Forest Trees of Illinois Part 8

[Ill.u.s.tration: SERVICE BERRY One-half natural size.]

The _bark_ is smooth and light gray, and shallowly fissured into scaly ridges. The _winter buds_ are long and slender.

The _leaves_ are alternate, slender-stalked, ovate, pointed, finely toothed, 2 to 4 inches long, densely white-hairy when young, then becoming a light green, and covered with scattered silky hairs.

The white _flowers_ appear in erect or drooping cl.u.s.ters in early spring, before the leaves, making the tree quite conspicuous in the leafless or budding forest. The petals are slender and rather more than a half inch long.

The _fruit_ is sweet, edible, rounded, reddish-purple when ripe, 1/3 to 1/2 an inch in diameter, ripening early in June. Birds and denizens of the forest are very fond of the berries.

The _wood_ is heavy, exceedingly hard, strong, close-grained and dark brown. It is occasionally used for handles. This is a desirable ornamental tree and should be planted for this purpose and to encourage the birds.

The smooth service berry, _Amelanchier leavis_ Wieg., differs from the above species in having smooth leaves, dark green and slightly glaucous when mature, and they are half grown at flowering time. The fruit is sweet, purple or nearly black, glaucous and edible.

+c.o.c.k-SPUR THORN+ _Crataegus crus-galli_ L.

THE hawthorns, or thorn-apples, are small trees or shrubs of the apple family which are widely distributed throughout the northeastern United States, with fewer species in the South and West. In North America, no less than 150 species have been distinguished, but their proper identification is a task for the expert. There are about a dozen haws that reach tree size in Illinois, attaining a height of 20 to 30 feet and a stem diameter of 8 to 12 inches. Of these, perhaps the best known is the c.o.c.k-spur thorn with its many strong straight spines and shining leaves. Its _bark_ is pale gray and scaly. Its _winter buds_ are small, globose and l.u.s.trous brown.

[Ill.u.s.tration: c.o.c.k-SPUR THORN Flowers and fruit one-half natural size.]

The _leaves_ are conspicuous because of their dark green glossy surface.

They are broadest toward the apex tapering to the short petiole. They vary in size in different localities, the smaller-leaved varieties seem to be more frequently met with in the southern part of the State than in the north. These leaves are alternate, wedge-shaped, notched on the edges, and from 2 to 3 inches long.

The _flowers_ are rather small, arranged in flat-topped cl.u.s.ters, white in color, with about a dozen pink stamens.

The _fruit_ is 1/3 inch thick, greenish-red; the flesh is hard and dry.

This haw is one of the best for planting for ornamental purposes; with its spreading branches, it forms a broad, rounded crown. It is hardy and succeeds in a great variety of soils.

The dotted hawthorn, _Crataegus punctata_ Jacq., also has wedge-shaped leaves but they are leathery, dull gray-green in color with conspicuous veins. The tree reaches a height of 25 feet with distinctly horizontal branches forming a broad flat crown. It is often almost without thorns. The fruit is oblong, dull red with pale dots, becoming mellow.

The pear-thorn, _Crataegus calpodendron_ Med., is a smaller tree, with broader leaves, very few thorns and pear-shaped fruit. The haw is scarlet or orange-red, the flesh is thin and sweet.

+RED HAW+ _Crataegus mollis_ Scheele

LIKE almost all the hawthorns, the red haw is a tree of the pasture lands, the roadside, the open woods and the stream banks. It is the largest of our haws, occasionally reaching a height of 30 feet, with ascending branches usually forming a low conical crown. The twigs are hairy during the first season, but are soon smooth, slender, nearly unarmed or occasionally armed with stout, curved thorns.

[Ill.u.s.tration: RED HAW

Flowers one-half natural size.]

The _leaves_ are ovate or nearly orbicular, coa.r.s.ely toothed nearly to the base, usually 3 to 5 pairs of broad, shallow lobes. Both surfaces are hairy.

The _flowers_ are often nearly an inch across, in compact cl.u.s.ters. They have about 20 cream-colored, densely hairy stamens.

The _fruit_, or the haw, is large, nearly 3/4 inch across, bright crimson or scarlet in color. The edible sweet flesh is firm but mellow, surrounding 5 bony seeds. It is often used for making jelly.

The _wood_ is strong, tough, heavy and hard, and is used for mallets, tool handles and such small articles.

The Washington thorn, _Crataegus phaenopyrum_ Med., is a smaller tree, with bright red fruit, but its broad leaves are smooth and bright green. The flowers are small, in very large cl.u.s.ters, followed by small bright scarlet edible haws.

In the southern half of Illinois, growing on moist river bottoms, the green haw, _Crataegus viridis_ L., becomes a tree 20 feet tall. The broad leaves are dark green and quite smooth. The fruit is small but produced in large cl.u.s.ters becoming bright red or orange-red as it ripens.

+WILD PLUM+ _Prunus americana_ Marsh.

THE common wild plum, or yellow plum, is a small tree which at a height usually of 3 to 6 feet divides into many spreading branches, often drooping at the ends. Not uncommonly it grows in thickets where it attains only large shrub size. The value of the tree lies in its fruit from which jelly and preserves are made, and its handsome form, and foliage, pure white fragrant flowers, and showy fruit which make it desirable for ornamental planting.

[Ill.u.s.tration: WILD PLUM

Three-quarters natural size.]

The _leaves_ are alternate, oval, pointed, sharply toothed, (often doubly toothed) along the margin, thick and firm, 3 to 4 inches long by 1 to 2 inches wide, narrowed or rounded at the base, and prominently veined on both surfaces.

The _flowers_ appear in numerous small cl.u.s.ters before, or simultaneously with, the leaves, and are white with small bright red portions in the center. The _fruit_, or plum, which ripens in late summer, is red or orange colored, about an inch in diameter, contains a stone or pit that is flattened and about as long as the pulpy part, and varies rather widely in its palatability.

The _wood_ is heavy, hard, close-grained, reddish-brown in color and has no especial commercial uses.

The Canada plum, _Prunus nigra_ Ait., is similar to the common wild plum, but the teeth of the leaves are blunt, the leaves are thin and the fruit is orange in color, almost without bloom.

The wild goose plum, _Prunus hortulana_ Bailey, has thin lance-shaped leaves; its flowers have short petals and it has a rather hard, small globular fruit.

+BLACK CHERRY+ _Prunus serotina_ Ehrh.

A common tree in Illinois and attaining sizes up to about 70 feet in height and 1 to 3 feet in diameter, black cherry as a tree is found all over the State. The forest-grown trees have long clear trunks with little taper; open-grown trees have spreading crowns. The _bark_ on branches and young trees is smooth and bright reddish-brown, marked by conspicuous, narrow white, horizontal lines, and has a bitter-almond taste. On the older trunks the bark becomes rough and broken into thick, irregular plates.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BLACK CHERRY

Twig, two-thirds natural size. Leaf, one-third natural size.]

The _leaves_ are alternate, simple, oval to lance-like in shape, with edges broken by many fine incurved teeth, thick and shiny above, and paler beneath.

The _fruit_ is dull purplish-black, about as large as a pea, and is borne in long hanging cl.u.s.ters. It ripens in late summer, and is edible, although it has a slightly bitter taste.

The _wood_ is reddish-brown with yellowish sapwood, moderately heavy, hard, strong, fine-grained, and does not warp or split in seasoning. It is valuable for its l.u.s.tre and color and is used for furniture, interior finish, tools, and implement handles. With the exception of black walnut, black cherry lumber has a greater unit value than any other hardwood of the eastern United States.

The wild cherry, _Prunus pennsylvanica_ L., is a small tree, growing on light soils, in the northern part of the State. The bark is a dark reddish-brown; the leaves are lance-shaped bright green and shiny above, while the fruit is round and bright red in color.

The choke cherry, _Prunus virginiana_ L., is common along fences and under larger trees in the forest in the northern half of the State. It seldom becomes a tree but it bears a fruit which is sweet but very astringent and is dark purple when ripe.

+HONEY LOCUST+ _Gleditsia triacanthos_ L.

THE honey locust occurs scattered throughout the State. It grows under a wide variety of soil and moisture conditions. It sometimes occurs in the forest, but more commonly in corners and waste places beside roads and fields. It reaches a diameter of 30 inches and a height of 75 feet. The _bark_ on old trees is dark gray and is divided into thin tight scales.

The strong thorns--straight, brown, branched, sharp and shiny which grow on the 1-year-old wood and remain for many years--are sufficient to identify the honey locust.