Trees of the Northern United States Part 28

GENUS =74. uLMUS.=

Tall umbrella-shaped trees with watery juice and alternate, 2-ranked, simple, deciduous, obliquely ovate to obliquely heart-shaped, strongly straight-veined, serrate leaves, harsh to the touch, often rough.

Flowers insignificant, appearing before the leaves. Fruit a flattened, round-winged samara; ripe in the spring and dropping early from the trees. Bark rough with longitudinal ridges.

* Leaves very rough on the upper side. (=A.=)

=A.= Leaves 4 to 8 in. long; buds rusty-downy; inner bark very mucilaginous 1.

=A.= Leaves smaller; buds not downy; cultivated. (=B.=)

=B.= Wide-spreading tree; twigs drooping; fruit slightly notched 2.

=B.= Tree rather pyramidal; twigs not usually drooping; fruit deeply notched 3.

* Leaves not very rough on the upper side. (=C.=)

=C.= Buds and branchlets p.u.b.escent; twigs often with corky ridges 4.

=C.= Buds and branchlets free from hairs, or very nearly so.

(=D.=)

=D.= Twigs with corky wings 5.

=D.= Twigs often with corky ridges; cultivated 2, 3.

=D.= Branchlets never corky 6.

[Ill.u.s.tration: U. fulva.]

1. =ulmus fulva=, Michx. (SLIPPERY OR RED ELM.) Leaves large, 4 to 8 in., very rough above, ovate-oblong, taper-pointed, doubly serrate, soft-downy beneath; branchlets downy; inner bark very mucilaginous; leaves sweet-scented in drying; buds in spring soft and downy with rusty hairs. Fruit with a shallow notch in the wing not nearly reaching the rounded nut. A medium-sized tree, 45 to 60 ft. high, with tough and very durable reddish wood; wild in rich soils throughout.

[Ill.u.s.tration: U. montana.]

2. =ulmus montana=, Bauh. (SCOTCH OR WITCH ELM.) Leaves broad, obovate, abruptly pointed and doubly serrated. Fruit rounded, with a slightly notched wing, naked. Branches drooping at their extremity, their bark smooth and even. A medium-sized tree, 50 to 60 ft. high, with spreading or often drooping branches; extensively cultivated under a dozen different names, among the most peculiar being the White-margined (var.

_alba marginata_), the Crisped-leaved (var. _crispa_), and the Weeping (var. _pendula_) Elms.

[Ill.u.s.tration: U. campestris.]

3. =ulmus campestris=, L. (ENGLISH OR FIELD ELM.) Leaves much smaller and of a darker color than the American Elm, obovate-oblong, abruptly sharp-pointed, doubly serrated, rough. Fruit smooth, with the wing deeply notched. A tall and beautiful cultivated tree, with the branches growing out from the trunk more abruptly than those of the American Elm, and thus forming a more pyramidal tree. A score of named varieties are in cultivation in this country, some with very corky bark, others with curled leaves, and still others with weeping branches.

[Ill.u.s.tration: U. racemsa.]

4. =ulmus racemsa=, Thomas. (CORK OR ROCK ELM.) Leaves 2 to 4 in. long, obovate-oblong, abruptly pointed, often doubly serrated, with very straight veins; twigs and bud-scales downy-ciliate; branches often with corky ridges. Fruit large ( in. or more long), with a deep notch; hairy. A large tree with fine-grained, heavy and very tough wood.

Southwest Vermont, west and south, southwestward to Missouri, on river-banks.

[Ill.u.s.tration: U. alata.]

5. =ulmus alata=, Michx. (WAHOO OR WINGED ELM.) Leaves small, 1 to 2 in.

long, ovate-oblong or oblong-lanceolate, acute, thickish, downy beneath and nearly smooth above, sharply serrate. Bud-scales and branchlets nearly smooth. Notch in the wing of the fruit deep. A small tree, 30 to 40 ft. high, the branches having corky wings. Wild, Virginia, west and south; rarely cultivated.

[Ill.u.s.tration: U. Americana.]

6. =ulmus Americana=, L. (AMERICAN OR WHITE ELM.) Leaves 2 to 4 in.

long, obovate-oblong or oval, abruptly sharp-pointed, sharply and often doubly serrated, soft-p.u.b.escent beneath when young, soon quite smooth; buds and branchlets smooth. Fruit in. long, its sharp points incurved and closing the deep notch; hairy only on the edges. A large ornamental tree, usually with spreading branches and drooping branchlets, forming a very wide-spreading top. Wild throughout in rich, moist soil; common in cultivation.

GENUS =75. PLaNERA.=

Trees or tall shrubs with alternate, simple, pointed, 2-ranked, feather-veined, toothed leaves. Flowers inconspicuous, with the leaves in spring. Fruit a small, nut-like, scaly, globular drupe, ripe in autumn. Bark scaling off like that of the Sycamore.

[Ill.u.s.tration: P. aquatica.]

1. =Planera aquatica=, Gmel. (AMERICAN PLANER-TREE.) Leaves ovate-oblong, small, 1 to 1 in. long, on short stems, sharp-pointed, serrate with equal teeth, smooth, green above and gray below, not oblique at base. Flowers minute, in small heads, appearing before the leaves. Fruit a scaly, roughened nut, in., raised on a stalk in the calyx; ripe in September. A small tree, 20 to 50 ft. high; wet banks, Kentucky and southward; hardy as far north as Philadelphia.

[Ill.u.s.tration: P. ac.u.minata.]

2. =Planera ac.u.minata.= (KIAKA ELM OR j.a.pAN PLANER-TREE.) Leaves large, glossy, smooth, deeply notched, on red stems; young shoots also red.

This is a larger, more hardy, and finer tree than the American Planer-tree, and should be more extensively cultivated.

The Caucasian Planer-tree (_Planera parvifolia_), with very small leaves, is also occasionally cultivated.

GENUS =76. CeLTIS.=

Trees or shrubs with alternate, simple, 2-ranked, oblique, serrate leaves. Flowers inconspicuous, greenish, axillary. Fruit berry-like, sweet, edible drupes, about the size of a currant, with one seed; color dark; ripe in autumn.

* Leaves usually sharply serrate 1.

* Leaves almost entire 2.

[Ill.u.s.tration: C. occidentalis.]

1. =Celtis occidentalis=, L. (SUGARBERRY. HACKBERRY.) Leaves ovate, obliquely subcordate to truncate at base, long-ac.u.minate, serrate (at least near the apex), rough above and hairy beneath. Fruit a single-seeded, in., globular drupe, solitary on a peduncle, 1 in.

long, in the axils of the leaves; purple when ripe in autumn.

Shrub (var. _pumila_) to large tree, 6 to 50 ft. high; throughout; rare north, abundant south. Sometimes cultivated. The branches are numerous, slender, horizontal, giving the tree a wide-spreading, dense top.

[Ill.u.s.tration: C. Mississippiensis.]

2. =Celtis Mississippiensis=, Bosc. Leaves almost entire, with a very long, tapering point, a rounded and mostly oblique base, thin and smooth. Fruit smaller than that of the preceding species. A small tree with rough, warty bark. Illinois and southward.

GENUS =77. MACLuRA.=

Trees or shrubs with milky juice and simple, alternate, entire, deciduous leaves, generally having a sharp spine by the side of the bud in the axils. Flowers inconspicuous; in summer. Fruit large, globular, orange-like in appearance.

[Ill.u.s.tration: M. aurantaca.]