Part 4

264. COW-ITCH VINE (_Cissus incisa_ Des Moulins) a rather rare vine preferring open, sandy woods. Leaves: fleshy, sometimes palmately compound, or deeply 3-lobed or 3-parted. Stems: somewhat fleshy. Flowers: small, in compound umbels, usually 4 spreading petals. Fruit: small, grape-like, blackish. K (p. 222).

265. (_CISSUS AMPELOPSIS_ Pers.) no common name; a rare vine of low woods. Leaves: grape-like, but smooth and thin, broadly oval, or heart-shaped, coarsely toothed. Fruit: bluish, inedible, like small grapes. Main STEM: sometimes with many short, leafy branches. B (Vol. II, p. 509).

266. MUSTANG GRAPE (_Vitis candicans_ Engelm.) abundant vine of roadside thickets and woods. Leaves: large, angled, shallow-toothed, very wooly beneath; the leaves of young shoots are usually deeply, many-lobed in marked contrast to the older. Flowers: small, whitish, fragrant, in drooping clusters. Fruit: large as marbles, acid, but palatable, blackish, ripe July. K (p. 220).

267. SUMMER GRAPE (_Vitis species_) a vine of woods and roadside thickets. Leaves: large, unlobed to deeply lobed, wooly when young. Fruit: small, pleasant, ripe in autumn.

ST. JOHN’SWORT FAMILY

268. ST. ANDREW’S CROSS (_Ascyrum hypericoides_ L.) low shrub of low, sandy woods, rather rare. Leaves: ½ to 1½ inches long, opposite, many remaining green through mild winters. Flowers: yellow, about ½ inch across, of four petals, falling early; two of four sepals larger, leaflike, clasping bud or seed-pod between them. Fruit: several small seeds in each disk-like pod, tardily deciduous. B (Vol. II, p. 528).

CACTUS FAMILY

269. PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS (_Opuntia_ Sp.) a shrub, common in meadows and dry woods. Branches (joints): broad, flat, green, spiny and somewhat leaflike. True LEAVES: small, fleshy, thick scales, early deciduous. Flowers: 2 to 5 inches across, having many glossy, yellow petals and numerous stamens. Fruit: reddish, prickly, about an inch across and slightly longer. This shrub is a valued forage crop in many parts of western Texas, after the spines have been burned off with a blow torch.

DOGWOOD FAMILY

270. FLOWERING DOGWOOD (_Cornus florida_ L.) shrub or small tree, very rare; usually in rocky or sandy woods, often with cedar. Leaves: simple, 2 to 5 inches long, 1¼ to 2 wide, opposite, mostly in clusters at the ends of branches; entire or nearly so, veins prominent beneath. Twigs: distinguished in winter by the pale “flat turnip-shaped” flower buds; bright red or yellowish green, slender. Bark: furrowed and breaking into somewhat rectangular plates; astringent and aromatic, used in medicine. Branches: usually horizontally spreading and upcurved at tips. Flowers: greenish yellow, small, in dense heads surrounded by 4 large, white, notched, petal-like bracts; in March and April. Fruit: dense clusters of glossy, scarlet, oval berries, about ½ inch long. Wood: heavy, hard, strong, very close-grained; for turnery, tool handles, forms for metal-spinners for which last it is sold by the pound.

271. DWARF or ROUGH-LEAF DOGWOOD (_Cornus asperifolia_ Michx.) a large shrub, or rarely a small tree, common and widespread, preferring lowlands. Leaves: simple, opposite, nearly entire, rough above, paler and downy beneath, 2 to 4 inches long, ovate or oblong. Twigs: bright red in winter, rough or with whitish pubescence. Bark: thin, narrowly ridged, with close, dark red-brown scales. Flowers: small, white, in flat-topped clusters, in April or May following black haw flowers which they resemble. Fruit: small, white, on reddish stems, ripe late summer and fall. Wood: heavy, hard, strong, fine-grained; adapted for turnery.

SAPODILLA FAMILY

272. WOOLY BUMELIA, CHITTAM WOOD, or GUM ELASTIC (_Bumelia lanuginosa_ Pers.) a common tree of widespread and varied habitat. Leaves: mostly blunt at apex, entire, 1 to 2½ inches long, dark and smooth above, whitish or sometimes rusty, wooly beneath, especially when young; tardily deciduous. Twigs: with small, scattered spines usually tipping the smallest twigs. Flowers: in July, whitish, inconspicuous. Fruit: ripe Sept. and Oct., oval, black, few or solitary; sweetish, with a single, dark brown, shining seed about ¼ inch across. Wood: hard, heavy, tough, smooth-grained.

EBONY FAMILY

273. PERSIMMON (_Diospyros virginiana_ L.) a common small or rarely large tree, on dry, open ground, old fields or sometimes rich bottom lands. Leaves: ovate, entire, 4 to 6 inches long, dark and shining above, paler beneath. Twigs: slender, light brown or ashy gray, with a thick pith cavity. Bark: dark, divided into nearly square blocks. Flowers: dioecious, pistillate solitary bell-shaped about ¾ inch deep and ½ inch wide; staminate shorter and tubular clustered in 2’s or 3’s; both creamy colored, opening in May. Fruit: soft, round, orange-brown, about 1 to 2 inches across, containing many large, flat, smooth seeds; edible, ripe in fall and winter, whenever the calyx separates readily from the fruit. Wood: hard, dense, strong; brown or black heartwood, wide sapwood white or yellowish; used for shuttles, golf-stick heads, but not commercially valuable.

OLIVE FAMILY

274. WHITE ASH (_Fraxinus americana_ L.) a common, rather large tree of widespread and various habitat. Leaves: opposite, pinnately compound, 5 to 9 but usually 7 leaflets, entire or with obscure or rounded teeth, 3 to 5 inches long and 1½ to 3 wide, dark green above and paler beneath. Twigs: stout, gray or light brown in winter, with large, roundish leaf-scars concave or notched on upper side. Bark: dark brown or gray, broken by many narrow fissures. Flowers: dioecious, the staminate clusters often mistaken for seeds when they harden and cling through winter, a condition caused by the sting of an insect mite. Fruit: nearly cylindrical seed with a thin wing attached, oar-shaped, 1 to 2½ inches long, in dense clusters. Wood: heavy, hard, tough, strong, brown; valuable for tool handles, oars, furniture and interiors; valued as a shade tree.

275. GREEN ASH (_Fraxinus pennsylvanica_ var. _lanceolata_ Sarge.) prefers bottom lands. Leaves: differ from white ash in the leaf color which is light or bright green on both sides, margins more sharply serrate and serrations extending nearly to the base, leaflets narrower. Fruit: wings extend more than half way along two sides of the seed portion. Twigs: leaf-scar straight or nearly so on upper side. Since this tree often hybridizes with the white ash, the species are sometimes hard to distinguish.

276. SPRING HERALD (_Adelia pubescens_ Nutt.) spring goldenglow, or devil’s elbow; an abundant shrub of medium height, widespread but preferring upland woods. Leaves: simple, opposite, ¾ to 1½ inches long, blunt, with fine, rounded teeth. Twigs: light, gray, zigzag or tangled. Flowers: dioecious, very early, petal-less, clusters of stamens pale yellow, pistillate flowers greenish. Fruit: oval, bluish, ripen and fall early in summer. These bushes make dense cover for birds and small animals. It is always distinguishable from swamp holly by its opposite twigs. K (p. 287).

277. SWAMP PRIVET (_Adelia acuminata_ Poir.) a tall shrub or rarely a small tree growing only in low or swampy woods where fairly common. Leaves: opposite, usually 1½ to 3 inches long and about an inch wide, margins entire or finely serrate, tips acuminate. Twigs and BARK: dark, rather smooth with light dots. Flowers: similar to spring herald. Fruit: elongated, usually tapering.

VERVAIN FAMILY

278. FRENCH MULBERRY (_Callicarpa americana_ L.) or beautyberry: a medium shrub fairly common in low woods especially where sandy. Leaves: simple, opposite, coarsely toothed, 3 to 5 inches long, 1½ to 3 wide, light green, tapering at both ends, softly fuzzy on both sides and with tiny shining glands beneath. Twigs: with pale, rusty fuzz. Flowers: pale pink, in dense clusters close to the branches at each pair of leaves. Fruit: bright reddish purple, about ¼ inch across, in dense clusters 1 to 1½ inches across, surrounding the stems. Often planted for the decorative fruits which are attractive to birds. K (p. 341).

BIGNONIA FAMILY

279. CIGAR TREE (_Catalpa speciosa_ Warder.) a tree well known in cultivation and rarely as an escape, in woods. This tree with its large, opposite, heart-shaped LEAVES, showy white or lavender, flaring bell-shaped FLOWERS and pencil-like PODS is too conspicuous to require a detailed description. Wood: soft, light, coarse-grained; sometimes planted in groves in rich soil for use as fence posts or sometimes for railroad ties.

280. TRUMPET CREEPER (_Tecoma radicans_ L.) a rare vine growing along fence rows and edges of woods in sandy land; common in East Texas. Leaves: pinnately compound and opposite, of 9 to 11 leaflets, toothed, pointed, ovate. Flowers: large, orange-red, flaring trumpet-shaped, nearly 3 inches long. Fruit: pods 2 to 5 inches long, tapered; seeds flat, winged, numerous.

281. BUTTONBUSH (_Cephalanthus occidentalis_ L.) button willow: usually a large shrub, fairly common in swamps or near water; often cultivated. Leaves: simple, opposite or in whorls of 3 or more, smooth, dark green, with a stout yellow midrib, 2 to 7 inches long, ½ to 3½ wide. Twigs: stout, smooth, with a thick pith, pale reddish-brown and covered with a bloom in their first winter. Bark: dark, rough, with narrow scales; contains tannin; used in treatment of fevers. Flowers: creamy white, fragrant, in dense balls about 1 to 1½ inches in diameter. Fruit: a dark brownish, hard ball, remaining through the winter.

HONEYSUCKLE FAMILY

282. CORAL HONEYSUCKLE or TRUMPET HONEYSUCKLE (_Lonicera sempervirens_ L.) an evergreen vine, rare except in cultivation; common in East Texas; low woods and thickets. Leaves: oblong, smooth, upper pairs united or encircling stem. Flowers: Trumpet-shaped, light red, yellowish inside, 1 to 1½ inches long, in clusters. Fruit: scarlet, fleshy.

283. BUSH HONEYSUCKLE (_Lonicera albiflora_ T. & G.) not very common; on limestone bluffs, upland meadows and thickets. Leaves: opposite, upper pair usually united or encircling stem, not evergreen. Stems: stiff and upright or sometimes long and trailing, both usually to be found on one bush; this habit is the best point of distinction between this species and the rarer trumpet honeysuckle when there are no flowers present. Fruit: scarlet, fleshy. Flowers: whitish or yellowish, small. K (p. 382).

284. INDIAN CURRANT (_Symphoricarpos orbiculatus_ Moench.) or coralberry, the last name also used for other plants, locally well known as buckbrush or partridge brush. This 1 to 3-foot shrub is abundant in woodlands, especially in rich soil. Leaves: simple, opposite, entire or nearly, 1 to 1½ inches long, usually blunt at tip, darker above. Twigs: wiry, brown. Flowers: white, small, in dense clusters at leaf-axils. Fruit: magenta red, in dense clusters encircling stems, remaining through winter. The much smaller size of bush, leaves and fruit clusters prevents confusion with French mulberry. B (Vol. III, p. 277).

285. BLACK HAW (_Viburnum rufidulum_ Raf.) or possum haw: a shrub or more often a small tree; in woods, preferring lowlands. Leaves: thick, glossy, finely serrate, about 3 inches long and half as wide; a rusty fuzz at the base of the veins beneath; simple, opposite, red in autumn. Twigs: sometimes coated with rusty fuzz as the buds always are. Bark: dark reddish brown, with small, roundish scales. Flowers: late March or early April, white, in flat clusters about 5 or 6 inches across. Fruit: oval, about one-half inch long, blue with a bloom, containing a single stony seed; especially attractive in autumn, turning from red to blue. Wood: ill-scented.

286. ELDERBERRY or common elder (_Sambucus canadensis_ L.) usually a tall shrub; common in low, rich woods. Leaves: pinnately compound, of 5 to 11 oblong, or oval, smooth leaflets, 2 to 4 inches long, the lower often 3-parted; sharply serrate, opposite. Twigs: with thin woody layer surrounding thick white pith. Flowers: small, white, in large, compound, flat clusters; sweet-scented. Fruit: purplish black, glossy, juicy, popular with birds, ripe in late summer. K (p. 381).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

A. Blakeslee & Jarvis, “Trees in Winter,” Macmillan, 1926. Includes only the trees found in New England, about 25 of them also here; illustrated. Contains a good section on the care and planting of trees.

B. Britton & Brown, “Illustrated Flora of the Northern States and Canada,” 3 vol., Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1913 edition. These volumes, though technical, are helpful in the identification of many plants because of the detailed line drawings which illustrate every species.

C. Brown, H. P., “Trees of Northeastern United States,” Christopher Publishing house, 1938, second edition. Useful leaf, fruit and twig keys.

D. Coulter, John M., “Botany of Western Texas,” the U. S. National Herbarium, Vol. II, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C., 1894. Obviously out of date and also out of print but describes a few species of this region which are to be found in no other book.

E. Gray, Asa, “Gray’s New Manual of Botany,” American Book Co., 7th edition, 1908. A technical handbook for the flowering plants and ferns of the Central and Northeastern states and Canada. Mentioned here because its system of classification and scientific names has been followed, in most cases. This manual more nearly conforms to the new international rules of classification than any other available, except Sargent.

F. Hough, Romeyn Beck, “Handbook of the Trees of the Northern States and Canada.” Published by the author, Lowville, N. Y., 1907. Includes many of our trees and useful because of the detailed photographic illustrations.

G. Mattoon & Webster, “Forest Trees of Texas,” bulletin 20, Texas Forest Service, College Station, 1928. Contains descriptions and drawings of 92 Texas trees, about 45 of them in Dallas County. Inexpensive.

H. Parks, H. B., “Valuable Plants Native to Texas,” Bulletin 551, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, College Station, 1937. Notes on the uses and habits of native plants, with special emphasis on honey plants.

I. Rogers, Julia Ellen, “The Tree Book,” Doubleday Page, 1912. Old but still popular guide to the trees of North America, illustrated. Useful and interesting facts about trees are here told in a most interesting manner.

J. Sargent, Charles Sprague, “Manual of the Trees of North America,” Houghton Mifflin, 1933. Includes complete technical descriptions of the 56 plants in this booklet which sometimes attain such height and habit as to be called trees.

K. Schulz, Ellen D. (Quillen), “Texas Wild Flowers,” Laidlaw Bros., 1928. Describes about 18 of the species in this booklet. One of the best books for beginners in the study of wild flowers of our region.

L. Small, John Kunkel, “Flora of the Southeastern United States,” published by the author, 1903. This is the only complete floral manual ever published which includes Dallas County. Needed for identification of a few species but the book is out-of-date in its system of classification and also out of print. Ditto for the edition of 1913.

M. Small, John Kunkel, “Manual of the Southeastern Flora,” published by the author, New York, 1933. Descriptions technical but helpful in the identification of a few species not described in many other books. This volume does not include Texas.

INDEX

A _Acer negundo_, 255 _Adelia acuminate_, 277 _Adelia pubescens_, 276 _Aesculus glabra_, 258 _Amorpha fruticosa_, 245 _Aristolochia tomentosa_, 228 _Ascyrum hypericoides_, 268 ash, green, 275 ash, prickly, 246 ash, wafer, 247 ash, white, 274

B bear grass, 205 beautyberry, 278 beech family, 212-220 _Berchemia scandens_, 261 bignonia family, 279-281 birthwort family, 228 bois d’arc, 226 box elder, 255 buck-brush, 284 buckeye, fetid, 258 Ohio, 258 Spanish, 256 Texas, 256 buckthorn, Carolina, 259 yellow, 259 buckthorn family, 259-261 _Bumelia lanuginosa_, 272 bumelia, wooly, 272 burning bush, 254 button willow, 281 buttonbush, 281 buttonwood, 231

C cactus family, 269 _Callicarpa americana_, 278 Canada moonseed, 230 Carolina moonseed, 229 poplar, 207 _Carya buckleyi_, 211 _pecan_, 209 _texana_, 210 cashew family, 249-252 _Catalpa speciosa_, 279 catbrier, 204 _Ceanothus ovatus_, 260 cedar, mountain, 202 red, 201 _Celtis laevigata_, 225 _occidentalis_ (var.), 224 _Cephalanthus occidentalis_, 281 _Cercis canadensis_, 241 _reniformis_, 242 cherry, Indian, 259 wild black, 236 Chinaberry, 248 wild, 257 chittam wood, 272 cigar tree, 279 _Cissus ampelopsis_, 265 _arborea_, 263 _incisa_, 264 _Cocculus carolinus_, 229 coralberry, 284 honeysuckle, 282 vine, 229 _Cornus asperifolia_, 271 _florida_, 270 cottonwood, 207 cow-itch vine, 264 _Crataegus_, 232

D devil’s elbow, 276 dewberry, 235 _Diospyros virginiana_, 273 dogwood, dwarf, 271 flowering, 270 rough-leaved, 271 dogwood family, 270-271 Dutchman’s pipe, 228

E ebony family, 273 elder, 286 box, 255 elderberry, 286 elm, American, 221 cedar, 222 red, 220 slippery, 220 white, 221 winged, 223 Eve’s necklace, 244 _Evonymus atropurpureus_, 254

F false indigo, 245 _Fraxinus americana_, 274 _pennsylvanica_ (var.), 275 French mulberry, 278

G _Gleditsia triacanthos_, 243 grape, mustang, 266 summer, 267 grape family, 262-267 greenbrier, 204 gum elastic, 272

H hackberry, rough-leaved, 224 southern, 225 haw, black, 285 possum, 253, 285 red, 232 hawthorn, 232 hickory, 211 holly, swamp, 253 holly family, 253 honey locust, 243 honeysuckle, bush, 283 coral, 282 honeysuckle family, 282-286 hop tree, 247 horse-apple, 226

I _Ilex decidua_, 253 Indian cherry, 259 Indian currant, 284 indigo, false, 245 ivy, poison, 251

J _Juglans nigra_, 208 _Juniperus mexicana_, 202 _virginiana_, 201

L lily family, 204-205 locust, honey, 243 river, 245 _Lonicera albiflora_, 283 _sempervirens_, 282

M _Maclura pomifera_, 226 mahogany family, 248 maple family, 255 _Melia azederach_, 248 _Menispermum canadense_, 230 mesquite, 240 moonseed family, 229-230 _Morus rubra_, 227 mulberry, French, 278 red, 227 mustang grape, 266

N necklace, Eve’s, 244 nettle family, 220-227 New Jersey tea, 260

O oak, basket, 215 black jack, 218 bur, 214 chestnut, 216 chinquapin, 216 cow, 215 duck, 217 dwarf post, 213 mossy cup, 214 pin, 217 poison, 251 post, 212 red, 219 scrub, 213 Spanish, 219 swamp chestnut, 215 Texas red, 219 water, 217 olive family, 274-277 _Opuntia_ sp., 269 Osage orange, 226

P palm family, 203 palmetto, dwarf, 203 _Parthenocissus_, 262 Partridge brush, 284 pea family, 240-244 peach, 239 pecan, 209 pecan, bitter, 210 pepper vine, 263 persimmon, 273 pine family, 201-202 pipevine, wooly, 228 plane tree family, 231 _Platanus occidentalis_, 231 plum, dwarf, 238 Mexican, 237 wild, 237 poison ivy, 251 oak, 251 poplar, Carolina, 207 _Populus deltoides_ (var.), 207 possum haw, 253, 285 prickly ash, 246 prickly pear cactus, 269 privet, swamp, 277 _Prosopis glandulosa_, 240 _Prunus angustifolia_ (var.), 238 _mexicana_, 237 _persica_, 239 _serotina_, 236 _Psedera quinquefolia_, 262 _Ptelea trifoliata_, 247

Q _Quercus macrocarpa_, 214 _marilandica_, 218 _muehlenbergii_, 216 _nigra_, 217 _prinus_, 215 _rubra_, 219 _Shumardii_ (var.), 219 _stellata_, 221 and var., 213 _texana_, 219

R rattan vine, 261 redbud, 241, 241 red-root, 260 red haw, 232 _Rhamnus caroliniana_, 259 _Rhus copallina_, 250 _glabra_, 249 _toxicodendron_, 251 _trilobata_ (var.), 252 river locust, 245 _Rosa foliosa_ (_foliolosa_), 234 _setigera_, 233 rose, pasture, 234 prairie, 233 rose family, 232-239 _Rubus trivialis_, 235 rue family, 246-247

S _Sabal minor_, 203 St. Andrew’s cross, 268 St. John’swort family, 268 _Salix nigra_, 206 _Sambucus canadensis_, 286 _Sapindus drummondii_, 257 sapodilla family, 272 sarsaparilla, wild, 229 sawbrier, 204 skunkbush, 252 _Smilax_, 204 soapberry, 257 family, 256-258 _Sophora affinis_, 244 Spanish buckeye, 256 dagger, 205 spring goldenglow, 276 herald, 276 staff-tree family, 254 stretchberry, 204 sumac, aromatic, 252 dwarf, 251 ill-scented, 251 smooth, 249 winged, 250 supplejack, 261 swamp holly, 253 privet, 277 sycamore, 231 _Symphoricarpos_, 284

T tear-blanket, 246 _Tecoma radicans_, 280 Texas buckeye, 256 toothache tree, 246 trumpet creeper, 280 honeysuckle, 282

U _Ulmus americana_, 221 _alata_, 223 _crassifolia_, 222 _fulva_, 220 _Ungnadia speciosa_, 256

V vervain family, 278 _Viburnum rufidulum_, 285 vine family, 262-267 Virginia creeper, 262 _Vitis candicans_, 266 sp., 267

W waahoo, 254 wafer ash, 247 walnut, black, 208 walnut family, 208-210 willow, 206 family, 206-207 woodbine, 262

X _Xanthoxylum clava-herculis_, 246

Y _Yucca_, 205

Transcriber’s Notes

—Silently corrected a few typos.

—Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook is public-domain in the country of publication.

—In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by _underscores_.

—Included species drawings with each species (the printed edition included all drawings in a single section.)