Part 11 (1/2)

THE flowering dogwood is rare in the northern third of the State. It is a small tree, growing under the larger forest trees, usually 15 to 30 feet in height and 6 to 12 inches in diameter, with a rather flat and spreading crown and short, often crooked trunk. The _bark_ is reddish-brown to black and broken up into small 4-sided scaly blocks.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FLOWERING DOGWOOD

Leaf and flowers, one-half natural size. Twig, two-thirds natural size.]

The _leaves_ are opposite, ovate, 3 to 5 inches long, 2 to 3 inches wide, pointed, entire or wavy on the margin, bright green above, pale green or grayish beneath.

The _flowers_, which unfold from the conspicuous round, grayish, winter flower buds before the leaves come out, are small greenish-yellow, arranged in dense heads surrounded by large white or rarely pinkish petal-like bracts, which give the appearance of large spreading flowers 2 to 4 inches across.

The _fruit_ is a bright scarlet ”berry”, 1/2 inch long and containing a hard nutlet in which are 1 or 2 seeds. Usually several fruits, or ”berries”, are contained in one head. They are relished by birds, squirrels and other animals.

The _wood_ is hard, heavy, strong, very close-grained, brown to red in color. It is in great demand for cotton-mill machinery, turnery handles and forms. One other tree has quite similar wood--the persimmon.

The dogwood, with its ma.s.ses of early spring flowers, its dark red autumn foliage and its bright red berries, is probably our most ornamental native tree. It should be used much more extensively in roadside and ornamental planting.

The alternate-leaved dogwood, _Cornus alternifolia_ L., occasionally reaches tree size with long slender branches arranged in irregular whorls giving the tree a storied effect. The flowers are small, followed by blue-black fruit borne in loose red-stemmed cl.u.s.ters.

+SOUR GUM+ _Nyssa sylvatica_ Marsh.

THE sour gum, often called black gum, is found in many types of soil and in most conditions of soil moisture in southern Illinois, but it becomes rare in the northern half of the State. In lowlands, it is occasionally found in year-round swamps with cypress, and in the hills on dry slopes with oaks and hickories.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SOUR GUM

One-half natural size.]

The _leaves_ are simple, 2 to 3 inches long, entire, often broader near the apex, s.h.i.+ny, dark green in color. In the fall the leaves turn a most brilliant red.

The _bark_ on younger trees is furrowed between flat ridges, and gradually develops into quadrangular blocks that are dense, hard and nearly black. Most of the branches are nearly horizontal.

The greenish _flowers_ on long slender stems appear in early spring when the leaves are about one-third grown. They are usually of two kinds, the male in many-flowered heads and the female in two to several-flowered cl.u.s.ters on different trees. The _fruit_ is a dark blue, fleshy berry, 2/3 of an inch long, containing a single hard-sh.e.l.led seed, and is borne on long stems, 2 to 3 in a cl.u.s.ter.

The _wood_ is very tough, cross-grained, not durable in contact with the soil, hard to work, and warps easily. It is used for crate and basket veneers, box shooks, rollers, mallets, rough floors, mine trams, pulpwood and fuel.

The tupelo gum, or cotton gum, _Nyssa aquatica_ L., is found in deep river swamps which are flooded during a part of the year. It occurs in 4 or 5 of the southern counties of Illinois in cypress swamps. The enlarged base and the larger fruit serve to distinguish it from the sour gum. This fruit or ”plum” is about an inch long, dark purple and has a tough skin enclosing a flattened stone. The wood is light, soft, and not strong and is used for woodenware, handles, fruit and vegetable packages.

+PERSIMMON+ _Diospyros virginiana_ L.

THE persimmon, often called ”simmon”, is well known throughout its range. It is a small tree, rarely exceeding 50 feet in height and 1 inch in diameter, occurring throughout the State from the southern part north to Peoria County. It seems to prefer dry, open situations, and is most abundant in the old fields, though it also occurs on rich bottom lands.

The _bark_ of old trees is almost black and separated into thick nearly square blocks, much like the black gum.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PERSIMMON

Leaf, one-half natural size. Twig, three-quarters natural size.]

The _leaves_ are alternate, oval, entire, 4 to 6 inches long, dark green and s.h.i.+ning above, paler beneath.

The small _flowers_, which appear in May, are yellowish or creamy white, somewhat bell-shaped, the two kinds occurring on separate trees; the male in cl.u.s.ters of 2 or 3, the female solitary. They are visited by many insects.