The LEAVES are [simple], [oblong], pale green above and hairy-white beneath, 4 to 6 inches long, 1 to 2 inches wide, remaining on sprout growth to spring, usually dropping from older trees in the fall.
SWEETBAY (Leaf, one-third natural size; twig, two-thirds natural size; [fruit], one-fourth natural size)
The fragrant FLOWERS, with 9 to 12 creamy-white petals on slender smooth stems, measure 2 to 3 inches across. They continue to open during several weeks of spring and early summer. The [FRUIT] aggregate or “bur” is oval-shaped, dark red or brown, about 2 inches long, and contains scarlet seeds which are usually [oval], flattened, and less than ½ inch long.
The WOOD is soft, creamy white to reddish, and is used for furniture, boxes, woodenware, and venetian blinds.
PAWPAW
Asimina triloba (L.) Dunal
This odd and attractive tree does not grow abundantly in Texas and seems to be little known. It is found near streams in the extreme east portion of the state and in greater abundance in Harrison and Grayson Counties. It is seldom over 30 feet high with a trunk 8 or 10 inches in diameter.
The [BARK] on young trees and branches is a smooth, clean brown; on older trees becoming blotched with gray, and bearing a few small wart-like excrescences.
The LEAVES are [obovate]—[lanceolate], 8 to 12 inches long, light, bright green above and paler below.
The FLOWERS are strikingly characteristic. The three light green, hairy sepals are early [deciduous]. The outer three petals are a rich brownish-purple and deeply veined. The inner three petals are pointed, [glandular], and erect.