Part 2

The WOOD is light, soft, close-grained, and pale brown, used for fuel and sometimes as fencing. A close relative P. cembroides is found scattered in the Texas cedar breaks.

PONDEROSA PINE (Western Yellow Pine) Pinus ponderosa Laws.

Ponderosa pine is the most important commercial pine of the Southwest and many parts of the Rocky Mountain region. It reaches the southeastern limit of its range in the Guadalupe and Davis Mountains of West Texas where it is scattered and of little commercial value. It is favored as an ornamental in the Texas Panhandle.

The needle-like LEAVES are in bundles of three and are mostly 5 to 8 inches long. The needles, massed toward the ends of naked branches, remain on the tree about 3 years.

The “FRUIT”, a short-stalked cone, is oval-shaped, reddish-brown, and armed with stout recurved prickles.

The WOOD of this species, from trees in the commercial part of its range, is of excellent quality for lumber. The wood is hard, strong, and rather fine grained. The heartwood is light reddish-white and the sapwood nearly white. Lumber from this tree is widely used for house construction and furniture.

LOBLOLLY PINE Pinus taeda L.

This fast-growing yellow pine is the most abundant and valuable species in Southeast Texas from Orange County west to Walker and Waller Counties. The species is also abundant northward to the Oklahoma line. Loblolly pine also constitutes the pine of the “Lost Pine Region” in the vicinity of Bastrop.

Loblolly invades abandoned fields rapidly. For this reason it is often called old field pine. In the virgin forest of Texas, loblolly pine was most common along banks of streams. It is still the dominant pine on moist sites, but may also be found in relatively dry sites.

The dark-colored BARK is deeply furrowed and often attains a thickness of as much as 2 inches on large-sized trees. The needle-like LEAVES, 6 to 9 inches long, are borne three (occasionally two) in a cluster. In the spring bright green clumps of needles grow at the end of branches and give the tree a luxuriant appearance. The “FRUIT”, a cone, ripens in the autumn of the second year and is 3 to 5 inches long. Many seeds with wings an inch long are shed during the fall and early winter.

The resinous WOOD is coarse-grained. There is marked contrast, as in other yellow pines, between the bands of springwood and summerwood. The wood of second-growth trees has a wide range of uses such as building material, box shooks, barrel staves, basket veneers, pulpwood, lath, mine props, piling, and fuel.

SHORTLEAF PINE (Yellow Pine) Pinus echinata Mill.

Shortleaf pine is an important pine over a wide area in Northeast Texas, and is common in other parts of the “Piney Woods.” Essentially a tree of the hilly section, growing in pure stands and in mixture with hardwoods, the mature tree has a tall straight stem and an oval crown, reaching a height of about 100 feet and a diameter of about 2½ feet. Unlike other southern pines, young shortleaf pine trees may reproduce by sprouts when cut or burned back.

The BARK is brownish-red, broken into rectangular plates; it is thinner and lighter-colored than that of loblolly pine.

The needle-like LEAVES are in clusters of two or three (3 to 5 inches long), slender, flexible, and dark blue-green. The “FRUIT”, a cone, or bur, the smallest of the Texas pines, are 1½ to 2½ inches long, oblong, with small sharp prickles; are generally clustered, and often hold to the twigs for 3 or 4 years. The small mottled seeds have a wing which is broadest near the center.

The WOOD of old trees is rather heavy and hard, yellow-brown or orange, fine-grained, and less resinous than that of the other important Southern pines. It is used for finishing, general construction, veneers, paper pulp, excelsior, cooperage, mine props, and other purposes.

LONGLEAF PINE Pinus palustris Mill.

Young longleaf pine with its single upright stem, candle-like silvery buds, and long, shiny leaves form a handsome tree. In later youth the stalwart, sparingly-branched sapling, with heavy twigs and gray bark, attracts immediate attention. Mature trees have tall, straight trunks, 1-3 feet in diameter and open irregular crowns.

Longleaf pine grows in sandy soils from Orange County, north to Sabine County and west to Trinity County. A hybrid cross between longleaf and loblolly pine is often found in this range and is known as Sonderegger pine.

The needle-like LEAVES are grey-green, from 10 to 15 inches long, in clusters of three, and gathered toward the ends of the thick, scaly, twigs. The “FLOWERS”, appearing in early spring before the new leaves, are a deep rose-purple, the male in prominent, short, dense clusters and the female in inconspicuous groups of two to four. Unlike other Southern pines, common to Texas, this species grows in a “grass” stage for 2 to 5 years during which time it resembles a clump of grass. Once longleaf pine starts its height growth, it grows rapidly.

The “FRUIT”, a cone bur, is 6 to 10 inches long, and slightly curved, the thick scales armed with small curved prickles. The cones usually fall soon after the seed ripens, leaving their bases attached to the twigs.

The WOOD is heavy, hard, strong, tough and durable. It is used for construction. Naval stores such as turpentine and rosin are obtained from the tree.

SLASH PINE Pinus elliottii var. elliottii

Slash pine is not a native of Texas, its natural range in the United States being along the coast from South Carolina to eastern Louisiana. The initial planting of slash pine in East Texas was made on the E. O. Siecke State Forest near Kirbyville in 1926. It has been widely planted in East Texas, and has been so successful in its growth and adaptability to the region that it is now accepted as a forest tree of the State. It is much favored for reforestation by planting because of its exceedingly rapid height growth, good survival, and comparative freedom from tip-moth damage.

In its native habitat a mature tree ranges to 100 feet high, with a roundtopped head and a trunk 1 to 3 feet in diameter.

The BARK ranges in thickness from ¾ to 1 inch, separating freely on the surface into large thin scales.

The needle-like LEAVES occur in clusters of 2 and 3, are from 8 to 12 inches long, and lustrous. The “FLOWERS” appear in late winter, the male dark purple, the female pink, the “FRUIT”, a cone usually 4 to 6 inches long, is brown and glossy, the thin scales armed with fine prickles.

Slash pine WOOD is exceedingly hard, very strong, durable, coarse grained, rich, dark orange color, with thick, nearly white sapwood. In this respect it is similar to longleaf, being sold as such, and used for the same purpose. Naval stores, lumber, pulpwood and other products can be produced from this tree.

DOUGLAS-FIR Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca (Belssn.) Franco

This valuable timber tree of the western United States reaches its extreme southeastern limit in the mountains of West Texas. It is a small tree locally but in the Pacific Northwest Douglas-fir reaches a height of 250 feet and a diameter of 10 to 12 feet.

The needle-like LEAVES are linear, more or less flattened, about an inch in length, bluish green, and arranged closely in spirals around the stem. They remain on the twigs for many years. The buds are a rich reddish-brown and pointed.

The “FRUIT”, a cone, unlike that of true firs, hangs downward and is easily identified by the protruding bracts, or “straws.” The mature cones are 2 to 4 inches long, and brownish-red.

The WOOD is moderately light, reddish tinted and surrounded by nearly white sapwood. It varies widely in respect to density, quality and width of sapwood. Much high grade plywood is made from this species. Young Douglas-firs are sold as Christmas trees.

BALDCYPRESS Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich.

Baldcypress grows in swamps which are flooded for prolonged periods, and on wet stream banks and bottomlands. It occurs in East Texas west to the Nueces River. The straight trunk has numerous ascending branches, and narrow conical outline. In old age the tree generally has a broad fluted, or buttressed base, a smooth slowly tapering trunk and a broad, open, flat top of a few heavy branches and numerous small branchlets. Virgin-growth timber attains heights up to 130 feet and diameters up to 10 feet.

The BARK is silvery to cinnamon-red, finely divided by numerous longitudinal fissures. The light green LEAVES about ½ to ¾ inch long, are arranged in feather-like fashion along two sides of small branchlets which fall in the autumn with the leaves still attached.

The “FRUIT”, a rounded cone, is about one inch in diameter, with thick irregular scales.

The WOOD is light, soft, easily worked, with a light sap wood and dark-brown heartwood. It is particularly durable in contact with the soil. Cypress is in demand for exterior trim of buildings, greenhouse planking, boat and ship building, shingles, posts, poles, and crossties.

ASHE JUNIPER (Mexican Juniper--Mountain Cedar) Juniperus ashei Buchholz

In Central and West Texas are found no less than nine species of cedars or junipers, including one eastern, one southern, and seven western species. Of these, the most abundant and important is the Mexican juniper. This tree often forms extensive low forests or dense breaks on the limestone hills and slopes of the Edwards Plateau and Grand Prairie.

The trunk is covered with shreddy, brown or reddish-brown BARK. The LEAVES are dark blue-green, small, opposite or arranged in 3’s, scale like, blunt pointed, and fringed with minute teeth. On vigorous young plants the leaves are sharp pointed and longer, up to ½ inch long.

The “FRUIT”, a nearly round, dark blue, berry-like cone is covered with glaucous bloom; has a thin, pleasant-scented, sweet flesh, enclosing 1 or 2 seeds; and ripens in one season.

The WOOD is light, hard, light brown, close-grained but weak. It is extensively used for fence posts and fuel. The tree is sometimes planted as an ornamental.

EASTERN REDCEDAR Juniperus virginiana L.

Redcedar is scattered through East Texas, usually on gravelly ridges and rocky hillsides of the uplands.

There are two kinds of LEAVES, usually both on the same tree. The most common is dark green, minute, and scale-like, clasping the twig in four ranks, so that the twig appears square. The other kind, usually appearing on young growth, or vigorous shoots, is awl-shaped, quite sharp-pointed, spreading, and whitened.

The BARK is thin, reddish-brown, turning ashy-gray on exposed surfaces, and peels off in long shred-like strips. The trunk is usually more or less grooved.

The male and female FLOWERS blooming in February or March, are at the end of minute twigs on separate trees.

The “FRUIT” which matures in one season is pale blue, ¼ inch in diameter, and berry-like, the sweet flesh enclosing one or two seeds.

The HEARTWOOD is distinctly red, and the sapwood white, this color combination making very striking effects when finished as cedar chests, closets, and interior woodwork. The wood is aromatic, soft, strong, and of even texture, very durable in contact with the soil, and in great demand for posts, poles, and rustic work.

Since redcedar spreads the cedar-rust of apples, it is inadvisable to plant this tree in or near orchards, or anywhere in regions devoted to commercial apple production.

BLACK WALNUT Juglans nigra L.

This valuable forest tree occurs on rich bottomlands and moist fertile hillsides as far west as the San Antonio River. It may attain a height of nearly 100 feet with a straight stem, clear of branches for half of its height.

The BARK is thick, dark brown in color, and divided by rather deep fissures into rounded ridges.

The LEAVES are alternate, compound, 1 to 2 feet long, consisting of from 15 to 23 leaflets of a yellowish-green color. The leaflets are about 3 inches long, extremely tapering at the end, and toothed along the margin.

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

The HEARTWOOD is heavy, hard and strong. Its rich chocolate-brown color, freedom from warping, and checking, susceptibility to a high polish, and durability make it highly prized for furniture and cabinet work and gunstocks. Walnut is easily propagated from the nuts, and should be more widely planted and grown for timber and nuts.

LITTLE WALNUT or TEXAS WALNUT (Juglans microcarpa Berlandier) is found on limestone banks of streams in western Texas. The stumps supply a beautiful veneer.

PECAN Carya illinoensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch

Pecan, the “State tree” of Texas, is found native in the state from the Piney Woods west throughout Central Texas, centering in the watershed of the Colorado River. It makes an excellent shade tree and is very valuable for the nut crop it bears. Many varieties are planted in orchards. The pecan is a tall-growing tree, attaining heights of over 100 feet. When grown in the open it forms a large, rounded, symmetrical top.

The outer BARK is rough, hard, tight, but broken into scales; on the limbs it is smooth at first but later tends to scale or divide as the bark grows old.

The LEAVES resemble those of the other hickories and the black walnut. They are made up of 9 to 17 leaflets, each oblong, toothed and long-pointed, and 4 to 8 inches long by about 2 inches wide.

The FLOWERS appear in early spring and hang in tassels from 2 to 3 inches long. The FRUIT is a nut 1 to 2 inches long, and ½ to 1 inch in diameter, in a thin husk which opens along its grooved seams when the fruit ripens in the fall. The nuts vary in size and thickness of shell. Cultivated varieties are sold on the market in large quantities.

The WOOD is heavy, hard, brittle, not strong, and of little value except for fuel and wagon stock. Some wood is satisfactory for making softball bats.

BITTERNUT HICKORY (Pignut) Carya cordiformis (Wangenh.) K. Koch

Bitternut, the only hickory with bright yellow buds, is a tall slender tree with a broad pyramidal crown, attaining a height of 100 feet and a diameter of 2 to 3 feet. It is found in the eastern part of the state on moist rich soils, and is not abundant.

The BARK on the trunk is granite-gray, faintly tinged with yellow, less rough than in most hickories, yet broken into thin, plate-like scales.

The bright yellow winter BUDS are compressed and scurfy. The LEAVES are alternate, compound, from 6 to 10 inches long, and composed of 5 to 11 leaflets. The individual leaflets are smaller and more slender than those of the other hickories.

The male and female FLOWERS are on the same tree. The FRUIT is about 1 inch long and thin-husked, while the nut has a thin, smoothish, gray, brittle shell. The kernel is bitter.

The WOOD is hard, strong, and heavy; reddish-brown in color, and often called red hickory. It has the same uses as the other hickories but is said to be inferior.

WATER HICKORY Carya aquatica (Michx. f.) Nutt.

This tree, as its name indicates, grows in bottomlands and rich, wet woods. It is found throughout the eastern portion of the state. It is not a large hickory, seldom attaining a height of 100 feet or a diameter of 2 feet. It is slender, with upright branches forming a narrow head. It is easily distinguished from other hickories by its reddish-brown winter buds which are covered with yellow glands that fall off easily.

The light brown BARK separates freely into long, loose, thick, plate-like scales.

LEAVES are alternate, compound, 9 to 15 inches long, with 7 to 13 slender leaflets. The FLOWERS are like those of other hickories. The FRUIT, often borne in clusters of 3 or 4, is a rather oblong nut, conspicuously four-angled, with a thin, red-brown hull that splits tardily. The nut itself is nearly as broad as long, four-angled and ridged, with a thin shell and bitter kernel.

The WOOD is heavy, strong, close grained, brown, and rather brittle. Probably used only for fuel.

SHAGBARK HICKORY Carya ovata (Mill.) K. Koch

Shagbark hickory is found from eastern Texas to Florida and north to the St. Lawrence River and Minnesota. It is a large tree of commercial importance reaching 100 feet in height and 2 to 3 feet in diameter. It thrives best on rich, damp soil.

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

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

The male and female FLOWERS open after the leaves have attained nearly full size.

The FRUIT is borne singly or in pairs and is globular. The husk is thick and deeply grooved at the seams. The nut is pale, the shell thin, and the kernel sweet. It is sold in commercial quantities.

The WOOD is heavy, hard, tough, and strong. It is used in the manufacture of agricultural implements, tool handles, wagons, and sports equipment.

MOCKERNUT HICKORY Carya tomentosa Nutt.

Mockernut, white, or bigbud hickory, is common on well-drained soils in the eastern part of the state. It is a short-limbed tree up to 60 feet high and 1 to 2 feet in diameter.

The BARK is dark gray, hard, closely and deeply furrowed, often apparently cross-furrowed or netted. The winter BUDS are large, round or broadly egg-shaped, and covered with downy, hard scales. The outer, dark scales fall off readily in the autumn. The recent shoots are short, stout and more or less covered with a downy growth.

The LEAVES are large, strong-scented, and hairy; composed of 7 to 9 obovate to oblong, pointed leaflets pale to orange-brown on the lower surface. The leaves turn a beautiful yellow in the fall.

The FLOWERS are of two kinds on the same tree; the male in three-branched catkins, the female in clusters of 2 to 5. The FRUIT is oval, nearly round or slightly pear-shaped with a very thick, strong-scented husk which splits nearly to the base when ripe. The nut sometimes has 4 to 6 ridges; is reddish-brown, thick shelled, and has a small, sweet kernel.

The WOOD is heavy, hard, tough, and strong. It is white except for the comparatively small, dark-brown heart, hence the name white hickory. It is used for the same purpose as shagbark hickory and makes an excellent fuel.

BLACK HICKORY Carya texana Buckl.

This is a common hickory in northern and eastern Texas, growing on hillsides and sandy uplands with post and black jack oaks. It is distinguished by its rusty brown hairs found on the young leaves and branches. It forms a tree 60 to 75 feet high, with a trunk 2 feet in diameter.

The BARK is dark gray or nearly black, deeply divided into rough ridges, or it may be irregularly fissured and separated into thin scales. The winter buds are ovoid and covered with rusty hairs mixed with silvery scales.

The LEAVES, 8 to 12 inches long with 5 to 7, usually 7, leaflets and rusty-hairy slender petioles, are dark green, lustrous above; much paler beneath. The FLOWERS are similar to other hickories.

The FRUIT is obovoid, narrow, or abruptly contracted into a short stalk at the base, with a husk ¹/₁₂ to ⅙ inch thick, splitting to the middle or nearly to the base. The sweet-seeded nut is nearly obovoid to oblong, rounded at the ends, compressed and slightly four-angled, with a shell ⅙ to ⅕ inch thick.

The hard, brittle WOOD is used chiefly for fuel.

CORKWOOD Leitneria floridana Chapm.

This lightest of all native woods in the United States grows in river swamps near the Gulf, about the mouth of the Brazos River. It is a small tree reaching a height of 20 feet, or a shrub, depending upon the location and natural conditions. The base is usually swollen. The straight, gradually tapering trunk is crowned with a loose, open-topped head. The young branchlets are coated with hairs which later drop, leaving a smooth, dark, red-brown stem.

The simple, alternate LEAVES are from 4 to 6 inches long and about 2 inches wide, borne on petioles 1 or 2 inches long. The leaves are shiny above.

The FLOWERS are in catkins of two kinds or sexes, the male about 1½ inches long, the female about ¾ inch long. Both kinds are borne on the same tree and appear about the first of March. The FRUIT is solitary or in clusters of 2 to 4, each about ½ to ¾ inch long, and ripens when the leaves are about one-half grown. The WOOD is soft, exceedingly light, generally uniform in texture and of a pale yellow color. It is used as a substitute for cork for floats on fishing nets.

EASTERN COTTONWOOD Populus deltoides (Bartr.)

This cottonwood is found along streams throughout the state. The tree is easily propagated by cutting and grows rapidly, hence it has been widely planted to get shade quickly. The tree is often unsatisfactory for shade because it begins to shed its leaves by midsummer. The cotton-bearing seeds from the pistillate tree are often a nuisance. The soft wood is easily broken by winds; and the rank growth of the roots often results in stopping drain pipes and cracking and lifting sidewalks.