Part 5

The yellowish FLOWERS appear in May; two kinds on the same tree—the male flowers in a linear cluster and the female flowers a rounded ball. The FRUIT is globular, from 2 to 5 inches in diameter, resembling a rough, green orange.

The WOOD is heavy, exceedingly hard, very strong, and very durable in contact with the soil. The heartwood is bright orange in color, turning brown upon exposure. It is largely used for posts. The Indians prized the wood for bows and war clubs. The tree is planted for windbreaks and hedges. The bark of the roots supply a yellow dye.

SOUTHERN MAGNOLIA (Evergreen Magnolia) Magnolia grandiflora L.

Magnolia is one of the best-known trees in the eastern part of the state. No other tree excels it in the combined beauty of leaves and flowers. Occurring naturally in rich moist soil on the borders of river swamps and nearby uplands in the Coastal Plain to the valley of the Brazos River, it has been widely cultivated for its ornamental value. In its natural habitat, it attains heights generally of 60 to 80 feet and trunk diameters up to 4 feet. The dense pyramidal head, or crown, is made up of numerous small spreading branches and branchlets.

The LEAVES are evergreen, thick, leathery, elliptical or oval, dark green and shiny above, rusty or silvery beneath, and mostly from 5 to 8 inches long, and 2 to 3 inches wide, with prominent midribs. They remain on the tree for approximately 2 years.

The large FLOWERS are 6 to 8 inches broad, with pure white petals surrounding a splash of bright purple in the center, and have a pleasing fragrance.

The FRUIT is a rounded or oval aggregate 3 to 4 inches long containing many seeds, each enclosed in a follicle. These open in the fall and display the bright red seeds dangling on slender threads.

The WOOD is moderately heavy, hard, and of a creamy color. It is used chiefly for furniture, Venetian blinds, and fuel.

SWEETBAY (Sweetbay Magnolia) Magnolia virginiana L.

Sweetbay, better known locally as white or swampbay, is found in the southern part of the Texas pine belt to western Montgomery County, in swamps and rich, moist soils. Often appearing as a clump of sprouts in open woods, in dense forests it grows as a tree 60 to 90 feet high, and up to 3 feet in diameter.

The bark is light gray; the branchlets silky-white.

The LEAVES are simple, oblong, pale green above and hairy-white beneath, 4 to 6 inches long, 1 to 2 inches wide, remaining on sprout growth to spring, usually dropping from older trees in the fall.

The fragrant FLOWERS, with 9 to 12 creamy-white petals on slender smooth stems, measure 2 to 3 inches across. They continue to open during several weeks of spring and early summer. The FRUIT aggregate or “bur” is oval-shaped, dark red or brown, about 2 inches long, and contains scarlet seeds which are usually oval, flattened, and less than ½ inch long.

The WOOD is soft, creamy white to reddish, and is used for furniture, boxes, woodenware, and venetian blinds.

PAWPAW Asimina triloba (L.) Dunal

This odd and attractive tree does not grow abundantly in Texas and seems to be little known. It is found near streams in the extreme east portion of the state and in greater abundance in Harrison and Grayson Counties. It is seldom over 30 feet high with a trunk 8 or 10 inches in diameter.

The BARK on young trees and branches is a smooth, clean brown; on older trees becoming blotched with gray, and bearing a few small wart-like excrescences.

The LEAVES are obovate—lanceolate, 8 to 12 inches long, light, bright green above and paler below.

The FLOWERS are strikingly characteristic. The three light green, hairy sepals are early deciduous. The outer three petals are a rich brownish-purple and deeply veined. The inner three petals are pointed, glandular, and erect.

The FRUIT is an oblong berry 3 to 6 inches long, and contains a number of large, brown seeds. When ripe it falls to the ground, turning dark brown. The deep yellow flesh is palatable, though some people do not care for its unique flavor. The tree blooms and bears as a shrub or tree.

The WOOD is light, weak, and spongy, yellow in color, and is of no known value.

REDBAY Persea borbonia (L.) Spreng.

Redbay is native to the Atlantic and Gulf Coast states from Virginia to southeastern and southern Texas and is a member of the Laurel family. In all, about 100 species of Persea are found in North and South America.

Redbay grows to 70 feet in height and 3 feet in diameter, with a well-shaped head of erect, stout, dark green branches. It grows in moist, rich soils along the streams and in swamps and sometimes in drier soils along with longleaf pine, over the coastal region.

The aromatic LEAVES are oblong, thick or leathery, up to 4 inches in length and 1½ inches in width, bright green with the margin entire and with a narrow, orange-colored midrib. They remain green over the first winter. The yellowish-white FLOWERS are in small clusters.

The FRUIT is a nearly round, rather fleshy, shiny, dark blue or nearly black drupe, about ½ inch long. It ripens in the autumn and contains a large rounded stone.

The WOOD is heavy, hard, strong, bright red, with thin, lighter colored sapwood. It is used for cabinet-making, and interior house finish, and has been used for boat construction.

SILKBAY (Persea humilis Nash) is a dwarf or low growing shrub or tree 6 to 10 feet in height occurring in southern Texas.

SASSAFRAS Sassafras albidum (Nutt.) Nees

This small tree with aromatic leaves and twigs is usually not over 40 feet in height or a foot in diameter. It is common in Texas west to the Brazos River on the drier soils, and is one of the first broad-leaved trees to grow on abandoned fields, where the seeds are dropped by birds. The species is closely related to the camphor tree of Japan. The BARK is red-brown and deeply furrowed while the bark of the twigs is bright green.

The LEAVES are unusual in that they vary widely in shape on the same tree, or even on the same twig. Some are oval and entire, 4 to 6 inches long; others have one lobe, resembling a mitten; while still others are divided at the outer end into 3 distinct lobes.

The FLOWERS are clustered, greenish-yellow, and open with the first unfolding of the leaves. The male and female flowers are usually on different trees. The FRUIT is an oblong, dark blue or black lustrous drupe surrounded at the base by what appears to be a small orange-red or scarlet cup at the end of the scarlet peduncle.

The WOOD is light, soft, weak, brittle, and durable in the soil; the heartwood is dull orange-brown. It is used for posts and crossties. The bark of the roots yields the very aromatic oil of sassafras much used for flavoring candies and various commercial products. The bark of the root is sold in small bundles for making sassafras tea.

WITCH-HAZEL Hamamelis virginiana L.

This tall-growing shrub which has the peculiar habit of blooming in the late fall and ripening its fruit in early spring is native to the extreme eastern portion of Texas, being found on rich soils of streams or along the borders of the forest.

The BARK is smooth, white, gray, and mottled with light brown.

The LEAVES are usually obovate, 3 to 5 inches long, prominently veined, with a wavy margin, very irregular at the base, bright green above and slightly paler below. They are generally smooth.

The odd, yellow FLOWERS are borne in clusters along the branch, with long, very narrow twisted petals. They develop during November, December, and January, the time depending somewhat on the weather, and possess a refreshing fragrance. The FRUIT is a hard, tough, two-celled capsule, with two beaks. It divides in half, each half containing a shiny black seed. In the late summer or early autumn the capsules pop open, discharging the seeds.

The WOOD is hard and close-grained. The trees do not grow large enough to be of commercial value.

An analgesic extract used in lotions and balms is obtained from the inner bark by distillation.

SWEETGUM (Redgum) Liquidambar styraciflua L.

Sweetgum is a valuable and sometimes troublesome forest tree in East Texas. It occurs on rich river bottoms and in swamps subject to frequent overflow, as well as on the dried uplands, as far west as the San Jacinto River Basin. The BARK is a light gray, roughened by corky scales, later becoming deeply furrowed. After the second year the twigs often develop corky projections of bark, which give them a winged appearance.

The simple, alternate star-shaped LEAF with its 5 to 7 points or lobes, is 5 to 7 inches across and aromatic. In the fall its coloring ranges from pale yellow through orange and red to a deep bronze.

The FLOWERS of both sexes appear on the same tree and open with the leaves. The FRUIT, a head an inch or more in diameter, is made up of many capsules with projecting spines. It hangs on the tree late into the winter.

The WOOD is moderately hard, close-grained, and not durable on exposure. The reddish-brown heartwood, which suggests the name red gum, is not present to any appreciable extent in logs under 16 inches in diameter. The wood is extensively used for flooring, interior finish, paper pulp, and veneers for baskets of all kinds.

In the uplands, this species competes aggressively with the more valuable Southern pines. The control of sweetgum is, therefore, a problem. This attractive species should be more widely planted for ornamental use.

AMERICAN SYCAMORE Plantanus occidentalis L.

American sycamore, also called planetree and buttonwood, is considered the largest hardwood tree in North America. It occurs throughout eastern Texas to Zavalla County. It is most abundant and reaches its largest size along streams and on rich bottomlands. It grows rapidly and occasionally attains a height of 140 to 170 feet and a diameter of 10 to 11 feet.

The BARK of the sycamore is a characteristic feature; on the younger trunk and large limbs it is smooth, greenish-gray in color. The outer bark of limbs and upper trunk flakes off in large patches and exposes the nearly white younger bark. Near the base of old trees, the bark becomes thick, dark brown and divided by deep furrows.

The LEAVES are simple, alternate, 4 to 7 inches long and about as broad; light green and smooth above, and paler below. The base of the petiole is hollow and in falling off exposes the winter bud. The multiple FRUIT forms a ball about 1 inch in diameter, which hangs on its flexible peduncle—3 to 5 inches long. During early spring the fruit ball breaks up, and the small nutlets are scattered widely by the wind.

The WOOD is hard and moderately strong, but decays rapidly in the ground. It is used for butchers’ blocks, tobacco boxes, furniture, and interior finish.

HAWTHORN (Haw) Crataegus L.

Hawthorn, as treated here, represents about 30 different species and varieties distributed throughout the state. Members of the group occur on the poorest and richest soils, on the shallowest and deepest, and on the limestone hills as well as on the rich bottom and swamp lands. Most of the forms have a common likeness in possessing thorns and bearing white blossoms and red or yellow fruit. Some species are planted as ornamental trees, but otherwise the group is of little commercial value.

The BARK is generally thin, gray in color, and on the old stems broken up into thin, narrow scales.

The LEAVES are simple, alternate, mostly oval or wedge-shaped, notched on the edges, and usually from 2 to 3 inches long.

The FLOWERS are white, some fragrant and others with a slightly unpleasant odor; they appear in early spring. The FRUIT varies from globular to oblong, from ¼ to ¾ inch in diameter; some when ripe have a pulpy, sweet, edible flesh, surrounding from 1 to 5 bony seeds.

The WOOD is strong, tough, heavy, hard, but rarely used for any purpose.

Many species of birds are attracted to these trees and bushes by the fruit and for the protection offered for nesting. Blueberry hawthorn, C. brachyacanthu, fruit ripens in the late summer and is valuable for deer food. The fruit of most species ripens in the fall, and one or two varieties yield a fruit highly prized for making jelly.

RIVERFLAT HAWTHORN (Mayhew) Crataegus opaca Hook. and Arn.

This species is a native of East Texas, being found as far west as the Trinity River. It grows along rivers at the edges of swamps and ponds, where water stands a part of the year. These trees often form extensive thickets. The FRUIT of this haw, unlike other Texas haws, matures in late April or May. After the fruit is gone, it is more difficult to distinguish it from other haws. It is of low, spreading habit, sometimes becoming a tree 20 to 30 feet high and about a foot in diameter. It usually bears a few thorns about 1 inch long on branches two years old.

On old trees the BARK is deeply fissured and divided into dark brown, persistent scales. The wood has no commercial value.

The LEAVES are about 2 inches long, pointed, narrowing toward the stem, finely toothed from the middle of the tip, sometimes slightly lobed, dull green, and rather downy beneath.

The FLOWERS appearing in March are the largest of Crataegus, 1 inch in diameter, white, and borne in clusters of only 2 or 3. The FRUIT, an unusually large haw, is sometimes nearly an inch in diameter. When fully ripe, these haws are scarlet, lustrous, mellow, and pleasantly acid. The fruit is gathered in large quantities for making mayhaw jelly.

MEXICAN PLUM Prunus mexicana S. Wats.

This common wild plum is a small tree reaching 20 to 25 feet in height and 8 to 10 inches in diameter. Uncommonly it attains only large shrub size.

The BARK is dark, varying from gray to nearly black. There are curling scales on young branches but on old trunks the bark becomes rough and deeply furrowed.

The LEAVES, when mature, are alternate, oval, abruptly pointed, finely and doubly toothed along the margin, dark yellow-green, smooth and shiny, thick and firm, 2 to 3 inches long by 1 to 2 inches wide, narrowed or rounded at the base and prominently veined on both surfaces.

The white FLOWERS appear in numerous small clusters in March before the leaves. With a profusion of flowers, this tree is one of the delights of early spring in the woods. The FRUIT, or plum, which ripens in late summer, is dark purple-red color with a bluish “bloom”, about 1¼ inches in diameter, and varies widely in its palatability. The stone is about ¾ inch long, and smooth. The dorsal edge is ridged; the ventral edge grooved.

This species of plum does not sucker to form thickets, is drought resistant, and has been used for grafting stock for the production of commercial plums.

FLATWOODS PLUM (Black Sloe) Prunus umbellata Ell.

This shrub or small tree with a short, often crooked, or inclining trunk and a flat-topped head and slender branches is rarely over 20 feet high. Branchlets at first covered with a dense, pale pubescence, soon become smooth and bright red during the first year and dull dark brown the second year. It occurs throughout the eastern portion of the state.

BARK ¼ inch thick, dark brown, almost black, and broken diagonally into small, hard, appressed, persistent scales. LEAVES bright bronze-green with red margins and petiole when they unfold; at maturity, usually less than 2½ inches long, ovate-lanceolate to oblong with a rounded or slightly cordate base; leaf thin, dark green above, paler below; usually furnished with two large dark glands at the base; margins finely and sharply serrate with incurved teeth.

Small white FLOWERS appearing in umbels of 3 or 4 flowers before the leaves. Flowers ⅔ inch in diameter. FRUIT a drupe on a stem ½ to 1 inch long, round, ½ inch in diameter, and with a tough, black, yellow, or bright red skin covered with a glaucous bloom, and with thick, acid flesh. Stone flattened, brittle-walled, and wrinkled. Dorsal edge grooved; ventral edge with conspicuous ridge. The fruit is relished by deer.

BLACK CHERRY Prunus serotina Ehrh.

A medium-sized tree, up to about 70 feet high and 1 to 3 feet in diameter, black cherry is found in eastern Texas and in the mountains of West Texas. The forest-grown trees have long clear trunks with little taper. Open-grown trees have short trunks with many branches and irregular spreading crowns. The BARK on branches and young trunks is smooth and bright reddish-brown, marked by conspicuous, narrow, white, horizontal lines, and has a bitter almond taste. On the older trunks the bark becomes rough and broken into thick, irregular plates.

The LEAVES are alternate, simple, oval to lance-like in shape, 2 to 6 inches long and 1-1½ inches wide, with fine, incurved serrations, shiny above, and paler beneath. Cattle eating wilted leaves may be fatally poisoned.

The FRUIT is a dull purplish-black drupe, about as large as a pea, and is borne in long hanging panicles. The fruit ripens in late summer, is edible though slightly bitter, and is relished by wildlife.

The WOOD is reddish-brown with yellowish sapwood, moderately heavy, hard, strong, fine-grained, and does not warp or split in seasoning. With the exception of black walnut, cherry lumber has a greater unit value than any other hardwood of the eastern United States. Cherry is prized for furniture.

The SOUTHWESTERN BLACK CHERRY, Prunus serotina var. rufula (Woot. and Standl.) McVaugh is found in the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas. At least five other cherry species are native to Texas. All have shrubby growth.

CAROLINA LAURELCHERRY Prunus caroliniana (Mill.) Ait.

Called by many local names such as cherry laurel, wild peach, and mock orange, this species is native to the eastern portion of the state to the valley of the Guadalupe River, where it is found on deep rich moist bottomlands. It is apparently free from disease and quite adaptable for landscape planting. It is usually a small tree but sometimes reaches a height of 50 to 60 feet and 18 inches in diameter when cultivated. The partially withered leaves and young branches can be fatal to animals browsing upon them, owing to presence of poisonous hydrocyanic acid.

The BARK is rather smooth, gray, and marked by almost black blotches.

The LEAVES are persistent, oblong-lanceolate, with a few tiny sharp teeth along the margins, dark lustrous green above, paler below. They cling until the second year.

The small white FLOWERS come in clusters, in early spring. The FRUIT, a lustrous black drupe, ripens in autumn, and clings until the following spring. The fruit is eaten by some birds.

The WOOD is heavy, hard, strong, close-grained, rich brown in color, with a thick, lighter colored sapwood.

EBONY BLACKBEAD (Texas Ebony) Pithecellobium flexicaule (Benth.) Coult.

This beautiful evergreen occurs as a small tree or shrub in South Texas from Matagorda Bay and south into Mexico. Its short spreading branches, forming a wide, round head, carry stout zigzag brachlets, dark reddish-brown or light gray, armed with persistent stipular spines ¼ to ½ inch long.

The LEAVES, about 2 inches long, are feather-like (twice pinnate) with sessile, leathery leaflets that are dark green and shiny on the upper surface, paler on the lower surface, and ¼ to ⅓ inch long.

The FLOWERS are light yellow or cream colored, fragrant, and bloom from June to August in dense cylindric or interrupted spikes 1½ inches long.

The FRUIT ripens in the fall and remains on the branches until after the flowering season the following year. It is a flattened, curved, hairy pod, 4 to 6 inches long, and about 1 inch wide.

The WOOD is very heavy, hard, close-grained, dark red-brown tinged with purple, almost indestructible when used for fence posts, and valued for cabinet work.

The tree is considered the most valuable species in the lower Rio Grande Valley. Mexicans use the seed as a substitute for coffee.

CATCLAW ACACIA (Una de Gato) Acacia greggii A. Gray

Found on dry gravelly mesas, the sides of low canyons and the banks of mountain streams in the Rio Grande Valley and westward, this small tree rarely reaches a height of 30 feet, and has a trunk up to 12 inches in diameter. The top or head consists of numerous spreading branches and smooth pale brown or red branchlets, armed with stout curved spines.

The small, bipinnately compound LEAVES with 1 to 3 pinnae, the leaflets of which are about ¼ inch long.

The fragrant yellow FLOWERS appear during the summer in dense, oblong, pubescent spikes, usually 2 to 3 in a cluster at the end of a branch.

The FRUIT matures by midsummer into a twisted or distorted pod, 2 to 4 inches long by about ¾ inch wide. The pod is smaller between each of the 6 to 8 seeds, which are nearly round, flattened, dark brown and shiny. The pods hang unopened on the branches until the winter or the following spring.

The WOOD is heavy, hard, strong, close-grained, durable, and clear brown or red in color.

GREGG LEADTREE Leucaena greggii S. Wats.

This small, beautiful tree grows wild in western Texas from the upper San Saba River to Devil’s River. It grows along the banks of streams and in moist ravines, and reaches a size of 15 to 20 feet in height and 4 to 5 inches in diameter.

The LEAVES are finely and doubly compound; with 10 to 14 feather-like pinnae, each containing from 30 to 60 small leaflets, arranged along opposite sides of the rachis. Each leaflet is elliptical, grayish-green or bluish-green, smooth, and about ⅓ inch long.

The white FLOWERS are clustered in dense round heads, about 1 inch in diameter, borne on a long peduncle. Each tiny flower has protruding hairs which give the head a fuzzy appearance.

The pods, or FRUIT, are 6 to 8 inches long and about ½ inch wide, flat, and with narrow wing-like edges.

The WOOD is heavy, hard, close-grained, clear brown streaked with red, with thin, clear sapwood.