Part 6

Fruit: Tiny, hairy nuts, each with a 3-lobed wing, crowded together in a cylindrical cone up to 1½ inches long and ½ inch thick.

Wood: Strong but light, pale brown.

Uses: Wood is used for furniture; sometimes planted as an ornamental.

Habitat: Along rivers and streams; bottomland woods.

Range: Massachusetts and New Hampshire across to southern Minnesota and eastern Kansas, south to eastern Texas and Florida.

Distinguishing Features: The shaggy, peeling reddish-brown bark readily distinguishes this tree from any other in Illinois, as does its rhombic, doubly toothed leaves.

PAPER BIRCH _Betula papyrifera_ Marsh.

Other Name: Canoe Birch.

Growth Form: Medium tree up to 70 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 2 feet; crown broadly rounded, irregular, with many slender branches.

Bark: Thin and white or creamy, splitting at maturity into papery layers, becoming very dark and furrowed near the base of the trunk at maturity.

Twigs: Slender, zigzag, reddish-brown to blackish, more or less hairy; leaf scars alternate, half-elliptical, with 3 bundle traces.

Buds: Slender, pointed, dark brown, smooth or nearly so, up to one-fourth inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades ovate, pointed at the tip, more or less rounded at the base, up to 3 inches long, over half as wide, coarsely toothed, dark green and smooth on the upper surface, yellow-green and smooth or somewhat hairy on the lower surface and with black dots on the lower surface; leafstalks yellow, smooth or finely hairy, up to 1 inch long. The leaves turn yellow in the autumn.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately on the same tree, developing in the autumn and present on the tree during the winter, the staminate crowded into slender spikes up to 4 inches long, the pistillate crowded into thicker spikes up to 1¼ inches long, the flowers minute, without petals.

Fruit: Cone-like, cylindrical, drooping, composed of many minute seeds attached to 3-lobed wings.

Wood: Light in weight, hard, strong, durable, close-grained, light reddish-brown.

Uses: Bark used to cover canoes; wood used for pulp, fuel, toothpicks, and spools; sometimes grown as an ornamental.

Habitat: Rich, wooded slopes and stream banks.

Range: Labrador across to Alaska, south to Montana, Colorado, northern Illinois, and West Virginia.

Distinguishing Features: The Paper Birch is readily distinguished by its white bark which peels off into thin, papery layers.

PAPER MULBERRY _Broussonetia papyrifera_ (L.) Vent.

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

Bark: Gray or light brown, smooth.

Twigs: Moderately stout, greenish-gray, smooth or finely hairy, zigzag; leaf scars alternate, nearly spherical, elevated, with 5 bundle traces.

Buds: Cone-shaped, more or less smooth, up to 3 mm long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades ovate, tapering to a point at the tip, more or less heart-shaped at the base, up to 8 inches long, sometimes nearly as broad, toothed, sometimes 2- or 3-lobed, usually rough-hairy on both surfaces; leafstalks up to 2 inches long, smooth or finely hairy.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate flowers borne separately, on separate trees, appearing as the leaves unfold, the staminate in pendulous catkins, the pistillate in dense, hairy, spherical heads.

Fruit: Spherical, semi-fleshy, orange, up to 1 inch in diameter, with red fruits projecting.

Use: Often planted as an ornamental.

Habitat: Along roads, around old homes.

Range: Native of Asia; occasionally found along roads and in fencerows in the eastern United States.

Distinguishing Features: The leaves, some of which are 2- or 3-lobed, are very reminiscent of mulberry leaves. Mulberry leaves, however, are not densely rough-hairy.

BLUE BEECH _Carpinus caroliniana_ Walt.

Other Names: Ironwood; American Hornbeam; Musclewood.

Growth Form: Up to 30 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 1½ feet; crown rounded.

Bark: Smooth, blue-gray, ridged, appearing “muscular.”

Twigs: Slender, difficult to break, reddish-brown, smooth or finely hairy; leaf scars alternate, crescent-shaped, elevated, with 3 bundle traces.

Buds: Small, angular, tapering to a short point.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades thin, pointed at the tip, usually rounded at the base, 2-4 inches long and about half as wide, finely doubly toothed, the upper surface smooth, the lower surface either smooth or hairy; leafstalks up to ½ inch long, hairy.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate on same tree but in different catkins, opening during May.

Fruit: Nutlets borne at the base of a three-lobed green “leaf,” crowded together into a fruiting cluster.

Wood: Strong and hard, hence the name Ironwood.

Use: Tool handles.

Habitat: Moist woods.

Range: Nova Scotia across to central Minnesota, south to eastern Oklahoma and eastern Texas, east to central Florida.

Distinguishing Features: Several other trees may be confused with the Blue Beech. Beech, which has smooth gray bark, has leaves with fewer teeth and twigs with pointed buds. Hop Hornbeam, with very similar leaves, has a flaky bark. The elms, which also have somewhat similar leaves, usually have the leaves asymmetrical at the base.

WATER HICKORY _Carya aquatica_ (Michx. f.) Nutt.

Growth Form: Medium tree to 75 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 2 feet; crown narrow.

Bark: Reddish-brown, furrowed, becoming somewhat scaly at maturity.

Twigs: Slender, reddish-brown or gray, smooth or occasionally slightly hairy; leaf scars alternate, 3-lobed, scarcely elevated, with several bundle traces.

Buds: Pointed, reddish-brown with yellow scales, usually hairy, up to ¼ inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound, with 7-17 leaflets; leaflets lance-shaped, curved, pointed at the tip, tapering to the asymmetrical base, up to 5 inches long, up to 2 inches wide, finely toothed along the edges, dark green and smooth or nearly so on the upper surface, brownish and smooth or somewhat hairy on the lower surface.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately, but on the same tree, appearing when the leaves are partly grown, the staminate several in slender, drooping catkins up to 3 inches long, the pistillate fewer, in shorter spikes, neither type with petals.

Fruit: Short-ellipsoid, usually tapering to either end, flattened, up to 1½ inches long and two-thirds as broad, the husk 4-winged, dark brown but with yellow scales, thin, splitting only about halfway to the base, the nut flattened, 4-angled, reddish-brown, the shell thin, the seed bitter.

Wood: Heavy, hard, strong, close-grained, dark brown.

Uses: Fence posts, fuel.

Habitat: Swampy woods and drained floodplains.

Range: Virginia across to southeastern Missouri, south to Texas, east to Florida.

Distinguishing Features: Water Hickory is similar to Pecan and Bitternut Hickory in having 7 or more leaflets per leaf. However, it lacks the yellow buds of the Bitternut Hickory and the slender, edible nut of the Pecan. The leaves are generally hairier than those of the Pecan.

BITTERNUT HICKORY _Carya cordiformis_ (Wang.) K. Koch

Other Name: Yellow-bud Hickory.

Growth Form: Medium tree up to 75 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 2½ feet; crown broadly rounded and often irregular; trunk straight, columnar.

Bark: Brown, thin, separating into small, platy scales or shallow ridges and fissures.

Twigs: Slender, grayish or orange-brown, smooth, usually with lenticels; leaf scars alternate, shield-shaped, scarcely elevated, with usually several bundle traces.

Buds: Narrow, slender, pointed, covered by a dense, bright yellow coat of glandular dots and small hairs, up to ¾ inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound, with usually 7-9 leaflets; leaflets lance-shaped, usually curved, long-pointed at the tip, tapering or rounded at the base, toothed along the edges, yellow-green and smooth on the upper surface, somewhat lighter and usually hairy on the lower surface, up to 6 inches long and usually less than half as wide.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately, but on the same tree, appearing after the leaves have begun to unfold, minute, without petals, the staminate in slender, drooping catkins, the pistillate in groups of 1 or 2.

Fruit: More or less spherical, up to 1¼ inches in diameter, the husk thin, yellowish, with 4 distinct ridges extending about halfway down, the nut somewhat flattened, the seed very bitter.

Wood: Heavy, hard, strong, dark brown.

Uses: Fuel, fence posts.

Habitat: Bottomland woods; dry hills; along roads.

Range: Southern Ontario across to central Minnesota, south to eastern Texas, east to north-central Florida.

Distinguishing Features: Bitternut Hickory is easily recognized by its slender, mustard-yellow buds. It differs further from the Water Hickory by its rounded fruits.

PIGNUT HICKORY _Carya glabra_ (Mill.) Sweet

Growth Form: Medium tree up to 75 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 2 feet; crown oblong or obovoid, with many small, spreading branchlets; trunk straight, columnar, sometimes branching fairly low to the ground.

Bark: Light gray to black, not scaly or peeling off into shreds, at maturity furrowed and ridged.

Twigs: Slender, brown or gray, shiny, smooth, tough, usually with lenticels; leaf scars alternate, shield-shaped or 3-lobed, scarcely elevated, usually with several bundle traces.

Buds: More or less rounded but coming to a short point at the tip, tan or grayish, the outermost scales tipped with a few small hairs, never with small yellow dots, the inner scales hairy all along the edges, up to ½ inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound, with usually 5, sometimes 7 leaflets; leaflets lance-shaped, pointed at the tip, tapering at the bottom, toothed along the edges, green and smooth on the upper surface, green and smooth or sometimes hairy on the veins on the lower surface, up to 5 inches long and up to 2 inches broad, the upper three leaflets larger than the lower two.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately, but on the same tree, appearing after the leaves have begun to expand, minute, without petals, the staminate in slender, drooping catkins, the pistillate in groups of 1-3.

Fruit: Spherical to pear-shaped, up to 1 inch long, not quite as broad, the husks thin, greenish, usually not splitting all the way to the base, the nut somewhat compressed and with a very hard shell, the seed sweet. Occasional trees have fruits up to 2 inches long.

Wood: Heavy, strong, hard, brown.

Uses: Fuel, fence posts, tool handles.

Habitat: Wooded slopes and ridges.

Range: Vermont across to southern Michigan and northern Illinois, south across Missouri to eastern Texas, east to central Florida.

Distinguishing Features: Pignut Hickory is best recognized by its rather small leaflets which usually are five in number, the tight bark, and the characteristic pear-shaped fruits.

PECAN _Carya illinoensis_ (Wang.) K. Koch

Growth Form: Large tree up to 150 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 3 feet; crown widely spreading and rounded; trunk rather short, stout, straight.

Bark: Reddish-brown, becoming roughened into platy scales.

Twigs: Rather stout, brown, hairy when young, but becoming smooth; leaf scars alternate, 3-lobed, scarcely elevated, with 3-18 bundle traces.

Buds: Long-pointed, covered with yellow glandular dots and fine hairs, up to one-half inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound, with 9-19 leaflets; leaflets lance-shaped, curved, long-pointed at the tip, rounded or tapering to the asymmetrical base, finely doubly-toothed, yellow-green and usually smooth on the upper surface, paler and either smooth or hairy on the lower surface, up to 8 inches long and 3 inches broad.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately, but on the same tree, appearing when the leaves are partly grown, the staminate many in slender, drooping, yellow-green catkins, the pistillate fewer in shorter spikes, neither type with petals.

Fruit: Ellipsoid, pointed at the tip, up to 2 inches long and 1 inch broad, the husk narrowly 4-winged, dark brown but with yellow scales, thin, usually splitting nearly to the base, the nut pointed at the tip, reddish-brown with black markings, the shell thin, the seed sweet.

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

Uses: The nuts are prized for their tastiness; the wood is used for interior finishing, furniture, fuel, and tool handles.

Habitat: Moist woods, particularly along rivers.

Range: Indiana to Iowa, south through southeastern Kansas to eastern Texas, east to Alabama; Mexico.

Distinguishing Features: The Pecan differs from all other hickories by its greater number of leaflets. The Black Walnut and Butternut, which may have as many leaflets, have a partitioned pith. In every case, the fruit of the Pecan is distinctive.

KINGNUT HICKORY _Carya laciniosa_ (Michx. f.) Loud.

Other Names: Big Shellbark Hickory; Riverbank Hickory.

Growth Form: Large tree up to 100 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 3 feet; crown oblong to ovoid, with drooping lower branches; trunk straight, columnar, stout.

Bark: Light gray, soon separating into long, thick, vertical plates which curve away from the trunk.

Twigs: Stout, gray or brown, conspicuously dotted with orange lenticels; leaf scars alternate, shield-shaped or 3-lobed, not elevated, usually with several bundle traces.

Buds: Elongated, dark brown, hairy, up to ¾ inch long, the outer scales with a long, stiff point.

Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound, with 5-9 leaflets; leaflets lance-shaped to ovate, pointed at the tip, tapering or rounded at the base, finely toothed along the edges, dark green and mostly smooth on the upper surface, paler and softly hairy on the lower surface, up to 10 inches long and up to half as wide.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately, but on the same tree, appearing after the leaves have begun to unfold, minute, without petals, the staminate in slender, drooping catkins, the pistillate in clusters of 2-5.

Fruit: Spherical, often depressed at the top, up to 2¼ inches across, the husk divided all the way to the base into four sections, minutely orange-speckled and sometimes hairy, the nut with conspicuous ridges, the seed very sweet.

Wood: Heavy, hard, close-grained, dark brown.

Uses: Wood is used for tool handles and fuel; nuts are sold commercially because of their edible qualities.

Habitat: Rich bottomlands.

Range: Southwestern Pennsylvania and southern Michigan across to central Illinois and southern Iowa, south to northeastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, and eastern Tennessee; also in scattered areas of New York, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi.

Distinguishing Features: The shaggy bark and large leaflets resemble those of the Shagbark Hickory, but the Kingnut Hickory has orange-dotted twigs and usually seven leaflets which lack minute tufts of hairs at the tip of each tooth.

SWEET PIGNUT HICKORY _Carya ovalis_ (Wang.) Sarg.

Other Names: False Shagbark Hickory; Small-fruited Hickory.

Growth Form: Medium to large tree up to 80 feet tall; trunk up to 2 feet in diameter; crown oblong or broadly rounded, with upright, spreading upper branches and drooping lower branches; trunk straight, columnar.

Bark: Gray, tight and rather smooth when young, usually peeling off into narrow plates at maturity.

Twigs: Slender, brown or gray, tough, smooth, usually with lenticels; leaf scars alternate, 3-lobed, not elevated, usually with several bundle traces.

Buds: More or less rounded but coming to a short point at the tip, tan or grayish, usually minutely yellow-dotted, the scales hairy all along the edges up to ⅔ inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound, with usually 7, sometimes 5, leaflets; leaflets lance-shaped sometimes curved, pointed at the tip, tapering or somewhat rounded at the base, finely toothed along the edges, green and smooth on the upper surface, minutely dotted and sometimes with some hairs on the lower surface, up to 6 inches long, up to 2 inches broad.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately, but on the same tree, after the leaves have begun to unfold, minute, without petals, the staminate crowded in slender, drooping catkins, the pistillate in groups of 1-2.

Fruit: Ellipsoid, rarely spherical, up to 1¼ inch long, the husk green and minutely warty, thin, splitting all the way to the base, the nut somewhat 4-angled, the seed sweet.

Wood: Heavy, hard, brown.

Uses: Tool handles, fuel.

Habitat: Wooded slopes.

Range: New Hampshire across to Wisconsin, south to Arkansas, east to Georgia.

Distinguishing Features: This Hickory cannot always be reliably distinguished from the Pignut Hickory. However, it usually has a somewhat scaly bark, seven leaflets, minutely yellow-dotted buds, and fruits which split all the way to the base.

SHAGBARK HICKORY _Carya ovata_ (Mill.) K. Koch

Growth Form: Medium to large tree up to 80 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 3½ feet; crown rounded, with some of the branches often hanging.

Bark: Gray, separating into long, shreddy scales giving the trunk a shaggy appearance.

Twigs: Stout, reddish-brown to gray, smooth or somewhat hairy; leaf scars alternate, 3-lobed, not elevated, with several bundle traces.

Buds: Ovoid, rounded or short-pointed at the tip, up to 1 inch long, hairy, the scales conspicuously yellow-green or reddish as they unfold in the spring.

Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound, with 5-7 leaflets; leaflets ovate, obovate, or less commonly lance-shaped, usually short-pointed at the tip, tapering to the base, up to 10 inches long, up to 5 inches wide, finely toothed along the edges, with the tip of each tooth with a minute tuft of hairs, green or yellow-green and smooth on the upper surface, paler and smooth or somewhat hairy on the lower surface.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately, but on the same tree, appearing after the leaves have begun to unfold, minute, without petals, the staminate crowded in slender, drooping catkins, the pistillate in groups of 2-5.

Fruit: Spherical or occasionally punching-bag shaped, up to 2 inches across, the husk yellow-green to reddish-brown, up to ½ inch thick, splitting all the way to the base, the nut 4-angled, nearly white, the seed sweet.

Wood: Heavy, hard, light brown, close-grained.

Uses: Tool handles, fuel; the nuts are tasty.

Habitat: Low, shaded woods.

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

Distinguishing Features: The Shagbark Hickory is distinguished by its shaggy bark, its usually 5 large leaflets, and its large winter buds.

BLACK HICKORY _Carya texana_ Buckl.

Other Names: Red Hickory; Texas Hickory; Buckley’s Hickory.

Growth Form: Small tree up to 25 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 1 foot; crown oblong to rounded, with numerous, small branchlets; trunk straight or somewhat crooked, slender but sturdy.

Bark: Brown to black, not scaly or peeling off into shreds, becoming somewhat furrowed and ridged at maturity.

Twigs: Slender, gray, tough, almost always smooth; leaf scars alternate, three-lobed, not elevated, usually with several bundle traces.

Buds: Ovoid, short-pointed, up to ½ inch long, covered by shiny silvery-golden scales and tipped with a small tuft of hairs.

Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound, with 5-7 leaflets; leaflets lance-shaped, pointed at the tip, tapering to the base, finely toothed along the edges, dark green and smooth or sometimes hairy on the upper surface, paler and smooth or hairy on the lower surface, up to 6 inches long, less than half as wide, the stalks covered with reddish and yellowish scales and hairs.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately, but on the same tree, appearing after the leaves have begun to unfold, minute, without petals, the staminate crowded in slender, drooping catkins, the pistillate in groups of 1-2.

Fruit: Spherical to ellipsoid, up to 1½ inches across, the husk yellow-green, thin, minutely hairy or scaly, splitting nearly to the base, the nut 4-angled, the seed sweet.

Wood: Heavy, hard, brown.

Uses: Fuel, fence posts.

Habitat: Dry ridges and cliffs.

Range: Southern Indiana across to Kansas, south to Texas and Louisiana.

Distinguishing Features: The Black Hickory differs from the somewhat similar Pignut and Sweet Pignut Hickories by the yellow scales along the leafstalks.

MOCKERNUT HICKORY _Carya tomentosa_ (Poir.) Nutt.

Other Name: White Hickory.

Growth Form: Medium or tall tree to 90 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 3 feet; crown rounded, the branchlets either erect or hanging.

Bark: Dark gray, shallowly furrowed, not scaly, often with a diamond-shaped pattern.

Twigs: Slender or relatively stout, usually hairy, gray; leaf scars alternate, 3-lobed, not elevated, with several bundle traces.

Buds: Ovoid, rounded or pointed at the tip, up to nearly 1 inch long, reddish-brown, hairy.

Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound, with 5-9 leaflets; leaflets broadly lanceolate to oblanceolate, pointed at the tip, rounded or tapering to the base, up to 8 inches long, about half as wide, finely toothed along the edge, yellow-green and hairy on the upper surface, paler and hairy on the lower surface.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately, but on the same tree, appearing after the leaves have begun to unfold, minute, without petals, the staminate crowded in slender, drooping catkins, the pistillate in groups of 2-5.

Fruit: Ellipsoid or obovoid or spherical, up to 2 inches across, the husk reddish-brown, up to ¼ inch thick, smooth or slightly hairy, the nut sometimes 4-angled, reddish-brown, the seed sweet but small.

Wood: Heavy, hard, strong, coarse-grained, dark brown.

Uses: Tool handles, fuel, fence posts.

Habitat: Dry wooded slopes; shaded woods.

Range: Massachusetts across to southern Ontario, south to eastern Texas, east to Florida.