Trees of Indiana Part 2

Flowers less than 8 mm. (1/3 inch) across, fruit a non-edible drupe Cornaceae 259

C. Leaves with more than 1 primary vein.

Staminate and pistillate flowers in catkins.

Fruit dry Populus in Salicaceae 45

Fruit fleshy Morus in Moraceae 151

Staminate and pistillate flowers not in catkins.

Pistillate and staminate flowers separate.

Leaves 3-nerved at the base, fruit a 1-seeded drupe Celtis in Ulmaceae 146

Leaves 5-nerved at the base, fruit a head of carpels or achenes.

Bark fissured, not peeling off in flakes, leaves aromatic Altingiaceae 166

Bark peeling off in flakes, leaves not aromatic Platanaceae 168

Pistillate and staminate flowers in one.

Fruit dry Tiliaceae 255

Fruit fleshy Malaceae 171

=PINaCEAE.= The Pine Family.

Trees and shrubs with a resinous sap, which yields rosin, tar, turpentine and essential oils. The leaves are linear or scale-like, alternate, whorled or cl.u.s.tered; flowers naked, appearing in the spring; fruit a cone or sometimes berry-like. A large family of trees and shrubs, containing over 200 species, found in many parts of the world, and of great economic importance. In Indiana only nine species are native, and the distribution of seven of these species has always been very limited.

Leaves linear, in cl.u.s.ters of 2, 3, 5 or more than 5.

Leaves in bundles of 2-5. 1 Pinus.

Leaves in bundles of more than 5. 2 Larix.

Leaves linear and solitary, or scale-like.

Leaves all linear.

Leaves obtuse. 3 Tsuga.

Leaves sharp-pointed.

Leaves green on both sides, alternate. 4 Taxodium.

Leaves glaucous beneath, opposite or whorled. 6 Juniperus.

Leaves all scale-like, or some of the branches with linear sharp-pointed leaves.

Leaves all scale-like, fruit a cone of 8-12 imbricated scales. 5 Thuja.

Leaves scale-like or some linear and sharp-pointed, fruit berry-like. 6 Juniperus.

=1. PNUS.= The Pines.

Evergreen trees with needle-shaped leaves in bundles of 2-5 or 7; flowers appearing in the spring, the staminate cl.u.s.tered at the base of the season's shoots, the pistillate on the side or near the end of the shoots; fruit a woody cone which matures at the end of the second season, or more rarely at the end of the third season; scales of the cone variously thickened; seeds in pairs at the base of the scales.

There are about 70 species of pines of which three are native to Indiana. Commercially the pines are cla.s.sed as soft and hard. In our area the soft pines are represented by the white pine, while the gray and Jersey pines are cla.s.sed as hard pines.

Leaves 5 in a bundle, 6-12 cm. long. 1 P. Strobus.

Leaves 2-3 in a bundle.

Scales of cones unarmed, leaves usually 2-4 cm. long. 2 P. Banksiana.

Scales of cones tipped with a short spine, leaves usually over 4 cm. long. 3 P. virginiana.

=1.= =Pinus Strbus= Linnaeus. White Pine. Plate 2. Bark greenish and smooth on young trees, becoming reddish or gray and furrowed on old trees; young twigs scurvy-p.u.b.escent, soon smooth and light brown; leaves normally 5 in a bundle, sometimes more, 6-12 cm. long, 3-sided, sharp-pointed, bluish-green, maturing and falling at end of second season; cones ripening at end of second season, usually 10-20 cm. long; wood light, soft, not strong, works easily, takes a good polish, and warps little.

=Distribution.=--Newfoundland to Manitoba, south to Iowa, Kentucky and along the Alleghany Mountains to northern Georgia. The ma.s.s distribution of this species is to the north of our area, and in Indiana it is local and found in small numbers. It is a common tree on some of the dunes bordering Lake Michigan, and is found locally throughout the area bordering Lake Michigan. Its distribution in this part of the State has not been studied, but it is believed that in Lake and Porter Counties it is not at present found far from the Lake. Blatchley[1] reports "a thicket of this species about a peat bog on the Hayward farm one mile east of Merrillville in Lake County." The writer has seen it as a frequent tree in a black oak woods about four miles southwest of Michigan City, also quite a number of large trees seven miles northeast of Michigan City in a swampy woods, a.s.sociated with white elm, black ash, soft maple, etc.

Nieuwland[2] reports a single tree found in a tamarack swamp 25 miles east of Michigan City near Lyd.i.c.k in St. Joseph County. The next appearance of this species is to the south in Warren County on the outcrops of sandstone along Big Pine, Little Pine, Rock and Kickapoo Creeks. It is found more or less on bluffs of these creeks. It was the most abundant along Big Pine Creek, and followed up the creek for a distance of about ten miles, or midway between Rainsville and Indian Village. To the south it is next found in Fountain County on the outcrops of sandstone along Big Shawnee and Bear Creeks. Franklin Watts who owns the "Bear Creek Canyon" just south of Fountain says he remembers the area before any cutting was done along the creek. He says that the white pine was a common tree along the creek for a distance of half a mile and that a few scattered trees were found as far as 40 rods from the creek. He stated that the largest trees were about 30 inches in diameter and as high as the highest of the surrounding trees. Moving southward it is next found on a ridge of sandstone in Montgomery County on the south side of Sugar Creek about a mile east of the shades. Here it is closely a.s.sociated with hemlock which is absent in all of the stations to the north. Coulter[3] reports a colony in the "k.n.o.bs" of the northeast corner of Floyd County. This species was also reported from Clark County by Baird and Taylor. The writer has made inquiry and diligently searched for this species in this county but failed to locate it. In the vicinity of Borden where the Jersey pine grows, millmen distinguish two kinds of pines. Investigation showed that both are Jersey pine. The one with resinous exudations along the trunk is one kind, and trunks without exudation is the other. Since Baird and Taylor include cultivated trees in their list of the plants of Clark County, it is proposed to drop this reference.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate 2.

PINUS STROBUS Linnaeus. ( 1/2.) White Pine.]

=Remarks.=--White pine on account of the excellent qualities of its wood is in great demand, and has always ranked as one of our leading timber trees. In fact it was so highly prized that practically all of the original stand of this species has been cut.

The tree adapts itself to many habitats, hence has been used extensively for forestry purposes both in America and Europe. In fact it was the most used tree in forestry until about ten years ago when the white pine blister rust was discovered in America. This disease is now found in practically all of the states where this species forms dense stands.

However, Federal and State authorities are trying to stamp out the disease. In Indiana it is a species well worth a trial for forestry purposes, especially in windbreaks where other species are used.

=2.= =Pinus Banksiana= Lambert. Gray Pine. Jack Pine. Plate 3. A small tree 10-15 m. high with reddish-brown bark, broken into short flakes; shoots of season yellow-green, turning reddish-brown, smooth; leaves dark green, in twos, 2-5 cm. long, divergent, curved or twisted, rigid, sharp-pointed, persisting for two or three years; cones sessile, sharp-pointed, oblique at the base, 3-5 cm. long, usually pointing in the direction of the branch; wood light, soft and weak.

=Distribution.=--The most northern of all of our pines. Nova Scotia to northern New York, northern Illinois, Minnesota and northward. In Indiana it is found only on and among the sand dunes in the immediate vicinity of Lake Michigan, and in no instance has it been seen more than three miles from the Lake. Found sparingly in Lake, Porter and Laporte Counties. It is the most abundant in the vicinity of Dune Park.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate 3.

PINUS BANKSIANA Lambert. Gray or Jack Pine. ( 1/2.)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate 4.