Michigan Trees Part 10

HABIT.--A tree 50-70 feet high, with a trunk diameter of 1-3 feet; forming a dense, conical, spire-topped crown of numerous, drooping branches which persist nearly to the ground.

LEAVES.--Spirally arranged along the twig; crowded; 3/4-1 inch long; rigid, curved, acute; l.u.s.trous, dark green. Persistent 5-7 years.

FLOWERS.--May; monoecious; the staminate ovoid to subglobose, long-stalked, reddish to yellowish, 3/4-1 inch long; the pistillate cylindrical, sessile, erect, 1-1/2-2 inches long.

FRUIT.--Autumn of first season; sessile, cylindrical cones 3-6 inches long, pendent from the tips of the uppermost branches; sterile scales very short, toothed; seeds red-brown, rough, 1/8 inch long, with long wings.

WINTER-BUDS.--Ovoid, acute, red-brown, not resinous, about 3/8 inch long.

BARK.--Twigs red- or orange-brown, smooth or corrugated; becoming thin and gray-brown on old trunks, slightly fissured, scaly.

WOOD.--Light, strong, tough, elastic, soft, fine-grained, white, with thick, indistinguishable sapwood.

NOTES.--Grows to a height of 120-150 feet in northern Europe and Asia.

Perfectly hardy in Michigan. Easily transplanted. Adapts itself to a variety of soils and climates. Grows rapidly, but is short-lived in our country. Desirable for ornamental planting. Useful for shelter belts.

[Ill.u.s.tration: +Balsam Fir+

1. Winter branchlet, 1.

2-3. Leaves, 2.

4. Cross-section of leaf, enlarged.

5. Unopened cone, 1.

6. Cone-scale with seeds, 1.]

+PINACEAE+

+Balsam Fir+

_Abies balsamea (L.) Mill._

HABIT.--A slender tree 40-60 feet high, with a trunk diameter of 12-18 inches; branches in whorls of 4-6, forming a symmetrical, open crown widest at the base and tapering regularly upward.

LEAVES.--Scattered, spirally arranged in rows, on young trees extending from all sides of the branch, on old trees covering the upper side of the branch; narrowly linear, with apex acute or rounded; 1/2-1-1/4 inches long; l.u.s.trous, dark green above, pale beneath; sessile; aromatic. Persistent 8-10 years.

FLOWERS.--May; monoecious; the staminate oblong-cylindrical, yellow, 1/4 inch long, composed of yellow anthers (subtended by scales) spirally arranged upon a central axis; the pistillate oblong-cylindrical, 1 inch long, composed of orbicular, purple scales (subtended by yellow-green bracts) spirally arranged upon a central axis.

FRUIT.--Autumn of first season; oblong-cylindrical, erect, p.u.b.erulous, dark purple cones, 2-4 inches long, about 1 inch thick; seeds 1/4 inch long, shorter than their light brown wings.

WINTER-BUDS.--Globose, orange-green, resinous, 1/8-1/4 inch in diameter.

BARK.--Twigs at first grayish and p.u.b.escent, becoming gray-brown and smooth; thin and smooth on young trunks, pale gray-brown and marked by swollen resin chambers; red-brown on old trunks and somewhat roughened by small, scaly plates.

WOOD.--Very light, soft, weak, coa.r.s.e-grained, perishable, pale brown, with thick, lighter colored sapwood.

DISTRIBUTION.--Occasional in the southern half of the Lower Peninsula, frequent in the northern half; abundant in the Upper Peninsula.

HABITAT.--Prefers cool, moist, rich soil; low, swampy ground; well-drained hillsides.

NOTES.--Grows rapidly. Short-lived. Easily transplanted.

[Ill.u.s.tration: +Hemlock+

1. Fruiting branch viewed from beneath, 1/2.

2. Leaf, 3.

3. Cross-section of leaf, enlarged.

4. Branchlet with partly opened cone, 1.

5. Cone-scale with seeds, 3.]

+PINACEAE+

+Hemlock+

_Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr._

HABIT.--A large tree 60-80 feet high, with a trunk 2-4 feet in diameter; forming a rather broad, open, somewhat irregular-pyramidal crown of slender, horizontal branches.

LEAVES.--Spirally arranged around the branch, but appearing 2-ranked by the twisting of their petioles; linear, flat, rounded at the apex; about 1/2 inch long; dark yellow-green and shining above, h.o.a.ry beneath; short-petioled. Persistent about 3 years.

FLOWERS.--April-May; monoecious; the staminate axillary, short-stalked, light yellow, about 3/8 inch long, composed of subglobose cl.u.s.ters of stamens; the pistillate terminal, oblong, pale green, 1/8 inch long, the scales short, pinkish.

FRUIT.--Autumn of first season, gradually losing their seeds during the winter and falling the next spring; oblong-ovoid, acute, short-stalked, red-brown cones, about 3/4 inch long; seeds 1/8 inch long, with wings about twice as long.

WINTER-BUDS.--Ovoid, obtuse, red-brown, slightly p.u.b.erulous, 1/16 inch long.

BARK.--Twigs at first pale brown and p.u.b.escent, becoming glabrous, gray-brown; thick, red-brown or gray on the trunk, deeply divided into narrow, rounded, scaly ridges.

WOOD.--Light, soft, weak, brittle, coa.r.s.e- and crooked-grained, not durable, ill-smelling, light red-brown, with thin, darker colored sapwood.

DISTRIBUTION.--Throughout the state, with the exception of the south-eastern portion; scarce on the east side of the state, more common on the west, becoming very abundant in Emmet County.

HABITAT.--Prefers well-drained uplands and slopes of ravines.

NOTES.--A favorite hedge plant. Useful for ornamental planting in shady situations.

[Ill.u.s.tration: +Arborvitae. White Cedar+

1. Fruiting branchlet, 1.

2. Tip of branchlet, enlarged.

3. Cone-scale with seeds, 3.]