STATE OF ILLINOIS
OTTO KERNER, Governor

FOREST TREES
OF ILLINOIS

HOW TO KNOW THEM

A POCKET MANUAL DESCRIBING THEIR
MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS

Revised by Dr. George D. Fuller, Professor
Emeritus of Botany, University of Chicago,
Curator of Botany, Illinois State Museum, and
State Forester E. E. Nuuttila.

(1st. ed., 1927, by Mattoon, W. R., and Miller, R. B.)

Revised 1955

DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION
DIVISION OF FORESTRY
SPRINGFIELD
WILLIAM T. LODGE,
Director

(Printed by Authority of the State of Illinois)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

See pages [70] and [71] for Index of Scientific Names

WHITE PINE Pinus strobus L.

WHITE PINE
Two-thirds natural size.

THE white pine is found along the bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan in Lake and Cook counties and is also scattered along river bluffs in Jo Daviess, Carroll, Ogle and LaSalle counties. The only grove of this beautiful tree in Illinois is in the White Pines Forest State Park near Oregon, Ogle County, where there are trees over 100 years old that have attained a height of 90 feet with a diameter of 30 inches. This tree formerly formed the most valuable forests in the northeastern United States, stretching from Maine through New York to Minnesota. The straight stem, regular pyramidal shape and soft gray-green foliage made it universally appreciated as an ornamental tree and it has been freely planted throughout the State.

The leaves, or needles, are 3 to 5 inches in length, bluish-green on the upper surface and whitish beneath, and occur in bundles of 5, which distinguishes it from all other eastern pines. The pollen-bearing flowers are yellow and clustered in cones, about ⅓ inch long at the base of the growth of the season. The seed-producing flowers occur on other twigs and are bright red in color. The cone, or fruit, is 4 to 6 inches long, cylindrical with thin usually very gummy scales, containing small, winged seeds which require two years to mature.

The wood is light, soft, durable, not strong, light brown in color, often tinged with red, and easily worked. It was formerly much used in old colonial houses where even the shingles were of white pine. It is excellent for boxes, pattern making, matches, and many other products.

Its rapid growth and the high quality of the wood make it one of the best trees for reforestation on light soils in the northern part of the State. The white pine blister rust was introduced into America about 35 years ago, and has since become widespread and highly destructive of both old trees and young growth.

The Austrian pine, Pinus nigra Arnold, has been naturalized in Lake County and has been planted as an ornamental tree throughout the State. Its leaves in 2’s, from 3 to 5 inches long, stiff and dark green. The cone is heavy, 3 inches long with short prickles.

SHORTLEAF PINE Pinus echinata Mill.

SHORTLEAF PINE
Leaves, one-half natural size. Fruit, natural size.

THE shortleaf pine, sometimes called yellow pine, occurs in very small stands in the “Pine Hills” of Union County, in Jackson County, in Giant City State Park, and near “Piney Creek” in Randolph County. It forms forests on light sandy soils in Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. At maturity, the tree has a tall, straight stem and an oval crown, reaching a height of about 100 feet and a diameter of about 4 feet.

The leaves are in clusters of two or three, from 3 to 5 inches long, slender, flexible, and dark blue-green. The cones are the smallest of our pines, 1½ to 2½ inches long, oblong, with small sharp prickles, generally clustered, and often holding to the twigs for 3 or 4 years. The bark is light brownish-red, broken into rectangular plates on the trunk but scaly on the branches.

The wood of old trees is rather heavy and hard, of yellow-brown or orange color, fine grained and less resinous than that of other important southern pines. It is used largely for interior and exterior finishing, general construction, veneers, paper pulp, excelsior, cooperage, mine props, and other purposes. The tree transplants readily, grows rapidly, succeeds on a variety of soils and has proved valuable for reforestation.

A few trees of jack pine, Pinus banksiana Lamb., are found in Lake County. It is a small northern tree with leaves about an inch long, borne in 2’s, with cones about 2 inches long. It is planted for reforestation in the State. The Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris L., has been freely planted in Illinois and may be known by its orange-brown bark and its twisted leaves 2 to 3 inches long, arranged in 2’s. It has become naturalized on the sand dunes in Lake County.

The Norway spruce, Picea abies Karst., has been freely planted throughout the State. It forms a dense conical spire-topped crown and reaches a height of 50 to 70 feet. The leaves are needle-shaped, about an inch long, dark green, and persist for about 5 years. The pendulous cones are from 3 to 6 inches long. It is desirable for ornamental planting.

BALD CYPRESS Taxodium distichum Richard

CYPRESS
Natural size.

THE bald cypress is a tree found exclusively in deep swamps and was found in southern Illinois from the Mississippi bottoms to Shawneetown. Its straight trunk with numerous ascending branches, and narrow conical outline makes the tree one of considerable beauty. In old age, the tree generally has a broad fluted or buttressed base, a smooth slowly tapering trunk and a broad, open, flat top of a few heavy branches and numerous small branchlets. The original-growth timber attained heights of 80 to 130 feet and diameters of 5 to 10 feet.

The bark is silvery to cinnamon-red and finely divided by numerous longitudinal fissures. The leaves are about ½ to ¾ of an inch in length, arranged in feather-like fashion along two sides of small branchlets, which fall in the autumn with the leaves still attached.

The fruit is a rounded cone, or “ball”, about one inch in diameter, consisting of thick irregular scales.

The wood is light, soft, easily worked, varies in color from light to dark brown, and is particularly durable in contact with the soil. Hence it is in demand for exterior trim of buildings, greenhouse planking, boat and shipbuilding, shingles, posts, poles and crossties.

The tamarack, or American larch, Larix laricina K. Koch, resembles the bald cypress in growing in swamps and in shedding its leaves in autumn. This tree is found in Illinois growing in bogs in Lake and McHenry counties. The leaves are flat, soft, slender, about one inch long and borne in clusters. The cones are only ½ to ¾ inch long. The European larch, Larix decidua Mill., may be distinguished from the native species by having slightly longer leaves and larger cones that are more than an inch long.

RED CEDAR Juniperus virginiana L.

RED cedar, the most plentiful coniferous tree in the State, is very valuable, growing on a great variety of soils, seeming to thrive on hills where few other trees are found. It is more common in the southern counties.

RED CEDAR
Natural size.

There are two kinds of leaves, often both kinds being found on the same tree. The commoner kind is dark green, minute and scale-like, clasping the stem in four ranks, so that the stems appear square. The other kind, often appearing on young growth or vigorous shoots, is awl-shaped, quite sharp-pointed, spreading and whitened beneath. The two kinds of flowers, appearing in February or March, are at the ends of the twigs on separate trees. The staminate trees assume a golden color from the small catkins, which, when shaken, shed clouds of yellow pollen. The fruit, ripening the first season, is pale blue with a white bloom, ¼ inch in diameter, berry-like with sweet flesh. It is a favorite winter food for birds.

The bark is very thin, reddish-brown, peeling off in long, shred-like strips. The tree is extremely irregular in its growth, so that the trunk is usually more or less grooved.

The heartwood is distinctly red, and the sapwood white, this color combination making very striking effects when finished for cedar chests, closets, and interior woodwork. The wood is aromatic, soft, strong, and of even texture, and these qualities make it most desirable for lead pencils. It is very durable in contact with the soil, and on that account is in great demand for posts, poles and rustic work.

The arbor vitae or northern white cedar, Thuja occidentalis L., is found occasionally on the bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan, on the cliffs of Starved Rock, in Elgin City Park, and in bogs in Lake County. The leaves are aromatic, scale-like, ⅛ inch long, arranged to give small flat branches. The fruit is a cone ½ inch long. The wood is light, soft, durable, fragrant, and pale brown.

QUAKING ASPEN Populus tremuloides Michx.

THIS is one of the most widely distributed trees in North America. Its range goes from Labrador to British Columbia and from New England and New York far south in the Rocky Mountains to Arizona. In Illinois it is common in the north, but of infrequent occurrence in the south.

ASPEN
Three-fourths natural size.

The aspen is a small tree, reaching heights of 40 to 60 feet and diameters of 10 to 20 inches. The young branches are reddish-brown soon turning gray. The winter buds are about ¼ inch long, pointed and shining. The bark is thin, smooth, light gray tinged with green.

The leaves are on slender flat petioles, arranged alternately on the twigs, and broadly oval, short pointed and shallowly toothed. They are green, shiny above and dull below, ranging from 2 to 4 inches long and about the same in breadth.

The flowers are in catkins and appear before the leaves begin to expand. The two kinds are borne on separate trees, the staminate catkins are about 2 inches long, but the seed-producing flowers form a long slender cluster 4 inches in length. The fruit is a conical capsule filled with tiny cottony seeds which ripen in late spring before the leaves are fully expanded.

The wood is light brown, almost white. It is light, weak and not durable, and is used for pulpwood, fruit-crates and berry boxes.

The large-tooth aspen, Populus grandidentata Michx., is found in the northern half of Illinois and frequently grows alongside the quaking aspen. Its leaves are larger than those of the quaking aspen and the edges are coarsely and irregularly toothed. The winter buds have dull chestnut-brown scales and are somewhat downy. The bark is light gray tinged with reddish-brown.

COTTONWOOD Populus deltoides Marsh.

THE cottonwood, or Carolina poplar, is one of the largest trees in Illinois, growing on flood plains along small streams and in depressions in the prairie. It is one of the best trees for forestry purposes for planting where quick shade is desired. The wood is soft, light, weak, fine-grained but tough. It is good for pulp, boxes and berry baskets.

COTTONWOOD
Leaf, one-third natural size. Twig, one-third natural size.

The leaves are simple, alternate, broadly triangular, pointed and coarse toothed on the edges, 3 to 5 inches across, thick and firm supported by flattened slender petioles, 2 to 3 inches long. The winter buds are large and covered with chestnut-brown shining resinous scales.

The flowers are in catkins, of two kinds, on different trees and appear before the leaves. The fruit ripens in late spring, appearing as long drooping strings of ovoid capsules filled with small seeds. These strings of fruit, 5 to 8 inches long, give to the tree the name of “necklace poplar.” The seeds are covered with white cottony hairs.

The swamp cottonwood, Populus heterophylla L., occurs in swamps in the southern part of Illinois, and may be known by its broadly ovate leaves, 3 to 5 inches wide and 4 to 7 inches long with blunt-apex and cordate base. A few trees of the balsam poplar, Populus tacamahaca Mill., are found in Lake County near the shores of Lake Michigan. The leaves are ovate-lanceolate, pointed, and cordate. The large buds are covered with fragrant resin.

The European white poplar, Populus alba L., with light gray bark and leaves, white wooly beneath, is often found near old houses and along roadsides. The Lombardy poplar, a tall narrow form of the European black poplar, Populus nigra var. italica Du Roi, is often planted and is a striking tree for the roadside.

BLACK WILLOW Salix nigra Marsh.

THE black willow is not only a denizen of the forest but it is at home on the prairies and on the plains and even invades the desert. It grows singly or in clumps along the water courses, a tree 40 to 60 feet in height with a short trunk.

BLACK WILLOW
Two-thirds natural size.

The bark is deeply divided into broad flat ridges, often becoming shaggy. The twigs, brittle at the base, are glabrous or pubescent, bright red-brown becoming darker with age. The winter buds are ⅛ inch long, covered with a single smooth scale. The wood is soft, light, close-grained, light brown and weak. It is often used in the manufacture of artificial limbs.

The alternate simple leaves are 3 to 6 inches long, and one-half inch wide on very short petioles; the tips are much tapered and the margins are finely toothed. They are bright green on both sides, turning pale yellow in the early autumn. The flowers are in catkins, appearing with the leaves, borne on separate trees. The staminate flowers of the black willow have 3 to 5 stamens each, while the white willow has flowers with 2 stamens.

The native peach-leaved willow, Salix amygdaloides Anders., is a smaller tree with leaves 2 to 6 inches long, ½ to 1½ inches wide, light green and shining above, pale and glaucous beneath, on petioles about ¾ inch long.

The white willow, Salix alba, L., and the crack willow, Salix fragilis L., with bright yellow twigs, are European species which are often planted for ornamental purposes. Their flowers have only 2 stamens each and their leaves are silky, bright green above and glaucous beneath. The latter has twigs that are very brittle at the base. Another European species is the weeping willow, Salix babylonica L., which may be known by its slender drooping branches.

BLACK WALNUT Juglans nigra L.

BLACK WALNUT
Leaf, one-fifth natural size. Twig, three-quarters natural size.

THIS valuable forest tree occurs on rich bottom lands and on moist fertile hillsides throughout the State. The black walnut is found from Massachusetts westward to Minnesota and southward to Florida and Texas. In the forest, where it grows singly, it frequently attains a height of 100 feet with a straight stem, clear of branches for half its height. In open-grown trees, the stem is short and the crown broad and spreading.

The bark is thick, dark brown in color, and divided by rather deep fissures into rounded ridges. The twigs have cream-colored chambered pith and leaf-scars without downy pads above.

The leaves are alternate, compound, 1 to 2 feet long, consisting of from 15 to 23 leaflets of yellowish-green color. The leaflets are about 3 inches long, extremely tapering at the end and toothed along the margin.

The fruit is a nut, borne singly or in pairs, and enclosed in a solid green husk which does not split open, even after the nut is ripe. The nut itself is black with a very hard, thick, finely ridged shell, enclosing a rich, oily kernel edible and highly nutritious.

The heartwood is of superior quality and value. It is heavy, hard and strong, and its rich chocolate-brown color, freedom from warping and checking, susceptibility to a high polish, and durability make it highly prized for a great variety of uses, including furniture, cabinet work, and gun-stocks. Walnut is easily propagated from the nuts and grows rapidly on good soil, where it should be planted and grown for timber and nuts. It is the most valuable tree found in the forests of Illinois and originally grew extensively throughout the State.

BUTTERNUT Juglans cinerea L.

THE butternut, sometimes called the white walnut, is a smaller tree than the black walnut, although it may reach a height of 70 feet and a diameter of 3 feet. It is found all over the State, but the best is in the ravines of southern Illinois. The butternut is found from Maine to Michigan and southward to Kansas, Tennessee and northern Georgia. The trunk is often forked or crooked and this makes it less desirable for saw timber.

BUTTERNUT
Twig, one-half natural size. Leaf, one-third natural size.

The bark differs from that of the black walnut in being light gray on branches and on the trunk of small trees, becoming darker on large trees. This tree may also be distinguished from black walnut by the velvet collars just above the scars left by last year’s leaves. The twigs have chocolate-brown chambered pith and bear obliquely blunt winter buds somewhat flattened, brownish and hairy.

The compound leaves are 15 to 30 inches long, each with 11 to 17 sharp-pointed, oblong, finely toothed leaflets 2 to 3 inches long.

The staminate and pistillate flowers are on the same tree, the former in long yellowish-green drooping catkins and the latter are short with red-fringed stigmas.

The fruit is a nut enclosed in an oblong, somewhat pointed, yellowish-green husk, about 2 inches long, which is covered with short, rusty, clammy, sticky hairs. The nut has a rough, grooved shell and an oily, edible kernel.

The wood is light, soft, not strong, coarse-grained, light brown, and takes a good polish. It is used for interior finish of houses and for furniture. A yellow or orange dye can be made from the husks of the nuts.

A KEY TO THE ILLINOIS HICKORIES

BITTERNUT HICKORY Carya cordiformis K. Koch

THE bitternut hickory is a tall slender tree with broadly pyramidal crown, attaining a height of 100 feet and a diameter of 2 to 3 feet. It is found along stream banks and on moist soil, and it is well known by its roundish bitter nuts.

BITTERNUT HICKORY
Twig, one-half natural size. Leaf, one-third natural size.

The bark on the trunk is granite-gray, faintly tinged with yellow and smoother than in most of the hickories, yet broken into thin plate-like scales. The winter buds are compressed, scurfy, and of a bright yellow color.

The leaves are alternate, compound, from 6 to 10 inches long, and composed of from 7 to 11 leaflets. The individual leaflets are smaller and more slender than those of the other hickories.

The flowers are of two kinds on the same tree; the staminate in long pendulous green catkins, the pistillate in 2 to 5 flowered spikes, ½ inch long, brown-hairy. The fruit is about 1 inch long and thin-husked, while the nut is usually thin-shelled and brittle, and the kernel very bitter.

The wood is hard, strong and heavy, reddish-brown in color. From this last fact it gets its local name of red hickory. It is said to be somewhat inferior to the other hickories, but is used for the same purposes.

PECAN Carya illinoensis (Wang.) K. Koch
(Carya pecan (Marsh.) E. & G.)

THE pecan is a river-bottom tree found in southern Illinois extending its range northward to Adams, Peoria, Fayette and Lawrence counties. The tree is the largest of the hickories, attaining heights of over 100 feet and, when in the open, forming a large rounded top of symmetrical shape. It makes an excellent shade tree and is also planted in orchards for its nuts. The outer bark is rough, hard, tight, but broken into scales; on the limbs, it is smooth at first but later tends to scale or divide as the bark grows old.

PECAN
One-quarter natural size.

The leaves resemble those of the other hickories and the black walnut. They are made up of 9 to 17 leaflets, each oblong, toothed and long-pointed, and 4 to 8 inches long by about 2 inches wide.

The flowers appear in early spring and hang in tassels from 2 to 3 inches long. The fruit is a nut, 4-winged or angled, pointed from 1 to 2 inches long, and one-half to 1 inch in diameter, borne in a husk which divides along its grooved seams when the nut ripens in the fall. The nuts, which vary in size and in the thickness of the shell, have been greatly improved by selection and cultivation and are sold on the market in large quantities.

The wood is strong, tough, heavy and hard and is used occasionally in making handles, parts for vehicles, for fuel and for veneers.

The water hickory, Carya aquatica Nutt., is a smaller tree, found in swamps in southern Illinois, with leaves made up of 7 to 13 leaflets; the nut is thin-shelled, angular and bitter.

SHAG-BARK HICKORY Carya ovata K. Koch

THE shag-bark hickory is well known for its sweet and delicious nuts. It is a large commercial tree, averaging 60 to 100 feet high and 1 to 2 feet in diameter. It thrives best on rich, damp soil and is common along streams, on rich uplands, and on moist hillsides throughout the State.

SHAG-BARK HICKORY
Leaf, one-third natural size. Twig, one-half natural size.

The bark of the trunk is rougher than other hickories, light gray and separating into thick plates which are only slightly attached to the tree. The terminal winter buds are egg-shaped, the outer bud-scales having narrow tips.

The leaves are alternate, compound, from 8 to 15 inches long, and composed of 5, rarely 7 obovate to ovate leaflets. The twigs are smooth or clothed with short hairs.

The fruit is borne singly or in pairs and is globular. The husk is thick and deeply grooved at the seams. The nut is much compressed and pale, the shell thick, and the kernel sweet. The flowers are of two kinds, opening after the leaves have attained nearly their full size.

The wood is heavy, hard, tough and strong; it is white largely in the manufacture of agricultural implements and tool handles, and the building of carriages and wagons. For fuel the hickories are the most satisfactory of our native trees.

The big shell bark or king-nut hickory, Carya laciniosa (Michx. f.) Loud., becomes a tall tree on the rich bottom lands in the southern half of Illinois. It resembles the shag-bark hickory but the leaves are longer with 7 to 9 leaflets, and the nuts are 2 inches long with a thick bony shell and a sweet kernel.

MOCKERNUT HICKORY Carya tomentosa Nutt.

THE mockernut, or white hickory, is common on well-drained soils throughout the State. It is a tall, short-limbed tree often 60 feet high and 1 to 2 feet in diameter.

MOCKERNUT HICKORY
Leaf, one-fifth natural size. Twig, two-thirds natural size.

The bark is dark gray, hard, closely and deeply furrowed often apparently cross-furrowed or netted. The winter buds are large, round or broadly egg-shaped and covered with a downy growth.

The leaves are large, strong-scented and hairy, composed of 7 to 9 obovate to oblong, pointed leaflets which turn a beautiful yellow in the fall.

The flowers, like those of all other hickories, are of two kinds on the same tree; the staminate in three-branched catkins, the pistillate in clusters of 2 to 5. The fruit is oval, nearly round or slightly pear-shaped with a very thick, strong-scented husk which splits nearly to the base when ripe. The nut is of various forms, but sometimes 4 to 6 ridged, light brown, and has a very thick shell and small, sweet kernel.

The wood is heavy, hard, tough and strong; it is white excepting the comparatively small, dark-brown heart, hence the name white hickory. It is used for vehicle parts and handles. It furnishes the best of fuel. This and other hickories are very desirable both for forest and shade trees.

In the southern part of Illinois, the small fruited or sweet pignut, Carya ovalis Sargent, occurs on rich hillsides. The leaves have 7 leaflets on reddish-brown twigs, with small yellowish winter buds. The nut is an inch long, enclosed in a very thin hairy husk, the shell is thin and the kernel sweet.

PIGNUT HICKORY Carya glabra Sweet

THE pignut hickory is rare in the northern part of Illinois but occurs plentifully in the rest of the State, growing to a medium sized tree on rich uplands. It has a tapering trunk and a narrow oval head with drooping branches.

PIGNUT HICKORY
Leaf, one-third natural size. Twig, one-half natural size.

The bark is close, ridged and grayish, but occasionally rough and flaky. The twigs are thin, smooth and glossy brown.

The leaves are smooth, 8 to 12 inches long and composed of 5 to 7 leaflets. The individual leaflets are rather small and narrow.

The winter buds are ½ inch long, egg-shaped, polished, and light brown.

The fruit is pear-shaped or rounded, usually with a neck at the base, very thin husks splitting only half way to the base or not at all. The nut is smooth, light brown in color, rather thick-shelled, and has a somewhat astringent edible kernel.

The wood is heavy, hard, strong, tough and flexible. Its uses are the same as those of the other hickories.

Buckley’s hickory, Carya buckleyi Durand, occurs on sandy uplands in the southwest. It is a small tree with spreading, contorted branches. The fruit is contained in a hairy husk, the nut is angular, marked with pale veins and has a sweet kernel.

BLUE BEECH Carpinus caroliniana Walt.

THE blue beech, or American hornbeam, belongs to the birch family rather than to the beeches. It is a small slow-growing bushy tree, 20 to 30 feet tall with a diameter 4 to 8 inches. It is found along streams and in low ground through the State.

BLUE BEECH
Leaf, one-half natural size. Twig, one-half natural size.

The trunk is smooth fluted with irregular ridges extending up and down the tree. The bark is light brownish-gray to dark bluish-gray in color, sometimes marked with dark bands extending horizontally on the trunk.

The leaves are simple, alternate, oval, long-pointed, doubly-toothed along the margin, 2 or 3 inches in length. They resemble those of the American elm, but are smaller and thinner.

The flowers, appearing after the leaves, are borne in catkins separately on the same tree; the staminate catkins are about 1½ inches long, the pistillate being only ¾ of an inch long with small leaf-like green scales each bearing 2 pistils with long scarlet styles.

The fruit ripens in midsummer, but often remains on the tree long after the leaves have fallen. It is a nutlet about ⅓ of an inch long, attached to a leaf-like halberd-shaped bract which acts as a wing in aiding its distribution by the wind.

The wood is tough, close-grained, heavy and strong. It is sometimes selected for use for levers, tool handles, wooden cogs, mallets, wedges, etc.

Another small tree of the birch family is the speckled alder, Alnus incana Moench, which is found occasionally in wet places in the northern part of the State. The black alder, Alnus glutinosa Gaertn., a European tree, has been planted near ponds. The flowers of the alders are in catkins and among the earliest in the spring. The fruit is a small cone which persists throughout the winter.

HOP HORNBEAM Ostrya virginiana K. Koch

THIS tree is also called ironwood and gets its common names from the quality of its wood and the hop-like fruit. It is a small, slender, generally round-topped tree, from 22 to 30 feet high and 7 to 10 inches in diameter. The top consists of long, slender branches, commonly drooped toward the ends. It is found throughout the State.

HOP HORNBEAM
Twig, one-half natural size. Leaf, one-third natural size.

The bark is mostly light brown or reddish-brown, and finely divided into thin scales by which the tree, after a little acquaintance, can be easily recognized.

The leaves are simple, alternate, generally oblong with narrowed tips, sharply toothed along the margin, sometimes doubly toothed, from 2 to 3 inches long.

The flowers are of two kinds on the same tree; the staminate in drooping catkins which form the previous summer, the pistillate, in erect catkins on the newly formed twigs. The fruit, which resembles that of common hop vine, consists of a branch of leafy bracts 1 to 2 inches long containing a number of flattened ribbed nutlets.

The wood is strong, hard, durable, light brown to white, with thick pale sapwood. It is often used for fence posts, handles of tools, mallets and other small articles.

The white birch, Betula papyrifera Marsh., of the North Woods is rare in Illinois. It is found in Jo Daviess and Carroll counties and along the shores of Lake Michigan. The white papery bark distinguishes it from all other trees and was used by the northern Indians for covering their canoes and for making baskets, bags and other useful and ornamental things.

RIVER BIRCH Betula nigra L.

THE river, or back birch, is at home, as the name implies, along water courses, and inhabits the deep, rich soils along the borders of the larger rivers of the State and in swamps which are sometimes inundated for weeks at a time.

RIVER BIRCH
Two-thirds natural size.

The bark provides a ready means of distinguishing this tree. It varies from reddish-brown to cinnamon-red in color, and peels back in tough papery layers. These layers persist on the trunk, presenting a very ragged and quite distinctive appearance. Unlike the bark of our other birches, the thin papery layers are usually covered with a gray powder. On older trunks, the bark on the main trunk becomes thick, deeply furrowed and of a dark reddish-brown color.

The leaves are simple, alternate, 2 to 3 inches long, more or less oval in shape, with double-toothed edges. The upper surface is dark green and the lower a pale yellowish-green.

The flowers are in catkins, the two kinds growing on the same tree. The fruit is cone-shaped about 1 inch long, and densely crowded with little winged nutlets that ripen from May to June.

The wood is strong and fairly close-grained. It has been used to some extent in the manufacture of woodenware, in turnery and for wagon hubs.

The yellow birch, Betula lutea Michx., one of the most valuable hardwood timber trees around the Great Lakes, is represented in Illinois by a few small trees in Lee and Lake counties. It may be known by its bark becoming silvery-gray as the trunk expands and breaking into strips curled at the edges. The wood is strong and hard, close-grained, light brown tinged with red. It is used for interior finish, furniture, woodenware and turnery. It is prized as firewood.

BEECH Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.

THE beech is found from Maine to Wisconsin south to the Gulf and Texas, growing along with maples, oaks and tulip trees. It occurs in the ravines of the southern Illinois counties up to Vermilion County. It is one of the most beautiful of all trees either in summer or winter.

BEECH
One-half natural size.

The bark is, perhaps, the most distinctive characteristic, as it maintains an unbroken light gray surface throughout its life. So tempting is this smooth expanse to the owner of a jack-knife that the beech has been well designated the “initial tree.”

The simple, oval leaves are 3 to 4 inches long, pointed at the tip and coarsely toothed along the margin. When mature, they are almost leathery in texture. The beech produces a dense shade. The winter buds are long, slender and pointed.

The little, brown, three-sided beech-nuts are almost as well known as chestnuts. They form usually in pairs in a prickly bur. The kernel is sweet and edible, but so small as to offer insufficient reward for the pains of biting open the thin-shelled husk.

The wood of the beech is very hard, strong, and tough, though it will not last long on exposure to weather or in the soil. It is used to some extent for furniture, flooring, carpenter’s tools, and novelty wares and extensively in southern Illinois for railroad ties and car stock.

The American chestnut, Castanea dentata Borkh., extends its range from Maine to Michigan, and southward to Delaware and Tennessee. There is a stand of chestnuts in Pulaski County and some trees have been planted in the southern part of the State. They are easily recognized by their alternate simple, broadly lanceolate coarsely toothed leaves, and their prickly burs about 2 inches in diameter containing 1-3 nuts.

A KEY TO THE OAKS OF ILLINOIS

WHITE OAK Quercus alba L.

WITHIN its natural range, which includes practically the entire eastern half of the United States, the white oak is one of the most important timber trees. It commonly reaches a height of 60 to 100 feet and a diameter of 2 to 3 feet; sometimes it becomes much larger. It is found in a wide variety of upland soils. When grown in a dense stand it has a straight continuous trunk, free of side branches for over half its height. In the open, however, the tree develops a broad crown with far-reaching limbs. Well-grown specimens are strikingly beautiful.

WHITE OAK
Twig, one-third natural size. Leaf, one-quarter natural size.

The leaves are alternate, simple 5 to 9 inches long and about half as broad. They are deeply divided into 5 to 9 rounded, finger-like lobes. The young leaves are a soft silvery-gray or yellow or red while unfolding, becoming later bright green above and much paler below. The flowers appear with the leaves, the staminate are in hairy catkins 2-3 inches long, the pistillate are sessile in axils of the leaves.

The fruit is an acorn maturing the first year. The nut is ¾ to 1 inch long, light brown, about one-quarter enclosed in the warty cup. It is relished by hogs and other livestock. The bark is thin, light ashy-gray and covered with loose scales or broad plates.

The wood is useful and valuable. It is heavy, strong, hard, tough, close-grained, durable, and light brown in color. The uses are many, including construction, shipbuilding, tight cooperage, furniture, wagons, implements, interior finish, flooring, and fuel. Notwithstanding its rather slow growth, white oak is valuable for forest, highway and ornamental planting.

The overcup oak, Quercus lyrata Walt., is similar to the white oak, but may be distinguished by the nearly spherical cup which nearly covers the somewhat flattened acorn. This oak occurs in the river bottoms in southern Illinois.

BUR OAK Quercus macrocarpa Michx.

THE bur oak, which occurs throughout the State takes its name from the fringe around the cup of the acorn. It usually has a broad top of heavy spreading branches and a relatively short body. It is one of the largest trees in the State. In maturity, it attains a diameter of 5 feet or more and a height of over 80 feet. The bark is light gray and is usually broken up into small narrow flakes. The bur oak does not often form a part of the forest stand, as do some other oaks, but occurs generally singly in open stands and in fields. It requires a moist but well-drained soil.

BUR OAK
One-third natural size.

The leaves resemble somewhat those of the common white oak, but have a pair of deep indentations on their border near the base, and wavy notches on the broad middle and upper portions of the leaf. They range from 6 to 12 inches long and 3 to 6 inches wide. The fruit, or acorn, is a nut set deeply in a fringed cup. It is sometimes 1 inch or more in diameter but varies widely in respect to size and the degree to which the nut is enclosed in the mossy fringed cup.

The wood is heavy, hard, strong, tough and durable. It is used for much the same purposes as the other white oaks, lumber, piling, veneer logs, crossties and fuel.

The swamp white oak, Quercus bicolor Willd., occurs scattered in swamps, through the State. The leaves are obovate, coarsely toothed and wedge-shaped below. They are thick, dark green and shining above, pale and downy beneath. The acorns are borne in a deep rough scaly cup, on stems 2-4 inches long. The wood is like that of the white oak. The bark is gray-brown, separating into large, papery scales which curl back.

YELLOW CHESTNUT OAK Quercus muhlenbergii Engelm.

THIS oak, also called the chinquapin oak, which is an excellent timber tree, occurs throughout the State. It grows on practically all classes of soil and in all moisture conditions except in swamps, and is a very tenacious tree on shallow, dry soil. The bark is light gray, and breaks up into short narrow flakes on the main trunk and old limbs. It reaches a height of 70 to 90 feet. The straight shapely trunk bears a round-topped head composed of small branches, which makes it an attractive shade tree.

YELLOW CHESTNUT OAK
One-third natural size.

The leaves are oblong, 3 to 6 inches in length, 1½ to 3 inches wide, and equally toothed or notched on the edges, resembling the leaves of the chestnut oak. The fruit, which ripens in the fall of the first season, is light to dark brown when ripe, and edible if roasted. This acorn is from one-half to nearly an inch long, usually less than one inch in diameter, and is set in a shallow cup.

The wood is like that of the white oak, heavy, very hard, tough, strong, durable, and takes an excellent polish. It is used in manufacturing lumber and timbers, crossties, fence posts and fuel. A portion of the lumber no doubt goes into furniture.

The basket oak, or swamp chestnut oak, Quercus prinus L., is found in the woods in southern Illinois. It resembles the white oak in its bark and branches, but has larger acorns. The leaves resemble those of yellow chestnut oak.

The rock chestnut oak, Quercus montana Willd., is an eastern oak that is rare on the hills of Union and Alexander counties.

POST OAK Quercus stellata Wang.

THE post oak is usually a medium-sized tree, with a rounded crown, commonly reaching a height of 50 to 80 feet and a diameter of 1 to 2 feet, but sometimes considerably larger. It occurs from Mason County south to the Ohio River being most common in the “Post Oak Flats.” The soil is a light gray silt loam underlaid by “tight clay.”

POST OAK
One-third natural size.

The bark is rougher and darker than the white oak and broken into smaller scales. The stout young twigs and the leaves are coated at first with a thick light-colored fuzz which soon becomes darker and later drops away entirely.

The leaves are usually 4 to 5 inches long and nearly as broad, deeply 5-lobed with broad rounded divisions, the lobes broadest at the ends. They are thick and somewhat leathery, dark green and shiny on the upper surface, lighter green and rough hairy beneath.

The flowers, like those of the other oaks, are of two kinds on the same tree, the male in drooping, clustered catkins, the female inconspicuous. The fruit is an oval acorn, ½ to 1 inch long, set in a rather small cup which may or may not be stalked.

The wood is very heavy, hard, close-grained, light to dark brown, durable in contact with the soil. It is used for crossties and fence posts, and along with other oaks of the white oak class for furniture and other purposes.

NORTHERN RED OAK Quercus rubra L.
(Quercus borealis Michx.)

THE red oak of the North occurs throughout the State. It usually attains a height of about 70 feet and a diameter ranging from 2 to 3 feet, but is sometimes much larger. The forest-grown tree is tall and straight with a clear trunk and narrow crown.

NORTHERN RED OAK
Leaf, one-third natural size. Twig, one-half natural size.

The bark on young stems is smooth, gray to brown on older trees, thick and broken by shallow fissures into regular, flat smooth-surfaced plates.

The leaves are simple, alternate, 5 to 9 inches long, and 4 to 6 inches wide, broader toward the tip, divided into 7 to 9 lobes, each lobe being somewhat coarsely toothed and bristle-tipped, and firm, dull green above, paler below, often turning to a brilliant red after frost. The winter buds are small, light reddish-brown and smooth. The flowers, as in all the oaks, are of two kinds on the same tree, the staminate in long drooping, clustered catkins, opening with the leaves, the female solitary or slightly clustered. The fruit is a large acorn maturing the second year. The nut is from ¾ to 1¾ inches long, blunt-topped, flat at base, with only its base enclosed in the very shallow dark brown cup.

The wood is hard, strong, coarse-grained, with light, reddish-brown heartwood and thin lighter-colored sapwood. It is used for cooperage, interior finish, construction, furniture, and crossties. Because of its average rapid growth, high-grade wood and general freedom from insect and fungus attack, it should be widely planted in the State for timber production and as a shade tree.

This red oak, Quercus shumardii Buckley, is found only in the southern counties along the borders of streams and swamps. Its leaves are dark green and lustrous, paler beneath and have tufts of pale hairs in the angles of the veins. The acorns are long-oval in shape, held in thick saucer-like cups composed of closely appressed hairy scales.

BLACK OAK Quercus velutina Lam.

THE black oak, sometimes farther north called yellow oak or yellow-barked oak, usually grows to be about 80 feet in height and 1 to 3 feet in diameter. It is found commonly throughout the State. The crown is irregularly shaped and wide, with a clear trunk for 20 feet or more on large trees. The bark on the very young trees is smooth and dark brown but soon becomes thick and black, with deep furrows and rough broken ridges. The bright yellow color and bitter taste of the inner bark, due to tannic acid, are distinguishing characteristics.

BLACK OAK
Leaf, one-third natural size. Twig, one-half natural size.

The leaves are alternate, simple, 5 to 10 inches long and 3 to 8 inches wide, thick leathery shallow or deeply lobed, the shape varying greatly. When mature, the leaves are dark green and shiny on the upper surface, pale on the lower, more or less covered with down, and with conspicuous rusty brown hairs in the forks of the veins.

The winter buds are large, strongly angled, gray and hairy. The fruit matures the second season. The light brown nut is from ½ to 1 inch long, more or less hemispherical in shape, and from ½ to ¾ enclosed in the thin, dark brown, scaly cup. The scales on the upper part of the cup are loosely imbricated. The kernel is yellow and extremely bitter.

The wood is hard, heavy, strong, coarse-grained and checks easily. It is a bright red-brown with a thin outer edge of paler sapwood. It is used for the same purposes as red oak, under which name it is put on the market. Its growth is rather slow.

The jack oak, Quercus ellipsoidalis Hill, is a smaller tree found frequently alongside black oak in the northern third of the State. The acorn is ellipsoid, small and enclosed in a deep cup, whose scales are closely appressed. The winter buds are slightly angular, smooth, and red-brown in color. Many small, drooping branches are sent out near the ground, which soon die, and the stubs or “pins” have given this oak the name of northern pin oak.