Inflorescence.—Early in May. Appearing when the leaves are half grown; sterile catkins 2-5 inches long, with slender, pubescent threads; calyx usually 3-4-lobed; lobes ovate, acute to rounded, hairy-pubescent; stamens 3-7, commonly 4-5; anthers yellow: pistillate flowers reddish, pubescent, at first nearly sessile; stigmas 3, red, divergent, reflexed.

Fruit.—Maturing the second year; nearly sessile or on short footstalks: cup top-shaped to hemispherical; scales less firm than in Q. coccinea, tips papery and transversely rugulose, obtuse or rounded, or some of them acutish, often lacerate-edged, loose towards the thick and open edge of the cup: acorn small: kernel yellow within and bitter.

Horticultural Value.—Hardy throughout New England; grows in well-drained soils, but prefers a rich, moist loam; of vigorous and rapid growth when young, but as it soon begins to show dead branches and becomes unsightly, it is not a desirable tree to plant, and is rarely offered by nurserymen. Propagated from seed.

Note.—Apparently runs into Q. coccinea, from which it may be distinguished by its rougher and darker trunk, the yellow color and bitter taste of the inner bark, its somewhat larger and more pointed buds, the greater pubescence of its inflorescence, young shoots and leaves, the longer continuance of scurf or pubescence upon the leaves, the yellow or dull red shades of the autumn foliage, and by the yellow color and bitter taste of the nut.



1. Winter buds. 2. Flowering branch. 3. Sterile flower, 4-lobed calyx. 4. Sterile flower, 3-lobed calyx. 5. Fertile flower. 6. Fruiting branch. 7. Fruit. 8. Variant leaf.

Quercus palustris, Du Roi.

PIN OAK. SWAMP OAK. WATER OAK.

Habitat and Range.—Low grounds, borders of forests, wet woods, river banks, islets in swamps.

Ontario.

Northern New England,—no station reported; Massachusetts,—Amherst (Stone, Bull. Torrey Club, IX, 57; J. E. Humphrey, Amherst Trees); Springfield, south to Connecticut, rare; Rhode Island,—southern portions, bordering the great Kingston swamp, and on the margin of the Pawcatuck river (L. W. Russell); Connecticut,—common along the sound, frequent northward, extending along the valley of the Connecticut river to the Massachusetts line.

South to the valley of the lower Potomac in Virginia; west to Minnesota, east Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Indian territory.

Habit.—A medium-sized tree, 40-50 feet high, with trunk diameter of 1-2 feet, occasionally reaching a height of 60-70 feet (L. W. Russell), but attaining its maximum of 100 feet in height and upward in the basins of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers; trunk rather slender, often fringed with short, drooping branchlets, lower tier of branches short and mostly descending, the upper long, slender, and often beset with short, lateral shoots, which give rise to the common name; head graceful, open, rounded and symmetrical when young, in old age becoming more or less irregular; foliage delicate; bright shining green in autumn, often turning to a brilliant scarlet.

Bark.—Bark of trunk dark, furrowed and broken in old trees, in young trees grayish-brown, smoothish; branchlets shining, light brown.

Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds short, conical, acute. Leaves simple, alternate, 3-5 inches long, bright green, smooth and shining above, duller beneath, with tufted hairs in the angles of the veins; outline broadly obovate to ovate; lobes divergent, triangular, toothed or entire, bristle-pointed; sinuses broad, rounded; leafstalk slender; stipules linear, soon falling.

Inflorescence.—May. Appearing when the leaves are half grown; sterile catkins 2-4 inches long; segments of calyx mostly 4 or 5, obtuse or rounded, somewhat lacerate; stamens mostly 4 or 5, anthers yellow, glabrous: pistillate flowers with broadly ovate scales; stigmas stout, red, reflexed.

Fruit.—Abundant, maturing the second season, short-stemmed: cup saucer-shaped, with firm, appressed scales, shallow: acorns ovoid to globose, about 1/2 inch long, often striate, breadth sometimes equal to entire length of fruit.

Horticultural Value.—Probably hardy throughout New England; grows in wet soils, but prefers a rich, moist loam; of rapid and uniform growth, readily and safely transplanted, and but little disfigured by insects; obtainable in leading nurseries. Propagated from the seed.



1. Winter buds. 2. Flowering branch. 3. Sterile flower, side view. 4. Fertile flower, side view. 5. Fruiting branch.

Quercus ilicifolia, Wang.

Quercus nana, Sarg. Quercus pumila, Sudw.

SCRUB OAK. BEAR OAK.

Habitat and Range.—In poor soils; sandy plains, gravelly or rocky hills.

Maine,—frequent in eastern and southern sections and upon Mount Desert island; New Hampshire,—as far north as Conway, more common near the lower Connecticut; Vermont,—in the eastern and southern sections as far north as Bellows Falls; Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut,—too abundant, forming in favorable situations dense thickets, sometimes covering several acres.

South to Ohio and the mountain regions of North Carolina and Kentucky; west to the Alleghany mountains.

Habit.—Shrub or small tree, usually 3-8 feet high, but frequently reaching a height of 15-25 feet; trunk short, sometimes in peaty swamps 10-13 inches in diameter near the ground, branches much contorted, throwing out numerous branchlets of similar habit, forming a stiff, flattish head; beautiful for a brief week in spring by the delicate greens and reds of the opening leaves and reds and yellows of the numerous catkins. Sometimes associated with Q. prinoides.

Bark.—Old trunks dark gray, with small, closely appressed scales; small trunks and branches grayish-brown, not furrowed or scaly; younger branches marked with pale yellow, raised dots; season's shoots yellowish-green, with a tawny, scurfy pubescence.

Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds 1/8-1/4 inch long, ovoid or conical, covered with imbricated, brownish, minutely ciliate scales. Leaves simple, alternate, 3-4 inches long and 2-3 inches broad; when unfolding reddish above and woolly on both sides, when mature yellowish-green and somewhat glossy above, smooth except on the midrib, rusty-white, and pubescent beneath; very variable in outline and in the number (3-7) and shape of lobes, sometimes entire, oftenest obovate with 5 bristle-tipped angular lobes, the two lower much smaller; base unequal, wedge-shaped, tip obtuse or rounded; leafstalk short; stipules linear, soon falling.

Inflorescence.—Early in May. Appearing when the leaves are half grown; sterile catkins 2-4 inches long; calyx pubescent, lobes oftenest 2-3, rounded; stamens 3-5; anthers red or yellow: pistillate flowers numerous; calyx lobes ovate, pointed, reddish, pubescent; stigmas 3, reddish, recurved, spreading.

Fruit.—Abundant, maturing in the autumn of the second year, clustered along the branchlets on stout, short stems: cup top-shaped or hemispherical: acorn about 1/2 inch long, varying greatly in shape, mostly ovoid or spherical, brown, often striped lengthwise.

Horticultural Value.—Hardy in New England; grows well in dry, gravelly, ledgy, or sandy soil, where few other trees thrive; useful in such situations where a low growth is required; but as it is not procurable in quantity from nurseries, it must be grown from the seed. The leaves are at times stripped off by caterpillars, but otherwise it is not seriously affected by insects or fungous diseases.



1. Flowering branch. 2. Sterile flower, side view. 3. Fertile flowers, side view. 4. Fruiting branch. 5. Variant leaves.



ULMACEAE. ELM FAMILY.

Ulmus Americana, L.

ELM. AMERICAN ELM. WHITE ELM.

Habitat and Range.—Low, moist ground; thrives especially on rich intervales.

From Cape Breton to Saskatchewan, as far north as 54 deg. 30'.

Maine,—common, most abundant in central and southern portions; New Hampshire,—common from the southern base of the White mountains to the sea; in the remaining New England states very common, attaining its highest development in the rich alluvium of the Connecticut river valley.

South to Florida; west to Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas.

Habit.—In the fullness of its vigor the American elm is the most stately and graceful of the New England trees, 50-110 feet high and 1-8 feet in diameter above the swell of the roots; characterized by an erect, more or less feathered or naked trunk, which loses itself completely in the branches, by arching limbs, drooping branchlets set at a wide angle, and by a spreading head widest near the top. Modifications of these elements give rise to various well-marked forms which have received popular names.

1. In the vase-shaped tree, which is usually regarded as the type, the trunk separates into several large branches which rise, slowly diverging, 40-50 feet, and then sweep outward in wide arches, the smaller branches and spray becoming pendent.

2. In the umbrella form the trunk remains entire nearly to the top of the tree, when the branches spread out abruptly, forming a broad, shallow arch, fringed at the circumference with long, drooping branchlets.

3. The slender trunk of the plume elm rises, usually undivided, a considerable height, begins to curve midway, and is capped with a one-sided tuft of branches and delicate, elongated branchlets.

4. The drooping elm differs from the type in the height of the arch and greater droop of the branches, which sometimes sweep the ground.

5. In the oak form the limbs are more or less tortuous and less arching, forming a wide-spreading, rounded head.

In all forms short, irregular, pendent branchlets are occasional along the trunks. The trees most noticeably feathered are usually of medium size, and have few large branches, the superfluous vitality manifesting itself in a copious fringe, which sometimes invests and obliterates the great pillars which support the masses of foliage. Conspicuous at all seasons of the year,—in spring when its brown buds are swollen to bursting, or when the myriads of flowers, insignificant singly, give in the sunlight an atmosphere of purplish-brown; when clothed with light, airy masses of deep green in summer or pale yellow in autumn, or in winter when the great trunk and mighty sweep of the arching branches distinguish it from all other trees. The roots lie near the surface and run a great distance.

Bark.—Dark gray, irregularly and broadly striate, rather firmly ridged, in very old trees sometimes partially detached in plates; branches ash-gray, smooth; branchlets reddish-brown; season's shoots often pubescent, light brown in late fall.

Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds ovate, brown, flattened, obtuse to acute, smooth. Leaves simple, alternate, 2-5 inches long, 2-3 inches wide, dark green and roughish above, lighter and downy at first beneath; outline ovate or oval to obovate-oblong, sharply and usually doubly serrate; apex abruptly pointed; base half acute, half rounded, produced on one side, often slightly heart-shaped or obtuse; veins straight and prominent; leafstalk stout, short; stipules small, soon falling. Leaves drop in early autumn.

Inflorescence.—April. In loose lateral clusters along the preceding season's shoots; flowers brown or purplish, mostly perfect, with occasional sterile and fertile on the same tree; stems slender; calyx 7-9-lobed, hairy or smooth; stamens 7-9, filaments slender, anthers exserted, brownish-red; ovary flat, green, ciliate; styles 2.

Fruit.—Ripening in May, before the leaves are fully grown, a samara, 1/2 inch in diameter, oval or ovate, smooth on both sides, hairy on the edge, the notch in the margin closed or partially closed by the two incurved points.

Horticultural Value.—Hardy throughout New England; grows in any soil, but prefers a deep, rich loam; the ideal street tree with its high, overarching branches and moderate shade; grows rapidly, throws out few low branches, bears pruning well; now so seriously affected by numerous insect enemies that it is not planted as freely as heretofore; objectionable on the borders of gardens or mowing land, as the roots run along near the surface for a great distance. Very largely grown in nurseries, usually from seed, sometimes from small collected plants. Though so extremely variable in outline, there are no important horticultural forms in cultivation.



1. Winter buds. 2. Flowering branch. 3. Flower, side view. 4. Fruiting branch. 5. Mature leaf.

Ulmus fulva, Michx.

Ulmus pubescens, Walt.

SLIPPERY ELM. RED ELM.

Habitat and Range.—Rich, low grounds, low, rocky woods and hillsides.

Valley of the St. Lawrence, apparently not abundant.

Maine,—District of Maine (Michaux, Sylva of North America, ed. 1853, III, 53), rare; Waterborough (York county, Chamberlain, 1898); New Hampshire,—valley of the Connecticut, usually disappearing within ten miles of the river; ranges as far north as the mouth of the Passumpsic; Vermont,—frequent; Massachusetts,—rare in the eastern sections, frequent westward; Rhode Island.—infrequent; Connecticut,—occasional.

South to Florida; west to North Dakota and Texas.

Habit.—A small or medium-sized tree, 40-60 feet high, with a trunk diameter of 1-2-1/2 feet; head in proportion to the height of the tree, the widest spreading of the species, characterized by its dark, hairy buds and rusty-green, dense and rough foliage.

Bark.—Bark of trunk brown and in old trees deeply furrowed; larger branches grayish-brown, somewhat striate; branchlets grayish-brown, rough, marked with numerous dots, downy; season's shoots light gray and very rough; inner bark mucilaginous, hence the name "slippery elm."

Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds ovate to rounded-cylindrical, acute or obtuse, very dark, densely tomentose, very conspicuous just before unfolding. Leaves simple, alternate, 4-8 inches long, 3-4 inches wide, thickish, minutely hairy above and woolly beneath when young, at maturity pale rusty-green and very rough both ways upon the upper surface, scarcely less beneath, rough and hairy along the ribs; sweet-scented when dried; outline oblong, ovate-oblong, or oval, doubly serrate; apex acuminate; base more or less heart-shaped or obtuse, inequilateral; leafstalk short, rough, hairy; stipules small, soon falling.

Inflorescence.—March to April. Preceding the leaves, from the lateral buds of the preceding season, in clusters of nearly sessile, purplish flowers; sterile, fertile, and perfect on the same tree; calyx 5-9-lobed, downy; corolla none; stamens 5-9, anthers dark red; ovary flattened; styles two, purple, downy.

Fruit.—A samara, winged all round, 3/4 inch in diameter, roundish, pubescent over the seed, not fringed, larger than the fruit of U. Americana.

Horticultural Value.—Hardy throughout New England; does well in various situations, but prefers a light, sandy or gravelly soil near running water; grows more rapidly than U. Americana, and is less liable to the attacks of insects; its large foliage and graceful outline make it worthy of a place in ornamental plantations. Propagated from seed.



1. Winter buds. 2. Flowering branch, 3. Flower, top view. 4. Flower, side view, part of perianth and stamens removed. 5. Pistil. 6. Fruiting branch.

Ulmus racemosa, Thomas.

CORK ELM. ROCK ELM.

Habitat and Range.—Dry, gravelly soils, rich soils, river banks.

Quebec through Ontario.

Maine,—not reported; New Hampshire,—rare and extremely local; Meriden and one or two other places (Jessup); Vermont,—rare, Bennington, Pownal (Robbins), Knowlton (Brainerd), Highgate (Eggleston); comparatively abundant in Champlain valley and westward (T. H. Haskins, Garden and Forest, V, 86); Massachusetts,—rare; Rhode Island and Connecticut,—not reported native.

South to Tennessee; west to Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri.

Habit.—A large tree, scarcely inferior at its best to U. Americana, 50-75 feet high, with a trunk diameter of 2-3 feet; reaching in southern Michigan a height of 100 feet and a diameter of 5 feet; trunk rather slender; branches short and stout, often twiggy in the interior of the tree; branchlets slender, spreading, sometimes with a drooping tendency; head rather narrow, round-topped.

Bark.—Bark of trunk brownish-gray, in old trees irregularly separated into deep, wide, flat-topped ridges; branches grayish-brown; leaf-scars conspicuous; season's shoots light brown, more or less pubescent or glabrous, oblong-dotted; branches and branchlets often marked lengthwise with corky, wing-like ridges.

Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds ovate to oblong, pointed, scales downy-ciliate, pubescent. Leaves simple, alternate, 3-4 inches long, half as wide, glabrous above, minutely pubescent beneath; outline ovate, doubly serrate (less sharp than the serratures in U. Americana); apex acuminate; base inequilateral, produced and rounded on one side, acute or slightly rounded on the other; veins straight; leafstalk short, stout; stipules soon falling.

Inflorescence.—April to May. Appearing before the leaves from lateral buds of the preceding season, in drooping racemes; calyx lobes 7-8, broad-triangular, with rounded edges and a mostly obtuse apex: pedicels thread-like, jointed; stamens 5-10, exserted, anthers purple, ovary 2-styled: stigmas recurved or spreading.

Fruit.—Samara ovate, broadly oval, or obovate, pubescent, margin densely fringed, resembling fruit of U. Americana but somewhat larger.

Horticultural Value.—Hardy throughout New England; prefers a moist, rich soil, in open situations; less variable in habit than the American elm and a smaller tree with smaller foliage, scarcely varying enough to justify its extensive use as a substitute. Not often obtainable in nurseries, but readily transplanted, and easily propagated from the seed.



1. Winter buds, at the time the flowers open. 2. Flowering branch. 3. Flower, side view. 4. Flower, side view, perianth and stamens partly removed. 5. Fruiting branch.

CELTIS OCCIDENTALIS, L.

HACKBERRY. NETTLE TREE. HOOP ASH. SUGAR BERRY.

Habitat and Range.—In divers situations and soils; woods, river banks, near salt marshes.

Province of Quebec to Lake of the Woods, occasional.

Maine,—not reported; New Hampshire,—sparingly along the Connecticut valley, as far as Wells river; Vermont,—along Lake Champlain, not common; Norwich and Windsor on the Connecticut (Eggleston); Massachusetts,—occasional throughout the state; Rhode Island,—common (Bailey); Connecticut,—common (J. N. Bishop).

South to the Gulf states; west to Minnesota and Missouri.

Habit.—A small or medium-sized tree, 20-45 feet high, with a trunk diameter of 8 inches to 2 feet; attaining farther south a maximum of 100 feet in height, with a trunk diameter of 4-6 feet; variable; most commonly the rough, straight trunk, sometimes buttressed at the base, branches a few feet from the ground, sending out a few large limbs and numerous slender, horizontal or slightly drooping and more or less tortuous branches; head wide-spreading, flattish or often rounded, with deep green foliage which lasts into late autumn with little change in color, and with cherry-like fruit which holds on till the next spring.

Bark.—Bark of trunk in young trees grayish, rough, unbroken, in old trees with deep, short ridges; main branches corrugated; secondary branches close and even; branchlets pubescent; season's shoots reddish-brown, often downy, more or less shining.

Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds small, ovate, acute, scales chestnut brown. Leaves simple, alternate, extremely variable in size, outline, and texture, usually 2-4 inches long, two-thirds as wide, thin, deep green, and scarcely rough above, more or less pubescent beneath, with numerous and prominent veins, outline ovate to ovate-lanceolate, sharply serrate above the lower third; apex usually narrowly and sharply acuminate; base acutish, inequilateral, 3-nerved, entire; leafstalk slender; stipules lanceolate, soon falling.

Inflorescence.—May. Appearing with the leaves from the axils of the season's shoots, sterile and fertile flowers usually separate on the same tree; flowers slender-stemmed, the sterile in clusters at the base of the shoot, the fertile in the axils above, usually solitary; calyx greenish, segments oblong; stamens 4-6, in the fertile flowers about the length of the 4 lobes, in the sterile exserted; ovary with two long, recurved stigmas.

Fruit.—Drupes, on long slender stems, globular, about the size of the fruit of the wild red cherry, purplish-red when ripe, thin-meated, edible, lasting through the winter.

Horticultural Value.—Hardy throughout New England; grows in all well-drained soils, but prefers a deep, rich, moist loam. Young trees grow rather slowly and are more or less distorted, and trees of the same age often vary considerably in size and habit; hence it is not a desirable street tree, but it appears well in ornamental grounds. A disease which seriously disfigures the tree is extending to New England, and the leaves are sometimes attacked by insects. Occasionally offered by nurserymen and easily transplanted.



1. Winter buds. 2. Flowering branch. 3. Sterile flower. 4. Fertile flower. 5. Fruiting branch.



MORACEAE. MULBERRY FAMILY.

Morus rubra, L.

MULBERRY.

Habitat and Range.—Banks of rivers, rich woods.

Canadian shore of Lake Erie.

A rare tree in New England. Maine,—doubtfully reported; New Hampshire,—Pemigewasset valley, White mountains (Matthews); Vermont,—northern extremity of Lake Champlain, banks of the Connecticut (Flagg), Pownal (Oakes), North Pownal (Eggleston); Massachusetts,—rare; Rhode Island,—no station reported; Connecticut,—rare; Bristol, Plainville, North Guilford, East Rock and Norwich (J. N. Bishop).

South to Florida; west to Michigan, South Dakota, and Texas.

Habit.—A small tree, 15-25 feet in height, with a trunk diameter of 8-15 inches; attaining much greater dimensions in the Ohio and Mississippi basins; a wide-branching, rounded tree, characterized by a milky sap, rather dense foliage, and fruit closely resembling in shape that of the high blackberry.

Bark.—Trunk light brown, rough, and more or less furrowed according to age; larger branches light greenish-brown; season's shoots gray and somewhat downy.

Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds ovate, obtuse. Leaves simple, alternate, 4-8 inches long, two-thirds as wide, rough above, yellowish-green and densely pubescent when young; at maturity dark green and downy beneath, turning yellow in autumn; conspicuously reticulated; outline variable, ovate, obovate, oblong or broadly oval, serrate-dentate with equal teeth, or irregularly 3-7-lobed; apex acuminate; base heart-shaped to truncate; stalk 1-2 inches long; stipules linear, serrate, soon falling.

Inflorescence.—May. Appearing with the leaves from the season's shoots, in axillary spikes, sterile and fertile flowers sometimes on the same tree, sometimes on different trees,—sterile flowers in spreading or pendulous spikes, about 1 inch long; calyx 4-parted; petals none; stamens 4, the inflexed filaments of which suddenly straighten themselves as the flower expands: fertile spikes spreading or pendent; calyx 4-parted, becoming fleshy in fruit; ovary sessile; stigmas 2, spreading.

Fruit.—July to August. In drooping spikes about 1 inch long and 1/2 inch in diameter; dark purplish-red, oblong, sweet and edible; apparently a simple fruit but really made up of the thickened calyx lobes of the spike.

Horticultural Value.—Hardy in southern New England; grows rapidly in a good, moist soil in sun or shade; the large leaves start late and drop early; useful where it is hardy, in low tree plantations or as an undergrowth in woods; readily transplanted, but seldom offered for sale by nurserymen or collectors; propagated from seed.



1. Winter buds. 2. Branch with sterile flowers. 3. Sterile flower with stamens incurved. 4. Sterile flower expanded. 5. Branch with fertile flowers. 6. Fertile flower, side view. 7. Fruiting branch.

Morus alba, L.

Probably a native of China, where its leaves have from time immemorial furnished food for silkworms; extensively introduced and naturalized in India and central and southern Europe; introduced likewise into the United States and Canada from Ontario to Florida; occasionally spontaneous near dwellings, old trees sometimes marking the sites of houses that have long since disappeared.

It may be distinguished from M. rubra by its smooth, shining leaves, its whitish or pinkish fruit, and its greater susceptibility to frost.



MAGNOLIACEAE. MAGNOLIA FAMILY.

Liriodendron Tulipifera, L.

TULIP TREE. WHITEWOOD. POPLAR.

Habitat and Range.—Prefers a rich, loamy, moist soil.

Vermont,—valley of the Hoosac river in the southwestern corner of the state; Massachusetts,—frequent in the Connecticut river valley and westward; reported as far east as Douglas, southeastern corner of Worcester county (R. M. Harper, Rhodora, II, 122); Rhode Island and Connecticut,—frequent, especially in the central and southern portions of the latter state.

South to the Gulf states; west to Wisconsin; occasional in the eastern sections of Missouri and Arkansas; attains great size in the basins of the Ohio and its tributaries, and southward along the Mississippi river bottoms.

Habit.—A medium-sized tree, 50-70 feet high; trunk 2-3 feet in diameter, straight, cylindrical; head rather open, more or less cone-shaped, in the dense forest lifted high and spreading; branches small for the size of the tree, set at varying angles, often decurrent, becoming scraggly with age. The shapely trunk, erect, showy blossoms, green, cone-like fruit, and conspicuous bright green truncate leaves give the tulip tree an air of peculiar distinction.

Bark.—Bark of trunk ashen-gray and smoothish in young trees, becoming at length dark, seamed, and furrowed; the older branches gray; the season's shoots of a shining chestnut, with minute dots and conspicuous leaf-scars; glabrous or dusty-pubescent; bark of roots pale brown, fleshy, with an agreeable aromatic smell and pungent taste.

Winter Buds and Leaves.—Terminal buds 1/2-1 inch long; narrow-oblong; flattish; covered by two chestnut-brown dotted scales, which persist as appendages at the base of the leafstalk, often enclosing several leaves which develop one after the other. Leaves simple, alternate, lobed; 3-5 inches long and nearly as broad, dark green and smooth on the upper surface, lighter, with minute dusty pubescence beneath, becoming yellow and russet brown in autumn; usually with four rounded or pointed lobes, the two upper abruptly cut off at the apex, and separated by a slight indentation or notch more or less broad and shallow at the top; all the lobes entire, or 2-3 sublobed, or coarsely toothed; base truncate, acute or heart-shaped; leafstalks as long or longer than the blade, slender, enlarged at the base; stipules 1-2 inches long, pale yellow, oblong, often persisting till the leaf is fully developed.

Inflorescence.—Late May or early June. Flowers conspicuous, solitary, terminal, held erect by a stout stem, tulip-shaped, 1-1/2-2 inches long, opening at the top about 2 inches. There are two triangular bracts which fall as the flower opens; three greenish, concave sepals, at length reflexed; six greenish-yellow petals with an orange spot near the base of each; numerous stamens somewhat shorter than the petals; and pistils clinging together about a central axis.

Fruit.—Cone-like, formed of numerous carpels, often abortive, which fall away from the axis at maturity; each long, flat carpel encloses in the cavity at its base one or two orange seeds which hang out for a time on flexible, silk-like threads.

Horticultural Value.—An ornamental tree of great merit; hardy except in the coldest parts of New England; difficult to transplant, but growing rapidly when established; comes into leaf rather early and holds its foliage till mid-fall, shedding it in a short time when mature; adapts itself readily to good, light soils, but grows best in moist loam. It has few disfiguring insect enemies. Mostly propagated by seed, but sometimes successfully collected; for sale in the leading nurseries and usually obtainable in large quantities. Of abnormal forms offered by nurserymen, one has an upright habit approaching that of the Lombardy poplar; another has variegated leaves, and another leaves without lobes.



1. Winter bud, terminal. 2. Opening leaf-bud with stipules. 3. Flowering branch. 4. Fruit. 5. Fruit with many carpels removed. 6. Carpel with seeds.



LAURACEAE. LAUREL FAMILY.

Sassafras officinale, Nees.

Sassafras Sassafras, Karst.

SASSAFRAS.

Habitat and Range.—In various soils and situations; sandy or rich woods, along the borders of peaty swamps.

Provinces of Quebec and Ontario.

Maine,—this tree grows not beyond Black Point (Scarboro, Cumberland county) eastward (Josselyn's New England Rarities, 1672); not reported again by botanists for more than two hundred years; rediscovered at Wells in 1895 (Walter Deane) and North Berwick in 1896 (J. C. Parlin); New Hampshire,—lower Merrimac valley, eastward to the coast and along the Connecticut valley to Bellows Falls; Vermont,—occasional south of the center; Pownal (Robbins, Eggleston); Hartland and Brattleboro (Bates), Vernon (Grant); Massachusetts,—common especially in the eastern sections; Rhode Island and Connecticut,—common.

South to Florida; west to Michigan, Iowa, Kansas, and Texas.

Habit.—Generally a shrub or small tree but sometimes reaching a height of 40-50 feet and a trunk diameter of 2-4 feet; attaining a maximum in the southern and southwestern states of 80-100 feet in height and a trunk diameter of 6-7 feet; head open, flattish or rounded; branches at varying angles, stout, crooked, and irregular; spray bushy; marked in winter by the contrasting reddish-brown of the trunk, the bright yellowish-green of the shoots and the prominent flower-buds, in early spring by the drooping racemes of yellow flowers, in autumn by the rich yellow or red-tinted foliage and handsome fruit, at all seasons by the aromatic odor and spicy flavor of all parts of the tree, especially the bark of the root.

Bark.—Bark of trunk deep reddish-brown, deeply and firmly ridged in old trees, in young trees greenish-gray, finely and irregularly striate, the outer layer often curiously splitting, resembling a sort of filagree work; branchlets reddish-brown, marked with warts of russet brown; season's shoots at first minutely pubescent, in the fall more or less mottled, bright yellowish-green.

Winter Buds and Leaves.—Flower-buds conspicuous, terminal, ovate to elliptical, the outer scales rather loose, more or less pubescent, the inner glossy, pubescent; lateral buds much smaller. Leaves simple, alternate, often opposite, 3-5 inches long, two-thirds as wide, downy-tomentose when young, at maturity smooth, yellowish-green above, lighter beneath, with midrib conspicuous and minutely hairy; outline of two forms, one oval to oblong, entire, usually rounded at the apex, wedge-shaped at base; the other oval to obovate, mitten-shaped or 3-lobed to about the center, with rounded sinuses; apex obtuse or rounded; base wedge-shaped; leafstalk about 1 inch long; stipules none.

Inflorescence.—April or early May. Appearing with the leaves in slender, bracted, greenish-yellow, corymbous racemes, from terminal buds of the preceding season, sterile and fertile flowers on separate trees,—sterile flowers with 9 stamens, each of the three inner with two stalked orange-colored glands, anthers 4-celled, ovary abortive or wanting: fertile flowers with 6 rudimentary stamens in one row; ovary ovoid; style short.

Fruit.—Generally scanty, drupes, ovoid, deep blue, with club-shaped, bright red stalk.

Horticultural Value.—Hardy throughout New England; adapted to a great variety of soils, but prefers a stony, well-drained loam or gravel. Its irregular masses of foliage, which color so brilliantly in the fall, make it an extremely interesting tree in plantations, but it has always been rare in nurseries and difficult to transplant; suckers, however, can be moved readily. Propagated easily from seed.



1. Winter buds. 2. Branch with sterile flowers. 3. Sterile flower. 4. Branch with fertile flowers. 5. Fertile flower. 6. Fruiting branch.



HAMAMELIDACEAE. WITCH HAZEL FAMILY.

Liquidambar Styraciflua, L.

SWEET GUM.

Habitat and Range.—Low, wet soil, swamps, moist woods.

Connecticut,—restricted to the southwest corner of the state, not far from the seacoast; Darien to Five Mile river, probably the northeastern limit of its natural growth.

South to Florida; west to Missouri and Texas.

Habit.—Tree 40-60 feet high, with a trunk diameter of 10 inches to 2 feet, attaining a height of 150 feet and a diameter of 3-5 feet in the Ohio and Mississippi valleys; trunk tall and straight; branches rather small for the diameter and height of the tree, the lower mostly horizontal or declining; branchlets beset with numerous short, rather stout, curved twigs; head wide-spreading, ovoid or narrow-pyramidal, symmetrical; conspicuous in summer by its deep green, shining foliage, in autumn by the splendor of its coloring, and in winter by the long-stemmed, globular fruit, which does not fall till spring.

Bark.—Trunk gray or grayish-brown, in old trees deeply furrowed and broken up into rather small, thickish, loose scales; branches brown-gray; branchlets with or without prominent corky ridges on the upper side; young twigs yellowish.

Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds ovate, reddish-brown, glossy, acute. Leaves simple, alternate, regular, 3-4 inches in diameter, dark green turning to reds, purples, and yellows in autumn, cut into the figure of a star by 5-7 equal, pointed lobes, glandular-serrate, smooth, shining on the upper surface, fragrant when bruised; base more or less heart-shaped; stalk slender.

Inflorescence.—May. Developing from a bud of the season; sterile flowers in an erect or spreading, cylindrical catkin; calyx none; petals none, stamens many, intermixed with minute scales: fertile flowers numerous, gathered in a long peduncled head; calyx consisting of fine scales; corolla none; pistil with 2-celled ovary and 2 long styles.

Fruit.—In spherical, woody heads, about 1 inch in diameter, suspended by a slender thread: a sort of aggregate fruit made up of the hardened, coherent ovaries, holding on till spring, each containing one or two perfect seeds.

Horticultural Value.—Hardy along the southern shores of New England; grows in good wet or dry soils, preferring clays. Young plants are tender in Massachusetts, but if protected a few seasons until well established make hardy trees of medium size. It is offered by nurserymen, but must be frequently transplanted to be moved with safety; rate of growth rather slow and nearly uniform to maturity. Propagated from seed.



1. Winter buds. 2. Flowering branch. 3. Sterile flower. 4. Fertile flower. 5. Fruiting branch.



PLATANACEAE. PLANE-TREE FAMILY.

Platanus occidentalis, L.

BUTTONWOOD. SYCAMORE. BUTTONBALL. PLANE TREE.

Habitat and Range.—Near streams, river bottoms, and low, damp woods.

Ontario.

Maine,—apparently restricted to York county; New Hampshire,—Merrimac valley towards the coast; along the Connecticut as far as Walpole; Vermont,—scattering along the river shores, quite abundant along the Hoosac in Pownal (Eggleston); Massachusetts,—occasional; Rhode Island and Connecticut,—rather common.

South to Florida; west to Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas.

Habit.—A tree of the first magnitude, 50-100 feet and upwards in height, with a diameter of 3-8 feet; reaching in the rich alluvium of the Ohio and Mississippi valleys a maximum of 125 feet in height and a diameter of 20 feet; the largest tree of the New England forest, conspicuous by its great height, massive trunk and branches, and by its magnificent, wide-spreading, dome-shaped or pyramidal, open head. The sunlight, streaming through the large-leafed, rusty foliage, reveals the curiously mottled patchwork bark; and the long-stemmed, globular fruit swings to every breeze till spring comes again.

The lower branches are often very long and almost horizontal, and the branchlets frequently have a tufted, broom-like appearance, due probably to the action of a fungous disease on the young growth.

Bark.—Bark of trunk and large branches dark greenish-gray, sometimes rough and closely adherent, but usually flaking off in broad, thin, brittle scales, exposing the green or buff inner bark, which becomes nearly white on exposure; branchlets light brown, sometimes ridgy towards the ends, marked with numerous inconspicuous dots.

Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds short, ovate, obtuse, enclosed in the swollen base of a petiole, and, after the fall of the leaf, encircled by the leaf-scar. Leaves simple, alternate, 5-6 inches long, 7-10 wide, pubescent on both sides when young, at maturity light rusty-green above, light green beneath, finally smooth, turning yellow in autumn, coriaceous; outline reniform; margin coarse-toothed or sinuate-lobed, the short lobes ending in a sharp point; base heart-shaped to nearly truncate; leafstalk 1-2 inches long, swollen at the base; stipules sheathing, often united, forming a sort of ruffle.

Inflorescence.—May. In crowded spherical heads; flowers of both kinds with insignificant calyx and corolla,—sterile heads from terminal or lateral buds of the preceding season, on short and pendulous stems; stamens few, usually 4, anthers 2-celled: fertile heads from shoots of the season, on long, slender stems, made up of closely compacted ovate ovaries with intermingled scales, ovaries surmounted by hairy one-sided recurved styles, with bright red stigmas.

Fruit.—In heads, mostly solitary, about 1 inch in diameter, persistent till spring: nutlets small, hairy, 1-seeded.

Horticultural Value.—Hardy throughout New England; prefers a deep, rich, loamy soil near water, but grows in almost any situation; of more rapid growth than almost any other native tree, and formerly planted freely in ornamental grounds and on streets, but fungous diseases disfigure it so seriously, and the late frosts so often kill the young leaves that it is now seldom obtainable in nurseries; usually propagated from seed. The European plane, now largely grown in some nurseries, is a suitable substitute.



1. Winter buds. 2. Flowering branch with sterile and fertile heads. 3. Stamen. 4. Pistil. 5. Fruiting branch. 6. Stipule. 7. Bud with enclosing base of leafstalk.



POMACEAE. APPLE FAMILY.

Trees or shrubs; leaves simple or pinnate, mostly alternate, with stipules free from the leafstalk and usually soon falling; flowers regular, perfect; calyx 5-lobed; calyx-tube adnate to ovary; petals 5, inserted on the disk which lines the calyx-tube; stamens usually many, distinct, inserted with the petals; carpels of the ovary 1-5, partially or entirely united with each other; ovules 1-2 in each carpel; styles 1-5; fruit a fleshy pome, often berry-like or drupe-like, formed by consolidation of the carpels with the calyx-tube.

PYRUS. MALUS. AMELANCHIER. CRATAEGUS.

Pyrus Americana, DC.

Sorbus Americana, Marsh.

MOUNTAIN ASH.

Habitat and Range.—River banks, cool woods, swamps, and mountains.

Newfoundland to Manitoba.

Maine,—common; New Hampshire,—common along the watersheds of the Connecticut and Merrimac rivers and on the slopes of the White mountains; Vermont,—abundant far up the slopes of the Green mountains; Massachusetts,—Graylock, Wachusett, Watatic, and other mountainous regions; rare eastward; Rhode Island and Connecticut,—occasional in the northern sections.

South, in cold swamps and along the mountains to North Carolina; west to Michigan and Minnesota.

Habit.—A small tree, 15-20 feet high, often attaining in the woods of northern Maine and on the slopes of the White mountains a height of 25-30 feet, with a trunk diameter of 12-15 inches; reduced at its extreme altitudes to a low shrub; head, in open ground, pyramidal or roundish; branches spreading and slender.

Bark.—Closely resembling bark of P. sambucifolia.

Winter Buds and Leaves.,—Buds more or less scythe-shaped, acute, smooth, glutinous. Leaves pinnately compound, alternate; stem grooved, enlarged at base, reddish-brown above; stipules deciduous; leaflets 11-19, 2-4 inches long, bright green above, paler beneath, smooth, narrow-oblong or lanceolate, the terminal often elliptical, finely and sharply serrate above the base; apex acuminate; base roundish to acute and unequally sided; sessile or nearly so, except in the odd leaflet.

Inflorescence.—In terminal, densely compound, large and flattish cymes; calyx 5-lobed; petals 5, white, roundish, short-clawed; stamens numerous; ovary inferior; styles 3.

Fruit.—Round, bright red, about the size of a pea, lasting into winter.

Horticultural Value.—Hardy throughout New England; prefers a good, well-drained soil; rate of growth slow and nearly uniform. It is readily transplanted and would be useful on the borders of woods, in plantations of low trees, and in seaside exposures. Rare in nurseries and seldom for sale by collectors. The readily obtainable and more showy European P. aucuparia is to be preferred for ornamental purposes.



1. Winter buds. 2. Flowering branch. 3. Flower with part of perianth and stamens removed. 4. Petal. 5. Fruiting branch.

Pyrus sambucifolia, Cham. & Schlecht.

Sorbus sambucifolia, R[oe]m.

MOUNTAIN ASH.

Habitat and Range.—Mountain slopes, cool woods, along the shores of rivers and ponds, often associated with P. Americana, but climbing higher up the mountains.

From Labrador and Nova Scotia west to the Rocky mountains, then northward along the mountain ranges to Alaska.

Maine,—abundant in Aroostook county, Piscataquis county, Somerset county at least north to the Moose river, along the boundary mountains, about the Rangeley lakes and locally on Mount Desert Island; New Hampshire,—in the White mountain region; Vermont,—Mt. Mansfield, Willoughby mountain (Pringle); undoubtedly in other sections of these states; to be looked for along the edges of deep, cool swamps and at considerable elevations.

South of New England, probably only as an escape from cultivation; west through the northern tier of states to the Rocky mountains, thence northward along the mountain ranges to Alaska and south to New Mexico and California.

Habit.—A shrub 3-10 feet high, or small tree rising to a height of 15-25 feet, reaching its maximum in northern New England, where it occasionally attains a height of 30-35 feet, with a trunk diameter of 15 inches. It forms an open, wide-spreading, pyramidal or roundish head, resembling the preceding species in the color of bark, in foliage and fruit. Whether these are two distinct species is at the present problematical, as there are many intermediate forms, and the same tree sometimes furnishes specimens that would indubitably be referred to different species.

Bark.—On old trees light brown and roughish on the trunk, separating into small scales curling up on one side; large limbs light-colored, smoothish, often conspicuously marked with coarse horizontal blotches and leaf-scars; season's shoots light brown, smooth, silvery dotted.

Winter Buds and Leaves.—Terminal bud 1 inch long, lateral 1/2 inch, appressed, brownish, scythe-shaped, acute, more or less glutinous. Leaves pinnately compound, alternate, stems grooved and reddish above, enlarged at base; stipules deciduous; leaflets 7-15, the odd one stalked, 1-3 inches long, 1/2-1 inch wide, bright green above, paler beneath, smooth, mostly ovate-oblong, serrate above the base; apex rounded or more usually tapering suddenly to a short point, or rarely acuminate; base inequilateral.

Inflorescence.—In broad, compound cymes at the ends of the branches; flowers white and rather larger than those of P. Americanus; calyx 5-lobed; petals 5, ovate, short-clawed; stamens numerous; pistil 3-styled.

Fruit.—In broad cymes; berries bright red, roundish, rather larger than those of P. Americana, holding on till winter.

Horticultural Value.—Hardy in New England, though of shrub-like proportions in the southern sections; grows in exposed situations inland, and along the seashore. The dwarf habit, graceful foliage, and showy fruit give it an especial value in artificial plantations; but it is seldom for sale in nurseries and only occasionally by collectors. It is readily transplanted and is propagated by seed.

Note.—In the European mountain ash, P. aucuparia, the leaves have a blunter apex than is usually found in either of the American species, and have a more decided tendency to double serration.



1. Winter buds. 2. Flowering branch. 3. Flower with part of perianth and stamens removed. 4. Fruiting branch.

Pyrus communis, L.

PEAR TREE.

The common pear, introduced from Europe; a frequent escape from cultivation throughout New England and elsewhere; becomes scraggly and shrubby in a wild state.

Pyrus Malus, L.

Malus Malus, Britton.

APPLE TREE.

The common apple; introduced from Europe; a more or less frequent escape wherever extensively cultivated, like the pear showing a tendency in a wild state to reversion.

Amelanchier Canadensis, Medic.

SHADBUSH. JUNE-BERRY.

Habitat and Range.—Dry, open woods, hillsides.

Newfoundland and Nova Scotia to Lake Superior.

New England,—throughout.

South to the Gulf of Mexico; west to Minnesota, Kansas, and Louisiana.

Habit.—Shrub or small tree, 10-25 feet high, with a trunk diameter of 6-10 inches, reaching sometimes a height of 40 feet and trunk diameter of 18 inches; head rather wide-spreading, slender-branched, open; conspicuous in early spring, while other trees are yet naked, by its profuse display of loose spreading clusters of white flowers, and the delicate tints of the silky opening foliage.

Bark.—Trunk and large branches greenish-gray, smooth; branchlets purplish-brown, smooth.

Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds small, oblong-conical, pointed. Leaves 2-3-1/2 inches long, about half as wide, slightly pubescent when young, dark bluish-green above at maturity, lighter beneath; outline varying from ovate to obovate, finely and sharply serrate; apex pointed or mucronate, often abruptly so; base somewhat heart-shaped or rounded; leafstalk about 1 inch long; stipules slender, silky, ciliate, soon falling.

Inflorescence.—April to May. Appearing with the leaves at the end of the branchlets in long, loose, spreading or drooping, nearly glabrous racemes; flowers large; calyx 5-cleft, campanulate, pubescent to nearly glabrous; segments lanceolate, acute, reflexed; petals 5, whole, narrow-oblong or oblong-spatulate, about 1 inch long, two to three times the length of the calyx; stamens numerous: ovary with style deeply 5-parted.

Fruit.—June to July. In drooping racemes, globose, passing through various colors to reddish, purplish, or black purple, long-stemmed, sweet and edible without decided flavor.

Horticultural Value.—Hardy throughout New England; grows in all soils and situations except in wet lands, but prefers deep, rich, moist loam; very irregular in its habit of growth, sometimes forming a shrub, at other times a slender, unsymmetrical tree, and again a symmetrical tree with well-defined trunk. Its beautiful flowers, clean growth, attractive fruit and autumn foliage make it a desirable plant in landscape plantations where it can be grouped with other trees. Occasionally in nurseries; procurable from collectors.



1. Winter buds. 2. Flowering branch. 3. Flower with part of perianth and stamens removed. 4. Fruiting branch.

CRATAEGUS.

A revision of genus Crataegus has long been a desideratum with botanists. The present year has added numerous new species, most of which must be regarded as provisional until sufficient time has elapsed to note more carefully the limits of variation in previously existing species and to eliminate possible hybrids. During the present period of uncertainty it seems best to exclude most of the new species from the manuals until their status has been satisfactorily established by raising plants from the seed, or by prolonged observation over wide areas.

Crataegus Crus-Galli, L.

COCKSPUR THORN.

Rich soils, edge of swamps.

Quebec to Manitoba.

Found sparingly in western Vermont (Flora of Vermont, 1900); southern Connecticut (C. H. Bissell).

South to Georgia; west to Iowa.

A small tree, 10-25 feet in height and 6-12 inches in trunk diameter; best distinguished by its thorns and leaves.

Thorns numerous, straight, long (2-4 inches), slender; leaves thick, smooth, dark green, shining on the upper surface, pale beneath, turning dark orange red in autumn; outline obovate-oblanceolate, serrate above, entire or nearly so near base; apex acute or rounded; base decidedly wedge-shaped shaped; leafstalks short.

Fruit globose or very slightly pear-shaped, remaining on the tree throughout the winter.

Hardy throughout southern New England; used frequently for a hedge plant.

Crataegus punctata, Jacq.

Thickets, hillsides, borders of forests.

Quebec and Ontario.

Small tree, common in Vermont (Brainerd) and occasional in the other New England states.

South to Georgia.

Thorns 1-2 inches long, sometimes branched; leaves 1-2-1/2 inches long, smooth on the upper surface, finally smooth and dull beneath; outline obovate, toothed or slightly lobed above, entire or nearly so beneath, short-pointed or somewhat obtuse at the apex, wedge-shaped at base; leafstalk slender, 1-2 inches long; calyx lobes linear, entire; fruit large, red or yellow.

Crataegus coccinea, L.

In view of the fact of great variation in the bark, leaves, inflorescence, and fruit of plants that have all passed in this country as C. coccinea, and in view of the further uncertainty as to the plant on which the species was originally founded, it seems "best to consider the specimen in the Linnaean herbarium as the type of C. coccinea which can be described as follows:

"Leaves elliptical or on vigorous shoots mostly semiorbicular, acute or acuminate, divided above the middle into numerous acute coarsely glandular-serrate lobes, cuneate and finely glandular-serrate below the middle and often quite entire toward the base, with slender midribs and remote primary veins arcuate and running to the points of the lobes, at the flowering time membranaceous, coated on the upper surface and along the upper surface of the midribs and veins with short soft white hairs, at maturity thick, coriaceous, dark green and lustrous on the upper surface, paler on the lower surface, glabrous or nearly so, 1-1/2-2 inches long and 1-1-1/2 inches wide, with slender glandular petioles 3/4-1 inch long, slightly grooved on the upper surface, often dark red toward the base, and like the young branchlets villous with pale soft hairs; stipules lanceolate to oblanceolate, conspicuously glandular-serrate with dark red glands, 1/2-3/4 inch long. Flowers 1/2-3/4 inch in diameter when fully expanded, in broad, many-flowered, compound tomentose cymes; bracts and bractlets linear-lanceolate, coarsely glandular-serrate, caducous; calyx tomentose, the lobes lanceolate, glandular-serrate, nearly glabrous or tomentose, persistent, wide-spreading or erect on the fruit, dark red above at the base; stamens 10; anthers yellow; styles 3 or 4. Fruit subglobose, occasionally rather longer than broad, dark crimson, marked with scattered dark dots, about 1/2 inch in diameter, with thin, sweet, dry yellow flesh; nutlets 3 or 4, about 1/4 inch long, conspicuously ridged on the back with high grooved ridges.

"A low, bushy tree, occasionally 20 feet in height with a short trunk 8-10 inches in diameter, or more frequently shrubby and forming wide dense thickets, and with stout more or less zigzag branches bright chestnut brown and lustrous during their first year, ashy-gray during their second season and armed with many stout, chestnut-brown, straight or curved spines 1-1-1/2 inches long. Flowers late in May. Fruit ripens and falls toward the end of October, usually after the leaves.

"Slopes of hills and the high banks of salt marshes usually in rich, well-drained soil, Essex county, Massachusetts, John Robinson, 1900; Gerrish island, Maine, J. G. Jack, 1899-1900; Brunswick, Maine, Miss Kate Furbish, May, 1899; Newfoundland, A. C. Waghorne, 1894."[1]

[Footnote 1: Prof. C. S. Sargent in Bot. Gaz., XXXI, 12. By permission of the publishers.]

Crataegus mollis, Scheele.

Crataegus subvillosa, Schr. Crataegus coccinea, var. mollis, T. & G.

THORN.

Habitat and Range.—Bordering on low lands and along streams.

Provinces of Quebec and Ontario.

Maine,—as far north as Mattawamkeag on the middle Penobscot, Dover on the Piscataquis, and Orono on the lower Penobscot; reported also from southern sections; Vermont,—Charlotte (Hosford); Massachusetts,—in the eastern part infrequent; no stations reported in the other New England states.

South to Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and Texas; west to Michigan and Missouri.

Habit.—Shrub or often a small tree, 20-30 feet high, with trunk 6-12 inches in diameter, often with numerous suckers; branches at 4-6 feet from the ground, at an acute angle with the stem, lower often horizontal or declining; head spreading, widest at base, spray short, angular, and bushy; thorns slender, 1-3 inches long, straight or slightly recurved.

Bark.—Bark of the whole tree, except the ultimate shoots, light gray, on the trunk and larger branches separating lengthwise into thin narrow plates, in old trees dark gray and more or less shreddy; season's shoots reddish or yellowish-brown, glossy.

Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds small, ovate, reddish-brown, shining; scales broad, glandular-edged. Leaves simple, alternate, 3-5 inches long, light green above, lighter beneath, broad-ovate to broad-elliptical; rather regularly and slightly incised with fine, glandular-tipped teeth; apex acute; base wedge-shaped, truncate, or subcordate; roughish above and slightly pubescent beneath, especially along the veins; leaf-stalk pubescent; stipules linear, glandular-edged, deciduous.

Inflorescence.—May to June. In cymes from the season's growth; flowers white, 3/4 inch broad, ill-smelling; calyx lobes 5, often incised, pubescent; petals roundish; stamens indefinite, styles 3-5; flower stems pubescent; bracts glandular.

Fruit.—A drupe-like pome, 1/2-1 inch long, bright scarlet, larger than the fruit of the other New England species; ripens and falls in September.

Horticultural Value.—Hardy in New England. An attractive and useful tree in low plantations; rarely for sale by nurserymen or collectors; propagated from the seed.



1. Winter buds. 2. Branch with thorns. 3. Flowering branch. 4. Flower with part of perianth and stamens removed. 5. Fruiting branch.

Note.—The New England plants here put under the head of Crataegus mollis have been referred by Prof. C. S. Sargent to Crataegus submollis (Bot. Gaz., XXXI, 7, 1901). The new species differs from the true Crataegus mollis in its smaller ovate leaves with cuneate base and more or less winged leafstalk, in the smaller number of its stamens, usually 10, and in its pear-shaped orange-red fruit, which drops in early September.

It is also probable that C. Arnoldiana, Sargent, new species, has been collected in Massachusetts as C. mollis. It differs from C. submollis "in its broader, darker green, more villose leaves which are usually rounded, not cuneate at the base, in its smaller flowers, subglobose, not oblong or pear-shaped, crimson fruit with smaller spreading calyx lobes, borne on shorter peduncles and ripening two or three weeks earlier, and by its much more zigzag and more spiny branches, which make this tree particularly noticeable in winter, when it may readily be recognized from all other thorn trees."—C. S. Sargent in Bot. Gaz., XXXI, 223, 1901.



DRUPACEAE. PLUM FAMILY.

Trees or shrubs; bark exuding gum; bark, leaves, and especially seeds of several species abounding in prussic acid; leaves simple, alternate, mostly serrate; stipules small, soon falling; leafstalk often with one to several glands; flowers in umbels, racemes, or solitary, regular; calyx tube free from the ovary, 5-lobed; petals 5, inserted on the calyx; stamens indefinite, distinct, inserted with the petals; pistil 1, ovary with 1 carpel, 1-seeded; fruit a more or less fleshy drupe.

Prunus nigra, Ait.

Prunus Americana, var. nigra, Waugh.

WILD PLUM. RED PLUM. HORSE PLUM. CANADA PLUM.

Habitat and Range.—Native along streams and in thickets, often spontaneous around dwellings and along fences.

From Newfoundland through the valley of the St. Lawrence to Lake Manitoba.

Maine,—abundant in the northern sections and common throughout; New Hampshire and Vermont,—frequent, especially in the northern sections; Massachusetts,—occasional; Rhode Island and Connecticut,—not reported.

Rare south of New England; west to Wisconsin.

Habit.—A shrub or small tree, 20-25 feet high; trunk 5-8 inches in diameter; branches stout, ascending, somewhat angular, with short, rigid branchlets, forming a stiff, narrow head.

Bark.—Bark of trunk grayish-brown, smooth in young trees, in old trees separating into large plates; smaller branches dark brown, season's shoots green.

Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds small, ovate, acute, dark brown.

Leaves 3-5 inches long, light green on the upper side, paler beneath, pubescent when young; outline ovate-obovate or orbicular, crenulate-serrate; teeth not bristle-tipped; apex abruptly acuminate; base wedge-shaped, rounded, somewhat heart-shaped, or narrowing to a short petiole more or less red-glandular near the blade; stipules usually linear, ciliate, soon falling.

Inflorescence.—Appearing in May before the leaves, in lateral, 2-3-flowered, slender-stemmed umbels; flowers about an inch broad, white when expanding, turning to pink; calyx 5-lobed, glandular; petals 5, obovate-oblong, contracting to a claw; stamens numerous; style 1, stigma 1.

Fruit.—A drupe, oblong-oval, 1-1-1/2 inches long, orange or orange-red, skin tough, flesh adherent to the flat stone and pleasant to the taste. The fruit toward the southern limit of the species is often abortive, or develops through the growth of a fungus into monstrous forms.

Horticultural Value.—Hardy throughout New England, and will grow, when not shaded, in almost any dry or moist soil. It has a tendency to sucker freely, forming low, broad thickets, especially attractive from their early spring flowers and handsome autumn leaves.



1. Winter buds. 2. Flowering branch. 3. Flower with petals removed. 4. Petal. 5. Fruiting branch. 6. Stone.

Prunus Americana, Marsh.

A rare plant in New England, scarcely attaining tree-form. The most northern station yet reported is along the slopes of Graylock, Massachusetts, where a few scattered shrubs were discovered in 1900 (J. R. Churchill). In Connecticut it seems to be native in the vicinity of Southington, shrubs, and small trees 10-15 feet high (C. H. Bissell in lit., 1900); New Milford and Munroe, small trees (C. K. Averill).

Distinguished from P. nigra by its sharply toothed leaves, smaller blossoms (the petals of which do not turn pink), and by its globose fruit.



1. Winter buds. 2. Flowering branch. 3. Flower with part of perianth and stamens removed. 4. Petal. 5. Flowering branch. 6. Stone.

Prunus Pennsylvanica, L. f.

RED CHERRY. PIN CHERRY. PIGEON CHERRY. BIRD CHERRY.

Habitat and Range.—Roadsides, clearings, burnt lands, hill slopes, occasional in rather low grounds.

From Labrador to the Rocky mountains, through British Columbia to the Coast Range.

Throughout New England; very common in the northern portions, as high up as 4500 feet upon Katahdin, less common southward and near the seacoast.

South to North Carolina; west to Minnesota and Missouri.

Habit.—A slender tree, seldom more than 30 feet high; trunk 8-10 inches in diameter, erect; branches at an angle of 45 deg. or less; head rather open, roundish or oblong, characterized in spring by clusters of long-stemmed white flowers, and in autumn by a profusion of small red fruit.

Bark.—Bark of trunk in fully grown trees dark brownish-red, conspicuously marked with coarse horizontal lines; the outer layer peeling off in fine scales, disclosing a brighter red layer beneath; in young trees very smooth and shining throughout; lines very conspicuous in the larger branches; branchlets brownish-red with small horizontal lines; spray and season's shoots polished red, with minute orange dots.

Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds small, broad-conical, acute. Leaves numerous, 3-4 inches long, 1-2 inches wide, light green and shining on both sides, ovate-lanceolate, oval or oblong-lanceolate, finely serrate; teeth sharp-pointed, sometimes incurved; apex acuminate; base obtuse or roundish; midrib depressed above; leafstalks short, channeled; stipules falling early.

Inflorescence.—June. Appearing with the leaves, in lateral clusters, the flowers on long, slender, somewhat branching stems; calyx 5-cleft; segments thin, reflexed; petals 5, white, obovate, short-clawed; stamens numerous; pistil 1; style 1.

Fruit.—About the size of a pea, round, light red, thin-meated and sour: stone oval or ovate.

Horticultural Value.—Hardy throughout New England; prefers a light gravelly loam, but grows in poor soils and exposed situations; habit so uncertain and tendency to sprout so decided that it is not wise to use it in ornamental plantations; sometimes very useful in sterile land. A variety with transparent yellowish fruit is occasionally met with, but is not yet in cultivation.



1. Winter buds. 2. Flowering branch. 3. Flower with part of perianth and stamens removed. 4. Petal. 5. Fruiting branch.

Prunus Virginiana, L.

CHOKECHERRY.

Habitat and Range.—In varying soils; along river banks, on dry plains, in woods, common along walls, often thickets.

From Newfoundland across the continent, as far north on the Mackenzie river as 62 deg..

Common throughout New England; at an altitude of 4500 feet upon Mt. Katahdin.

South to Georgia; west to Minnesota and Texas.

Habit.—Usually a shrub a few feet high, but occasionally a tree 15-25 feet in height, with a trunk diameter of 5-6 inches; head, in open places, spreading, somewhat symmetrical, with dull foliage, but very attractive in flower and fruit, the latter variable in color and quantity.

Bark.—Trunk and branches dull gray, darker on older trees, rough with raised buff-orange spots; branchlets dull grayish or reddish brown; season's shoots lighter, minutely dotted. Bitter to the taste.

Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds 1-1-1/4 inches long, conical, sharp-pointed, brown, slightly divergent from the stem.

Leaves 2-5 inches long and two-thirds as wide, dull green on the upper side, lighter beneath, obovate or oblong, thin, finely, sharply, and often doubly serrate; apex abruptly pointed; base roundish, obtuse or slightly heart-shaped; leafstalk round, grooved, with two or more glands near base of leaf; stipules long, narrow, ciliate, falling when the leaves expand.

Inflorescence.—Appearing in May, a week earlier than P. serotina, terminating lateral, leafy shoots of the season in numerous handsome, erect or spreading racemes, 2-4 inches long; flowers short-stemmed, about 1/3 inch across; petals white, roundish; edge often eroded; calyx 5-cleft with thin reflexed lobes, soon falling; stamens numerous; pistil 1; style 1.

Fruit.—In drooping racemes; varying from yellow to nearly black, commonly bright red, edible, but more or less astringent; stem somewhat persistent after the cherry falls.

Horticultural Value.—Hardy throughout New England; grows in almost any soil, but prefers a deep, rich, moist loam. Vigorous young trees are attractive, but in New England they soon begin to show dead branches, and are so seriously affected by insects and fungous diseases that it is not wise to use them in ornamental plantations, or to permit them to remain on the roadside.



1. Winter buds. 2. Flowering branch. 3. Flower with part of perianth and stamens removed. 4. A petal. 5. Fruiting branch.

Prunus serotina, Ehrh.

RUM CHERRY. BLACK CHERRY.

Habitat and Range.—In all sorts of soils and exposures; open places and rich woods.

Nova Scotia to Lake Superior.

Maine,—not reported north of Oldtown (Penobscot county); frequent throughout the other New England states.

South to Florida; west to North Dakota, Kansas, and Texas, extending through Mexico, along the Pacific coast of Central America to Peru.

Habit.—Usually a medium-sized tree, 30-50 feet in height, with a trunk diameter varying from 8 or 10 inches to 2 feet; attaining much greater dimensions in the middle and southern states; branches few, large, often tortuous, subdividing irregularly; head open, widest near the base, rather ungraceful when naked, but very attractive when clothed with bright green, polished foliage, profusely decked with white flowers, or laden with drooping racemes of handsome black fruit.

Bark.—Bark of trunk deep reddish-brown and smooth in young trees, in old trees very rough, separating into close, thick, irregular, blackish scales; branches dark reddish-brown, marked with small oblong, raised dots. Bitter to the taste.

Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds ovate, 1/8 inch long, covered with imbricated brown scales.

Leaves 2-5 inches long, about half as wide, dark green above and glossy when full grown, paler below, turning in autumn to orange, deep red, or pale yellow, firm, smooth on both sides, elliptical, oblong, or lanceolate-oblong; finely serrate with short, incurved teeth; apex sharp; base acute or roundish; meshes of veins minute; petioles 1/2 inch long, with usually two or more glands near the base of the leaf; stipules glandular-edged, falling as the leaf expands.

Inflorescence.—May to June. From new leafy shoots, in simple, loose racemes, 4-5 inches long; flowers small; calyx with 5 short teeth separated by shallow sinuses, persistent after the cherry falls; petals 5, spreading, white, obovate; stamens numerous; pistil one; style single.

Fruit.—September. Somewhat flattened vertically, 1/4 inch in diameter; purplish-black, edible, slightly bitter.

Horticultural Value.—Hardy in New England; in rich soil in open situations young trees grow very rapidly, old trees rather slowly. Seldom used for ornamental purposes, but serves well as a nurse tree for forest plantations, or where quick results and a luxurious foliage effect is desired, on inland exposures or near the seacoast. The branches are very liable to disfigurement by the black-knot and the foliage by the tent-caterpillar. Large plants are seldom for sale, but seedlings may be obtained in large quantities and at low prices. A weeping horticultural form is occasionally offered. Propagated from seed.



1. Winter buds. 2. Flowering branch. 3. Flower with part of perianth and stamens removed. 4. A petal. 5. Fruiting branch. 6. Mature leaf.

Prunus Avium, L.

MAZARD CHERRY.

Introduced from England; occasionally spontaneous along fences and the borders of woodlands. As an escape, 25-50 feet high, with a trunk diameter of 1-2 feet; head oblong or ovate; branches mostly ascending. Leaves ovate to obovate, more or less pubescent beneath, serrate, 3-5 inches long; leafstalk about 1/2 inch long, often glandular near base of leaf; inflorescence in umbels; flowers white, expanding with the leaves; fruit dark red, sweet, mostly inferior or blighted.



LEGUMINOSAE. PULSE FAMILY.

Gleditsia triacanthos, L.

HONEY LOCUST. THREE-THORNED ACACIA.

Habitat and Range.—In its native habitat growing in a variety of soils; rich woods, mountain sides, sterile plains.

Southern Ontario.

Maine,—young trees in the southern sections said to have been produced from self-sown seed (M. L. Fernald); New Hampshire and Vermont,—introduced; Massachusetts,—occasional; Rhode Island,—introduced and fully at home (J. F. Collins); Connecticut,—not reported. Probably sparingly naturalized in many other places in New England.

Spreading by seed southward; indigenous along the western slopes of the Alleghanies in Pennsylvania; south to Georgia and Alabama; west from western New York through southern Ontario (Canada) and Michigan to Nebraska, Kansas, Indian territory, and Texas.

Habit.—A medium-sized tree, reaching a height of 40-60 feet and a trunk diameter of 1-3 feet; becoming a tree of the first magnitude in the river bottoms of Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee; trunk dark and straight, the upper branches going off at an acute angle, the lower often horizontal, both trunk and larger branches armed above the axils with stout, sharp-pointed, simple, three-pronged or numerously branched thorns, sometimes clustered in forbidding tangles a foot or two in length; head wide-spreading, very open, rounded or flattish, with extremely delicate, fern-like foliage lying in graceful planes or masses; pods flat and pendent, conspicuous in autumn.

Bark.—Trunk and larger branches a sombre iron gray, deepening on old trees almost to black; yellowish-brown in second year's growth; season's shoots green, marked with short buff, longitudinal lines; branchlets rough-dotted.

Winter Buds and Leaves.—Winter buds minute, in clusters of three or four, the upper the largest. Leaves compound, once to twice pinnate, both forms often in the same leaf, alternate, 6 inches to 1 foot long, rachis abruptly enlarged at base and covering the winter buds: leaflets 18-28, 3/4-1-1/4 inches long, about one-third as wide, yellowish-green when unfolding, turning to dark green above, slightly lighter beneath, yellow in autumn; outline lanceolate, oblong to oval, obscurely crenulate-serrate; apex obtuse, scarcely mucronate; base mostly rounded; leafstalks and leaves downy, especially when young.

Inflorescence.—Early June. From lateral or terminal buds on the old wood, in slender, pendent, greenish racemes scarcely distinguishable among the young leaves; sterile and fertile flowers on different trees or on the same tree and even in the same cluster; calyx somewhat campanulate, 3-5-cleft; petals 3-5, somewhat wider than the sepals, and inserted with the 3-10 stamens on the calyx: pistil in sterile flowers abortive or wanting, conspicuous in the fertile flowers. Parts of the flower more or less pubescent, arachnoid-pubescent within, near the base.

Fruit.—Pods dull red, 1-1-1/2 feet long, flat, pendent, and often twisted, containing several flat brown seeds.

Horticultural Value.—Hardy throughout New England, grows in any well-drained soil, but prefers a deep, rich loam; transplants readily, grows rapidly, is long-lived, free from disease, and makes a picturesque object in ornamental plantations, but is objectionable in public places and highly finished grounds on account of the stiff spines, which are a source of danger to pedestrians, and also on account of the long strap-shaped pods, which litter the ground. There is a thornless form which is better adapted than the type for ornamental purposes. The type is sometimes offered in nurseries at a low price by the quantity. Propagated from seed.



1. Winter buds. 2. Winter buds with thorns. 3. Flowering branch. 4. Sterile flower, enlarged. 5. Flowering branch, flowers mostly fertile. 6. Fertile flower, enlarged. 7. Fruiting branch. 8. Leaf partially twice pinnate.

Robinia Pseudacacia, L.

LOCUST.

Habitat and Range.—In its native habitat growing upon mountain slopes, along the borders of forests, in rich soils.

Naturalized from Nova Scotia to Ontario.

Maine,—thoroughly at home, forming wooded banks along streams; New Hampshire,—abundant enough to be reckoned among the valuable timber trees; Vermont,—escaped from cultivation in many places; Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut,—common in patches and thickets and along the roadsides and fences.

Native from southern Pennsylvania along the mountains to Georgia; west to Iowa and southward.

Habit.—Mostly a small tree, 20-35 feet high, under favorable conditions reaching a height of 50-75 feet; trunk diameter 8 inches to 2 1/2 feet; lower branches thrown out horizontally or at a broad angle, forming a few-branched, spreading top, clothed with a tender green, delicate, tremulous foliage, and distinguished in early June by loose, pendulous clusters of white fragrant flowers.

Bark.—Bark of trunk dark, rough and seamy even in young trees, and armed with stout prickles which disappear as the tree matures; in old trees coarsely, deeply, and firmly ridged, not flaky; larger branches a dull brown, rough; branchlets grayish-brown, armed with prickles; season's shoots green, more or less rough-dotted, thin, and often striped.

Winter Buds and Leaves.—Winter buds minute, partially sunken within the leaf-scar. Leaves pinnately compound, alternate; petiole swollen at the base, covering bud of the next season; often with spines in the place of stipules; leaflets 7-21, opposite or scattered, 3/4-1-1/4 inches long, about half as wide, light green; outline ovate or oval-oblong; apex round or obtuse, tipped with a minute point; base truncate, rounded, obtuse or acutish; distinctly short-stalked; stipellate at first.

Inflorescence.—Late May or early June. Showy and abundant, in loose, pendent, axillary racemes; calyx short, bell-shaped, 5-cleft, the two upper segments mostly coherent; corolla shaped like a pea blossom, the upper petal large, side petals obtuse and separate; style and stigma simple.

Fruit.—A smooth, dark brown, flat pod, about 3 inches long, containing several small brown flattish seeds, remaining on the tree throughout the winter.

Horticultural Value.—Hardy throughout New England in all dry, sunny situations, of rapid growth, spreading by underground stems, ordinarily short-lived and subject to serious injury by the attacks of borers. Occasionally procurable in large quantities at a low rate. In Europe there are many horticultural forms, a few of which are occasionally offered in American nurseries. The type is propagated from seed, the forms by grafting.



1. Winter buds. 2. Flowering branch. 3. Flower with corolla removed. 4. Fruiting branch.

Robinia viscosa, Vent.

CLAMMY LOCUST.

This tree appears to be sparingly established in southern Canada and at many points throughout New England.

Common in cultivation and occasionally established through the middle states; native from Virginia along the mountains of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

Easily distinguished from R. Pseudacacia by its smaller size, glandular, viscid branchlets, later period of blossoming, and by its more compact, usually upright, scarcely fragrant, rose-colored flower-clusters.



SIMARUBACEAE. AILANTHUS FAMILY.

Ailanthus glandulosus, Desf.

AILANTHUS. TREE-OF-HEAVEN. CHINESE SUMAC.

Sparsely and locally naturalized in southern Ontario, New England, and southward.

A native of China; first introduced into the United States on an extensive scale in 1820 at Flushing, Long Island; afterwards disseminated by nursery plants and by seed distributed from the Agricultural Department at Washington. Its rapid growth, ability to withstand considerable variations in temperature, and its dark luxuriant foliage made it a great favorite for shade and ornament. It was planted extensively in Philadelphia and New York, and generally throughout the eastern sections of the country. When these trees began to fill the ground with suckers and the vile-scented sterile flowers poisoned the balmy air of June and the water in the cisterns, occasioning many distressing cases of nausea, a reaction set in and hundreds of trees were cut down. The female trees, against the blossoms of which no such objection lay, were allowed to grow, and have often attained a height of 50-75 feet, with a trunk diameter of 3-5 feet. The fruit is very beautiful, consisting of profuse clusters of delicate pinkish or greenish keys.

The tree is easily distinguished by its ill-scented compound leaves, often 2-3 feet long, by the numerous leaflets, sometimes exceeding 40, each ovate, or ovate-lanceolate, with one or two teeth near the base, by its vigorous growth from suckers, and in winter by the coarse, blunt shoots and conspicuous, heart-shaped leaf-scars.



ANACARDIACEAE. SUMAC FAMILY.

Rhus typhina, L.

Rhus hirta, Sudw.

STAGHORN SUMAC.

Habitat and Range.—In widely varying soils and localities; river banks, rocky slopes to an altitude of 2000 feet, cellar-holes and waste places generally, often forming copses.

From Nova Scotia to Lake Huron.

Common throughout New England.

South to Georgia; west to Minnesota and Missouri.

Habit.—A shrub, or small tree, rarely exceeding 25 feet in height; trunk 8-10 inches in diameter; branches straggling, thickish, mostly crooked when old; branchlets forked, straight, often killed at the tips several inches by the frost; head very open, irregular, characterized by its velvety shoots, ample, elegant foliage, turning in early autumn to rich yellows and reds, and by its beautiful, soft-looking crimson cones.

Bark.—Bark of trunk light brown, mottled with gray, becoming dark brownish-gray and more or less rough-scaly in old trees; the season's shoots densely covered with velvety hairs, like the young horns of deer (giving rise to the common name), the pubescence disappearing after two or three years; the extremities dotted with minute orange spots which enlarge laterally in successive seasons, giving a roughish feeling to the branches.

Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds roundish, obtuse, densely covered with tawny wool, sunk within a large leaf-scar. Leaves pinnately compound, 1-2 feet long; stalk hairy, reddish above, enlarged at base covering the axillary bud; leaflets 11-31, mostly in opposite pairs, the middle pair longest, nearly sessile except the odd one, 2-4 inches long; dark green above, light and often downy beneath; outline narrow to broad-oblong or broad-lanceolate, usually serrate, rarely laciniate, long-pointed, slightly heart-shaped or rounded at base; stipules none.

Inflorescence.—June to July. Flowers in dense terminal, thyrsoid panicles, often a foot in length and 5-6 inches wide; sterile and fertile mostly on separate trees, but sterile, fertile, and perfect occasionally on the same tree; calyx small, the 5 hairy, ovate-lanceolate sepals united at the base and, in sterile flowers, about half the length of the usually recurved petals; stamens 5, somewhat exserted; ovary abortive, smooth; in the fertile flowers the sepals are nearly as long as the upright petals; stamens short; ovary pubescent, 1-celled, with 3 short styles and 3 spreading stigmas.

Fruit.—In compound terminal panicles, 6-10 or 12 inches long, made up of small, dryish, smooth-stoned drupes densely covered with acid, crimson hairs, persistent till spring.

Horticultural Value.—Hardy throughout New England. Grows in any well-drained soil, but prefers a deep, rich loam. The vigorous growth, bold, handsome foliage, and freedom from disease make it desirable for landscape plantations. It spreads rapidly from suckers, a single plant becoming in a few years the center of a broad-spreading group. Seldom obtainable in nurseries, but collected plants transplant easily.

The cut-leaved form is cultivated in nurseries for the sake of its exceedingly graceful and delicate foliage.



1. Winter buds. 2. Branch with staminate flowers. 3. Staminate flower. 4. Branch with pistillate flowers. 5. Pistillate flower. 6. Fruit cluster. 7. Fruit.

Rhus Vernix, L.

Rhus venenata, DC.

DOGWOOD. POISON SUMAC. POISON ELDER.

Habitat and Range.—Low grounds and swamps; occasional on the moist slopes of hills.

Infrequent in Ontario.

Maine,—local and apparently restricted to the southwestern sections; as far north as Chesterville (Franklin county); Vermont,—infrequent; common throughout the other New England states, especially near the seacoast.

South to northern Florida; west to Minnesota and Louisiana.

Habit.—- A handsome shrub or small tree, 5-20 feet high; trunk sometimes 8-10 inches in diameter; broad-topped in the open along the edge of swamps; conspicuous in autumn by its richly colored foliage and diffusely panicled, pale, yellowish-white fruit.

Bark.—Trunk and branches mottled gray, roughish with round spots; branchlets light brown; season's shoots reddish at first, turning later to gray, thickly beset with rough yellowish warts; leaf-scars prominent, triangular.

Buds and Leaves.—Buds small, roundish. Leaves pinnately compound, alternate; rachis abruptly widened at base; leaflets 5-13, opposite, short-stalked except the odd one, 2-3 inches long, 1-2 inches wide, smooth, light green and mostly glossy when young, becoming dark green and often dull, obovate to oval or ovate; entire, often wavy-margined; apex acute, acuminate, or obtuse; base mostly obtuse or rounded; veins prominent, often red; stipules none.

Inflorescence.—Early in July. Near the tips of the branches, in loose, axillary clusters of small greenish flowers; sterile, fertile, and perfect flowers on the same tree, or occasionally sterile and fertile on separate trees; calyx deeply 5-parted, divisions ovate, acute; petals 5, oblong; stamens 5, exserted in the sterile flowers; ovary globose, styles 3.

Fruit.—Drupes about as large as peas, smooth, more or less glossy, whitish; stone ridged; strongly resembling the fruit of R. Toxicodendron (poison ivy).

Horticultural Value.—No large shrub or small tree, so attractive as this, does so well in wet ground; it grows also in any good soil, but it is seldom advisable to use it, on account of its noxious qualities. It can be obtained only from collectors of native plants.

Note.—This sumac has the reputation of being the most poisonous of New England plants. The treacherous beauty of its autumn leaves is a source of grief to collectors. Many are seriously affected, without actual contact, by the exhalation of vapor from the leaves, by grains of pollen floating in the air, and even by the smoke of the burning wood.

It is easily distinguished from the other sumacs. The leaflets are not toothed like those of R. typhina (staghorn sumac) and R. glabra (smooth sumac); it is not pubescent like R. typhina and R. copallina (dwarf sumac); the rachis of the compound leaf is not wing-margined as in R. copallina; the panicles of flower and fruit are not upright and compact, but drooping and spreading; the fruit is not red-dotted with dense crimson hairs, but is smooth and whitish. Unlike the other sumacs, it grows for the most part in lowlands and swamps.

In the vicinity of Southington, southern Connecticut, Rhus copallina is occasionally found with a trunk 5 or 6 inches in diameter (C. H. Bissell).



1. Winter buds. 2. Branch with sterile flowers. 3. Sterile flower. 4. Branch with fertile flowers. 5. Fertile flower. 6. Fruiting branch.



AQUIFOLIACEAE. HOLLY FAMILY.

Ilex opaca, Ait.

HOLLY. AMERICAN HOLLY.

Habitat and Range.—Generally found in somewhat sheltered situations in sandy loam or in low, moist soil in the vicinity of water.

Maine,—reported on the authority of Gray's Manual, sixth edition, in various botanical works, but no station is known; New Hampshire and Vermont,—no station reported; Massachusetts,—occasional from Quincy southward upon the mainland and the island of Naushon; rare in the peat swamps of Nantucket; Rhode Island,—common in South Kingston and Little Compton and sparingly found upon Prudence and Conanicut islands in Narragansett bay; Connecticut,—mostly restricted to the southwestern sections.