Leaves - simple; alternate; edge entire. Outline - oval or reverse egg-shape. Apex - pointed. Base - pointed. Leaf/Stem - slightly hairy when young. Leaf - two to five inches long; usually about half as broad; dark green and very shining above, especially when old; light green and shining below; thick, tough, and firm. Middle rib slightly hairy when young; side ribs rather indistinct and curved. Bark - grayish and often broken into short sections. Fertile Flowers - small, in clusters of three to eight on slender stems. April, May. Fruit - nearly one half inch long; bluish-black when ripe; egg-shape or oval; acid and rather bitter until "frosted." Stone - oval, somewhat pointed at each end, slightly flattened, and with three or four blunt ridges on each side. September. Found - from Southern Maine to Michigan, and southward to Florida and Texas. General Information - A tree twenty to forty feet high (larger southward), with flat, horizontal branches. The wood, even in short lengths, is very difficult of cleavage, and so is well fitted for beetles, hubs of wheels, pulleys, etc. Its leaves are the first to ripen in the fall, changing (sometimes as early as August) to a bright crimson. In the South, opossums climb the tree in search of its fruit and are immortalized in stories.

Genus Nyssa, L. (Sour Gum)

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge entire. Outline - oval or reverse egg-shape. Apex - pointed. Base -…

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge lobed (the edges of the lobes mostly entire, but often with one to three teeth toward the ends). Outline - abruptly spreading above the middle. Base - rounded, sometimes slightly unequal. Ends of the lobes and of the few teeth, when present, sharp and bristle-tipped. Leaf - about three to six inches long; dark, dull green, and rough above; below, grayish and downy. Lobes, usually three, sometimes four or five, mostly long and narrow, especially the end one. Bark - of trunk, blackish and deeply grooved. Acorns - nearly stemless. Cup - shallow, somewhat top-shaped. Nut, about one third to one half inch long, rounded, sometimes slightly hollowed at the apex, bitter. October. Found - in sandy soils and barrens, from Long Island southward; in the Northern States, only near the coat and rare. General Information - A tree about twenty to thirty feet high in New Jersey; in the South, seventy to eighty feet; with wood of slight value except for fuel. Quercus, possible from a Celtic word meaning to inquire, because it was among the oaks that the Druids oftenest practised their rites.

Genus Quercus, L. (Oak)

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge lobed (the edges of the lobes mostly entire, but often with one to…

Leaves - compound (odd-feathered; leaflets eleven to thirty-one); alternate; edge of leaflets evenly and sharply toothed. Outline - of leaflet, narrow egg-shape. Apex - long, taper-pointed. Base, rounded or slightly heart-shaped. Leaflet/Stem - lacking. Leaf/Stem - densely velvety-hairy. Leaflet - usually two to four inches long and about one fourth as wide; the under surface whitish and more or less downy. Leaf - one or two feet or more in length. Branchlets - and stalks, especially towards their ends, covered with a very dense velvet-like down, often crimson-tinged. The just is milky and acid. Flowers - greenish-yellow, in upright, pyramid-shaped bunches at the ends of the branches. June. Berries - rounded, somewhat flattened, bright crimson velvety, crowded. Stone - smooth. Juice, acid. September, October. Found - from New Brunswick and the valley of the St. Lawrence through the Northern States, and southward along the Alleghany Mountains to Central Alabama. General Information - A small tree, ten to thirty feet high (or often a shrub), with straggling and evenly spreading branches that are leaved mostly toward their ends, giving an umbrella-like look to the tree. The wood is very soft and brittle; yellow within; the sap-wood white. The young shoots with the pith removed, are used in the spring as "sap quills" in drawing the sap from the sugar maples. The downy and irregular branchlets are suggestive of the horns of a stag, whence the name. An infusion of the berries is sometimes used as a gargle for sore-throat. This species is not poisonous. A variety with deeply gashed leaves (var. laciniata) is reported from Hanover, N. H.

Genus Rhus, L. (Sumach)

Leaves - compound (odd-feathered; leaflets eleven to thirty-one); alternate; edge of leaflets evenly…

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge quite deeply wavy-toothed. Outline - reverse egg-shape or oval. Apex - blunt-pointed. Base - pointed. Leaf - five to eight inches long; smooth, and rather bright green above; whitish-downy beneath, becoming almost silvery-white; often with a rather deep hollow just below the middle, and usually abruptly spreading above; the teeth unequal, longest toward the middle of the leaf, sometimes almost long enough to be called lobes; mostly rounded at the apex, but sometimes ending in a hard point; the main ribs prominent and rust-colored. Bark - of trunk, grayish-white, dividing into large, flat scales. Acorns - usually in pairs on a stem one and a quarter to three inches long. Cup - rounded, rather thin, rough, with sharp scales; the upper scales bristle-tipped, forming a border, or sometimes a fringe, along the edge; slightly downy within. Nut - one inch or less in length, egg-shape; sweet. October. Found - from Southern Maine and the Upper St. Lawrence to Southeastern Iowa and Western Missouri, south to Delaware and along the Alleghany Mountains to Northern Georgia; along borders of streams and in swamps, in deep, rich soil. Its finest growth is in the region of the Great Lakes. General Information - A tree thirty to sixty feet high or more, with wood similar in value to that of the White Oak. Quercus, possible from a Celtic word meaning to inquire, because it was among the oaks that the Druids oftenest practised their rites.

Genus Quercus, L. (Oak)

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge quite deeply wavy-toothed. Outline - reverse egg-shape or oval. Apex…

Leaves - Simple, alternate, edge entire. Outline - long oval or slightly reverse egg-shape. Apex, slightly blunt-pointed. Base, pointed. Leaf -about three to six inches long, thick and smooth; dark green and polished above; white below; the middle rib green and distinct; the side ribs slight and indistinct. Bark - of trunk, smoothish, light gray, aromatic and bitter. Flowers - large (two to three inches wide), white, at the ends of the branches, very fragrant. June, July. Fruit - bright red berries, at first in small cone-like clusters, then hanging by slender threads. September.  Found - in swampy ground, from Massachusetts southward, usually near the coast. <p>General Information - A small tree (often a bush) four to twenty-five feet high, or higher southward, where its leaves are evergreen. All parts of the tree (and it is the same with the other magnolias) have an intensely bitter, aromatic juice, which is stimulating and tonic. From "magnol," the name of a botanist of the seventeenth century.

Genus Magnolia, L. (Magnolia)

Leaves - Simple, alternate, edge entire. Outline - long oval or slightly reverse egg-shape. Apex, slightly…

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge finely and sharply double-toothed. Outline - egg-shape. Apex - pointed. Base - heart-shaped. Leaf/Stem - short and downy. Leaf - two to four inches long; about one half as wide; silky-hairy when young, but becoming smooth, except on the ribs beneath. Bark - of trunk, a dark chestnut-brown; smoothish when young, but becoming rough in old trees. The smaller branches are smooth and dotted with white spots. In its leaves and the color of the twigs it somewhat resembles the garden cherry. The foliage and bark are very aromatic and sweet-tasting.Found - from Newfoundland to Northern Delaware, westward, and southward along the mountains. It is very common in the northern forest. General Information - A tree thirty to sixty feet high, with many slender branches. The wood is hard, fine-grained, and of a reddish tint. It is largely used for cabinet-work (sometimes in place of a more valuable Black Cherry) and for fuel.

Genus Betula, L. (Birch)

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge finely and sharply double-toothed. Outline - egg-shape. Apex - pointed.…

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge deeply lobed (lobes finely and sharply toothed throughout). Outline - rounded. The lobes are five to seven, radiating from the base. Apex - of the lobes, pointed. Base - of the leaf heart-shape. Leaf - three to seven inches in diameter, smooth and shining with a pleasant odor when bruised. Ribs tufted at their angles. Bark - gray; usually strongly winged with corky ridges along the branchlets. In the South, a spicy gum, from which the tree takes its name, oozes from the bark. Fruit - small woody pods are collected into a round ball. These usually contain a few good seeds and a large number of others that resemble saw-dust. September. Found - from Connecticut to Illinois, and southward. It reaches its finest growth and is very common in the bottom lands of the Mississippi basin. General Information - A fine tree sixty to seventy feel high, or southward one hundred feet and more. The wood is valuable, and would be better appreciated except for the difficulty of seasoning it. It is sometimes used as a substitute for Black Walnut, Its gum is used medicinally.

Genus Liquidamber, L. (Sweet Bum)

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge deeply lobed (lobes finely and sharply toothed throughout). Outline…

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge lobed (lobes entire). Outline - rounded. Apex - cut almost squarely across, with a shallow hollow, giving a square look to the upper half of the leaf. Base - usually heart-shape. Leaf - three to five inches long and wide; very smooth; with four to six lobes (two lobes at the summit; at the sides two, or two large and two small). Bark - of trunk, dark ash-color and slightly rough. Flowers - four to six inches across, greenish-yellow, marked within with orange, somewhat tulip-like, fragrant solitary. May, June. Found - from Southwestern Vermont to Michigan, southward and westward. Its finest growth is in the valley of the lower Wabash River and along the western slopes of the Alleghany Mountains. General Information - Among the largest and most valuable of the North American Trees. It is usually seventy to one hundred feet high, often much higher, with a straight, clear trunk, that divides rather abruptly at the summit into coarse and straggling branches. The wood is light and soft, straight grained, and easily worked, with the heart wood light yellow or brown, and the thin sap wood nearly white. It is very widely and variously used - for construction, for interior finish, for shingles, in boat-building, for the panels of carriages, especially in the making of wooden pumps and wooden ware of different kings. I asked a carpenter: "Hope, is n't it the tulip wood (which you call poplar*) that the carriage-makers use for their panels?" "Yes, and the reason is, because it shapes so easily. If you take a panel and wet one side, and hold the other side to a hot stove-pipe, the piece will just hub the pipe. It's the best wood there is for panelling." "Of all the trees of North America with deciduous leaves, the tulip tree, next to the buttonwood, attains the amplest dimensions, while the perfect straightness and uniform diameter of its trunk for upwards of forty feet, the more regular disposition of its branches, and the greater richness of its foliage, give it a decided superiority over the buttonwood and entitle it to be considered as one of the most magnificent vegetables of the temperate zone." - Michaux. *The name should be dropped. The tree is not a poplar. The tulip tree was very highly esteemed by the ancients; so much so that in some of their festivals they are said to have honored it by pouring over its roots libations of wine.

Genus Liriodendron, L. (Tulip Tree)

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge lobed (lobes entire). Outline - rounded. Apex - cut almost squarely…

Leaves - Simple, alternate, edge entire. Outline - long oval or slightly reverse egg-shape. Apex, short, sharp-pointed. Base, pointed. Leaf - twelve to thirty-six inches long, six to eight inches wide; rather dark green above; lighter beneath; silky when young, but soon smooth; growing in clusters at the ends of the branches. Bark - smoothish and light. Flowers - seven to eight inches across, at the ends of the branches, white, and fragrant. May, June. Fruit - in a cylinder-shaped bunch, four to five inches long, and rose-colored as it ripens. Found - in Southeastern Pennsylvania and southward along the Alleghany Mountains, and in cultivation. <p>General Information - A tree twenty to thirty feet high, with irregular branches, and light, soft wood. As in other magnolias the juice is bitter and fragrant. From "magnol," the name of a botanist of the seventeenth century.

Genus Magnolia, L. (Magnolia)

Leaves - Simple, alternate, edge entire. Outline - long oval or slightly reverse egg-shape. Apex, short,…

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge sharp-toothed. Outline - narrow lance-shape. Apex - taper-pointed. Base - pointed. Leaf - about five inches long by three fourths of an inch wide; somewhat silky, or smooth. Branches and branchlets - very long, curved, and drooping nearly to the ground. Introduced - from Europe, now common, and much used in ornamental cultivation. General Information - A tree thirty to forty feet high. The Latin name (babylonica) was suggested by the lament of the Hebrews, in the 137th Psalm. "By the rivers of Babylon there we sat down: Yea we wept when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof." Salix from two Celtic words meaning "near" and "water."

Genus Salix, L. (Willow)

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge sharp-toothed. Outline - narrow lance-shape. Apex - taper-pointed.…

Leaves - simple/alternate; edge somewhat irregularly very sharp-toothed. Outline - rounded, often very one-sided. Apex - pointed. Base - strongly heart-shaped. Leaf - five to eight inches long; deep green and shining above, beneath velvety and silvery white with purplish ribs. Bark - of the trunk very thick; on the young branches dark brown. Fruit - gray-downy, ovate, the size of small peas, clustered on a long stem of which the lower half is joined to half the length of a narrow, leaf-like bract, usually with a tapering base. Found - in rich woods, from the mountains of Pennsylvania to Georgia and westward.  General Information - A straight-trunked tree, twenty to thirty feet high (often unbranching to half its height) and two to four feet in diameter. Its very tough inner bark is used for mats and coarse rope. The wood is white and soft and clear of knots. It is much used for wooden ware, in cabinet-work, and for the paneling of carriages, though now less esteemed than the tulip tree for these uses, owing to its liability to crack in bending.

Genus Tilia, L. (Basswood)

Leaves - simple/alternate; edge somewhat irregularly very sharp-toothed. Outline - rounded, often very…

Leaves - simple; alternate (often alternate in pairs); edge unequally sharp-toothed, with the base entire. Outline - triangular. Apex - taper-pointed. Base - variable, more or less squared, sometimes slightly hollowed, rounded or pointed. Leaf/Stem - long and slender, about three quarters of an inch or more in length. Leaf - one and three quarters to three inches long. Smooth and shining on both sides. Bark - The outer bark of the mature trunk is chalky-white and thin, but not, like the bark of the Paper-birch, easily separable into layers. Usually it is marked with blackish dots and lines. Often the branchlets and twigs are blackish, and in very young trees the bark may be light reddish-brown, and marked with white dots. Found - on poor soil, from Delaware and Pennsylvania northward (mostly toward the coast), and in ornamental cultivation. It springs up abundantly over burned and abandoned lands. General Information - A slender, short-lived tree, twenty to thirty feet high, with white, soft wood, not durable; used largely in making spools, shoe pegs, etc., and for fuel. A still more graceful cultivated species is the European Weeping Birch (B. pendula). Its branches are very drooping, with more slender leaves, and a spray that is exceedingly light and delicate, especially in early spring.

Genus Betula, L. (Birch)

Leaves - simple; alternate (often alternate in pairs); edge unequally sharp-toothed, with the base entire.…

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge sharply and often doubly toothed. Outline - oval or egg-shaped, or inversely egg-shaped; always one-sided. Apex - taper-pointed. Base - rounded, or slightly heart-shaped, rarely pointed. Leaf/Stem - about one quarter inch long. Buds - smooth. Leaf - usually two to five inches long, and one and a half to two and a half wide; somewhat downy when young, afterward roughish below; above, either rough in one direction, or (especially if taken from the ends of the long branches) smooth and shining. Ribs - prominent and straight. Bark - of the branches not marked with "corky ridges"; branchlets, smooth. Seeds - flat egg-shaped or oval, winged and fringed all around. Last of May.  Found - northward to Southern Newfoundland; southward to Florida; westward to the Black Hills of Dakota. Toward the western and southwestern limits it is found only in the river-bottom lands. General Information - One of the very noblest of American trees, eighty feet or more in height, and of strong and graceful proportions. The trunk divides at a slight angle into two or three arching limbs, and these again into many smaller curving and drooping branches. The trunk and the larger branches are often heavily fringed with short and leafy boughs. The tree is widely cultivated. Streets planted with it become columned and arched like the aisles of a Gothic cathedral. The wood is hard, and very tough from the interlacing of its fibers. It is used in making saddle-trees and for wheel-hubs, and is now largely exported to England to be used in boat- and ship-building. One day I found four men in a stone quarry, working with iron bars and rollers over a heavy flat slab. They were moving the stone slowly up a narrow plant into their cart. "John, " I said, "I would not think that board could hold a stone of such weight two minutes. Is it hickory?" "No sir, " said John, " that's an elm plank; it can't break." It did not break. It was one of the woods which the Deacon used in building his famous "one-hoss shay": So the deacon inquired of the village folk Where he could find the strongest oak, That count n't be split nor bent nor broke, - That was for spokes and floor and sills; He sent for lancewood to make the thills; The cross-bars were ash, from the straightest trees; The panels of whitewood, that cuts like cheese, But lasts like iron for thing like these; The hubs of logs from the Settler's Ellum; - Last of its timber, - they could n't sell 'em, Never an axe had seen their chips, And the wedges flew from between their lips, Their blunt ends frizzled like celery-tips;" --Oliver Wendell Holmes

Genus Ulmus, L. (Elm)

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge sharply and often doubly toothed. Outline - oval or egg-shaped, or…

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge lobed; (edge of the lobes entire or sometimes coarsely notched and hollowed at their ends.) Outline - reverse egg-shape. Apex - of lobes, rounded. Base - wedge-shape. Leaf - quite variable in size and shape; four to seven inches long; smooth; pale beneath; the lobes oftenest five to nine, long and narrow, and sometimes widening toward the end, but at other times only three to five, short and broad, and radiating obliquely from the middle rub. Bark - of trunk, slightly roughened (comparatively smooth for an oak), light-gray; in older trees loosening in large, thin scales; the inner bark white. Acorns - usually in pairs on a stem one fourth of an inch or more in length. Cup - rounded saucer-shape, not scaly, but rough and warty and much shorter than the nut. Nut - three fourths to one inch long, slightly egg-shape or oval; brown, sweet, and edible. October. Found - from Ontario and the valley of the St. Lawrence southward to Florida, and westward to Southeastern Minnesota, Arkansas, and Texas. Its finest growth is on the western slopes of the Alleghany Mountains, and in the Ohio basin. General Information - A noble tree, sixty to eighty feet or more in height, with hard, touch wood of very great value in many kinds of manufacturing, and for fuel. The withered, light-brown leaves often cling throughout the winter. The "oak-apples" or "galls" often found on oak-trees are the work of 'gall-flies" and their larvae. When green tiny worms will usually be found at their centre. Quaint reference is made to these galls in Gerardes' "Herbal": "Oak-apples being broken in sunder before they have an hole thorough them do fore shewe the sequell of the yeere. If they conteine in them a flie, then warre insueth; if a creeping worme, then scarcitie of victuals; if a running spider, then followeth great sickness or mortalitie." The oak, probably more than any other tree, has been associated with workshop of the gods. The "Talking Tree" of the sanctuary in Dodona (the oldest of all the Hellenic sanctuaries, and second in repute only to that at Delphi) was an oak. Oak groves were favorite places for altars and temples of Jupiter. The Druids worshipped under the oak-trees. Quercus, possible from a Celtic word meaning to inquire, because it was among the oaks that the Druids oftenest practised their rites.

Genus Quercus, L. (Oak)

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge lobed; (edge of the lobes entire or sometimes coarsely notched and…

Leaves - simple; alternate (and in alternate bunches); edge unevenly sharp-toothed (with five to nine deep cuts almost forming small lobes). Outline - rounded egg-shape Apex - pointed Base - usually slightly pointed, but often blunt or slightly heart-shape. Leaf/Stem - slender and often with small wart-like glands. Leaf - usually one and a half to two and a half inches long, but of variable size on the same tree; thin; smooth; shining. Branchlets - greenish, or whitish and shining, as though washed with silver. Thorns - one to two inches long, stout, often whitish, usually slightly curved. Flowers - about two thirds of an inch across; white (often with a rosy tinge); twelve or so in a bunch; with a strong and rather disagreeable odor. May. Fruit - nearly one half inch in diameter; rounded or egg-shape; bright red; with thin pulp and one to five stones; somewhat edible. September Found - through the Atlantic forests southward to Northern Florida and Eastern Texas. General Information - A low tree (or often a bush), ten to twenty feet high, with crooked, spreading branches; very common at the North; rare in the South. From a Greek word meaning strength.

Genus Crataegus, L. (Thorn)

Leaves - simple; alternate (and in alternate bunches); edge unevenly sharp-toothed (with five to nine…

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge sharp-toothed, with the teeth somewhat thickened. Outline - narrow lance-shape. Apex - tapered-pointed. Base - pointed. Leaf - about five inches long, three quarters of an inch wide; surface with white silky hairs beneath, and often above; branches not yellow, and very brittle at the base.

Genus Salix, L. (Willow)

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge sharp-toothed, with the teeth somewhat thickened. Outline - narrow…

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge toothed (with the points of the teeth so incurved as to appear blunt), and often finely "crinkled." Outline - usually long oval or long egg-shape. Apex - pointed. Base - rounded or slightly pointed. Leaf/Stem - usually with two to five tooth-like glands near the base of the leaf. Leaf - two to five inches long; thickish; polished, and of a deep shining green above; beneath, lighter and smooth, with the middle rib sometimes downy toward the base. In the autumn the leaves turn to orange and later to pale yellow. Bark - of old trunks, blackish and rough; of young trunks and on the larger branches, reddish or purplish brown; marked with scattered lines; on young shoots, at first green or olive brown, gradually becoming darker, and sprinkled (sic) with small orange dots. Flowers - white, with short stems, closely set in a long, cylinder-shaped cluster. May, June. Fruit - about one and a quarter inches in diameter; with short stems (one and a quarter to one and a third inches ) hanging in long, close clusters from the ends of the twigs. It is nearly black when ripe, and of a pleasant flavor though somewhat bitter; it is eagerly eaten by birds. August. Found - very widely distributed north, south, and west. It reaches its finest growth on the western slopes of the Alleghany Mountains. General Information - A tree fifty to eighty feet high. The wood is light and hard, of a brown or reddish tinge, becoming darker with exposure, and of very great value in cabinet work and interior finish. It is now becoming scarce, so that stained birch is often used as a substitute. The bitter aromatic bark is used as a valuable tonic; "cherry brandy" is made from the fruit.

Genus Prunus L. (Cherry, Plum)

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge toothed (with the points of the teeth so incurved as to appear blunt),…

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge sharp-toothed. Outline - long oval to reverse egg-shape. Apex - taper-pointed. Base - pointed or rounded. Leaf/Stem - one fourth to one half inch long, smooth, reddish, usually with two small wart-like glands on the raised border near the base of the leaf. Leaf - two to three inches long; smooth when mature; "net-veined," with distinct furrows over the ribs; somewhat downy on the ribs and in their angles. Bark - of trunk very dark reddish-green or bronze-green, resembling that of a cherry-tree. Fruit - one half to two thirds inch in diameter; broad oval; yellow, orange, or red; with a thick and acid skin and a pleasant flavor. August. Stone - slightly flattened, and with both edges winged and sharp.  Found - from Canada southward to Florida and westward, and often in cultivation. General Information - A small tree (sometimes a bush), eight to twenty feet high, with hard, reddish wood. In cultivation it forms an excellent stock on which to graft the domestic plums.

Genus Prunus L. (Cherry, Plum)

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge sharp-toothed. Outline - long oval to reverse egg-shape. Apex - taper-pointed.…

Leaves - simple; alternate, or alternate in pairs; edge finely and sharply toothed. Outline - narrow egg-shape. Apex - taper-pointed. Base - rounded or slightly pointed. Leaf/Stem - grooved above. Leaf - two to six inches long, shining and smooth and of about the same shade of green on both sides. Bark - reddish-brown and smooth, with swollen, rusty-colored dots, and usually stripping, like that of the garden cherry, around the trunk. Flowers - white, on stems about one inch or more in length, in nearly stemless clusters. May. Fruit - the size of a large pea, light red, on long stems (about three fourths to one inch long), sour, in clusters of two to five at the sides of the branches, and usually from the base of the leaf-stems; seldom abundant. July. Found - Common in all northern forests. In Northern New England it quickly occupies burned-out pine regions. General Information - A slender tree, usually twenty to twenty-five feet high, of no value as timber.

Genus Prunus L. (Cherry, Plum)

Leaves - simple; alternate, or alternate in pairs; edge finely and sharply toothed. Outline - narrow…

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge entire. Outline - long and narrow. Apex - pointed and bristle-tipped. Base - pointed. Leaf - three to four inches long (sometimes five); one half to seven eighths of an inch wide; rather thick and stiff; smooth and shining above; somewhat dull beneath; very young leaves, light green above and soft, white-downy beneath. Bark - thick and smoothish. Acorns - small. nearly stemless. Cup - rather shallow, saucer-shaped, or somewhat rounded top-shape. Nut - about three eighths of an inch long, rounded, brown; Kernel, bitter and bright orange. October. Found - from Staten Island and New Jersey southward along the coast to Northeastern Florida and the Gulf States, and from Kentucky southwestward. Usually on the borders of swamps and in sandy woods. General Information - a tree thirty to fifty feet high, with poor wood. Quercus, possible from a Celtic word meaning to inquire, because it was among the oaks that the Druids oftenest practised their rites.

Genus Quercus, L. (Oak)

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge entire. Outline - long and narrow. Apex - pointed and bristle-tipped.…

Leaves - simple; alternate (often alternate in pairs); edge very sharply, unequally, and rather coarsely toothed. Outline - egg-shape. Apex - pointed. Base - narrowed and heart-shaped. Leaf/Stem - short and downy. Leaf - about four by two and one fourth inches, or often smaller, thin' downy when young, becoming smooth. Ribs - straight. Bark - outer bark of trunk thin and a silvery yellow, and separating into narrow ribbons curling outwards at the ends. The twigs and the bark are sweet-tasting and aromatic, but less so than in the "Sweet Birch."  Found - in moist woods, along the Alleghany Mountains, in Delaware and Southern Minnesota, and northward into Canada. General Information - A tree forth to eight feet or often more in height; one of the largest and most valuable non-evergreen trees of New England and Canada. Its hard, close-grained wood is largely used for fuel, in making furniture, button-moulds, wheel-hubs, pill-boxes, etc.

Genus Betula, L. (Birch)

Leaves - simple; alternate (often alternate in pairs); edge very sharply, unequally, and rather coarsely…

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge evenly and sharply (or sometime bluntly) toothed. Outline - very narrow oval (or sometimes wide). Apex - taper-pointed. Base - pointed or blunt. Leaf/Stem - three fourths to one inch long. Leaf - usually about five to seven inches long, by one and one half to two inches wide, but sometimes so wide as to resemble Q. prinus), from which, however, it is distinguished by its think bark. Of all the "chestnut-oak: leaves it most closely resembles the chestnut leaf. It is smooth above, whitish and minutely downy beneath. Bark - of trunk, light, flaky, and thin. Acorn - nearly stemless. Cup - about five twelfths to seven twelfths of an inch across; rounded; thin, with very small, closely pressed scales. Nut - seven twelfths to nine twelfths of an inch long; egg-shape or narrow oval, light brown, about one third covered by cup; sweet. October. Found - from Massachusetts to Delaware, along the mountains to Northern Alabama and westward. Very common west of the Alleghany Mountains. General Information - A tree forty to sixty feet high, with strong and durable wood. Quercus, possible from a Celtic word meaning to inquire, because it was among the oaks that the Druids oftenest practised their rites.

Genus Quercus, L. (Oak)

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge evenly and sharply (or sometime bluntly) toothed. Outline - very narrow…

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge sharp-toothed, with the teeth somewhat thickened. Outline - narrow lance-shape. Apex - taper-pointed; in the young leaves often broad and rounded. Base - pointed. Leaf - small (two to three and a half inches long; about one half to five eighths of an inch wide); surface with white, silky hairs beneath and often above, especially in the young leaves. Branches - brittle at the base, smooth and shining and yellow. Blossoms - in May. Introduced - from Europe, but now found throughout the United States. Common around houses and in low grounds. General Information - Introduced from Europe, but now common around houses and in low grounds. A very large and familiar tree (fifty to eighty feet high), one of the largest of the Willows; low-branching; thick-set, of tough and rapid growth. A stake set in the ground grows readily. The silvery look of the tree (especially in a strong wind) is due to the gloss of its downy leaves. Salix from two Celtic words meaning "near" and "water." The Blue Willow (var. caerulea S.) is naturalized in Massachusetts.

Genus Salix, L. (Willow)

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge sharp-toothed, with the teeth somewhat thickened. Outline - narrow…