Leaves - compound (odd-feathered; leaflets, three, sometimes five, rarely seven); opposite; edge of leaflet remotely and unequally coarse-toothed. Outline - of leaflets, egg-shape or oval. Apex - taper-pointed. Base - variable and often uneven. Leaflets - slightly rough; the ribs very marked. Bark - of young trunks, smoothish and yellowish-green; twigs, light green. Flowers - small and greenish, in delicate, drooping clusters from the sides of the branches. Fruit - large, yellowish-green, smooth, in long, loose, late-hanging clusters. Found - North, South, and West. One of the most widely distributed of the North American trees, with its finest growth in the region of the Wabash and Cumberland rivers. General Information - A tree twenty to thirty feet high, with spreading branches. Its wood is light and of slight value.

Genus Negundo, Moench

Leaves - compound (odd-feathered; leaflets, three, sometimes five, rarely seven); opposite; edge of…

Leaves - compound (odd-feathered; leaflets, seven to eleven, usually nine); opposite; edge of leaflet toothed. Outline - of leaflet, narrow, long oval or long egg-shaped Apex - taper-pointed. Base - rounded. Leaf/Stem - lacking. Leaf/Bud - deep blue or blackish. Leaflet - three to five inches long, smooth and green on both sides, excepting where it is slightly hairy along the lower part of the middle rib. When crushed it has an Elder-like odor. Bark - of trunk, dark granite-gray, somewhat furrowed and broken up and down with roughness, which continue in the old tree. The young branches are smooth and grayish and marked with black and white dots and warts. Winged seeds - nearly one and one half inches long, with the wing three eighths of an inch wide and extending around the seed. Ripe in July. Found - along low river-banks and in swamps, which it sometimes fills; in Delaware, the mountains of Virginia, Northwestern Arkansas, through the Northern States to Canada. It is the most Northern of the American Ashes. General Information - Usually a small or medium-sized tree. The wood is largely used for barrel-hoops, baskets, in cabinet-work, and interior finish. Fraxinus from a Greek word meaning "separation," because of the ease with which the wood of the Ash can be split. I find in the notes of an old copy of White's "Natural History of Selborne" this comment: "The Ash, I think, has been termed by Gilpin the Venus of British trees." Gerardes' "Herbal" comments: "The leaves of the Ash are of so great a vertue against serpents, as that the serpents dare not be so bolde as to touch the morning and evening shadowes of the tree, but shunneth them afarre off, as Pliny reporteth in his 16 book, 13 chap. He also affirmeth that the serpent being penned in with boughes laide rounde about, will sooner run into the fire, if any be there, than come neere to the boughes of the Ash."In Scandinavian mythology the great and sacred tree, Yggdrasil, the greatest and most sacred of all trees, which binds together heaven and earth and hell, is an Ash. Its roots spread over the whole earth. Its branches reach above the heavens. Underneath lies a serpent; above is an eagle; a squirrel runs up and down the trunk, trying to breed strife between them.

Genus Fraxinus, L. (Ash)

Leaves - compound (odd-feathered; leaflets, seven to eleven, usually nine); opposite; edge of leaflet…

Leaves - simple, opposite; finely and sharply toothed. Outline - broadly oval, or broadly reverse egg-shape. Apex - rounded, sometimes pointed. Base - rounded, sometimes slightly pointed. Quite variable. Leaf/Stem - short and smooth, the edges slightly winged, the wings straight. Leaf - about one and a half to two inches long; smooth; shining above. Flowers - white, in rather large and flat, stemless bunches, at the ends of branches. May. Berries - oval, blackish, sweet and edible. Found - in Connecticut and Southern New York to Michigan and southward. General Information - A small tree fifteen to twenty feet high, or oftenest at the North a low, much-branching shrub. Usually with some of its branches stunted and bare. The tonic bark is sometimes used medicinally.

Genus Viburnum, L. (Haw and Viburnum)

Leaves - simple, opposite; finely and sharply toothed. Outline - broadly oval, or broadly reverse egg-shape.…

Leaves - simple; opposite; edge lobed, with the lobes very sparingly and coarsely sharp-toothed or the lower pair entire. Outline - rounded, with three to five lobes, usually five, with the hollows between the lobes and between the coarse teeth rounded. Apex - of the lobes, pointed. Base - heart-shaped or nearly squared. Leaf - dark green above; slightly lighter beneath; smooth or somewhat downy on the ribs; when heart-shaped, sometimes with overlapping lobes. Seed-wings - set wide apart, but only slightly diverging.  Bark - blackish. Flowers - yellow-green and very abundant. April, May.  Fruit - greenish-yellow, smooth, drooping, on thread-like and hairy stems one to two inches long, with wings about one inch long, broad and slightly spreading. September. Found - chiefly along streams and in river bottoms, from Western Vermont to Missouri and Northern Alabama. General Information - A tree fifty to eight feet high or more; of very great value in many directions, - as a shade tree, for fuel, for interior finish and the making of furniture, for its ashes, which give large quantities of potash; especially for its sap, which yields the "maple sugar" of commerce. The yield of sugar by an average tree in one season from five to ten pounds.

Genus Acer, L. (Maple)

Leaves - simple; opposite; edge lobed, with the lobes very sparingly and coarsely sharp-toothed or the…

Leaves - simple; opposite; edge entire. Outline - broad egg-shape or heart-shape. Apex - pointed. Base - heart-shape. Leaf - five to eight inches wide; smooth above, downy below, especially on the ribs. Bark - of trunk, a silver-gray, only slightly furrowed. Flowers - very showy and fragrant, in large, upright pyramid-shaped clusters; white or violet-tinged, spotted inside with yellow and purple. July. Fruit - in long, rounded pods (six to twelve inches long, about half an inch in diameter), with the seeds winged and fringed. They often remain throughout the winter. October. Found - new very widely naturalized throughout the Middle and Southern Atlantic States, though formerly a rare and local Southern tree. General Information - A low, very ornamental tree, usually twenty to thirty feet high. Its seeds and bark are considered medicinal. Another species, C. speciosa, Ward, larger and of more value, is sometimes met with in Southern Illinois and the adjoining States. Catalpa is probably a corruption of the Indian word Catawba, which was the name of an important tribe that occupied a large part of Georgia and the Carolinas.

Genus Catalpa, Scop., Walt. (Catalpa)

Leaves - simple; opposite; edge entire. Outline - broad egg-shape or heart-shape. Apex - pointed. Base…

Leaves - simple, alternate (often crowded at the ends of the branches); edge entire. Outline - broadly oval or egg-shape or reverse egg-shape. Apex - pointed. Base - slightly pointed. Leaf/Stem - one inch long or more. Leaf - about three to four inches long, sometimes yellowish-green; smooth above; whitish beneath, and slightly rough between the prominent curved ribs, seldom entirely flat, usually in clusters at the ends of the branches. Bark - of the branches, smooth, yellowish-green, with whitish streaks. Flowers - yellowish in loose flat clusters. June. Fruit - very dark blue when ripe, on reddish stems. August. Found - in low rich woods and along streams, from New Brunswick through the Northern States, and southward along the Alleghany Mountains to Northern Georgia and Alabama. General Information - A small tree or shrub, ten to twenty feet high, with wide-spreading branches and flattish top. A "Shaker Medicine" is made from its bitter bark. Cornus, from a Greek word meaning horn, because of the hardness of the wood.

Dogwood Leaves

Leaves - simple, alternate (often crowded at the ends of the branches); edge entire. Outline - broadly…

Leaves - simple; opposite; edge entire. Outline - egg-shape, or often broad oval, or reverse egg-shape. Apex - pointed, often taper-pointed. Base - pointed and usually slightly unequal. Leaf/Stem - short (about one half inch). Leaf - three to five inches long; smooth above; pale and nearly smooth beneath; with the whitish ribs very distinct and curved. Bark - of trunk, blackish and rough, with short, broken ridges. The bark, especially of the roots, is very bitter and is used as a tonic. Flowers - The real flowers are greenish-yellow, in a small rounded bunch; but this bunch is surrounded by four large, petal-like leaves, white and often tinged with pink, more than an inch in length, reverse egg-shaped, and ending in a hard, abruptly turned point. The appearance is of a single large flower. The tree blossoms in May before the leaves are fully set. Fruit - The "Flower" is succeeded by a bunch of oval berries that turn bright red as they ripen, making the tree in the autumn, with its richly changing foliage, nearly as attractive as in the spring. Found - in rich woods, from New England to Minnesota, and southward to Florida and Texas. It is very common, especially at the South. General Information - A finely shaped, rather flat-branching tree, usually twelve to thirty feet high, but dwindling, northward, to the dimensions of a shrub; one of the most ornamental of all our native flowering trees. Its character throughout the extent of its range would seem to warrant the recognition of its blossom as the "national flower." Cornus, from a Greek word meaning horn, because of the hardness of the wood.

Flowering Dogwood

Leaves - simple; opposite; edge entire. Outline - egg-shape, or often broad oval, or reverse egg-shape.…

Leaves - simple; opposite; edge entire. Outline - oval, long oval, or reverse egg-shape. Apex - pointed (or sometimes rounded). Base - pointed. Leaf - smooth. Flowers - with narrow petals nearly an inch in length, snow-white, in long, loose, and drooping clusters. June. Fruit - one half to two thirds of an inch long, oval, purplish, with one stony seed. Found - along the banks of streams from New Jersey and Southern Pennsylvania southward. Common and very ornamental in cultivation. General Information - A small tree eight to twenty-five feet high, or often a shrub. Chionanthus, from two Greek words meaning "snow" and "flowers."

Genus Chionanthus, L. (Fringe Tree)

Leaves - simple; opposite; edge entire. Outline - oval, long oval, or reverse egg-shape. Apex - pointed…

Leaves - compound (hand-shaped; leaflets, five); opposite; edge toothed. Outline - of leaflet, oval or long oval. Apex - taper-pointed. Base - pointed. Leaflets - three to seven inches long; one and a half to three inches wide. Bark - with a disagreeable odor. Flowers - small, yellowish-white. June. Fruit - about three fourths of an inch in diameter. Husk - prickly when young. Nut - smooth. Found - along the western slopes of the Alleghany Mountains - Pennsylvania to Northern Alabama and westward. General Information - A small, ill-scented tree (eighteen to thirty-five feet high). Its wood is light and hard to split. With the other species of the same genus it is preferred, above any other American wood, for the making of artificial limbs.

Genus Aesculus, L. (Buckeye, Horse Chestnut)

Leaves - compound (hand-shaped; leaflets, five); opposite; edge toothed. Outline - of leaflet, oval…

Leaves - compound (odd-feathered; leaflets, seven to nine); edge of leaflets nearly entire or slightly toothed. Outline - of leaflet, long oval or egg-shape. Apex - taper-pointed. Base - somewhat pointed. Leaf/Stem - velvety-downy. Leaflet/Stem - about one fourth of an inch long, or somewhat less, and velvety-downy. Leaf/Bud - rounded, nearly concealed by the leaf-stem, downy, and of a dark, rusty brown. Leaflet - two to six inches long, downy beneath, and pale, becoming reddish. Bark - of the trunk, dark ashy or granite-gray, or of a deep brown. It is slightly furrowed up and does, the furrows seldom joining or crossing. The branches are grayish. The young shoots are velvety, with a grayish or rusty down. Winged seeds - resembling those of the White Ash, but usually with the end of the wing more rounded. Found - along borders of streams and in low and swampy ground - New Brunswick to Minnesota, and southward to Northern Florida and Alabama; but rare west of the Alleghany Mountains. Its finest growth is in the Northern Atlantic States. General Information - A medium-sized tree, usually thirty to fifty feet high, of less value than the White Ash. Fraxinus from a Greek word meaning "separation," because of the ease with which the wood of the Ash can be split. I find in the notes of an old copy of White's "Natural History of Selborne" this comment: "The Ash, I think, has been termed by Gilpin the Venus of British trees." Gerardes' "Herbal" comments: "The leaves of the Ash are of so great a vertue against serpents, as that the serpents dare not be so bolde as to touch the morning and evening shadowes of the tree, but shunneth them afarre off, as Pliny reporteth in his 16 book, 13 chap. He also affirmeth that the serpent being penned in with boughes laide rounde about, will sooner run into the fire, if any be there, than come neere to the boughes of the Ash."In Scandinavian mythology the great and sacred tree, Yggdrasil, the greatest and most sacred of all trees, which binds together heaven and earth and hell, is an Ash. Its roots spread over the whole earth. Its branches reach above the heavens. Underneath lies a serpent; above is an eagle; a squirrel runs up and down the trunk, trying to breed strife between them.

Genus Fraxinus, L. (Ash)

Leaves - compound (odd-feathered; leaflets, seven to nine); edge of leaflets nearly entire or slightly…

Leaves - simple; opposite; edge lobed, with the lobes irregularly sharp-toothed and notched. Outline - roundish, with three to five lobes (the lowest pair, if present, the smallest); and with the hollows between the lobes pointed and usually extending less than half-way to the base of the leaf. Apex - of the lobes, pointed. Base - heart-shaped (or sometimes rounded.) Leaf/Stem - long and round. Leaf - (very variable in size and in the toothing and shape of its lobes); whitish beneath. Bark - smoothish; gray, becoming dark and rough with age. Flowers - rich crimson, on short stems in drooping clusters. March, April. Fruit - bright red, smooth, with stems two to three inches long. The wings are about one inch long. At first they approach each other, but afterward are somewhat spreading. September.Found - widely distributed in swamps and along streams especially in all wet forests eastward from the Mississippi to the Atlantic, and from Southern Canada to Florida and Texas. General Information - A tree thirty to sixty feet high, with wood of considerable value, especially when it shows a "curly grain." It is one of the very earliest trees to blossom in the spring, and to show its autumn coloring in the fall.

Genus Acer, L. (Maple)

Leaves - simple; opposite; edge lobed, with the lobes irregularly sharp-toothed and notched. Outline…

Leaves - simple; opposite; edge deeply lobed, with the lobes unequally notched and toothed. Outline - rounded, with five lobes (the lowest pair much the smallest), and with the hollows between the lobes pointed and usually extending half way to the base of the leaf. Apex - of lobes, pointed. Base - heart-shaped or nearly squared. Leaf - silvery white beneath; downy when young, becoming smooth. Flowers - yellowish-green; woolly when young, becoming nearly smooth; on stems about one inch long, with very large, wide-spreading wings (two to three inches long), one of which is often undeveloped. July, August. Found - widely distributed, but most common west of the Alleghany Mountains and southward. General Information - A tree thirty to fifty feet high, with soft, white wood of comparatively slight value.

Genus Acer, L. (Maple)

Leaves - simple; opposite; edge deeply lobed, with the lobes unequally notched and toothed. Outline…

Leaves - simple, opposite; edge lobed, with the lobes very finely sharply toothed. Outline - rounded in the lower half, three-lobed above with the hollows between the lobes sharp. Apex - of the lobes, slim and pointed. Base - more or less heart-shape. Bark - smooth, green, and peculiarly marked lengthwise with dark stripes. Flowers - large, yellowish-green. May, June. Fruit - with spreading pale-green wings, in long clusters. Found - in Canada, through the Northern Atlantic States, westward to Northeastern Minnesota, and along the Alleghany Mountains to Georgia. General Information - A small and slender tree or shrub, usually ten to twenty-five feet high. Acer, from a Latin word meaning sharp, because of the ancient use of the wood for spearheads and other weapons.

Genus Acer, L. (Maple)

Leaves - simple, opposite; edge lobed, with the lobes very finely sharply toothed. Outline - rounded…

Leaves - simple; opposite; edge lobed, with the lobes very sparingly and coarsely sharp-toothed or the lower pair entire. Outline - rounded, with three to five lobes, usually five, with the hollows between the lobes and between the coarse teeth rounded. Apex - of the lobes, pointed. Base - heart-shaped or nearly squared. Leaf - dark green above; slightly lighter beneath; smooth or somewhat downy on the ribs; closely resembling that of the introduced "Norway Maple" by lacking the latter's milky-juiced leaf-stem. Bark - light gray, usually smoothish when young, becoming rough and scaly. Flowers - yellow-green and very abundant. April, May.  Fruit - greenish-yellow, smooth, drooping, on thread-like and hairy stems one to two inches long, with wings about one inch long, broad and slightly spreading. September. Found - from Southern Canada through the Northern States, southward along the Alleghany Mountains, and westward to Minnesota, Eastern Nebraska, and Eastern Texas. Its finest development is in the region of the Great Lakes. It grows in rich woods; often it forms "groves," sometimes extensive forests.

Genus Acer, L. (Maple)

Leaves - simple; opposite; edge lobed, with the lobes very sparingly and coarsely sharp-toothed or the…

Leaves - compound (hand-shaped; leaflets, usually five, sometimes seven); opposite; edge toothed. Outline - of leaflet, long oval, long egg-shape, or long reverse egg-shape. Apex - taper-pointed. Base - pointed. Leaflet - four to nine inches long, one to three inches wide, usually minutely downy beneath. Flowers, pale yellow. April, May. Fruit - two to two and one half inches in diameter, rounded. Husk - not prickly, but uneven. Nut - one or two in a husk, large and brown. Found - from Alleghany County, Pennsylvania, southward along the Alleghany Mountains to Northern Georgia and Alabama, and westward. General Information - A tree thirty to seventy feet high. Its wood is light and hard to split. With the other species of the same genus it is preferred, above any other American wood, for the making of artificial limbs.

Genus Aesculus, L. (Buckeye, Horse Chestnut)

Leaves - compound (hand-shaped; leaflets, usually five, sometimes seven); opposite; edge toothed. Outline…

Leaves - simple; opposite; edge closely and sharply toothed. Outline - egg-shape. Apex - pointed. Base - round. Quite variable. Leaf/Stem - winged on both sides with a wavy border; when young, sprinkled with brownish glands. Leaf - about three to four inches long, and half as wide or more; smooth. Flowers - white, in flat, stemless clusters. May, June. Fruit - one half inch long; oval; sweetish; red, becoming almost black when ripe; edible. Found - from Hudson's Bay through the Northern States, southward to Georgia. Common in swamps and rich, moist soil. General Information - A tree fifteen to twenty feet high, with hard, ill-smelling wood.

Genus Viburnum, L. (Haw and Viburnum)

Leaves - simple; opposite; edge closely and sharply toothed. Outline - egg-shape. Apex - pointed. Base…

Leaves - compound (odd-feathered; leaflets, seven to nine); opposite; edge of leaflets slightly toothed or entire; entire at base. Outline - of leaflet, long oval or long egg-shape. Apex - taper-pointed. Base - somewhat pointed. Leaf/Stem - smooth. Leaflet/Stem - about one fourth of an inch long, or more; smooth. Leaf/Bud - rusty-colored and smooth. Leaflet - two to six inches long; pale beneath; downy when young, but becoming nearly smooth, except on the ribs. Bark - of the trunk, light gray. In very young trees it is nearly smooth, but it soon becomes deeply furrowed - the furrows crossing each other, and so breaking the bark into irregular, somewhat square or lozenge-shaped plates. Then in very old trees it becomes smooth again, from the scaling off of the plates. The branches are smooth and grayish-green. The young shoots have a polished, deep-green bark, marked with white lines or dots. Winged seeds - one and a half to two inches long, with the "wing" about one fourth of an inch wide, hanging in loose clusters from slender stems. The base of the seed it pointed and not winged. Found - in rich woods, from Southern Canada to Northern Florida and westward. It is most common in the Northern States. The finest specimens are seen in the bottom lands of the lower Ohio River basin. General Information - a tree forty to eighty feet high. Often the trunk rises forty feet without branching. Its tough and elastic timer is of very great value, being widely used in the manufacture of agricultural implements, for oars, and the shafts of carriages, and in cabinet-work. Fraxinus from a Greek word meaning "separation," because of the ease with which the wood of the Ash can be split. I find in the notes of an old copy of White's "Natural History of Selborne" this comment: "The Ash, I think, has been termed by Gilpin the Venus of British trees." Gerardes' "Herbal" comments: "The leaves of the Ash are of so great a vertue against serpents, as that the serpents dare not be so bolde as to touch the morning and evening shadowes of the tree, but shunneth them afarre off, as Pliny reporteth in his 16 book, 13 chap. He also affirmeth that the serpent being penned in with boughes laide rounde about, will sooner run into the fire, if any be there, than come neere to the boughes of the Ash."In Scandinavian mythology the great and sacred tree, Yggdrasil, the greatest and most sacred of all trees, which binds together heaven and earth and hell, is an Ash. Its roots spread over the whole earth. Its branches reach above the heavens. Underneath lies a serpent; above is an eagle; a squirrel runs up and down the trunk, trying to breed strife between them.

Genus Fraxinus, L. (Ash)

Leaves - compound (odd-feathered; leaflets, seven to nine); opposite; edge of leaflets slightly toothed…