Part 8

=Notes=.—This small maple is also called Moosewood and Goosefoot Maple, the latter name referring to the goosefoot shape of the leaf. It is not a commercially valuable species, but always attracts attention whether growing in its shady mountain habitat or on the lawn.

MOUNTAIN MAPLE

=Acer spicatum=, Lam.

=Form=.—A small tree or shrub sometimes reaching a height of 20-25 feet and a diameter of 6-10 inches.

=Leaves=.—Opposite, simple, 4-5 inches long, 3-lobed, coarsely serrate, the lobes taper-pointed, glabrous and dark green above, somewhat downy beneath, petioles long and slender.

=Flowers=.—May-June; polygamo-monoecious; small, yellow-green, arranged in upright, dense, somewhat compound racemes.

=Fruit=.—Early autumn; small, paired samaras, red, turning brown and drooping when mature, in racemose clusters.

=Bark=.—Nearly smooth, light brown, thin; twigs reddish, slightly hairy.

=Wood=.—Light, soft, close-grained, light brown, with thick sapwood.

=Range=.—Newfoundland and Labrador, south to Georgia and west to Minnesota.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Common in mountainous sections and sometimes occurring at low elevations adjacent to the mountains. Found growing from elevation 850 feet, in Monongalia County, to elevation 4,800 feet, in Pendleton County.

=Habitat=.—Damp mountain forests, along streams and on rocky slopes; thrives in the shade of other trees.

=Notes=.—The Mountain Maple is often seen fruiting when only 4 or 5 feet high, but it frequently reaches tree size in favorable locations. The wood is not found on the market. This species is one of the most ornamental of the maples and should be planted more generally. The erect flower spikes, small red fruits, reddish twigs, and coarse-toothed leaves are characters that distinguish it from other maples.

SUGAR MAPLE

=Acer saccharum=, Marsh.

=Form=.—Height 60-100 feet, diameter 3-5 feet; trunk of trees in close stands long, clear and straight; crown conical or round-topped, with many ascending and horizontal branches.

=Leaves=.—Opposite, simple, 3-5 inches long, 5-lobed with rounded sinuses and sparingly sinuate-toothed margins; smooth and dark green above, paler and somewhat downy on the veins beneath.

=Flowers=.—April-May; polygamo-monoecious or dioecious; both kinds of flowers on thread-like, hairy pedicels in drooping corymbs; greenish yellow.

=Fruit=.—Matures in early autumn; clustered groups of paired samaras, glabrous, with slightly diverging wings about 1 inch long.

=Bark=.—Deeply fissured and with prominent dark gray, flaky ridges.

=Wood=.—Heavy, hard, strong, close-grained, durable, light brown to reddish.

=Range=.—Newfoundland to Florida and Texas.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Found in nearly all parts of the State; most abundant on upland flats and in rich coves along the Alleghanies from Preston County through Tucker, Barbour, Randolph, Pocahontas, Greenbrier and Monroe; common in the high hilly sections lying west of the mountains, rare in the Eastern Panhandle.

=Habitat=.—Moist, rich soils of river valleys, coves, and high flats and rocky loams of hillsides.

=Notes=.—The Sugar, or Rock Maple is one of our best known and most valuable trees. Its timber is becoming more highly prized as other species are disappearing. Interior finish, furniture, shoe-lasts and cross-ties are among the common uses of this wood. It is the principal species from which maple syrup and sugar are made, and one of the very best trees for ornamental planting.

BLACK SUGAR MAPLE

=Acer saccharum nigrum=, (Michx. f.) Britt.

=Form=.—Height 75-90 feet, diameter 2-3½ feet; trunk and crown as in sugar maple.

=Leaves=.—Opposite, simple, 5-6 inches long, wider than long, 3-5-lobed, the lower lobes often reduced to a shallow rounded tooth, thick and firm, green and usually downy beneath.

=Flowers=.—May, with the leaves; monoecious, arranged in umbel-like corymbs, yellow, on slender, hairy pedicels.

=Fruit=.—Matures in autumn; paired samaras clustered on drooping pedicels, wings slightly diverging.

=Bark=.—Usually very dark gray, furrowed deeply.

=Wood=.—Hard, heavy, strong, close-grained, light yellow or brownish, with thin, lighter sapwood.

=Range=.—Quebec and western New Hampshire, southward and westward.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Less common than sugar maple, but often growing with it on low ground. Observed in the following counties: Lewis, Monongalia, Randolph, Tyler, Upshur, Webster and Wetzel.

=Habitat=.—Moist soil of river bottoms and slopes.

=Notes=.—This tree, which is classed as a sub-species of the common sugar maple, can scarcely be distinguished from the latter, except by the leaves which are thicker, usually dropping, less deeply lobed and slightly hairy beneath.

SILVER MAPLE

=Acer saccharinum=, L.

=Form=.—Height 60-100 feet, diameter 2-4 feet; trunk usually short and soon divided into several large, ascending branches which subdivide and form a large open, rounded, or vase-shaped crown.

=Leaves=.—Opposite, simple, 3-6 inches long, deeply 5-lobed, the lobes cut and toothed, sinuses deep, light green above, silvery-white beneath, downy when young, petioles long and slender.

=Flowers=.—March-April; polygamo-monoecious or dioecious, yellow-green in crowded umbels.

=Fruit=.—Matures in May; large paired samaras, with wings 1-2 inches long.

=Bark=.—On old trunks roughened by shallow fissures and flat-topped ridges with thin, loose scales.

=Wood=.—Medium hard, brittle, close-grained, not durable, light brown, with thick whitish sapwood.

=Range=.—New Brunswick to Florida, and west to Indian Territory.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Common along the following streams: Potomac River and its larger tributaries, Great Kanawha, New, Elk, Little Coal, Big Sandy, Little Kanawha, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers.

=Habitat=.—Confined to river banks and swamp borders.

=Notes=.—This species, also known as White Maple, River Maple, and Soft Maple, is one of the less valuable of the genus. Its lumber is used principally for flooring, cheap furniture and paper pulp. Silver Maple is extensively planted along streets and in parks. It grows rapidly, often becoming too large, and has a less perfect crown than some of the other maples.

RED MAPLE

=Acer rubrum=, L.

=Form=.—Height 60-100 feet, diameter 1-3½ feet; trunk usually more or less inclined or twisted; crown rather narrow and rounded.

=Leaves=.—Opposite, simple, 3-4 inches long, about as broad, lobes 3-5, coarsely toothed, green and glabrous above, whitish beneath.

=Flowers=.—March-April; polygamo-monoecious, or dioecious; in few-flowered clusters on shoots of the previous year; petals linear-oblong, red or orange.

=Fruit=.—May-June; paired samaras, small, smooth, wings about 1 inch long on long, drooping pedicels.

=Bark=.—Thick, roughened by shaggy ridges, gray. The smooth bark of young trees and limbs of large trees are silvery gray.

=Wood=.—Heavy, medium soft, close-grained, light brown, with whitish sapwood.

=Range=.—Southern Canada to Florida and Texas.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Occurs in all parts of the State. Not common east of the Alleghanies.

=Habitat=.—Thrives best in swamps or on stream borders, but is found also on hillsides and ridges.

=Notes=.—The Red Maple is especially noticeable early in spring on account of the red flowers and fruits, and in autumn when the leaves turn bright scarlet. The wood is used for cheap furniture, turnery, and paper pulp. It cannot be recommended highly for forestry purposes.

BOX ELDER

=Acer negundo=, L.

=Form=.—Height 40-60 feet, diameter 1-2½ feet; trunk usually short dividing into several large, spreading branches, forming an unequal, open crown.

=Leaves=.—Opposite, compound, the 3-5 leaflets 2-4 inches long, ovate, pointed, coarse-toothed above the middle, or sometimes slightly 3-lobed.

=Flowers=.—April; dioecious; small, yellow-green, the staminate on slender drooping pedicels, the pistillate in narrow drooping racemes.

=Fruit=.—Matures in late summer and persists into the winter; paired samaras hanging in racemose clusters.

=Bark=.—Somewhat roughened by narrow, close ridges, gray-brown; twigs greenish.

=Wood=.—Light, soft, close-grained, not strong, creamy-white with scarcely lighter colored sapwood.

=Range=.—Ontario and Vermont to Florida, Texas and Mexico.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Common locally along streams at lower elevations. Plentiful in some sections of the following counties: Boone, Braxton, Doddridge, Fayette, Jefferson, Lewis, Monongalia, and Tyler.

=Habitat=.—Deep moist soils of stream banks and swamp borders.

=Notes=.—Box Elder grows naturally along streams but thrives when planted in drier soils. It is not important as a timber tree, nor very desirable for ornamental uses. This tree is sometimes called Ash-leaved Maple.

FETID BUCKEYE

=Aesculus glabra=, Willd.

=Form=.—Height 30-60 feet, diameter 12-20 inches; trunk short supporting a deep, round-topped crown.

=Leaves=.—Opposite, digitately compound, leaflets usually 5, 3-6 inches long, oval, tapered at base, sharp-pointed, irregularly and finely toothed, pale green above, paler beneath, smooth, when old. The foliage is ill-smelling when bruised.

=Flowers=.—April-May; polygamo-monoecious or perfect; most of the flowers with imperfect pistils; borne in downy terminal panicles 5-6 inches long; corolla yellow.

=Fruit=.—Matures in October; a leathery round or pear-shaped prickly pod or capsule about 1 inch in diameter, containing a large, shining, brown nut.

=Bark=.—Roughened by even, scaly, broken gray ridges.

=Wood=.—Light, soft, weak, pale yellow.

=Range=.—Pennsylvania to Alabama and west to Iowa and Oklahoma.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Common along the Ohio River at Wheeling. Reported from Wirt, Gilmer and Monongalia counties and from points along the Ohio River north of Wheeling.

=Habitat=.—Moist soils of river banks and ravines.

=Notes=.—The Fetid or Ohio Buckeye is an unimportant tree of stream borders, confined in its distribution here principally to the western part of the State. It can easily be distinguished when in fruit from the common species, next described, by its prickly pods. This tree is sometimes planted on lawns but is less desirable than its European relative the Horse Chestnut (_Aesculus hippocastanum_).

SWEET BUCKEYE

=Aesculus octandra=, Marsh.

=Form=.—Height 50-80 feet, diameter 1-2½ feet; trunk usually short; crown conical or round-topped.

=Leaves=.—Opposite, digitately compound, leaflets 5-7, oval, 4-10 inches long, long-pointed, finely toothed, smooth and dark green above, somewhat hairy and yellowish-green beneath.

=Flowers=.—April-May; polygamo-monoecious or perfect, borne in terminal panicles 4-12 inches long; corolla yellow, with included stamens.

=Fruit=.—October; a large smooth irregularly rounded or pear-shaped pod or capsule, 1-2 inches thick, 3-celled but usually bearing only one large irregularly rounded, glossy, brown nut, which is somewhat poisonous.

=Bark=.—Evenly furrowed, the gray-brown ridges breaking up into irregular scales.

=Wood=.—Light, soft, yellowish, or nearly white.

=Range=.—Pennsylvania to Georgia, west to Oklahoma and Texas.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Common locally. Found in the following counties: Barbour, Boone, Braxton, Calhoun, Doddridge, Fayette, Kanawha, Lewis, Logan, Marshall, Mingo, Monongalia, Monroe, Pocahontas, Putnam, Ritchie, Summers, Tyler, Upshur (rare), Webster (rare), and Wyoming.

=Habitat=.—Rich soil, preferring river valleys.

=Notes=.—The wood of Sweet Buckeye is not important commercially, but is used to some extent for veneer, cooperage, candy boxes, paper pulp, etc. The tree is a rapid grower and is sometimes planted with satisfactory results on lawns and in parks. Variety _hybrida_ (D. C.) Sarg. with calyx and corolla tinged with purple has been found at Weston and other points in the State.

BASSWOOD

=Tilia americana=, L.

=Form=.—Height 60-100 feet, diameter 2½-4 feet; trunk straight and free from limbs to a considerable height; crown dense, ovoid or round-topped.

=Leaves=.—Alternate, simple, 5-6 inches long, obliquely heart-shaped, coarsely serrate, thick and firm, dark-green and shining above, pale green and almost glabrous beneath.

=Flowers=.—June; perfect; yellowish-white, fragrant, 5-20, in drooping cymes, the peduncle or flower stalk attached for half its length to a flat narrow greenish bract.

=Fruit=.—October; a woody, globose, nut-like drupe, about the size of a pea and borne in drooping clusters.

=Bark=.—On old trunks deeply furrowed and with broad, scaly, light brown ridges.

=Wood=.—Light, soft, close-grained, tough, light brownish-red, with thick scarcely lighter sapwood.

=Range=.—Manitoba to Georgia, and Texas.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Common, especially in the mountainous and high hilly parts of the State, though occurring less frequently than the following species.

=Habitat=.—Rich, well-drained soil of bottoms and slopes.

=Notes=.—The wood of this species is used for paper pulp, wooden ware, furniture, kegs, buckets, barrel heads, boxes, etc. It is one of our valuable forest trees and should be encouraged to grow wherever it is possible. Linden, Lynn, Beetree, and Lime Tree are others of its common names. Its smooth leaves furnish the best distinguishing characteristic.

WHITE BASSWOOD

=Tilia heterophylla=, Vent.

=Form=.—Height 60-90 feet, diameter 2-3 feet; trunk long, straight, and slightly tapering; crown dense and rounded.

=Leaves=.—Alternate, simple, oblong, ovate to orbicular-ovate, 5-8 inches long, firm, apex pointed, truncate or heart-shaped and usually very unequal at base, upper surface bright green, under surface silvery, whitened with a fine down.

=Flowers=.—June-July; perfect; regular, fragrant, yellow-white; 5-15 in drooping cymose clusters; peduncle attached for half its length to a thin, oblong, greenish bract.

=Fruit=.—A spherical, woody, nut-like drupe about the size of a pea, borne singly or in clusters on a common stalk attached to the bract.

=Bark=.—Deeply furrowed, grayish-brown.

=Wood=.—Similar to and used for the same purposes as that of the preceding species.

=Range=.—New York to Florida, west to Alabama and Illinois.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—A common tree in Upshur, Randolph, Tucker, Hampshire, Hardy, Grant, Braxton, Lewis, Webster, Nicholas, Roane, Fayette, Kanawha, Gilmer, Monongalia, Marshall, and in several other counties. It is more abundant than the foregoing species of _Tilia_.

=Habitat=.—With other hardwoods in rich soil of mountains and high hills.

=Notes=.—The White Basswood is a valuable forest tree in West Virginia, though the commercial size is now becoming rare in most sections. It is a rapid grower and is easily propagated. This tree is highly recommended for timber and for ornamental use. The most noticeable difference between this species and the foregoing is found in the leaf surface.

HERCULES CLUB

=Aralia spinosa=, L.

=Form=.—A small tree or shrub sometimes attaining a height of 20-30 feet and a diameter of 6-8 inches. The trunk is usually without branches for two-thirds of its length. Branches horizontal, stout, and stubby. The trunk and branches are armed with large prickles.

=Leaves=.—Alternate, compound or doubly compound, often 3 feet long and 2-2½ feet across; leaflets ovate, pointed, serrate; pale beneath.

=Flowers=.—June-August; polygamous; cream white, arranged in large, spreading panicles made up of numerous small umbels.

=Fruit=.—Matures in autumn; an ovoid black berry about ¼ inch long each terminated with a black persistent style.

=Bark=.—Smooth, except on old trunks which are roughened by shallow furrows; brown outside, yellow inside, covered with stout prickles.

=Wood=.—Soft, brittle, weak, brown with yellow streaks.

=Range=.—New York to Missouri and southward.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Common locally west of the Alleghanies.

=Habitat=.—Often associated with grape vines in thickets on burnt hillsides, and in rich soil of bottom lands and swamp borders.

=Notes=.—Hercules Club or Angelica-tree is often erroneously called Prickly Ash. It has no commercial importance except as an ornament. Whether in bloom or in fruit the tree is very attractive and should be seen more often on the lawn. The fruit is eagerly eaten by birds.

FLOWERING DOGWOOD

=Cornus florida=, L.

=Form=.—Height 15-35 feet, diameter 4-12 inches; trunk short, not often straight; crown broad and round-topped.

=Leaves=.—Opposite, simple, ovate, 3-5 inches long, tapered to an acute apex, wedge-shaped at the base, wavy or entire on margin, bright green above, paler beneath, smooth; mid-rib and primary veins prominent.

=Flowers=.—May; perfect; greenish, small, arranged in a dense cluster and surrounded by a showy, white (or rarely pinkish), 4-bracted corolla-like involucre. The white involucre and the cluster of small flowers which it surrounds are frequently mistaken for a single flower.

=Fruit=.—Ripens in September or October; a scarlet ovoid drupe, with a grooved stone, borne solitary or in clusters of 2-5 on a stalk. Undeveloped pistillate flowers often persist at base of fruit.

=Bark=.—On old trunks broken into quadrangular scales, reddish-brown to blackish.

=Wood=.—Hard, heavy, strong, tough, pale red-brown or pinkish, with lighter sapwood.

=Range=.—Ontario, Michigan and Massachusetts to Florida, west to Texas and Missouri.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Common in all parts of the State.

=Habitat=.—Prefers moist, well-drained soils of slopes and bottoms.

=Notes=.—This well-known tree is prized for its wood which is used for many purposes about the farm and is also manufactured into shuttles, wedges, golf-stick heads, engravers’ blocks, brush blocks, tool handles and for turnery. As an ornamental tree it beautifies the native woods or the lawn by its clusters of white-bracted flowers, and later in the season by its scarlet fruits.

ALTERNATE-LEAVED DOGWOOD

=Cornus alternifolia=, L.

=Form=.—A small tree or shrub sometimes 20-30 feet high with a diameter of 6-8 inches; trunk short; crown broad, flat-topped and rather dense.

=Leaves=.—Alternate, or sometimes opposite, clustered at the ends of the limbs, ovate, taper-pointed, acute at base, entire, whitish and minutely pubescent beneath.

=Flowers=.—April-May; cream-colored, small, borne in broad open cymes.

=Fruit=.—Matures in autumn; a deep blue spherical drupe, about one-third inch in diameter, on reddish stalks, in cymose clusters.

=Bark=.—Smooth or slightly roughened by longitudinal fissures on old trunks. The smooth bark of branches is greenish.

=Wood=.—Hard, heavy, tough, close-grained, brown tinged with red.

=Range=.—Nova Scotia to Alabama, west to Minnesota.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Found principally along the Alleghanies and westward. Not common in the eastern part of the State.

=Habitat=.—Prefers stream borders, cool ravines, and moist rich soils of hillsides.

=Notes=.—No uses are reported for the wood of the Alternate-leaved Dogwood. Whether in bloom or in fruit the tree is very attractive in appearance.

BLACK GUM

=Nyssa sylvatica=, Marsh.

=Form=.—Height 40-100 feet, diameter 2-4 feet; trunk usually long, clear and straight when in close stands; crown cylindrical or rounded, of numerous horizontal and ascending slender branches.

=Leaves=.—Alternate, simple, 2-5 inches long, oval-obovate; acuminate, entire, firm, dark green and shining above, paler beneath, often hairy when young.

=Flowers=.—April-May; polygamo-dioecious; greenish, the staminate borne in many-flowered small heads on slender pedicels, the pistillate sessile in several-flowered clusters.

=Fruit=.—Matures in autumn; an ovoid, blue-black, fleshy drupe, about ½ inch long and borne on long stalks in clusters of 1-3.

=Bark=.—Deeply furrowed, on old trunks, the ridges broken into rectangular or hexagonal blocks; light brown to gray-black.

=Wood=.—Heavy, soft, strong, tough, difficult to split, not durable in the soil, light yellow, with thick whitish sapwood.

=Range=.—Maine and Ontario to Florida and Texas.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—A common tree throughout the State. Least common at high elevations and east of the Alleghanies.

=Habitat=.—Thrives best on low ground and borders of swamps, but is common on dry slopes and ridges.

=Notes=.—Black Gum, also called Tupelo, Pepperidge, and Sour Gum, is one of the less valuable of our forest trees, but its tough, light wood is gaining in value and is used extensively for wheel hubs, boxes, broom handles, wagon beds, ladders, ironing boards, rolling pins, excelsior, baskets, and berry crates.

GREAT LAUREL

=Rhododendron maximum=, L.

=Form=.—A shrub or small tree sometimes reaching a height of 20-25 feet; trunk short and usually twisted and bent, with contorted blanches forming a flat irregular top.

=Leaves=.—Alternate, simple, evergreen, mostly clustered at the ends of branches, elliptical-oblong, 4-10 inches long, very thick, acute apex, narrowed base, entire, smooth, dark green above, light green beneath.

=Flowers=.—June; perfect; pale rose to white, upper petals marked with yellow-green dots, flowers arranged in umbel-like heads 4-5 inches in diameter.

=Fruit=.—Matures in late summer and persists through the winter; a reddish-brown, 5-celled, many-seeded capsule, about ½ inch long, terminated by a long persistent style.

=Bark=.—Roughened by thin, flaky scales, dark red-brown.

=Wood=.—Hard, strong, brittle, close-grained, light brown with lighter sapwood.

=Range=.—Nova Scotia and Lake Erie south along the mountains to Georgia.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Common locally throughout the State, most abundant in the mountainous sections.

=Habitat=.—Rich soil of stream banks, rocky mountainsides and flats.

=Notes=.—The wood of Rhododendron is only occasionally used for tool handles, engraving blocks, and other small articles, and is excellent for fuel. On account of its small size the tree is not commercially important. It is one of the most beautiful of our native species and has been appropriately selected as the State flower.

MOUNTAIN LAUREL

=Kalmia latifolia=, L.

=Form=.—A shrub or small tree occasionally attaining a height of 15-25 feet; trunk stout, usually forked and bearing stiff, divergent branches which form an irregular, compact, rounded head.

=Leaves=.—Alternate, simple, evergreen, oblong or ovate-lanceolate, 3-4 inches long, acute at both ends, entire, green above and below, persistent for two seasons.

=Flowers=.—May-June; perfect, pink or white, in many-flowered terminal corymbs.

=Fruit=.—Matures in early autumn; a globose, 5-valved, many-seeded capsule, covered with viscid hairs and with persistent style and calyx.

=Bark=.—Roughened by narrow, thin scales which peel off, exposing brownish inner bark.

=Wood=.—Heavy, hard, strong, rather brittle, reddish-brown with lighter sapwood.

=Range=.—New Brunswick, south to Florida and west to Arkansas.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Found locally in all parts of the State.

=Habitat=.—Growing usually in thickets, sometimes with Great Laurel, on high mountain flats and rocky slopes. Common on thin hillsides.