(a) Leaves: very wooly when young, broad near base and nearly as broad as long, doubly toothed and often shallowly lobed; especially susceptible to the cedar rust. Fruit: red, resembling large rose hips, edible, mealy, about ¾ inch across, ripening in September and falling early. Grows in the vicinity of White Rock Creek and Lake. Leaves and flowers in early April.
(b) Leaves: usually obovate, tapering at base and somewhat blunt at tip, darker and smoother than (a). Fruit: about ½ inch or less across, ripening October or November, clinging late into winter. Flowers and leaves both smaller and appearing later than (a). Same region.
(c) Leaves: deeply and sharply cut. Fruit: ¼ inch or less across, many in a drooping cluster. River bottoms in southeastern part of county.
A fourth species is distinctive for its loose, flaky bark.
Wood: tough and hard but all trees in this region too small to be of commercial importance.
233. PRAIRIE ROSE (Rosa setigera Michx.) rare, climbing or trailing, vine-like shrub of low sandy land. Leaves: compound leaflets; mostly three, or five. Stems: green, with stout, scattered prickles, sometimes 20 feet long, usually much less. Flowers: bright pink, styles united into a column. Fruit: rounded, red in autumn, nearly ½ inch in diameter. [B] (Vol. II, p. 283.)
234. PASTURE ROSE (Rosa foliolosa Nutt.) a common, very low shrub. Habitat: meadows, roadsides, open woods, White Rock Lake, etc. Flowers: white or pale pink, solitary, sweet-scented. Stem: 6 to 12 inches tall, reddish, slender, with few prickles. Fruits: red, haw-like, in fall and winter. Leaves: pinnately compound, small leaflets 7 to 11, red in autumn or green and tardily deciduous. [D] (p. 106.)
235. DEWBERRY (Rubus trivialis) abundant trailing “shrub” of woods, roadsides, thickets and ditches. Leaves: compound, 3 to 5 leaflets, rose-like, evergreen or nearly so. Stems: green, prickly, usually lying on the ground, several feet long. Flowers: white, 5 petals, like small single roses. Fruit: black, many-seeded, juicy, ripe April-May, popular with birds, boys and redbugs.
236. WILD BLACK CHERRY (Prunus serotina Ehr.) a rare, small tree observed in low, sandy woods. Leaves: oval or longer, pointed at tip, finely serrate, dark red glands at base; glossy above, paler below. 2-6 inches long. Flowers: in grape-like clusters, drooping, white, in late March. Fruit: resembling small grapes, bitter but edible. Bark: of branches and young trunks glossy, reddish brown, marked with white, horizontal lines, finally becomes rough and broken into irregular plates. Wood: is second in value only to black walnut, reddish brown, fine grained, used for furniture, and interiors. Fruit: used to flavor rum, the bark in medicines.
237. WILD PLUM (Prunus mexicana S. Watson) common tree in woodlands, especially in low, rich ground. Leaves: oval, finely toothed, 2 to 3 inches long, downy or smooth but not shiny. Flowers: white, sweet-scented, in February and March. Fruit: oval, about 1 inch diameter, red, with a bloom; makes a delicious, tart jelly; different trees ripen from August into October. Winter TWIGS: smooth, dark purplish, the smaller ones often thorny-tipped. Bark: smooth on branches but peeling, finally rough and dark gray. [J] (p. 565.)