is a small silver gray-green tree with edible scarlet colored [fruit] which is useful for making jelly, which may reach 18 to 23 feet in height. It generally has narrow [oblong] leaves ¾ to 2 inches long and twigs are often thorny. Its native range is from the northern Great Plains to Kansas. Useful for windbreak plantings and erosion control.
SIBERIAN ELM (Chinese Elm)
(Ulmus pumila L.)
is more commonly known in the Plains area as Chinese elm. It is drought-resistant and [tolerant] of a variety of sites but cannot stand too much water. A small tree with slender drooping branches. Clusters of short pedicelled winged [fruit] appear in April or May. The leaves are [simple], [alternate], [oval] to [elliptical], 1 to 2 inches long and leaf edges are doubly [serrate]. Widely used for shade and windbreak plantings.
WINTERBERRY EUONYMUS
(Euonymus bungeanus Maxim.)
was introduced from China and has adapted well to the southern Great Plains area centered around the Texas Panhandle. The small tree is very hardy and drought-resistant. Its very light green leaves are 2 to 4 inches long, pointed and borne on slender petioles. The heavy leaves cause the petioles to bend giving the foliage a limp or drooping appearance. Young stems and branches are green, older ones are gray. The [fruit] is a four-lobed [capsule] which, before ripening in the fall, has a pinkish cast. The ripened seeds are bright red.
Tree Identification Guide
The following guide has been included in the Eighth edition to assist school children and interested adults in the identification of Texas trees.
The guide is non-technical and should be treated as such. More detailed keys are available in most public libraries.
In the guide, trees are grouped according to their outstanding characteristics which include leaves, leaf arrangement, flowers, [fruit] and site.