HABIT.—A medium-sized tree 40-60 feet high, with a short trunk 1-2 feet in diameter; spreading branches form a broad, open, flat-topped crown.
LEAVES.—Alternate, simple, 4-7 inches long, about one-half as broad; ovate-oblong; coarsely doubly serrate; thick and firm; dark green and rough above, paler and somewhat rough beneath; petioles short, stout, hairy.
FLOWERS.—March-April, before the leaves; mostly perfect; borne on short pedicels in crowded fascicles; calyx campanulate, 5-9-lobed, green, hairy; corolla 0; stamens 5-9, with dark red anthers; stigmas 2, reddish purple.
FRUIT.—May; semi-orbicular, 1-seeded samaras, short-stalked in dense clusters; seed cavity brown-tomentose; wings smooth, nearly 3/4 inch long.
WINTER-BUDS.—Terminal bud absent; lateral buds ovoid, obtuse, dark brown, rusty-tomentose, 1/4 inch long.
BARK.—Twigs at first bright green and pubescent, becoming light to dark brown or grayish; thick on old trunks, dark red-brown, shallowly fissured into large, loose plates; inner bark mucilaginous.
WOOD.—Heavy, hard, strong, very close-grained, durable, easy to split while green, dark red-brown, with thin, lighter colored sapwood.
DISTRIBUTION.—Of frequent occurrence throughout the state.
HABITAT.—Prefers stream-banks and bottom-lands; rich, moist hillsides; rocky ridges and slopes.
NOTES.—Grows more rapidly than U. americana.