Cratægus.
A revision of genus Cratægus 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.
Cratægus 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.
Cratægus 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 1-2½ 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.
Cratægus 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 Linnæan 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, 1½-2 inches long and 1-1½ 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, ½-¾4 inch long. Flowers ½-¾ 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 ½ inch in diameter, with thin, sweet, dry yellow flesh; nutlets 3 or 4, about ¼ 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 1-1½ 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]
[1] Prof. C. S. Sargent in Bot. Gaz., XXXI, 12. By permission of the publishers.
Cratægus mollis, Scheele.
Cratægus subvillosa, Schr. Cratægus 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, ½-1 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.
Plate LX.—Cratægus mollis.
| 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 Cratægus mollis have been referred by Prof. C. S. Sargent to Cratægus submollis (Bot. Gaz., XXXI, 7, 1901). The new species differs from the true Cratægus 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.
DRUPACEÆ. 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, 1-1½ 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.
Plate LXI.—Prunus nigra.
| 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.
Plate LXII.—Prunus Americana.
| 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° 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.
Plate LXIII.—Prunus Pennsylvanica.
| 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°.
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 1-1¼ 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 ⅓ 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.
Plate LXIV.—Prunus Virginia.
| 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, ⅛ 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 ½ 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, ¼ 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.
Plate LXV.—Prunus serotina.
| 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 ½ 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.
LEGUMINOSÆ. 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, ¾-¼ 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, 1-1½ 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.
Plate LXVI.—Gleditsia triacanthos.
| 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 ½ 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, ¾-1¼ 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.
Plate LXVII.—Robinia Pseudacacia.
| 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.
SIMARUBACEÆ. 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.
ANACARDIACEÆ. 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.
Plate LXVIII.—Rhus typhina.
| 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).
Plate LXIX.—Rhus Vernix.
| 1. Winter buds. |
| 2. Branch with sterile flowers. |
| 3. Sterile flower. |
| 4. Branch with fertile flowers. |
| 5. Fertile flower. |
| 6. Fruiting branch. |
AQUIFOLIACEÆ. 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.
Southward to Florida; westward to Missouri and the bottom-lands of eastern Texas.
Habit.—A shrub or small tree, exceptionally reaching a height of 30 feet, with a trunk diameter of 15-18 inches, but attaining larger proportions south and west; head conical or dome-shaped, compact; branches irregular, mostly horizontal, clothed with a spiny evergreen foliage. The fertile trees are readily distinguished through late fall and early winter by the conspicuous red berries.
Bark.—Bark of trunk thick, smooth on young trees, roughish, dotted on old, of a nearly uniform ash-gray on trunk and branches; the young shoots more or less downy, bright greenish-yellow, becoming smooth and grayish at the end of the season.
Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds short, roundish, generally obtuse, scales minutely ciliate. Leaves evergreen, simple, alternate, 2-4 inches long, 1½-3 inches wide, flat when compared with those of the European holly, thickish, smooth on both sides, yellowish-green, scarcely glossy on the upper surface, paler beneath, elliptical, oval or oval-oblong; apex acutish, spine-tipped; base acutish or obtuse; margin wavy and concave between the large spiny teeth, sometimes with one or two teeth or entire; midrib prominent beneath; leafstalks short, grooved; stipules minute, awl-shaped, becoming blackish, persistent.
Inflorescence.—Flowers in June along the base of the season's shoots; sterile and fertile flowers usually on separate trees,—the sterile in loose, few-flowered clusters, the fertile mostly solitary; peduncles and pedicels slender, bracted midway; calyx persistent, with 4 pointed, ciliate teeth; corolla white, monopetalous, with 4 roundish, oblong divisions; stamens 4, alternating with and shorter than the lobes of the corolla in the fertile flowers, but longer in the sterile; ovary green, nearly cylindrical, surmounted by the sessile, 4-lobed stigma. Parts of the flower sometimes in fives or sixes.
Fruit.—A dull red, berry-like drupe, with 4 nutlets, ribbed or grooved on the convex back, ripening late, and persistent into winter. A yellow-fruited form reported at New Bedford, Mass. (Rhodora, III, 58).
Horticultural Value.—Hardy in southern New England; though preferring moist, gravelly loam, it does fairly well in dry soil; of slow growth; useful to form low plantation in shade and to enrich the undergrowth of woods; occasionally sold by collectors but rare in nurseries; nursery plants must be frequently transplanted to be moved successfully; only a small percentage of ordinary collected plants live. The seed seldom germinates in less than two years.
Notes.—The cultivated European holly, which the American tree closely resembles, may be distinguished by its deeper green, glossier, and more wave-margined leaves and the deeper red of its berries.
"There are several fine specimens of the Ilex opaca on the farm of Col. Minot Thayer in Braintree, Mass., which are about a foot in diameter a yard above the ground and 25 feet in height. They have maintained their present dimensions for more than fifty years."—D. T. Browne's Trees of North America, published in 1846.
This estate is now owned by Mr. Thomas A. Watson. Several of these trees have been cut down, but one of them is still standing and of substantially the dimensions given above. It must have reached the limit of growth a hundred years ago and now shows very evident signs of decrepitude. This may be due, however, to the loss of a square foot or more of bark from the trunk.
Plate LXX.—Ilex opaca.
| 1. Branch with staminate flowers. |
| 2. Staminate flower. |
| 3. Pistillate flower. |
| 4. Fruiting branch. |
ACERACEÆ. MAPLE FAMILY.
Acer rubrum, L.
Red Maple. Swamp Maple. Soft Maple. White Maple.
Habitat and Range.—Borders of streams, low lands, wet forests, swamps, rocky hillsides.
Nova Scotia to the Lake of the Woods.
Common throughout New England from the sea to an altitude of 3000 feet on Katahdin.
South to southern Florida; west to Dakota, Nebraska, and Texas.
Habit.—A medium-sized tree, 40-50 feet high, rising occasionally in swamps to a height of 60-75 feet; trunk 2-4 feet in diameter, throwing out limbs at varying angles a few feet from the ground; branches and branchlets slender, forming a bushy spray, the tips having a slightly upward tendency; head compact, in young trees usually rounded and symmetrical, widest just above the point of furcation. In the first warm days of spring there shimmers amid the naked branches a faint glow of red, which at length becomes embodied in the abundant scarlet, crimson, or yellow of the long flowering stems; succeeded later by the brilliant fruit, which is outlined against the sober green of the foliage till it pales and falls in June. The colors of the autumn leaves vie in splendor with those of the sugar maple.
Bark.—In young trees smooth and light gray, becoming very dark and ridgy in large trunks, the surface separating into scales, and in very old trees hanging in long flakes; young shoots often bright red in autumn, conspicuously marked with oblong white spots.
Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds aggregated at or near the ends of the preceding year's shoots, about ⅛ inch long; protected by dark reddish scales; inner scales lengthening with the growth of the shoot. Leaves simple, opposite, 3-4 inches long, green and smooth above, lighter and more or less pubescent beneath, especially along the veins; turning crimson or scarlet in early autumn; ovate, 3-5-lobed, the middle lobe generally the longest, the lower pair (when 5 lobes are present) the smallest; unequally sharp-toothed, with broad, acute sinuses; apex acute; base heart-shaped, truncate, or obtuse; leafstalk 1-3 inches long. The leaves of the red maple vary greatly in size, outline, lobing, and shape of base.
Inflorescence.—April 1-15. Appearing before the leaves in close clusters encircling the shoots of the previous year, varying in color from dull red or pale yellow to scarlet; the sterile and fertile flowers mostly in separate clusters, sometimes on the same tree, but more frequently on different trees; calyx lobes oblong and obtuse; petals linear-oblong; pedicels short; stamens 5-8, much longer than the petals in the sterile and about the same length in the fertile flowers; the smooth ovary surmounted by a style separating into two much-projecting stigmatic lobes.
Fruit.—Fruit ripe in June, hanging on long stems, varying from brown to crimson; keys about an inch in length, at first convergent, at maturity more or less divergent.
Horticultural Value.—Hardy throughout New England; found in a wider range of soils than any other species of the genus, but seeming to prefer a gravelly or peaty loam in positions where its roots can reach a constant supply of moisture. It is more variable than any other of the native maples and consequently is not so good a tree for streets, where a symmetrical outline and uniform habit are required. It is transplanted readily, but recovers its vigor more slowly than does the sugar or silver maple and is usually of slower growth. Its variable habit makes it an exceedingly interesting tree in the landscape.
Plate LXXI.—Acer rubrum.
| 1. Leaf-buds. |
| 2. Flower-buds. |
| 3. Branch with sterile flowers. |
| 4. Sterile flower. |
| 5. Branch with sterile and fertile flowers. |
| 6. Fertile flower. |
| 7. Fruiting branch. |
| 8. Variant leaves. |
Acer saccharinum, L.
Acer dasycarpum, Ehrh.
Silver Maple. Soft Maple. White Maple. River Maple.
Habitat and Range.—Along streams, in rich intervale lands, and in moist, deep-soiled forests, but not in swamps.
Infrequent from New Brunswick to Ottawa, abundant from Ottawa throughout Ontario.
Occasional throughout the New England states; most common and best developed upon the banks of rivers and lakes at low altitudes.
South to the Gulf states; west to Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Indian territory; attaining its maximum size in the basins of the Ohio and its tributaries; rare towards the seacoast throughout the whole range.
Habit.—A handsome tree, 50-60 feet in height; trunk 2-5 feet in diameter, separating a few feet from the ground into several large, slightly diverging branches. These, naked for some distance, repeatedly subdivide at wider angles, forming a very wide head, much broader near the top. The ultimate branches are long and slender, often forming on the lower limbs a pendulous fringe sometimes reaching to the ground. Distinguished in winter by its characteristic graceful outlines, and by its flower-buds conspicuously scattered along the tips of the branchlets; in summer by the silvery-white under-surface of its deeply cut leaves. It is among the first of the New England trees to blossom, preceding the red maple by one to three weeks.
Bark.—Bark of trunk smooth and gray in young trees, becoming with age rougher and darker, more or less ridged, separating into thin, loose scales; young shoots chestnut-colored in autumn, smooth, polished, profusely marked with light dots.
Winter Buds and Leaves.—Flower-buds clustered near the ends of the branchlets, conspicuous in winter; scales imbricated, convex, polished, reddish, with ciliate margins; leaf-buds more slender, about ⅛ inch long, with similar scales, the inner lengthening, falling as the leaf expands. Leaves simple, opposite, 3-5 inches long, of varying width, light green above, silvery-white beneath, turning yellow in autumn; lobes 3, or more usually 5, deeply cut, sharp-toothed, sharp-pointed, more or less sublobed; sinuses deep, narrow, with concave sides; base sub-heart-shaped or truncate; stems long.
Inflorescence.—March to April. Much preceding the leaves; from short branchlets of the previous year, in simple, crowded umbels; flowers rarely perfect, the sterile and fertile sometimes on the same tree and sometimes on different trees, generally in separate clusters, yellowish-green or sometimes pinkish; calyx 5-notched, wholly included in bud-scales; petals none; sterile flowers long, stamens 3-7 much exserted, filaments slender, ovary abortive or none: fertile flowers broad, stamens about the length of calyx-tube, ovary woolly, with two styles scarcely united at the base.
Fruit.—Fruit ripens in June, earliest of the New England maples. Keys large, woolly when young, at length smooth, widely divergent, scythe-shaped or straight, yellowish-green, one key often aborted.
Horticultural Value.—Hardy in cultivation throughout New England. The grace of its branches, the beauty of its foliage, and its rapid growth make it a favorite ornamental tree. It attains its finest development when planted by the margin of pond or stream where its roots can reach water, but it grows well in any good soil. Easily transplanted, and more readily obtainable at a low price than any other tree in general use for street or ornamental purposes. The branches are easily broken by wind and ice, and the roots fill the ground for a long distance and exhaust its fertility.
Plate LXXII.—Acer saccharinum.
| 1. Leaf-buds. |
| 2. Flower-buds. |
| 3. Branch with sterile flowers. |
| 4. Branch with fertile flowers. |
| 5. Branch with sterile and fertile flowers. |
| 6. Sterile flower. |
| 7. Fertile flower. |
| 8. Perfect flower. |
| 9. Fruiting branch. |
Acer Saccharum, Marsh.
Acer saccharinum, Wang. Acer barbatum, Michx.
Rock Maple. Sugar Maple. Hard Maple. Sugar Tree.
Habitat and Range.—Rich woods and cool, rocky slopes.
Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, westward to Lake of the Woods.
New England,—abundant, distributed throughout the woods, often forming in the northern portions extensive upland forests; attaining great size in the mountainous portions of New Hampshire and Vermont, and in the Connecticut river valley; less frequent toward the seacoast.
South to the Gulf states; west to Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas.
Habit.—A noble tree, 50-90 feet in height; trunk 2-5 feet in diameter, stout, erect, throwing out its primary branches at acute angles; secondary branches straight, slender, nearly horizontal or declining at the base, leaving the stem higher up at sharper and sharper angles, repeatedly subdividing, forming a dense and rather stiff spray of nearly uniform length; head symmetrical, varying greatly in shape; in young trees often narrowly cylindrical, becoming pyramidal or broadly egg-shaped with age; clothed with dense masses of foliage, purple-tinged in spring, light green in summer, and gorgeous beyond all other trees of the forest, with the possible exception of the red maple, in its autumnal oranges, yellows, and reds.
Bark.—Bark of trunk and principal branches gray, very smooth, close and firm in young trees, in old trees becoming deeply furrowed, often cleaving up at one edge in long, thick, irregular plates; season's shoots at length of a shining reddish-brown, smooth, numerously pale-dotted, turning gray the third year.
Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds sharp-pointed, reddish-brown, minutely pubescent, terminal ¼ inch long, lateral ⅛ inch, appressed, the inner scales lengthening with the growth of the shoot. Leaves simple, opposite, 3-5 inches long, with a somewhat greater breadth, purplish and more or less pubescent when opening, at maturity dark green above, paler, with or without pubescence beneath, changing to brilliant reds and yellows in autumn; lobes sometimes 3, usually 5, acuminate, sparingly sinuate-toothed, with shallow, rounded sinuses; base subcordate, truncate, or wedge-shaped; veins and veinlets conspicuous beneath; leafstalks long, slender.
Inflorescence.—April 1-15. Appearing with the leaves in nearly sessile clusters, from terminal and lateral buds; flowers greenish-yellow, pendent on long thread-like, hairy stems; sterile and fertile on the same or on different trees, usually in separate, but not infrequently in the same cluster; the 5-lobed calyx cylindrical or bell-shaped, hairy; petals none; stamens 6-8, in sterile flowers much longer than the calyx, in fertile scarcely exserted; ovary smooth, abortive in sterile flowers, in fertile surmounted by a single style with two divergent, thread-like, stigmatic lobes.
Fruit.—Keys usually an inch or more in length, glabrous, wings broad, mostly divergent, falling late in autumn.
Horticultural Value.—Hardy throughout New England. Its long life, noble proportions, beautiful foliage, dense shade, moderately rapid growth, usual freedom from disease or insect disfigurement, and adaptability to almost any soil not saturated with water make it a favorite in cultivation; readily obtainable in nurseries, transplants easily, recovers its vigor quickly, and has a nearly uniform habit of growth.
Note.—Not liable to be taken for any other native maple, but sometimes confounded with the cultivated Norway maple, Acer platanoides, from which it is easily distinguished by the milky juice which exudes from the broken petiole of the latter.
The leaves of the Norway maple are thinner, bright green and glabrous beneath, and its keys diverge in a straight line.
Plate LXXIII.—Acer saccharum.
| 1. Winter buds. |
| 2. Flowering branch. |
| 3. Sterile flower. |
| 4. Fertile flower, part of perianth and stamens removed. |
| 5. Fruiting branch. |
Acer saccharum, Marsh., var. nigrum, Britton.
Acer nigrum, Michx. Acer saccharinum, var. nigrum, T. & G. Acer barbatum, var. nigrum, Sarg.
Black Maple.
Habitat and Range.—Low, damp ground on which, in New England at least, the sugar maple is rarely if ever seen, or upon moist, rocky slopes.
Apparently a common tree from Ottawa westward throughout Ontario.
The New England specimens, with the exception of those from the Champlain valley, appear to be dubious intermediates between the type and the variety.
Maine,—the Rangeley lake region; New Hampshire,—occasional near the Connecticut river; Vermont,—frequent in the western part in the Champlain valley, occasional in all other sections, especially in the vicinity of the Connecticut; Massachusetts,—occasional in the Connecticut river valley and westward, doubtfully reported from eastern sections; Rhode Island,—doubtful, resting on the authority of Colonel Olney's list; Connecticut,—doubtfully reported.
South along the Alleghanies to the Gulf states; west to the 95th meridian.
The extreme forms of nigrum show well-marked varietal differences; but there are few, if any, constant characters. Further research in the field is necessary to determine the status of these interesting plants.
Habit.—The black maple is somewhat smaller than the sugar maple, the bark is darker and the foliage more sombre. It generally has a symmetrical outline, which it retains to old age.
Leaves.—The fully grown leaves are often larger than those of the type, darker green above, edges sometimes drooping, width equal to or exceeding the length, 5-lobed, margin blunt-toothed, wavy-toothed, or entire, the two lower lobes small, often reduced to a curve in the outline, broad at the base, which is usually heart-shaped; texture firm; the lengthening scales of the opening leaves, the young shoots, the petioles, and the leaves themselves are covered with a downy to a densely woolly pubescence. As the parts mature, the woolliness usually disappears, except along the midrib and principal veins, which become almost glabrous.
Horticultural Value.—Hardy throughout New England, preferring a moist, fertile, gravelly loam; young trees are rather more vigorous than those of the sugar maple, and easily transplanted. Difficult to secure, for it is seldom offered for sale or recognized by nurseries, although occasionally found mixed with the sugar maple in nursery rows.
Plate LXXIV.—Acer Saccharum, var. nigrum.
| 1. Fruiting branch. |
Acer spicatum, Lam.
Mountain Maple.
Habitat and Range.—In damp forests, rocky highland woods, along the sides of mountain brooks at altitudes of 500-1000 feet.
From Nova Scotia and Newfoundland to Saskatchewan.
Maine,—common, especially northward in the forests; New Hampshire and Vermont,—common; Massachusetts,—rather common in western and central sections, occasional eastward; Rhode Island,—occasional northward; Connecticut,—occasional in northern and central sections; reported as far south as North Branford (New Haven county).
Along mountain ranges to Georgia.
Habit.—Mostly a shrub, but occasionally attaining a height of 25 feet, with a diameter, near the ground, of 6-8 inches; characterized by a short, straight trunk and slender branches; bright green foliage turning a rich red in autumn, and long-stemmed, erect racemes of delicate flowers, drooping at length beneath the weight of the maturing keys.
Bark.—Bark of trunk thin, smoothish, grayish-brown; primary branches gray; branchlets reddish-brown streaked with green, retaining in the second year traces of pubescence; season's shoots yellowish-green, reddish on the upper side when exposed to the sun, minutely pubescent.
Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds small, flattish, acute, slightly divergent from the stem. Leaves simple, opposite, 4-5 inches long, two-thirds as wide, pubescent on both sides when unfolding, at length glabrous on the upper surface, 3-lobed above the center, often with two small additional lobes at the base, coarsely or finely serrate, lobes acuminate; base more or less heart-shaped; veining 3-5-nerved, prominent, especially on the lower side, furrowed above; leafstalks long, enlarged at the base.
Inflorescence.—June. Appearing after the expansion of the leaves, in long-stemmed, terminal, more or less panicled, erect or slightly drooping racemes; flowers small and numerous, both kinds in the same raceme, the fertile near the base; all upon very slender pedicels; lobes of calyx 5, greenish, downy, about half as long as the alternating linear petals; stamens usually 8, in the sterile flower nearly as long as the petals, in the fertile much shorter; pistil rudimentary, hairy in the sterile flower; in the fertile the ovary is surmounted by an erect style with short-lobed stigma.
Fruit.—In long racemes, drooping or pendent; the keys, which are smaller than those of any other American maple, set on hair-like pedicels, and at a wide but not constant angle; at length reddish, with a small cavity upon one side.
Horticultural Value.—Hardy in cultivation throughout New England; prefers moist, well-drained, gravelly loam in partial shade, but grows well in any good soil; easily transplanted, but recovers its vigor rather slowly; foliage free from disease.
Seldom grown in nurseries, but readily obtainable from northern collectors of native plants.
Plate LXXV.—Acer spicatum.
| 1. Winter buds. |
| 2. Flowering branch. |
| 3. Sterile flower. |
| 4. Abortive ovary in sterile flower. |
| 5. Fertile flower with part of the perianth and stamens removed. |
| 6. Fruiting branch. |
Acer Pennsylvanicum, L.
Striped Maple. Moosewood. Whistlewood.
Habitat and Range.—Cool, rocky or sandy woods.
Nova Scotia to Lake Superior.
Maine,—abundant, especially northward in the forests; New Hampshire and Vermont,—common in highland woods; Massachusetts,—common in the western and central sections, rare towards the coast; Rhode Island,—frequent northward; Connecticut,—frequent, reported as far south as Cheshire (New Haven county).
South on shaded mountain slopes and in deep ravines to Georgia; west to Minnesota.
Habit.—Shrub or small tree, 15-25 feet high, with a diameter at the ground of 5-8 inches; characterized by a slender, beautifully striate trunk and straight branches; by the roseate flush of the opening foliage, deepening later to a yellowish-green; and by the long, graceful, pendent racemes of yellowish flowers, succeeded by the abundant, drooping fruit.
Bark.—Bark of trunk and branches deep reddish-brown or dark green, conspicuously striped longitudinally with pale and blackish bands; roughish with light buff, irregular dots; the younger branches marked with oval leaf-scars and the linear scars of the leaf-scales; the season's shoots smooth, light green, mottled with black.
In spring the bark of the small branches is easily separable, giving rise to the name "whistle wood."
Winter Buds and Leaves.—Terminal bud long, short-stalked, obscurely 4-sided, tapering to a blunt tip; lateral buds small and flat; opening foliage roseate. Leaves simple, opposite; 5-6 inches long and nearly as broad; the upper leaves much narrower; when fully grown light green above, paler beneath, finally nearly glabrous, yellow in autumn, divided above the center into three deep acuminate lobes, finely, sharply, and usually doubly serrate; base heart-shaped, truncate, or rounded; leafstalks 1-3 inches long, grooved, the enlarged base including the leaf-buds of the next season.
Inflorescence.—In simple, drooping racemes, often 5-6 inches long, appearing after the leaves in late May or early June; the sterile and fertile flowers mostly in separate racemes on the same tree; the bell-shaped flowers on slender pedicels; petals and sepals greenish-yellow; sepals narrowly oblong, somewhat shorter than the obovate petals; stamens usually 8, shorter than the petals in the sterile flower, rudimentary in the fertile, the pistil abortive or none in the sterile flower, in the fertile terminating in a recurved stigma.
Fruit.—In long, drooping racemes of pale green keys, set at a wide but not uniform angle; distinguished from the other maples, except A. spicatum, by a small cavity in the side of each key; abundant; ripening in August.
Horticultural Value.—Hardy, under favorable conditions, throughout New England. Prefers a rich, moist soil near water, in shade; but grows well in almost any soil when once established, many young plants failing to start into vigorous growth. Occasionally grown by nurserymen, but more readily obtainable from northern collectors of native plants.
Plate LXXVI.—Acer Pennsylvanicum.
| 1. Winter buds. |
| 2. Flowering branch. |
| 3. Sterile flower. |
| 4. Fertile flower with part of the perianth removed. |
| 5. Fruiting branch. |
Acer Negundo, L.
Negundo aceroides, Moench. Negundo Negundo, Karst.
Box Elder. Ash-leaved Maple.
Habitat and Range.—In deep, moist soil; river valleys and borders of swamps.
Infrequent from eastern Ontario to Lake of the Woods; abundant from Manitoba westward to the Rocky mountains south of 55° north latitude.
Maine,—along the St. John and its tributaries, especially in the French villages, the commonest roadside tree, brought in from the wild state according to the people there; thoroughly established young trees, originating from planted specimens, in various parts of the state; New Hampshire,—occasional along the Connecticut, abundant at Walpole; extending northward as far as South Charlestown (W. F. Flint in lit.); Vermont,—shores of the Winooski river and of Lake Champlain; Connecticut,—banks of the Housatonic river at New Milford, Cornwall Bridge, and Lime Rock station.
South to Florida; west to the Rocky and Wahsatch mountains, reaching its greatest size in the river bottoms of the Ohio and its tributaries.
Habit.—A small but handsome tree, 30-40 feet high, with a diameter of 1-2 feet. Trunk separating at a small height, occasionally a foot or two from the ground, into several wide-spreading branches, forming a broad, roundish, open head, characterized by lively green branchlets and foliage, delicate flowers and abundant, long, loose racemes of yellowish-green keys hanging till late autumn, the stems clinging throughout the winter.
Bark.—Bark of trunk when young, smooth, yellowish-green, in old trees becoming grayish-brown and ridgy; smaller branchlets greenish-yellow; season's shoots pale green or sometimes reddish-purple, smooth and shining or sometimes glaucous.
Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds small, ovate, enclosed in two dull-red, minutely pubescent scales. Leaves pinnately compound, opposite; leaflets usually 3, sometimes 5 or 7, 2-4 inches long, 1½-2½ inches broad, light green above, paler beneath and woolly when opening, slightly pubescent at maturity, ovate or oval, irregularly and remotely coarse-toothed mostly above the middle, 3-lobed or nearly entire; apex acute; base extremely variable; veins prominent; petioles 2-3 inches long, enlarging at the base, leaving, when they fall, conspicuous leaf-scars which unite at an angle midway between the winter buds.
Inflorescence.—April 1-15. Flowers appearing at the ends of the preceding year's shoots as the leaf-buds begin to open, small, greenish-yellow; sterile and fertile on separate trees,—the sterile in clusters, on long, hairy, drooping, thread-like stems; the calyx hairy, 5-lobed, with about 5 hairy-stemmed, much-projecting linear anthers; pistil none: the fertile in delicate, pendent racemes, scarcely distinguishable at a distance from the foliage; ovary pubescent, rising out of the calyx; styles long, divergent; stamens none.
Fruit.—Loose, pendent, greenish-yellow racemes, 6-8 inches long, the slender-pediceled keys joined at a wide angle, broadest and often somewhat wavy near the extremity, dropping in late autumn from the reddish stems, which hang on till spring.
Horticultural Value.—Hardy throughout New England; flourishes best in moist soil near running water or on rocky slopes, but accommodates itself to almost any situation; easily transplanted. Plants of the same age are apt to vary so much in size and habit as to make them unsuitable for street planting.
An attractive tree when young, especially when laden with fruit in the fall. There are several horticultural varieties with colored foliage, some of which are occasionally offered in nurseries. A western form, having the new growth covered with a glaucous bloom, is said to be longer-lived and more healthy than the type.
Plate LXXVII.—Acer Negundo.
| 1. Winter buds. |
| 2. Branch with sterile flowers. |
| 3. Sterile flower. |
| 4. Branch with fertile flowers. |
| 5. Fertile flower. |
| 6. Fruiting branch. |
TILIACEÆ. LINDEN FAMILY.
Tilia Americana, L.
Basswood. Linden. Lime. Whitewood.
Habitat and Range.—In rich woods and loamy soils.
Southern Canada from New Brunswick to Lake Winnipeg.
Throughout New England, frequent from the seacoast to altitudes of 1000 feet; rare from 1000 to 2000 feet.
South along the mountains to Georgia; west to Kansas, Nebraska, and Texas.
Habit.—A large tree, 5O-75 feet high, rising in the upper valley of the Connecticut river to the height of 100 feet; trunk 2-4 feet in diameter, erect, diminishing but slightly to the branching point; head, in favorable situations, broadly ovate to oval, rather compact, symmetrical; branches mostly straight, striking out in different trees at varying angles; the numerous secondary branches mostly horizontal, slender, often drooping at the extremities, repeatedly subdividing, forming a dense spray set at broad angles. Foliage very abundant, green when fully grown, almost impervious to sunlight; the small creamy flowers in numerous clusters; the pale, odd-shaped bracts and pea-like fruit conspicuous among the leaves till late autumn.
Bark.—Dark gray, very thick, smooth in young trees, later becoming broadly and firmly ridged; in old trees irregularly furrowed; branches, especially upon the upper side, dark brown and blackish; the season's shoots yellowish-green to reddish-brown, and numerously rough-dotted. The inner bark is fibrous and tough.
Winter Buds and Leaves.—Leaf-buds small, conical, brownish red, contrasting strongly with the dark stems. Leaves simple, alternate, 4-5 inches long, three-fourths as wide, green and smooth on both sides, thickish, paler beneath, broad-ovate, one-sided, serrate, the point often incurved; apex acuminate or acute; base heart-shaped to truncate; midrib and veins conspicuous on the under surface with minute, reddish tufts of down at the angles; stems smooth, 1-1½ inches long; stipules soon falling.
Inflorescence.—Late June or early July. In loose, slightly fragrant, drooping cymes, the peduncle attached about half its length to a narrowly oblong, yellowish bract, obtuse at both ends, free at the top, and tapering slightly at the base, pedicels slender; calyx of 5 colored sepals united toward the base; corolla of 5 petals alternate with the sepals, often obscurely toothed at the apex; 5 petal-like scales in front of the petals and nearly as long; calyx, petals, and scales yellowish-white; stamens indefinite, mostly in clusters inserted with the scales; anthers 2-celled, ovary 5-celled; style 1; stigma 5-toothed.
Fruit.—About the size of a pea, woody, globose, pale green, 1-celled by abortion: 1-2 seeds.
Horticultural Value.—Useful as an ornamental or street tree; hardy throughout New England, easily transplanted, and grows rapidly in almost any well-drained soil; comes into leaf late and drops its foliage in early fall. The European species are more common in nurseries. They are, however, seriously affected by wood borers, while the native tree has few disfiguring insect enemies. Usually propagated from the seed. A horticultural form with weeping branches is sometimes cultivated.
Note.—There is so close a resemblance between the lindens that it is difficult to distinguish the American species from each other, or from their European relatives.
American species sometimes found in cultivation:
Tilia pubescens, Ait., is distinguished from Americana by its smaller, thinner leaves and densely pubescent shoots.
Tilia heterophylla, Vent., is easily recognized by the pale or silver white under-surface of the leaves.
There are several European species more or less common in cultivation, indiscriminately known in nurseries as Tilia Europæa. They are all easily distinguished from the American species by the absence of petal-like scales.
Plate LXXVIII.—Tilia Americana.
| 1. Winter buds. |
| 2. Flowering branch. |
| 3. Flower enlarged. |
| 4. Pistil with cluster of stamens, petaloid scale, petal, and sepal. |
| 5. Fruiting branch. |
CORNACEÆ. DOGWOOD FAMILY.
Cornus florida, L.
Flowering Dogwood. Boxwood.
Habitat and Range.—Woodlands, rocky hillsides, moist, gravelly ridges.
Provinces of Quebec and Ontario.
Maine,—Fayette Ridge, Kennebec county; New Hampshire,—along the Atlantic coast and very near the Connecticut river, rarely farther north than its junction with the West river; Vermont,—southern and southwestern sections, rare; Massachusetts,—occasional throughout the state, common in the Connecticut river valley, frequent eastward; Rhode Island and Connecticut,—common.
South to Florida; west to Minnesota and Texas.
Habit.—A small tree, 15-30 feet high, with a trunk diameter of 6-10 inches. The spreading branches form an open, roundish head, the young twigs curving upwards at their extremities. In spring, when decked with its abundant, showy white blossoms, it is the fairest of the minor trees of the forest; in autumn, scarcely less beautiful in the rich reds of its foliage and fruit.
Bark.—Bark of trunk in old trees blackish, broken-ridged, rough, often separating into small, firm, 4-angled or roundish plates; branches grayish, streaked with white lines; season's twigs purplish-green, downy; taste bitter.
Winter Buds and Leaves.—Terminal leaf-buds narrowly conical, acute; flower-buds spherical or vertically flattened, grayish. Leaves simple, opposite, 3-5 inches long, two-thirds as wide, dark green above, whitish beneath, turning to reds, purples, and yellows in the autumn, ovate to oval, nearly smooth, with minute appressed pubescence on both surfaces; apex pointed; base acutish; veins distinctly indented above, ribs curving upward and parallel; leafstalk short-grooved.
Inflorescence.—May to June. Appearing with the unfolding leaves in close clusters at the ends of the branches, each cluster subtended by a very conspicuous 4-leafed involucre (often mistaken for the corolla and constituting all the beauty of the blossom), the leaves of which are white or pinkish, 1½ inches long, obovate, curiously notched at the rounded end. The real flowers are insignificant, suggesting the tubular disk flowers of the Compositæ; calyx-tube coherent with the ovary, surmounting it by 4 small teeth; petals greenish-yellow, oblong, reflexed; stamens 4; pistil with capitate style.
Fruit.—Ovoid, scarlet drupes, about ½ inch long, united in clusters, persistent till late autumn or till eaten by the birds.
Horticultural Value.—Hardy in southern and southern-central New England, but liable farther north to be killed outright or as far down as the surface of the snow; not only one of the most attractive small trees on account of its flowers, habit, and foliage, but one of the most useful for shady places or under tall trees. The species, a red-flowering and also a weeping variety are obtainable in leading nurseries. Collected plants can be made to succeed. It is a plant of rather slow growth.
Plate LXXIX.—Cornus florida.
| 1. Leaf-buds. |
| 2. Flower-buds. |
| 3. Flowering branch. |
| 4. Flower. |
| 5. Fruiting branch. |
Cornus alternifolia, L. f.
Dogwood. Green Osier.
Habitat and Range.—Hillsides, open woods and copses, borders of streams and swamps.
Nova Scotia and New Brunswick along the valley of the St. Lawrence river to the western shores of Lake Superior.
Common throughout New England.
South to Georgia and Alabama; west to Minnesota.
Habit.—A shrub or small tree, 6-20 feet high, trunk diameter 3-6 inches; head usually widest near the top, flat; branches nearly horizontal with lateral spray, the lively green, dense foliage lying in broad planes.
Bark.—Trunk and larger branches greenish, warty, streaked with gray; season's shoots bright yellowish-green or purplish, oblong-dotted.
Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds small, acute. Leaves simple, alternate or sometimes opposite, clustered at the ends of the branchlets, 2-4 inches long, dark green on the upper side, paler beneath, with minute appressed pubescence on both sides, ovate to oval, almost entire; apex long-pointed; base acutish or rounded; veins indented above, ribs curving upward and parallel; petiole long, slender, and grooved.
Inflorescence.—June. From shoots of the season, in irregular open cymes; calyx coherent with ovary, surmounting it by 4 minute teeth; corolla white or pale yellow, with the 4 oblong petals at length reflexed: stamens 4, exserted; style short, with capitate stigma.
Fruit.—October. Globular, blue or blue black, on slender, reddish stems.
Horticultural Value.—Hardy throughout New England, adapting itself to a great variety of situations, but preferring a soil that is constantly moist. Nursery or good collected plants are easily transplanted. A disease, similar in its effect to the pear blight, so often disfigures it that it is not desirable for use in important plantations.
Plate LXXX.—Cornus alternifolia.
| 1. Winter buds. |
| 2. Flowering branch. |
| 3. Flower with one petal and two stamens removed, side view. |
| 4. Flower, view from above. |
| 5. Fruiting branch. |
Nyssa sylvatica, Marsh.
Tupelo. Sour Gum. Pepperidge.
Habitat and Range.—In rich, moist soil, in swamps and on the borders of rivers and ponds.
Ontario.
Maine,—Waterville on the Kennebec, the most northern station yet reported (Dr. Ezekiel Holmes); New Hampshire,—most common in the Merrimac valley, seldom seen north of the White mountains; Vermont,—occasional; Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut,—rather common.
South to Florida; west to Michigan, Missouri, and Texas.
Habit.—Tree 20-50 feet high, with a trunk diameter of 1-2 feet, rising in the forest to the height of 60-80 feet; attaining greater dimensions farther south; lower branches horizontal or declining, often touching the ground at their tips, the upper horizontal or slightly rising, angular, repeatedly subdividing; branchlets very numerous, short and stiff, making a flat spray; head extremely variable, unique in picturesqueness of outline; usually broad-spreading, flat-topped or somewhat rounded; often reduced in Nantucket and upon the southern shore of Cape Cod to a shrub or small tree of 10-15 feet in height, forming low, dense, tangled thickets. Foliage very abundant, dark lustrous green, turning early in the fall to a brilliant crimson.
Bark.—Trunk of young trees grayish-white, with irregular and shallow striations, in old trees darker, breaking up into somewhat hexagonal or lozenge-shaped scales; branches smooth and brown; season's shoots reddish-green, with a few minute dots.
Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds ovoid, ⅛-¼ inch long, obtuse. Leaves simple, irregularly alternate, often apparently whorled when clustered at the ends of the shoots, 2-5 inches long, one-half as wide; at first bright green beneath, dullish-green above, becoming dark glossy green above, paler beneath, obovate or oblanceolate to oval; entire, few or obscurely toothed, or wavy-margined above the center; apex more or less abruptly acute; base acutish; firm, smooth, finely sub-veined; stem short, flat, grooved, minutely ciliate, at least when young; stipules none.
Inflorescence.—May or early June. Appearing with the leaves in axillary clusters of small greenish flowers, sterile and fertile usually on separate trees, sometimes on the same tree,—sterile flowers in simple or compound clusters; calyx minutely 5-parted, petals 5, small or wanting; stamens 5-12, inserted on the outside of a disk; pistil none: fertile flowers larger, solitary, or several sessile in a bracted cluster; petals 5, small or wanting; calyx minutely 5-toothed.
Fruit.—Drupes 1-several, ovoid, blue black, about ½ inch long, sour: stone striated lengthwise.
Horticultural Value.—Hardy throughout New England; adapts itself readily to most situations but prefers deep soil near water. Seldom offered in nurseries and difficult to transplant unless frequently root-pruned or moved; collected plants do not thrive well; seedlings are raised with little difficulty. Few trees are of greater ornamental value.
Plate LXXXI.—Nyssa sylvatica.
| 1. Winter buds. |
| 2. Branch with sterile flowers. |
| 3-4. Sterile flowers. |
| 5. Branch with fertile flowers. |
| 6. Fertile flower. |
| 7. Fruiting branch. |
EBENACEÆ. EBONY FAMILY.
Diospyros Virginiana, L.
Persimmon.
Habitat and Range.—Rhode Island,—occasional but doubtfully native; Connecticut,—at Lighthouse Point, New Haven, near the East Haven boundary line, there is a grove consisting of about one hundred twenty-five small trees not more than a hundred feet from the water's edge, in sandy soil just above the beach grass, exposed to the buffeting of fierce winds and the incursions of salt water, which comes up around them during the heavy winter storms. These trees are not in thriving condition; several are dead or dying, and no new plants are springing up to take their places. A cross-section of the trunk of a dead tree, as large as any of those living, shows about fifty annual rings. There is no reason to suppose that the survivors are older. This station is said to have been known as early as 1846, at which date the ground where they stand was grassy and fertile. These trees, if standing at that time, must assuredly have been in their infancy. The encroachment of the sea and subsequent change of conditions account well enough for the present decrepitude, but their general similarity in size and apparent age point rather to introduction than native growth.
South to Florida, Alabama, and Louisiana; west to Iowa, Kansas, and Texas.
Habit.—One of the Rhode Island trees measured 3 feet 11 inches girth at the base, and gradually tapered to a height of more than 40 feet (L. W. Russell). The trees at New Haven are 15-20 feet in height, with a trunk diameter of 6-10 inches, trunk and limbs much twisted by the winds. Their branches, beginning to put out at a height of 6-8 feet, lie in almost horizontal planes, forming a roundish, open head.
Bark.—Trunk in old trees dark, rough, deeply furrowed, separating into small, firm sections; large limbs dark reddish-brown; season's shoots green, turning to brown.
Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds oblong, conical, short. Leaves simple, alternate, 3-6 inches long, about half as wide, dark green and mostly glossy above, somewhat lighter and minutely downy (at least when young) beneath, ovate to oval, entire; apex acute to acuminate; base acute, rounded or truncate; leafstalk short; stipules none.
Inflorescence.—June. Sterile and fertile flowers on separate or on the same trees; not conspicuous, axillary; sterile often in clusters, fertile solitary; calyx 4-6-parted; corolla 4-6-parted; about ½ inch long, pale yellow, thickish, urn-shaped, constricted at the mouth and somewhat smaller in the sterile flowers; stamens 16 in the sterile flowers, in fertile flowers 8 or less, imperfect; styles 4, ovary 8-celled.
Fruit.—A berry, ripe in late fall, roundish, about an inch in diameter, larger farther south, with thick, spreading, persistent calyx, yellow to yellowish-brown, very astringent when immature, edible and agreeable to the taste after exposure to the frost; several-seeded.
Horticultural Value.—Hardy along the south shore of New England; prefers well-drained soil in open situations; free from disfiguring enemies; occasionally cultivated in nurseries but difficult to transplant. Propagated from seed.
Plate LXXXII.—Diospyros Virginiana.
| 1. Winter buds. |
| 2. Branch with sterile flowers. |
| 3. Vertical section of sterile flower. |
| 4. Branch with fertile flowers. |
| 5. Section of fertile flower. |
| 6. Fruiting branch. |