WALNUT FAMILY
208. BLACK WALNUT (Juglans nigra L.) tree, common in rich bottomlands. Leaves: alternate, pinnately compound, one to two feet long, 15 to 23 leaflets, each about 3 inches long, tapering and toothed; with a characteristic odor when crushed. Bark: thick, dark, rough. Twigs: have dark, chambered pith shown by splitting lengthwise through center. Flowers: greenish, male in catkins, female inconspicuous, both kinds on the same tree. Fruit: green to black husk does not split, round; shell rough, very hard, dark; nut rich and sweet. Wood: hard, strong, rich brown color, very valuable for gunstocks, furniture, etc.
209. PECAN (Carya pecan Engl. & Graebn.) abundant, the state tree. Habitat: rich bottomlands preferred. Leaves: similar to black walnut but average fewer leaflets, 9 to 17. Twigs: do not have dark, chambered pith. Bark: somewhat variable in appearance but generally lighter in color than walnut and not as flaky as soapberry both of which it resembles. Fruit: very valuable crop in Texas, many cultivated varieties tending toward larger size of nuts and thinner shell. Wood: not valuable, hard but brittle and not strong.
210. BITTER PECAN (Carya texana Schn.) rare tree of low woodlands. The nuts are 4-angled and the seeds bitter. Wood tough and strong.
211. HICKORY (Carya buckleyi Durand) uncommon in this county. Observed in sandy woods. Leaves: pinnately compound, of 5 to 9 leaflets, the terminal 4 to 6 inches long, 2 to 2¼ wide, twice as large as the lowest, obovate and tapering at each end. Bark: dark, rough, close. Fruit: resembles pecan but broader; shell thick, somewhat wrinkled, light in color; seed sweet. Wood: hard, brittle, little used except for fuel.
BEECH FAMILY
White Oak Group: Fruit requires 1 year to mature; leaves without sharp points to lobes (except chinquapin oak leaves). Bark: usually lighter gray than on black or red oaks.
212. POST OAK (Quercus stellata Wang) most abundant tree of dry, sandy, upland woods. Leaves: 3 to 5 inches long, with 5 rounded lobes wider toward the outer end; like bur oak but smaller; dead leaves often cling in winter, especially on young trees. Flowers: as in other oaks, male in catkins, female inconspicuous, both kinds on same tree. Fruit: an oval acorn, ½ to 1 inch long in a rather shallow cup. Bark: rough, with deep grooves. Twigs: very fuzzy when young. Wood: hard, durable in soil but difficult to season, used mainly for fuel, fence posts and crossties.
213. SCRUB OAK: or dwarf post oak (probably a variety of Q. stellata). Habitat: on limestone hills where common. Leaves: similar to post oak but less than 3 inches long and less deeply lobed. Bark: thin, light gray, with loose scales. Sometimes attains tree size though usually shrubby and growing in dense thickets, typically not over 20 feet high.
214. BUR OAK or mossy-cup oak (Quercus macrocarpa Michx.) common large tree of lowlands; heavy, thick branches make it the sturdiest looking of our oaks. Leaves: 6 to 12 inches long, deeply 5 to 7 lobed with the lobes rounded and larger toward the tip, upper lobe largest and wavy margined or shallowly lobed. Acorns: large, 2 inches or more in diameter, the cup usually deep and heavily fringed. Wood: for cabinetmaking and all sorts of construction, shipbuilding, etc.