although a native of Asia, is so widely grown in Texas as an ornamental that it can be seen almost anywhere. It is a member of the mahogany family. The [bark] is furrowed, with the ridges flat-topped. The [alternate] leaves are twice-compound and 10 to 32 inches long. The [leaflets] are alternate, [ovate] to elliptic, sharply toothed or [lobed], ¾ to 2 inches long, light green and usually smooth. The flowers are showy, lilac-colored, fragrant, nearly an inch across, and arranged in loose clusters which appear in April. The [fruit] is nearly round, ½ to ¾ inch in diameter, fleshy, and yellow when mature. The wood is moderately heavy and moderately hard, light reddish-brown in color, with a rather narrow, yellowish [sapwood]. Formerly it was much used for cabinet-work.
AMERICAN SMOKETREE (Chittamwood)
(Cotinus obovatus Raf.)
a member of the sumac family, it grows along the Medina and Guadalupe Rivers and in Kendall County, Texas. Occasionally it reaches a height of 30 feet and 12 inches in diameter, but usually grows as a shrub or small tree, its trunk dividing into several stems 10 feet or so above the ground. The wood is bright, clear, rich orange color, and yields the same color dye. Sometimes it is used for fence posts. C. coggygria, the smoketree of gardens, is cultivated in the United States.
TEXAS PISTACHE
(Pistacia texana Swingle)
a less common member of the sumac family, is found native on limestone cliffs and the rocky bottoms of canyons along the lower Pecos River in Valverde County, Texas. It reaches a height of 15 to 20 feet and produces a [fruit] resembling the pistachio [nut] of commerce, except that it is smaller in size.
EASTERN WAHOO
(Euonymus atropurpureus Jacq.)
also called arrow-wood and burning bush in some localities is a small tree rarely over 20 feet high and 4 to 6 inches in diameter. The [bark] is thin and covered with thin, tiny [scales]. The wood is heavy, hard, white, tinged with orange. The leaves are [opposite], thin, and finely [serrate]. In the fall and winter the tree is characterized by bright red berries in lighter red, 4-lobed [capsules]. It is a native of East Texas.
FLORIDA MAPLE (Southern Sugar Maple)
(Acer barbatum Michx.)
grows in East Texas and resembles the sugar maple (A. saccharum Marsh.) with which it blends in Northeast Texas, except that the tips of the leaves of A. barbatum Michx. are more rounded and the young leaves are hairy on the underside when they first unfold.