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Leaves - simple; alternate; edge very sharply and finely toothed. Outline - long oval, long egg-shape, or reverse egg-shape. Apex - sometimes bristle-pointed. Base - slightly heart-shaped or rounded. Leaf - usually two to three inches long, somewhat downy when young, afterward very smooth above and below. Bark - of branches and twigs usually purplish-brown and very smooth. Flowers - large, white, in long and loose clusters at the ends of the branchlets; appearing before the leaves. April, May. Fruit - berry-like, round, purplish, sweet, and edible. June. Found - in woods and along streams; common at the North; rare in the South. General Information - A small tree, ten to thirty feet high, or in some of its numerous forms reduced to a low shrub; noticeable and showy in early spring because of its flowers. The variety A. C. oblongifolia, T. and G., differs somewhat from the above in the dimensions of the flowers and flower clusters, etc. The name "shad-bush" is given because the trees blossom about the time that the shad "run".

Genus Amelanchier, Medik (June-berry)

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge very sharply and finely toothed. Outline - long oval, long egg-shape,…

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge entire. Outline - long and narrow. Apex - pointed and bristle-tipped. Base - pointed. Leaf - three to six inches long; one to two inches wide; smooth and shining above; somewhat downy beneath; thick and stiff. Bark - smooth and unbroken. Acorns - small, nearly stemless. Cup - shallow. Nuts - rounded; about one half inch in diameter; bitter. October. Found - in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania (Porter), westward to Southeastern Iowa, and southward. Most common west of the Alleghany Mountains. General Information - A tree thirty to fifty feet high, with poor wood, that is used at the West for shingles and clapboards. Note: Of the nine hybrids that have been recognized, most are outside of our limits or entirely local. Mention need be made only of tow: Q. heterophylla, Michaux ("Bartram's Oak"). Staten Island and New Jersey to Delaware and North Carolina; Q. Rudkini, Britt., New Jersey. Quercus, possible from a Celtic word meaning to inquire, because it was among the oaks that the Druids oftenest practised their rites. The Oak "Live thy Life, Young and old, Like yon oak, Bright in spring, Living gold; Summer-rich, Then; and then Autumn-changed, Sober-hued Gold again. All his leaves fall'n at length, Look, he stands, Trunk and bough, Naked strength.: Alfred (Lord) Tennyson, 1889.

Genus Quercus, L. (Oak)

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

Leaves - Simple; alternate; edge very finely and sharply toothed. Outline - long egg-shape. Apex - taper-pointed. Base - rounded or slightly pointed. Leaf/Stem - about one fourth to one half inch long. Leaf/Buds - yellowish and smooth. Leaf - about three to five or six inches long, one inch or more wide; dark above, smooth and shining above and below. Middle ribs usually whitish, and distinct above. Found - from New England southward to Chester County, Pennsylvania, west and north. Rather common, usually on wet grounds. General Information - A small tree (or often a shrub) twelve to twenty-five feet high. Salix from two Celtic words meaning "near" and "water."

Genus Salix, L. (Willow)

Leaves - Simple; alternate; edge very finely and sharply toothed. Outline - long egg-shape. Apex - taper-pointed.…

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; alternate; edge usually lobed (the lobes toothed). Outline - broad egg-shape. Apex - of the lobes, blunt-pointed. Base - usually slightly heart-shaped. Leaf/Stem - downy and nearly round. Leaf - usually about two and a half inches long; when mature, smooth and dark green above, below downy and almost snow-white. In the young leaves both surfaces and the leaf-stem are snowy-white and downy. General Information - A native of Europe; now widely introduced. A very ornamental tree, but troublesome in cultivation, and now out of favor because of the abundance of suckers that spring from its roots.

Genus Populus, L. (Aspen, Poplar)

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge usually lobed (the lobes toothed). Outline - broad egg-shape. Apex…

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge sharply and doubly toothed. Outline - oval or long egg-shape. Apex - taper-pointed. Base - slightly heart-shaped or rounded. Leaf/Stem - about one eighth inch long, stout and rough. Buds - hairy. Leaf - four to seven inches long, three to four inches wide. The upper surface is rough both ways, and very rough downwards, almost like a fine file. The under surface is slightly rough. Ribs - beneath are prominent and straight, and hairy in their angles. Bark - of the larger branches, brownish; branchlets, light-gray and very rough, becoming grayish-purple. The inner bark is very gummy and "slippery." Seeds - flat, round, winged, but not fringed. Last of May. Found - along the lower St. Lawrence to Ontario, and from Western New England westward and southward; in woods and along streams. General Information - A tree thirty to forty feet high. Its wood is hard and strong, but splits easily when dry. Though otherwise inferior, for posts it is superior to white elm. Its inner bark is sold by druggists as "slippery elm," and is nutritious and medicinal. Its name of red elm is due to the reddish-brown tinge of its large rounded and hairy buds in the spring.

Genus Ulmus, L. (Elm)

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge sharply and doubly toothed. Outline - oval or long egg-shape. Apex…

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge toothed. Outline - oval. Apex - pointed. Base - rounded or slightly pointed. Leaf - four to six inches long, one and a half to two and a half inches wide, soon becoming smooth, with a decided acid taste (whence the name). Bark - of trunk, rough and deeply furrowed. Flowers - white, in loose and long one-sided clusters. Found - from Pennsylvania and Ohio southward, chiefly along the Alleghany Mountains, and usually in dry, gravelly soil. General Information - A tree forty to sixty feet high, with hard, close-grained wood, which is used for the handles of tools, the bearings of machinery, etc. Name from two Greek words meaning sour and tree.

Genus oxydendrum, D. C. (Sorrel Tree)

Leaves - simple; alternate; edge toothed. Outline - oval. Apex - pointed. Base - rounded or slightly…

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 - 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 - 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; 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 - simple; indeterminate in position because of their closeness, but arranged along the branches in two-leaved sheathed bunches. Leaf - needle-shape, about two and one half inches long, stiff; outer side smooth and rounded; inner side hollowed. Cones - about three and one half inches long, of a light yellow color, stemless, often united in clusters of fours. Scales - with a stout spine, widening at its base, one sixth of an inch in length. Found - within narrower limits than any other American Pine; along the Alleghany Mountains from Pennsylvania to Tennessee, especially upon Table Mountain in North Carolina, one of the highest peaks of the range. General Information - A tree ten to fifty feet high, with light and soft wood, largely used for charcoal.

Genus Pinus, L. (Pine)

Leaves - simple; indeterminate in position because of their closeness, but arranged along the branches…

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; indeterminate in position because of their smallness and closeness. They are scale-like, somewhat egg-shape, overlapping each other, and closely pressed in four rows up and down the very flat branchlets. Each leaf has at its centre a raised gland, easily distinguished if held between the eye and the light. Bark - fibrous. The "spray" (formed from the flat branchlets) is itself flat and very delicate and of a dull green. Cones - about one fourth of an inch in diameter, round, variously placed, compact, purplish as they ripen; opening when ripe toward the centre line (i. e., not toward its base). Scales - fleshy, shield-shaped and apparently fastened near their centres, with the edge several-pointed, and with a sharp point or knob in the centre. Seeds - usually four to eight under each scale, oval, with wide wings at the sides. Found - in deep, cold swamps (filling them densely and exclusively), from Southern Maine along the coast to Florida, and along the Gulf coast to Mississippi. General Information - A tapering evergreen tree, thirty to seventy feet high, with light and durable wood, largely used in boat-building, for wooden-ware, shingles, etc.

Genus Chamaecyparis, Spach. (White Cedar)

Leaves - simple; indeterminate in position because of their smallness and closeness. They are scale-like,…

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; indeterminate in position because of their closeness, but arranged along the branches in five-leaved bunches, with their sheaths lacking or very short, excepting when young. Leaf - needle-shape, three to five inches long, light bluish-green, three-sided, soft, and very slender. Cones - four to six inches long, cylinder-shape, about one inch in diameter before the scales loosen; solitary, drooping, slightly curved. Scales - thin, without prickles. Bark - of trunk, lighter than in the other pines; in young trees smooth, and only slightly rough when older. Found - from Newfoundland to the Winnipeg River, southward through the Northern States, and along the Alleghany Mountains to Georgia. Its finest growth is in the region of the Great Lakes. General Information - An evergreen tree of soft and delicate foliage, eighty to one hundred and fifty feet high; one of the most valuable timber trees of any country. The wood is clear of knots, straight-grained, and soft, and is used in immense quantities for building and many kinds of manufacturing. The branches are given off in flat, regular whorls around the straight trunk.

Genus Pinus, L. (Pine)

Leaves - simple; indeterminate in position because of their closeness, but arranged along the branches…

Leaves - simple; indeterminate in position because of their closeness; arranged singly all around the branchlets. Leaf - needle-shaped, five twelfths to three fourths of an inch long, four-sided, curved, sharp, rather slender, bluish-green, much lighter than the leaf of the Black Spruce. Bark - lighter than that of the Black Spruce. Cones - one to two inches long, and always in the proportion of about two inches in length to one half or three fourths of an inch in thickness; drooping at the ends of the branchlets; long oval or cylinder-shape; pale green when young, becoming brownish as they ripen. Scales - broad reverse egg-shape, with an entire edge, and rounded or somewhat two-lobed at the apex. Found - in Maine, Northeastern Vermont, Northern Michigan, Minnesota, and far northward, on low ground and in swamps. It is most common north of the United States boundaries. General Information - An evergreen tree, forty to seventy feet high. One of the most important of the Northern timber trees.

Genus Picea, Link. (Spruce)

Leaves - simple; indeterminate in position because of their closeness; arranged singly all around the…

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; indeterminate in position because of their closeness, but arranged along the branches in two-leaved sheathed bunches (On vigorous young shoots the leaves are sometimes clustered in threes, not on the old branches.) Leaf - needle-shape, two and a half to five inches long, usually four to five inches; dark green; slender; rounded on the outer side; on the inner side, hollowed. Cone - about two to three inches long, in old trees scarcely more than one and a half inches long; the smallest of the American Pine cones; surface roughened by the slightly projecting ends of the scales; not growing in large clusters. Scales - tipped with a weak prickle pointing outward. Found - in Staten Island and New Jersey, and southward to Western Florida; through the Gulf States, Arkansas, and parts of Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois. General Information - An evergreen tree forty to eighty feet high, with straight trunk, regular branches, and pyramid-shaped head. The timber is hard and very valuable, second in value (among the Yellow Pines) only to the "Georgia Pine" (P. palustris -" Long-leaved Pine," "Southern Pine").

Genus Pinus, L. (Pine)

Leaves - simple; indeterminate in position because of their closeness, but arranged along the branches…

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…