs: Slender but strong, angular, often zigzag, reddish-brown, with a pair of short, sharp thorns where each leaf is attached; leaf scars alternate, three-lobed, with 3 bundle traces per lobe.

Buds: Sunken in the twigs, dark brown, without bud scales, up to one-eighth inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound, with 7-21 leaflets; leaflets oval, rounded at both ends but usually with a short point at the tip, without teeth, blue-green and smooth on the upper surface, paler and smooth on the lower surface except for the veins, up to two inches long and nearly half as wide. The leaflets turn yellow in the autumn.

Flowers: In long, drooping clusters, white with a yellow spot, very fragrant, up to 1 inch long, appearing in May and June.

Fruit: Legumes up to 4 inches long and about ½ inch wide, flat, smooth, reddish-brown, with 4-8 seeds.

Wood: Hard, heavy, strong, brown.

Uses: Fence posts, tool handles; often planted as an ornamental.

Habitat: Woodlands, thickets, roadsides.

Range: Pennsylvania across to Oklahoma, east to Georgia; often planted in other regions of the eastern United States.

Distinguishing Features: The pinnately compound leaves with up to 21 oval, smooth-edged leaflets, together with the pairs of spines, serve to distinguish this species.

PEACH-LEAVED WILLOW _Salix amygdaloides_ Anders.

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

Bark: Grayish-brown, shallowly furrowed, becoming somewhat scaly.

Twigs: Slender, pale brown to grayish, smooth; leaf scars alternate, U-shaped, with 3 bundle traces.

Buds: Small, oblong, brown, up to one-sixth inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades broadly lance-shaped, long-pointed at the tip, rounded or tapering to the base, up to 5 inches long, finely toothed along the edges, dark green and shiny on the upper surface, pale on the lower surface; leaf stalks up to ½ inch long.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate flowers borne on separate trees, minute, crowded into elongated catkins, appearing as the leaves begin to unfold.

Fruit: Several rather broad, flask-shaped, brown capsules up to one-sixth inch long, crowded in elongated clusters.

Wood: Light weight, soft, pale brown.

Use: Fuel.

Habitat: Along streams, around lakes and ponds.

Range: Vermont across southern Ontario to British Columbia, south to New Mexico, east across southern Illinois to central New York.

Distinguishing Features: This willow has broader leaves than almost any other willow in Illinois. The pale lower surface of the leaves also distinguishes it from the Black Willow.

CAROLINA WILLOW _Salix caroliniana_ Michx.

Other Name: Ward’s Willow.

Growth Form: Medium tree to 40 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 1 foot; crown widely spreading, often irregular.

Bark: Dark brown to gray to black, scaly and ridged.

Twigs: Slender, brown, usually finely hairy; leaf scars alternate, U-shaped, with 3 bundle traces.

Buds: Small, oblong, reddish-brown, smooth, up to one-eighth inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades lanceolate, long-pointed at the tip, tapering to the base, up to 5 inches long and up to 1 inch broad, finely toothed along the edges, green and smooth on the upper surface, whitish and smooth on the lower surface; stipules conspicuous; leafstalks up to ½ inch long, hairy.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate flowers borne on separate trees, appearing as the leaves begin to unfold, crowded in elongated, yellowish, hairy catkins.

Fruit: Several narrow, flask-shaped, brownish capsules up to ¼ inch long, crowded in elongated clusters.

Wood: Light weight, soft, not strong.

Use: Fuel.

Habitat: Moist woods, along streams.

Range: Maryland across southern Illinois to Kansas, south to Texas and Florida.

Distinguishing Features: The leaves of the Carolina Willow are shaped similarly to those of the Black Willow, but differ by being whitened on the lower surface.

SANDBAR WILLOW _Salix interior_ Rowlee

Growth Form: Small tree to 25 feet tall; trunk diameter less than 1 foot; crown irregular.

Bark: Gray, furrowed, broken into rough scales.

Twigs: Slender, grayish-green, smooth; leaf scars alternate, U-shaped, with 3 bundle traces.

Buds: Small, oblong, pale brown, up to one-sixth inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades very narrow, pointed at the tip, tapering to the base, to 4 inches long, less than one-half inch broad, with widely spaced teeth along the edges, green and usually smooth on both surfaces when mature; leafstalks nearly absent.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate flowers borne on separate trees, minute, crowded into elongated catkins, appearing when the leaves are partly grown.

Fruit: Several flask-shaped, brownish, smooth or silky capsules up to one-eighth inch long, crowded in elongated clusters.

Wood: Light weight, soft, weak.

Use: Fuel.

Habitat: Along streams, often forming thickets.

Range: Quebec across to Alaska, south to Oklahoma and Arkansas, east to Maryland.

Distinguishing Features: The best characteristics to identify this small tree are the narrow leaves with the teeth relatively far apart.

BLACK WILLOW _Salix nigra_ Marsh.

Growth Form: Medium to large tree up to 90 feet tall; trunk diameter up to three feet; crown usually round-topped, but sometimes irregular.

Bark: Rough, furrowed, forming elongated, vertical, rather tight scales.

Twigs: Slender, olive-green, smooth; leaf scars alternate, U-shaped, with 3 bundle traces.

Buds: Small, oblong, reddish-brown, up to one-eighth inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades narrowly lance-shaped, usually curved, long-pointed at the tip, rounded or tapering at the base, up to 6 inches long, finely toothed along the edges, green and shiny on the upper surface, smooth or hairy on the veins of the lower surface; leafstalks short, often surrounded at the base by a pair of green leaf-like stipules.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate flowers borne on separate trees, minute, crowded in elongated catkins, appearing as the leaves begin to unfold.

Fruit: Several narrow, flask-shaped, reddish-brown capsules up to one-eighth inch long, crowded in elongated clusters.

Wood: Light weight, soft, not strong.

Uses: Flooring, boxes, crates, fuel.

Habitat: Wet ground, frequently along rivers and streams.

Range: New Brunswick across to Ontario, south to Texas, east to Florida.

Distinguishing Features: The narrow lance-shaped leaves which are green on the lower surface and which have many fine teeth along the edges distinguish this willow from other willows in Illinois.

SASSAFRAS _Sassafras albidum_ (Nutt.) Nees

Other Names: White Sassafras; Red Sassafras.

Growth Form: Usually small to moderate tree up to 40 feet tall, but rarely as much as 80 feet tall; trunk diameter usually up to 2 feet, rarely as much as six feet; crown flat-topped, irregular, oblong.

Bark: Greenish-gray when young, becoming deeply furrowed and dark reddish-brown when older.

Twigs: Slender, green, smooth, aromatic; leaf scars alternate, small, half-round, usually with three bundle traces.

Buds: Ovoid, scarcely pointed at the tip, greenish, up to one-fourth inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades of three different shapes, some 3-lobed, some 2-lobed, some unlobed, tapering to the base, up to 6 inches long, without teeth along the edges, green and smooth on the upper surface, paler and either smooth or hairy on the lower surface. The leaves turn brilliant shades of orange, red, and yellow in the autumn.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate flowers borne on separate trees, in few-flowered clusters as the leaves begin to unfold, each flower about ⅓ inch long, greenish-yellow.

Fruit: Dark blue berries about one-third inch long in deep red cups and on stalks up to 2 inches long.

Wood: Soft, brittle, orange-brown.

Uses: Fence posts; the roots are strongly aromatic and are dug, dried, and used in the making of sassafras tea.

Habitat: Roadsides, old fields, woods.

Range: Maine across to Michigan and (formerly) Wisconsin, south to Texas, east to Florida.

Distinguishing Features: The Sassafras is distinguished by its distinctively shaped, aromatic leaves and its green twigs.

BALD CYPRESS _Taxodium distichum_ (L.) Rich.

Growth Form: Large tree to over 100 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 8 feet; crown open and spreading to pyramidal; base of trunk often swollen; “knees” usually produced if tree is growing in water.

Bark: Pale reddish-brown, broken into numerous thin scales, becoming fibrous.

Twigs: Slender, reddish-brown; leaf scars absent.

Buds: Spherical, up to ⅛ inch in diameter, pale brown.

Leaves: Needles borne singly, pointed at the tip, up to ¾ inch long, yellow-green, falling away during the autumn.

Flowers: Staminate borne in branched clusters up to 5 inches long, purplish; pistillate few to several near the ends of the twigs, spherical.

Fruit: Cones nearly spherical, up to 1 inch in diameter, green to brown, wrinkled in appearance.

Wood: Soft, durable, light in weight, brown.

Uses: Railroad ties, fence posts, barrels, bridges; often planted as an ornamental.

Habitat: Swamps and low, wet woods.

Range: New Jersey across to southern Illinois and southern Missouri to eastern Texas, east to Florida.

Distinguishing Features: Bald Cypress is distinguished by the feathery appearance of its leaves and by its spherical, wrinkled cones.

BASSWOOD _Tilia americana_ L.

Other Name: Linden.

Growth Form: Medium or large tree to 80 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 2 feet; crown broadly rounded.

Bark: Brown, scaly, deeply furrowed.

Twigs: Slender, gray or brown, smooth; leaf scars alternate, half-elliptical, with 3 to several bundle traces.

Buds: Ovoid, red, smooth, up to ¼ inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades ovate, pointed at the tip, heart-shaped at the very asymmetrical base, up to 8 inches long, up to ⅔ as broad, coarsely toothed along the edges, green and smooth on the upper surface, paler and smooth or with tufts of hair on the lower surface; leafstalks up to 2 inches long, smooth.

Flowers: Few in clusters on a long stalk attached to a paddle-shaped structure, each flower fragrant, greenish-yellow, with 5 petals, appearing in June and July.

Fruit: Hard, spherical but often with a short point at the tip, up to ⅓ inch in diameter, light brown, finely hairy.

Wood: Light in weight, close-grained, strong, not durable.

Uses: Coarse construction, furniture, paper pulp, fuel.

Habitat: Rich woods.

Range: New Brunswick across to Manitoba, south to Texas, east to North Carolina.

Distinguishing Features: The large, heart-shaped leaves sometimes resemble the leaves of the Red Mulberry, but the leafstalks of the Basswood do not have milky sap in them. The Basswood differs from the White Basswood by the virtual absence of hairs on the lower surface of the leaves.

WHITE BASSWOOD _Tilia heterophylla_ Vent.

Growth Form: Medium to large tree up to 70 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 2 feet; crown broadly spreading.

Bark: Brown, scaly, deeply furrowed.

Twigs: Slender, pale red-brown, smooth; leaf scars alternate, half-elliptical, with 3 to several bundle traces.

Buds: Ovoid, red, usually smooth, up to ¼ inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades ovate, pointed at the tip, heart-shaped at the asymmetrical base, up to 6 inches long, about half as wide, coarsely toothed along the edges, green and more or less smooth on the upper surface, densely covered with white hairs on the lower surface; leafstalks up to 2 inches long, more or less smooth.

Flowers: Several in clusters on a long stalk attached to a paddle-shaped structure, each flower fragrant, greenish-yellow, hairy, with 5 petals, appearing in June and July.

Fruit: Hard, more or less spherical, somewhat pointed at the tip, up to ⅓ inch in diameter, reddish-brown, finely hairy.