THUJA OCCIDENTALIS Linnæus. Arbor-Vitæ. (× 1/2.).
Distribution.—Nova Scotia south to Florida, west to Texas and north to South Dakota. It is found in all parts of Indiana, although sparingly in the northern part, especially where streams with bluffs are absent. No doubt this species in the original forests was confined principally to the bluffs of streams and rocky ravines. Since the forests have been cut, it is now found growing along fences, in open dry woods, and in southern Indiana it is a common tree in old abandoned fields, and in waste places.
Remarks.—Red cedar has had many uses, and the large trees have been practically all harvested. It is now used principally for poles, posts, crossties, cigar boxes and lead pencils. It is the best wood known for lead pencils. The odor is so objectionable to insects that a market has been made for chests of this wood in which to store clothing and furs.
SALICÀCEAE.[10] The Willow Family.
Trees or shrubs with bitter bark; simple alternate leaves; flowers in catkins, which fall off as a whole, the staminate after flowering, the pistillate after ripening and scattering of the seeds, the staminate and pistillate on different plants (diœcious); flower scales single, below each flower; fruit a lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate capsule opening lengthwise into 2 recurving carpels or valves; seeds numerous, minute, oblong, bearing a tuft of hairs at the base. Genera 2, Salix, the willows, and Populus, the aspens and poplars, or cottonwoods, separated by the following characters, those applying only to Indiana trees species in parentheses:
| Buds covered by a single scale; (leaf-blades mostly enlongated, more than twice as long as wide); flower scales entire or rarely shallowly toothed at apex; stamens mostly 2 or 3-8 or 10 | [1 Salix.] |
| Buds covered by numerous scales; (leaf-blades mostly cordate-ovate, less than twice as long as broad); flower scales deeply cut or lacerate; stamens more than 10 | [2 Populus.] |