The thick, shiny, dark green LEAVES, arranged alternately along the stem, vary from 5 to 6 inches in length and 1 to 2 inches in width. They remain on the twigs until spring. The leaves are sweet and eagerly sought for food by livestock.
The tiny, pale yellow fragrant FLOWERS are produced in close clusters at intervals along the branchlets. The [FRUIT], a small, one-seeded [drupe], has a thin dark orange or brown skin. The fruit is eaten to some extent by deer.
The WOOD is light, soft and pale red or brown, and has no commercial value. Both leaves and [bark] yield a yellow dye. The bitter [aromatic] roots have been used as a tonic.
TWO-WING SILVERBELL (Snowdrop Tree)
Halesia diptera Ellis
This attractive tree or shrub, may grow as a small tree, sometimes as much as 30 feet high, with a trunk 6 to 10 inches in diameter. It occurs in rich, wet woods and on the borders of swamps and streams, but is adaptable to many sites. It is found in the southeastern portion of Texas, being a native of the Gulf Region.
TWO-WING SILVERBELL (Twig, leaf, and flower one-half natural size; [fruit] about one-sixth natural size)
The [BARK] of the trunk is brown, divided by irregular longitudinal [fissures], and separating on the surface into thin [scales]. The bark on the twigs forms long, loose, brown fibers, which makes it easy to identify during the winter.
The [alternate], [ovate] to [obovate] LEAVES are bright green above, paler and [downy] underneath, 3 to 4 inches long, and 2 to 2½ inches wide. They are much larger on young shoots. The leaves have minute callous teeth.
The white FLOWERS, usually about 1 inch long, come before the leaves and are borne in clusters of 3 to 5. The tree is charming when thickly hung with its “silver bells.” The [FRUIT] is about 2 inches long with two wide, thin wings, and two (rarely three) narrow wings in between.