238. DWARF PLUM (Prunus angustifolia var. varians Wight & Hedr.) a shrub, often flowering when 1 or 2 feet high, rarely a very small tree, common on dry hillsides, meadows and fence rows, often forming thickets. Leaves: slightly narrower than those of the tree plum, smooth or shiny above, often tending to fold together lengthwise. Flowers: small, white, in March. Fruit: about ½ inch in diameter, bright red, ripe in midsummer. Twigs: very glossy and dark reddish purple, with sharp thorns. [J] (p. 570.)
239. PEACH (Prunus persica (L.) Sieb & Zucc.) an uncommon escape from cultivation, growing readily from seeds along roadsides, etc. These trees usually bear small, hard, flavorless fruit but may be used as parent stock on which to graft desirable cultivated varieties. Flowers: showy, pink.
PEA FAMILY
240. MESQUITE (Prosopis glandulosa Torr.) an abundant small tree with a short trunk and open, spreading crown. Habitat: hilly pastures west of the Trinity River. Flowers: tiny, yellow, in catkins, blooming about May first and often again after summer rains. Pods: 4 to 9 inches long, somewhat constricted between the seeds, containing a sweet pulp as well as 10 to 20 seeds; valuable as food for livestock. Leaves: Twice-pinnately compound, alternate, 8 to 10 inches long, composed of one or two pairs of primary divisions each bearing 12 to 20 leaflets usually much less than two inches long. Twigs: have spines, usually in pairs at the leaf-axils. Wood: heavy, hard, closegrained, durable in soil, used for fence posts, underpinnings of buildings and fuel. The roots are large and heavy, giving rise to the saying that West Texans dig for their wood.
241. REDBUD (Cercis canadensis L.) a medium or small tree common in woodlands. Leaves: heart-shaped or truncate at base and blunt or slender-pointed at tip, 3 to 5 inches long and wide, smooth above, margin entire. Twigs: smooth, dark reddish brown, slender. Bark: of larger trunks finally divided into long, narrow plates, the surface separating into thin scales. Flowers: pea-shaped, pink with a red calyx, ½ inch long, in clusters close to the branches and sometimes even down on the trunk. Fruit: reddish brown pods 2 to 4 inches long, about ½ inch wide, flattened, often persistent into winter. Wood: dark brown, hard but weak, not valued commercially. The tree is common in cultivation because of its attractive early-blooming flowers; it is easily grown from seed.
242. REDBUD (Cercis reniformis Engl.) a small tree or tall shrub of limestone ridges southwest of Dallas. Leaves: kidney-shaped, not pointed, generally more glossy above than C. canadensis, “Mountain Redbud.”
243. HONEY LOCUST (Gleditsia triacanthos L.) a very thorny tree common in a variety of soils. Leaves: some once-pinnately compound and some twice, both kinds on the same tree, leaflets numerous, 1 to 1½ inches long and ½ wide, nearly entire, turning yellow in autumn. Twigs: slender, shining, usually reddish brown, distinctive for the large, pronged thorns which they bear in the second year and retain for many years. Bark: of trunk becoming rough, its broad ridges with thick, recurved edges, highly variable as to the number of thorns retained. Flowers: tiny, yellow, in catkins, very sweet-scented. Fruit: flat, reddish brown pods, 10 to 18 inches long, usually twisted, containing a sweetish pulp between the hard seeds; they are widely scattered by many animals which relish the pulp but fail to digest the seeds. Wood: hard, strong, coarse-grained, durable in the soil, bright red-brown, used for fence posts, wheel hubs and in construction. This tree is very resistant to drouth but gives scanty shade and causes much litter.
244. EVE’S NECKLACE (Sophora affinis Torr. & Gray) a small, slender tree becoming almost vine-like when crowded by other trees, common on stream borders, limestone hills, or prairie ravines. Leaves: pinnately compound of 13 to 19 pointed or blunt leaflets about 1½ in. long and 1 wide with entire or slightly wavy margins. Twigs: dull or glossy green becoming mottled with gray, sometimes zigzag. Bark: thin, gray, finally breaking into many, loose, oblong scales. Flowers: ½ in. long, white to lavender rose, in drooping clusters, pea-shaped. Fruit: dull black pods 1 to 4 inches long, tightly constricted between the seeds, often clinging to the tree with the flowers of the following spring. Wood: light red with 10 or 12 layers of bright yellow sapwood, heavy, hard and strong but too small to be of commercial importance. This little tree is native only to eastern and central Texas and the borders of adjacent states. [K] (p. 147.)
244 Eve’s necklace