Chapter I: Front Matter (1)

Forest Trees of Texas
_How To Know Them_

_Eighth Edition
Ninth Printing
October, 1990_

TEXAS FOREST SERVICE
A PART OF
THE TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS

BULLETIN 20 APRIL, 1963

CROWN
TRUNK
HEARTWOOD (INACTIVE) GIVES STRENGTH
SAPWOOD CARRIES SAP FROM ROOT TO LEAVES
CAMBIUM (MICROSCOPIC) BUILDS THE CELLS
INNER BARK CARRIES PREPARED FOOD FROM LEAVES TO CAMBIUM LAYER
OUTER BARK PROTECTS TREE FROM INJURIES
ROOTS
SURFACE ROOTS
TAPROOT

_Tree increases each year in height and spread of branches by adding on new growth of twigs_

_Air supplies carbon the principal food of the tree taken in on under surface of leaves._

_Leaves prepare the food obtained from air and soil and give off moisture by transpiration. Light and heat are necessary for the chemical changes_

_The breathing pores of the entire tree,—on leaves, twigs, branches, trunk and roots take in oxygen. Flooding, poisonous gases, or smoke may kill a tree_

_Root tips or root hairs take up water containing small quantity of minerals in solution_

_The buds, root tips, and cambium layer are the growing parts of the tree. Water containing a small quantity of minerals in solution is absorbed by the roots, carried up through the sapwood to the leaves and there combined with carbon from the air to make food. This food is carried by the inner bark to all growing parts of the tree, even down to the root tips_

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The first edition of _Forest Trees of Texas—How to Know Them_ was assembled by W. R. Matoon and C. B. Webster in 1928. The sections, “Trees as Mankind’s Friends”, “Studying a Tree”, “Other Texas Trees”, drawings of twigs, leaves and fruits, and the glossary were incorporated into the fourth and fifth editions by S. L. Frost and D. A. Anderson. The sixth and seventh editions were edited by H. E. Weaver and W. A. Smith, respectively. Some of the drawings used in this publication were made available by the United States Forest Service.

The eighth edition was revised and edited by John A. Haislet to conform with the nomenclature in _Check List of Native and Naturalized Trees of the United States (Including Alaska)_, Agriculture Handbook No. 41, prepared under the direction of the United States Forest Service Tree and Range Plant Committee. D. A. Anderson’s “A Guide to the Identification of the Principal Trees and Shrubs of Texas” was revised and incorporated in the eighth edition to give it greater utility to the non-technical student of trees.

TREES ... MANKIND’S FRIENDS

Trees have held an important place in man’s way of life since he has been on the earth. Trees provided early man with weapons to defend himself and helped provide him with food, shelter and fuel.

Trees have played an important role in the history of the United States. Timber was our nation’s first export. The forest also provided our forefathers with their homes, farm implements, rifle stocks and wagons. The forest, by furnishing ties and utility poles, made possible the expansion of railroad systems, electric power and telephone networks. Every industry depends upon forest products in one way or another.

Trees are more important today than ever before. More than 10,000 products are reportedly made from trees. Through chemistry, the humble woodpile is yielding chemicals, plastics and fabrics that were beyond comprehension when an axe first felled a Texas tree.

The American standard of living depends to no small extent on the care with which we use our forest resource. Fortunately, trees are a renewable resource. They can be grown as a crop and harvested in such a way that the stand is kept productive, and a steady supply of forest products is assured.

TEXAS TREES

A tree is generally defined as a woody plant having one well-defined stem and a more or less definitely formed crown, usually attaining a height of at least eight feet. Using water and minerals from the soil, gases from the air and energy from the sun, a tree manufactures the food it needs for growth and reproduction. Trees, like man, grow rapidly when they are young but gradually their growth decreases; they begin to deteriorate and eventually die. Nature then reduces them to the elements from which they were derived.

The terms “hardwood,” “softwood,” “deciduous” and “non-deciduous” are often encountered in tree literature. These terms are confusing and often misleading. Needle-bearing or cone-bearing trees are designated as softwoods even though the wood may be dense. Hardwoods are the broad-leaved (unlike needles or scales) trees, the wood of which may be dense or soft.

The conifers, or softwoods, generally retain their leaves more than one growing season and produce seed in cones; however, there are exceptions. Baldcypress, a conifer, is deciduous since it sheds its leaves in autumn. Cedar and juniper produce berry-like cones that scarcely resemble cones.

The hardwoods, or broad-leaved trees, are generally deciduous; i.e., they shed their leaves in autumn. Texas has many exceptions, for example: southern magnolia, live oak and American holly which retain green leaves through the winter.

More than half of the 1,100 species of native trees in the United States are found in the South. Of these, more than 200 species and varieties are native to Texas. In addition, many exotic species have been introduced and now grow in many parts of the state.

The four main forest regions of Texas include: the Southern pine forest in East Texas; the central hardwoods, the post oak and cross timbers of North-central Texas; the semi-tropical forest in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas; and the mountain forest, the timbered areas of West Texas which are a continuation of the timber types of the Southern Rocky Mountains. In Texas, trees are the principal vegetative cover on an estimated area of 28,805,617 acres.

PINE-HARDWOOD
CEDAR BREAKS
POST OAK
WEST CROSS TIMBERS
EAST CROSS TIMBERS
MOUNTAIN FORESTS

Texas also has minor tree areas which are almost restricted to Texas; the cedar breaks and the oak shinneries. Some of the shinnery trees are among the smallest in America. In places, fully matured trees are not over knee-high and resemble pigmy forests. In other areas, the same species grows 20 to 30 feet tall to form almost impenetrable thickets.

The pine-hardwood forests of East Texas, comprise 12,525,417 acres in all or part of 42 counties. Lumber, paper, baskets, boxes, ties, poles, piling, posts, handles and shingles constitute the main forest products manufactured in the Piney Woods of East Texas.

Farther west, in East Central Texas, the post oak forests cover approximately 5,030,200 acres in all or part of 39 counties.

The east and west “cross timbers”, occur on an area of approximately 3 million acres. The term “cross timbers” originated with the early settlers who, in their travels from east to west, crossed alternating patches of forests and prairies and so affixed the name “cross timbers” to these forests.

Farther south in the Edwards Plateau region, are the cedar breaks which extend over 3¾ million acres. Cedar grows on the steep slopes and rolling hills common to this region, in association with live oak and mesquite.

Other tree areas of the state include an estimated 500,000 acres of mountain forests in the Trans-Pecos Region and the live oak area along the Gulf Coast.

Two of Texas’ trees, guaiacum and ebony, produce the hardest woods in the United States. Both species are found in the Rio Grande Valley. The tree with the lightest wood in the United States, corkwood, grows near the mouth of the Brazos River. Drooping or weeping juniper, so named for the drooping characteristic of its branches, grows in the Big Bend area but has not been reported to be native elsewhere in this country.

Catclaw, huisache, mimosa, baretta, pistache, black persimmon, Mexican ash, anaqua, flatwoods plum (sloe) and guajillo are other trees common only in Texas.

TEXAS FOREST SERVICE

In 1915, the 34th Texas Legislature created by law the State Department of Forestry and made it a part of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. In 1925, the department became the Texas Forest Service. As it grew, its service to Texas increased. It now helps protect Texas’ forest resources against fire, insects and disease; assists woodland owners in the proper management of their lands; makes available seedlings for reforestation and windbreak purposes; conducts research in forest tree improvement, management and utilization; and conducts an educational program to acquaint Texans as to the desirability of practicing forestry.

The Texas Forest Service, with more than 300 employees, has four departments: Forest Fire Control, Forest Management, Forest Products, and Information and Education. The offices of the Director, and of the Forest Management and the Information and Education Departments are in College Station. Forest Fire Control and Forest Products Department headquarters are in Lufkin.

Seven administrative districts, each headed by a district forester, are responsible for the activities of the Texas Forest Service in the areas of intensive and extensive forest fire protection. District headquarters are located at Linden, Henderson, Lufkin, Woodville, Kirbyville, Conroe and College Station.

More than 10 million acres of state and privately owned timberland in the Piney Woods are now under intensive protection against fire, insects and diseases. An additional area of 5 million acres, commonly referred to as the post oak region, west of and adjacent to the pine-hardwood area, has been under extensive protection beginning with 1962.

TEXAS FORESTRY ASSOCIATION

The Texas Forestry Association is a statewide, nonprofit agency concerned primarily with the educational phase of forest conservation. Organized in 1914, the Association was largely responsible for the passage of the law which created the Department of Forestry at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, and from which the Texas Forest Service emerged.

For more than 48 years, this organization has cooperated with the Texas Forest Service and other interested agencies in promoting the forest economy of Texas. Membership in the Texas Forestry Association is open to all conservation-minded citizens.

ARBOR DAY

The growing dependency of man upon forest resources for raw materials, products, watershed protection, conservation of certain wildlife and recreation gives added significance to Arbor Day which is set aside annually to pay tribute to trees.

Arbor Day originated in Nebraska in 1872. It was first celebrated in Texas in 1889 on George Washington’s birthday, February 22. In 1949, the Texas State Legislature adopted the following resolution:

_Resolved, by the House of Representatives of the State of Texas, the
Senate concurring, That the third Friday in January of each year be
designated as “Arbor Day”, to be devoted to the planting and
cultivation of forest, shade and ornamental trees throughout the State
and to be observed for that purpose in such manner as may seem best to
the people of each community; and be it further_

_Resolved, That the Governor of Texas be requested to issue an
appropriate proclamation annually to encourage the proper observance
of such “Arbor Day”._

Arbor Day can best be celebrated by planting one or more suitable trees around a school or club area or by establishing a school plantation. In addition to paying tribute to the beauty of trees, one can call attention to the importance of trees to man’s welfare. The Texas Forest Service continues to assist clubs and schools in organizing Arbor Day programs.

STATE TREE

The pecan, _Carya illinoensis_, (Wangenh.) K. Koch, was officially designated as the state tree of Texas by an act of the legislature in June 1919.

By an amendment in 1927, certain state agencies were requested to give due consideration to the pecan tree when beautifying state parks and other public property belonging to the state.

STUDYING TREES

Trees, like people, become friends only when we have become well acquainted with them and have a knowledge of the characteristics that make them something special to us. This bulletin about the trees of Texas may be used as a handy reference for identifying trees you do not know, or it may be used as the basis for developing tree friends. The following is a guide or lesson plan that will help make a friend of each tree studied.

I. Object of Study
Each kind of tree has certain identifying characteristics which
mark it as being different from other kinds of species of trees.
By careful observation and examination these identifying points
may be learned and you can feel that you know the tree.
II. Source of Study Material
1. The locality in which you live probably has some trees you know.
Why do you know them? Start by studying these trees and make
them fast friends.
2. You also will find some trees you are not sure about or do not
know; next, study these one by one until you are sure you will
always know them.
3. Wherever you may be or whenever you see a tree you do not know,
observe it carefully, collect enough facts and sample material
to study until you learn to know it.
4. Books, articles, pictures and references will help to learn some
trees you cannot actually see but which are of interest to
you.
III. Approach to Tree Study
1. One tree should be studied at a time as a general rule although
it may be an advantage to select somewhat similar trees and
study them by comparisons.
2. Field study of the growing tree is the most satisfactory. Observe
a number of the same kind of trees as there are individual
variations in some characteristics.
3. If possible collect for reference and further study samples of
leaves, twigs, bark, wood, flowers and fruit. BE CAREFUL in
collecting samples. It is better not to have samples than to
deface or injure the tree. No one will object to your studying
their trees if you do no damage.
IV. Procedure
1. General
(a) First observe the tree as a whole taking into consideration
all the points that attract your attention. Very often there
will be some one thing that either alone or in relation to
other points attracts your attention. That feature when
studied may be the key to your really learning to know the
tree.
(b) The suggestions that follow as to observations of various
parts of the tree do not limit the study of those points for
perhaps you will learn to know the tree from some feature not
listed.
2. Form of tree
Note the size, shape and branching habit; observe its location
in relation to other trees that might affect its form.
3. Bark
Observe thickness, roughness, type of fissures and color of
bark. Studying the bark as a means of winter identification is
particularly worthwhile.
4. Leaves
Study type, size, shape and variations on the same tree; note
arrangement on twigs; describe by the blade, stalk, margin,
venation, base and tip; know their texture and color.
5. Twigs
Note lateral arrangement on branches; observe whether flexible
or stocky and whether rough or smooth; study differences
between new growth and old; learn any distinctive color,
smell, or taste; cut a cross-section and note size, shape,
color and size of pith; note presence or absence of lenticels.
6. Buds
Like bark, the buds are helpful in winter identification. Note
size, scale coverings, and shape. Observe arrangement and
position on twigs; compare terminal and lateral buds.
7. Leaf-scars
Study scars left by falling leaves as to size, form, position
and occurrence; note bundle-scars (appear as marks in scar) as
to number, shape, size, and arrangement.
8. Flowers
Study promptly at proper season; trees vary widely in
flowering habits; observe as to size, form, shape of parts,
color and arrangement; and learn whether the tree has one or
two kinds of flowers—if two, whether male and female flowers
are on same tree.
9. Fruit
Study of fruit also is seasonal. When it is available, observe
type, form, structure and method of distribution.
10. Wood
Identification of trees by wood forms a separate study but
often field identification of trees can be aided by
observation of distinctive points about the wood such as
color, taste and general structure.
11. Habitat
An interesting and often useful help in tree identification is
to note the growing habits of trees, whether in dry or moist
places, what other species same type sites, whether it grows
better in open places or in more sheltered locations and the
like.
V. Summary
If you have followed through on your study of a tree, covering the
eleven points listed, you will really know the tree for all time.
However, even if you cannot or do not make your study as
thoroughly as is suggested, you should at least select enough
distinctive characteristics about the tree to study that you will
be able to identify it both in the summer and the winter seasons.
VI. References
Your school and public library should have one or more books on
trees. You will find books on southern trees most helpful. While
it is impractical to provide a complete list of books on trees,
the partial list below is furnished for your information, with the
understanding that no discrimination is intended:
Fernald, M. L. _Gray’s Manual of Botany._ Eighth edition. American
Book Company, 1950.
Green, C. H. _Trees of the South._ The University of North
Carolina Press, 1939.
Harrar, E. S., Harrar, J. G. _Guide to Southern Trees._ Whittlesey
House, 1946.
Kearney, T. H., Peebles, R. H. _Arizona Flora._ University of
California Press, 1951.
Sargent, C. S. _Manual of the Trees of North America._ Second
Edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., 1922 (_at Project Gutenberg_).
Vines, R. A. _Native East Texas Trees._ Houston Museum of Natural
History, 1953.
Vines, R. A. Trees, _Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southwest._ The
University of Texas Press, 1960.

A. Cambium
B. Inner bark
C. Outer bark
D. Sapwood
E. Heartwood
F. Pith
G. Ray

Terminal Bud
False Terminal Bud
Twig Scar
Bud Scales
Superposed Bud
Lateral Leaf Buds
Bundle Scar
Flower Bud
Leaf Scars
Lenticel
Stipule Scar
Terminal Bud Scale Scars
Pith
Chambered
Solid

TWIGS AND LEAVES

Alternate
Whorled
Opposite

Simple
Compound
Doubly Compound
Opposite Leaves
Alternate Leaves
Awl-Shaped Needles
Pine Needles
Scale-like Needles

Lamina or blade
Base
Stem
Apex
Leaf margin
Primary vein
Secondary or lateral veins
Petiole (Sessile leaves have no petiole but are attached directly to
the stem)

LEAF SHAPES

Lanceolate
Ovate
Obovate
Star-shaped
Linear or Rectangular
Heart-Shaped or Orbicular
Oval
Elliptical
Deltoid

Acuminate
Acute
Obtuse
Truncate
Bristle Pointed
Rounded

Entire
Dentate
Toothed or Serrate
Sinuate or Wavy
Doubly Serrate
Lobed
Incised

Wedge-Shaped or Cuneate
Oblique or One-Sided
Rounded
Heart-Shaped or Cordate
Truncate or Square

Stamen
Anther
Filament
Sepal
Receptacle
Petal
Pistil
Stigma
Style
Ovary
Peduncle

Sepals collectively designated as _calyx_.

Petals collectively designated as _corolla_.

The ripened ovary comprises the fruit.

Ripened ovules of the ovary comprise the seed of the fruit.

A flower lacking either calyx, corolla, stamens, or pistil is an incomplete flower. If the male and female flower parts occur in separate flowers on the same tree the species is said to be _monoecious_. If the male and female flowers occur on separate trees, the species is said to be _dioecious_.

Spike
Catkin or ament
Cylindrical cyme
Flat-topped cyme
Raceme
Panicle
Corymb
Umbel
Compound umbel
Head

Acorn (Oak)
Multiple Fruit (Mulberry)
Nuts in Prickly Bur (Beech)
Drupe (Cherry)
Pod (Locust)
Samara (Elm)
Samara (Ash)
Samara (Maple)
Cone (Pine)
Hairy Seed (Willow)
Nuts in Bladder-Like Bracts (Hophornbeam)
Berry (Persimmon)
Nut in Husk (Hickory)
A Nut-Like Drupe (Basswood)
Drupe (Hackberry)
Winged Seed (Pine)
Multiple Fruit—Achene Enlarged (Sycamore)
Nuts in Spiny Bur (Chinkapin)

Texas Trees

LIMBER PINE (Rocky Mountain White Pine)
Pinus flexilis var. flexilis James

Limber pine is abundant in the Rocky Mountains and in scattered areas over much of the West. In Texas, limber pine may be found in the Guadalupe and Davis Mountains of West Texas.

As the name indicates, the branches and twigs are especially flexible and tough, often light purple in color. The branches form a rounded tree top or head. The trunk is stout and noticeably tapered.

The needle-like LEAVES are in clusters of five. They are stiff and stout, about 2 to 3 inches long, and arranged in clusters or tufts near the ends of the branches. They stay on the twig for five or six years.

The “FRUIT”, a cone, is relatively short or stocky, mostly from 3 to 6 inches long, made up of rounded rather thick scales, some turned forward and some backward. The cone is short-stalked. As with all the pines, the seeds mature at the end of the second season of growth.

The WOOD is relatively soft, close-grained, slightly yellowish or reddish. It is not cut in quantity and the trees are usually rather limby and short-bodied, which largely accounts for the small commercial use.

PINYON (Nut Pine)
Pinus edulis Engelm.

Pinyon is found as scattered trees or in small groves over the mountains and canyons in the western part of the state to elevations of 8,000 feet. It is a small tree, grows on warm slopes or in sheltered locations, and forms a bushy top with orange-colored branchlets.

The needle-like LEAVES grow in bundles of two (rarely 3); whereas in Pinus cembroides Zucc., the Mexican Pinyon, there are usually three needles per cluster. The dark green needles are approximately one inch long, stiff, stout, and curved. They remain on the tree from 5 to 8 years.

Like all the pines, it has male and female “FLOWERS” separate on the same tree. The “FRUIT”, a cone, is rounded, about 1 to 2 inches across, and produces large seeds or “nuts”, from ½ to ¾ inch long. The seeds are rich in food value and form an important article of diet for the Indians. The seeds are gathered and sold widely as fancy “nuts” in many larger towns and cities.

The WOOD is light, soft, close-grained, and pale brown, used for fuel and sometimes as fencing. A close relative P. cembroides is found scattered in the Texas cedar breaks.

PONDEROSA PINE (Western Yellow Pine)
Pinus ponderosa Laws.

Ponderosa pine is the most important commercial pine of the Southwest and many parts of the Rocky Mountain region. It reaches the southeastern limit of its range in the Guadalupe and Davis Mountains of West Texas where it is scattered and of little commercial value. It is favored as an ornamental in the Texas Panhandle.

The needle-like LEAVES are in bundles of three and are mostly 5 to 8 inches long. The needles, massed toward the ends of naked branches, remain on the tree about 3 years.

The “FRUIT”, a short-stalked cone, is oval-shaped, reddish-brown, and armed with stout recurved prickles.

The WOOD of this species, from trees in the commercial part of its range, is of excellent quality for lumber. The wood is hard, strong, and rather fine grained. The heartwood is light reddish-white and the sapwood nearly white. Lumber from this tree is widely used for house construction and furniture.

LOBLOLLY PINE
Pinus taeda L.

This fast-growing yellow pine is the most abundant and valuable species in Southeast Texas from Orange County west to Walker and Waller Counties. The species is also abundant northward to the Oklahoma line. Loblolly pine also constitutes the pine of the “Lost Pine Region” in the vicinity of Bastrop.

Loblolly invades abandoned fields rapidly. For this reason it is often called old field pine. In the virgin forest of Texas, loblolly pine was most common along banks of streams. It is still the dominant pine on moist sites, but may also be found in relatively dry sites.

The dark-colored BARK is deeply furrowed and often attains a thickness of as much as 2 inches on large-sized trees. The needle-like LEAVES, 6 to 9 inches long, are borne three (occasionally two) in a cluster. In the spring bright green clumps of needles grow at the end of branches and give the tree a luxuriant appearance. The “FRUIT”, a cone, ripens in the autumn of the second year and is 3 to 5 inches long. Many seeds with wings an inch long are shed during the fall and early winter.

The resinous WOOD is coarse-grained. There is marked contrast, as in other yellow pines, between the bands of springwood and summerwood. The wood of second-growth trees has a wide range of uses such as building material, box shooks, barrel staves, basket veneers, pulpwood, lath, mine props, piling, and fuel.

SHORTLEAF PINE (Yellow Pine)
Pinus echinata Mill.

Shortleaf pine is an important pine over a wide area in Northeast Texas, and is common in other parts of the “Piney Woods.” Essentially a tree of the hilly section, growing in pure stands and in mixture with hardwoods, the mature tree has a tall straight stem and an oval crown, reaching a height of about 100 feet and a diameter of about 2½ feet. Unlike other southern pines, young shortleaf pine trees may reproduce by sprouts when cut or burned back.

The BARK is brownish-red, broken into rectangular plates; it is thinner and lighter-colored than that of loblolly pine.

The needle-like LEAVES are in clusters of two or three (3 to 5 inches long), slender, flexible, and dark blue-green. The “FRUIT”, a cone, or bur, the smallest of the Texas pines, are 1½ to 2½ inches long, oblong, with small sharp prickles; are generally clustered, and often hold to the twigs for 3 or 4 years. The small mottled seeds have a wing which is broadest near the center.

The WOOD of old trees is rather heavy and hard, yellow-brown or orange, fine-grained, and less resinous than that of the other important Southern pines. It is used for finishing, general construction, veneers, paper pulp, excelsior, cooperage, mine props, and other purposes.

LONGLEAF PINE
Pinus palustris Mill.

Young longleaf pine with its single upright stem, candle-like silvery buds, and long, shiny leaves form a handsome tree. In later youth the stalwart, sparingly-branched sapling, with heavy twigs and gray bark, attracts immediate attention. Mature trees have tall, straight trunks, 1-3 feet in diameter and open irregular crowns.

Longleaf pine grows in sandy soils from Orange County, north to Sabine County and west to Trinity County. A hybrid cross between longleaf and loblolly pine is often found in this range and is known as Sonderegger pine.

The needle-like LEAVES are grey-green, from 10 to 15 inches long, in clusters of three, and gathered toward the ends of the thick, scaly, twigs. The “FLOWERS”, appearing in early spring before the new leaves, are a deep rose-purple, the male in prominent, short, dense clusters and the female in inconspicuous groups of two to four. Unlike other Southern pines, common to Texas, this species grows in a “grass” stage for 2 to 5 years during which time it resembles a clump of grass. Once longleaf pine starts its height growth, it grows rapidly.

The “FRUIT”, a cone bur, is 6 to 10 inches long, and slightly curved, the thick scales armed with small curved prickles. The cones usually fall soon after the seed ripens, leaving their bases attached to the twigs.

The WOOD is heavy, hard, strong, tough and durable. It is used for construction. Naval stores such as turpentine and rosin are obtained from the tree.

SLASH PINE
Pinus elliottii var. elliottii

Slash pine is not a native of Texas, its natural range in the United States being along the coast from South Carolina to eastern Louisiana. The initial planting of slash pine in East Texas was made on the E. O. Siecke State Forest near Kirbyville in 1926. It has been widely planted in East Texas, and has been so successful in its growth and adaptability to the region that it is now accepted as a forest tree of the State. It is much favored for reforestation by planting because of its exceedingly rapid height growth, good survival, and comparative freedom from tip-moth damage.

In its native habitat a mature tree ranges to 100 feet high, with a roundtopped head and a trunk 1 to 3 feet in diameter.

The BARK ranges in thickness from ¾ to 1 inch, separating freely on the surface into large thin scales.

The needle-like LEAVES occur in clusters of 2 and 3, are from 8 to 12 inches long, and lustrous. The “FLOWERS” appear in late winter, the male dark purple, the female pink, the “FRUIT”, a cone usually 4 to 6 inches long, is brown and glossy, the thin scales armed with fine prickles.

Slash pine WOOD is exceedingly hard, very strong, durable, coarse grained, rich, dark orange color, with thick, nearly white sapwood. In this respect it is similar to longleaf, being sold as such, and used for the same purpose. Naval stores, lumber, pulpwood and other products can be produced from this tree.

DOUGLAS-FIR
Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca (Belssn.) Franco

This valuable timber tree of the western United States reaches its extreme southeastern limit in the mountains of West Texas. It is a small tree locally but in the Pacific Northwest Douglas-fir reaches a height of 250 feet and a diameter of 10 to 12 feet.

The needle-like LEAVES are linear, more or less flattened, about an inch in length, bluish green, and arranged closely in spirals around the stem. They remain on the twigs for many years. The buds are a rich reddish-brown and pointed.

The “FRUIT”, a cone, unlike that of true firs, hangs downward and is easily identified by the protruding bracts, or “straws.” The mature cones are 2 to 4 inches long, and brownish-red.

The WOOD is moderately light, reddish tinted and surrounded by nearly white sapwood. It varies widely in respect to density, quality and width of sapwood. Much high grade plywood is made from this species. Young Douglas-firs are sold as Christmas trees.

BALDCYPRESS
Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich.

Baldcypress grows in swamps which are flooded for prolonged periods, and on wet stream banks and bottomlands. It occurs in East Texas west to the Nueces River. The straight trunk has numerous ascending branches, and narrow conical outline. In old age the tree generally has a broad fluted, or buttressed base, a smooth slowly tapering trunk and a broad, open, flat top of a few heavy branches and numerous small branchlets. Virgin-growth timber attains heights up to 130 feet and diameters up to 10 feet.

The BARK is silvery to cinnamon-red, finely divided by numerous longitudinal fissures. The light green LEAVES about ½ to ¾ inch long, are arranged in feather-like fashion along two sides of small branchlets which fall in the autumn with the leaves still attached.

The “FRUIT”, a rounded cone, is about one inch in diameter, with thick irregular scales.

The WOOD is light, soft, easily worked, with a light sap wood and dark-brown heartwood. It is particularly durable in contact with the soil. Cypress is in demand for exterior trim of buildings, greenhouse planking, boat and ship building, shingles, posts, poles, and crossties.

ASHE JUNIPER (Mexican Juniper--Mountain Cedar)
Juniperus ashei Buchholz

In Central and West Texas are found no less than nine species of cedars or junipers, including one eastern, one southern, and seven western species. Of these, the most abundant and important is the Mexican juniper. This tree often forms extensive low forests or dense breaks on the limestone hills and slopes of the Edwards Plateau and Grand Prairie.

The trunk is covered with shreddy, brown or reddish-brown BARK. The LEAVES are dark blue-green, small, opposite or arranged in 3’s, scale like, blunt pointed, and fringed with minute teeth. On vigorous young plants the leaves are sharp pointed and longer, up to ½ inch long.

The “FRUIT”, a nearly round, dark blue, berry-like cone is covered with glaucous bloom; has a thin, pleasant-scented, sweet flesh, enclosing 1 or 2 seeds; and ripens in one season.

The WOOD is light, hard, light brown, close-grained but weak. It is extensively used for fence posts and fuel. The tree is sometimes planted as an ornamental.

EASTERN REDCEDAR
Juniperus virginiana L.

Redcedar is scattered through East Texas, usually on gravelly ridges and rocky hillsides of the uplands.

There are two kinds of LEAVES, usually both on the same tree. The most common is dark green, minute, and scale-like, clasping the twig in four ranks, so that the twig appears square. The other kind, usually appearing on young growth, or vigorous shoots, is awl-shaped, quite sharp-pointed, spreading, and whitened.

The BARK is thin, reddish-brown, turning ashy-gray on exposed surfaces, and peels off in long shred-like strips. The trunk is usually more or less grooved.

The male and female FLOWERS blooming in February or March, are at the end of minute twigs on separate trees.

The “FRUIT” which matures in one season is pale blue, ¼ inch in diameter, and berry-like, the sweet flesh enclosing one or two seeds.

The HEARTWOOD is distinctly red, and the sapwood white, this color combination making very striking effects when finished as cedar chests, closets, and interior woodwork. The wood is aromatic, soft, strong, and of even texture, very durable in contact with the soil, and in great demand for posts, poles, and rustic work.

Since redcedar spreads the cedar-rust of apples, it is inadvisable to plant this tree in or near orchards, or anywhere in regions devoted to commercial apple production.

BLACK WALNUT
Juglans nigra L.

This valuable forest tree occurs on rich bottomlands and moist fertile hillsides as far west as the San Antonio River. It may attain a height of nearly 100 feet with a straight stem, clear of branches for half of its height.

The BARK is thick, dark brown in color, and divided by rather deep fissures into rounded ridges.

The LEAVES are alternate, compound, 1 to 2 feet long, consisting of from 15 to 23 leaflets of a yellowish-green color. The leaflets are about 3 inches long, extremely tapering at the end, and toothed along the margin.

The FRUIT is a nut, borne singly or in pairs, and enclosed in a solid green husk which does not split open, even after the nut is ripe. The nut itself is black with a very hard, thick, finely ridged shell, enclosing a rich, oily, edible kernel.

The HEARTWOOD is heavy, hard and strong. Its rich chocolate-brown color, freedom from warping, and checking, susceptibility to a high polish, and durability make it highly prized for furniture and cabinet work and gunstocks. Walnut is easily propagated from the nuts, and should be more widely planted and grown for timber and nuts.

LITTLE WALNUT or TEXAS WALNUT (Juglans microcarpa Berlandier) is found on limestone banks of streams in western Texas. The stumps supply a beautiful veneer.

PECAN
Carya illinoensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch

Pecan, the “State tree” of Texas, is found native in the state from the Piney Woods west throughout Central Texas, centering in the watershed of the Colorado River. It makes an excellent shade tree and is very valuable for the nut crop it bears. Many varieties are planted in orchards. The pecan is a tall-growing tree, attaining heights of over 100 feet. When grown in the open it forms a large, rounded, symmetrical top.

The outer BARK is rough, hard, tight, but broken into scales; on the limbs it is smooth at first but later tends to scale or divide as the bark grows old.

The LEAVES resemble those of the other hickories and the black walnut. They are made up of 9 to 17 leaflets, each oblong, toothed and long-pointed, and 4 to 8 inches long by about 2 inches wide.

The FLOWERS appear in early spring and hang in tassels from 2 to 3 inches long. The FRUIT is a nut 1 to 2 inches long, and ½ to 1 inch in diameter, in a thin husk which opens along its grooved seams when the fruit ripens in the fall. The nuts vary in size and thickness of shell. Cultivated varieties are sold on the market in large quantities.

The WOOD is heavy, hard, brittle, not strong, and of little value except for fuel and wagon stock. Some wood is satisfactory for making softball bats.

BITTERNUT HICKORY (Pignut)
Carya cordiformis (Wangenh.) K. Koch

Bitternut, the only hickory with bright yellow buds, is a tall slender tree with a broad pyramidal crown, attaining a height of 100 feet and a diameter of 2 to 3 feet. It is found in the eastern part of the state on moist rich soils, and is not abundant.

The BARK on the trunk is granite-gray, faintly tinged with yellow, less rough than in most hickories, yet broken into thin, plate-like scales.

The bright yellow winter BUDS are compressed and scurfy. The LEAVES are alternate, compound, from 6 to 10 inches long, and composed of 5 to 11 leaflets. The individual leaflets are smaller and more slender than those of the other hickories.

The male and female FLOWERS are on the same tree. The FRUIT is about 1 inch long and thin-husked, while the nut has a thin, smoothish, gray, brittle shell. The kernel is bitter.

The WOOD is hard, strong, and heavy; reddish-brown in color, and often called red hickory. It has the same uses as the other hickories but is said to be inferior.

WATER HICKORY
Carya aquatica (Michx. f.) Nutt.

This tree, as its name indicates, grows in bottomlands and rich, wet woods. It is found throughout the eastern portion of the state. It is not a large hickory, seldom attaining a height of 100 feet or a diameter of 2 feet. It is slender, with upright branches forming a narrow head. It is easily distinguished from other hickories by its reddish-brown winter buds which are covered with yellow glands that fall off easily.

The light brown BARK separates freely into long, loose, thick, plate-like scales.

LEAVES are alternate, compound, 9 to 15 inches long, with 7 to 13 slender leaflets. The FLOWERS are like those of other hickories. The FRUIT, often borne in clusters of 3 or 4, is a rather oblong nut, conspicuously four-angled, with a thin, red-brown hull that splits tardily. The nut itself is nearly as broad as long, four-angled and ridged, with a thin shell and bitter kernel.

The WOOD is heavy, strong, close grained, brown, and rather brittle. Probably used only for fuel.

SHAGBARK HICKORY
Carya ovata (Mill.) K. Koch

Shagbark hickory is found from eastern Texas to Florida and north to the St. Lawrence River and Minnesota. It is a large tree of commercial importance reaching 100 feet in height and 2 to 3 feet in diameter. It thrives best on rich, damp soil.

The BARK of the trunk is rougher than on other hickories, light gray and separating into thick plates which are only slightly attached to the tree. The large terminal winter buds are egg-shaped, the persistent outer bud-scales having narrow tips.

The LEAVES are alternate, compound, from 8 to 15 inches long and composed of 5, rarely 7, obovate to ovate leaflets. The twigs are smooth or clothed with short hairs.

The male and female FLOWERS open after the leaves have attained nearly full size.

The FRUIT is borne singly or in pairs and is globular. The husk is thick and deeply grooved at the seams. The nut is pale, the shell thin, and the kernel sweet. It is sold in commercial quantities.

The WOOD is heavy, hard, tough, and strong. It is used in the manufacture of agricultural implements, tool handles, wagons, and sports equipment.

MOCKERNUT HICKORY
Carya tomentosa Nutt.

Mockernut, white, or bigbud hickory, is common on well-drained soils in the eastern part of the state. It is a short-limbed tree up to 60 feet high and 1 to 2 feet in diameter.

The BARK is dark gray, hard, closely and deeply furrowed, often apparently cross-furrowed or netted. The winter BUDS are large, round or broadly egg-shaped, and covered with downy, hard scales. The outer, dark scales fall off readily in the autumn. The recent shoots are short, stout and more or less covered with a downy growth.

The LEAVES are large, strong-scented, and hairy; composed of 7 to 9 obovate to oblong, pointed leaflets pale to orange-brown on the lower surface. The leaves turn a beautiful yellow in the fall.

The FLOWERS are of two kinds on the same tree; the male in three-branched catkins, the female in clusters of 2 to 5. The FRUIT is oval, nearly round or slightly pear-shaped with a very thick, strong-scented husk which splits nearly to the base when ripe. The nut sometimes has 4 to 6 ridges; is reddish-brown, thick shelled, and has a small, sweet kernel.

The WOOD is heavy, hard, tough, and strong. It is white except for the comparatively small, dark-brown heart, hence the name white hickory. It is used for the same purpose as shagbark hickory and makes an excellent fuel.

BLACK HICKORY
Carya texana Buckl.

This is a common hickory in northern and eastern Texas, growing on hillsides and sandy uplands with post and black jack oaks. It is distinguished by its rusty brown hairs found on the young leaves and branches. It forms a tree 60 to 75 feet high, with a trunk 2 feet in diameter.

The BARK is dark gray or nearly black, deeply divided into rough ridges, or it may be irregularly fissured and separated into thin scales. The winter buds are ovoid and covered with rusty hairs mixed with silvery scales.

The LEAVES, 8 to 12 inches long with 5 to 7, usually 7, leaflets and rusty-hairy slender petioles, are dark green, lustrous above; much paler beneath. The FLOWERS are similar to other hickories.

The FRUIT is obovoid, narrow, or abruptly contracted into a short stalk at the base, with a husk ¹/₁₂ to ⅙ inch thick, splitting to the middle or nearly to the base. The sweet-seeded nut is nearly obovoid to oblong, rounded at the ends, compressed and slightly four-angled, with a shell ⅙ to ⅕ inch thick.

The hard, brittle WOOD is used chiefly for fuel.

CORKWOOD
Leitneria floridana Chapm.

This lightest of all native woods in the United States grows in river swamps near the Gulf, about the mouth of the Brazos River. It is a small tree reaching a height of 20 feet, or a shrub, depending upon the location and natural conditions. The base is usually swollen. The straight, gradually tapering trunk is crowned with a loose, open-topped head. The young branchlets are coated with hairs which later drop, leaving a smooth, dark, red-brown stem.

The simple, alternate LEAVES are from 4 to 6 inches long and about 2 inches wide, borne on petioles 1 or 2 inches long. The leaves are shiny above.

The FLOWERS are in catkins of two kinds or sexes, the male about 1½ inches long, the female about ¾ inch long. Both kinds are borne on the same tree and appear about the first of March. The FRUIT is solitary or in clusters of 2 to 4, each about ½ to ¾ inch long, and ripens when the leaves are about one-half grown. The WOOD is soft, exceedingly light, generally uniform in texture and of a pale yellow color. It is used as a substitute for cork for floats on fishing nets.

EASTERN COTTONWOOD
Populus deltoides (Bartr.)

This cottonwood is found along streams throughout the state. The tree is easily propagated by cutting and grows rapidly, hence it has been widely planted to get shade quickly. The tree is often unsatisfactory for shade because it begins to shed its leaves by midsummer. The cotton-bearing seeds from the pistillate tree are often a nuisance. The soft wood is easily broken by winds; and the rank growth of the roots often results in stopping drain pipes and cracking and lifting sidewalks.

The LEAVES are simple, alternate, broadly ovate or triangular, pointed, square at the base, and coarsely toothed on the edges, 3 to 5 inches across each way, covered with soft white hairs on the under side, supported by flattened slender petioles, 2 to 3 inches long. The winter buds are covered with chestnut-brown, resinous scales. The male and female FLOWERS are in catkins on separate trees and appear before the leaves. The FRUIT, a capsule, contains a number of seed with white silky hairs which permit the winds to carry the seed for long distances.

The WOOD is soft, light-weight, warps easily upon drying, but is used for many purposes, sometimes as a substitute for yellow poplar and linden.

Three other species of Southern cottonwood occur in western Texas. One species, P. sargentii Dode, which has long pointed leaves, is found in the Panhandle.

BLACK WILLOW
Salix nigra Marsh.

Black willow is found along streams throughout the state. It rarely grows taller than 50 feet and is frequently found growing singly or in clumps along the water courses. In winter the easily separable bright reddish-brown or golden, naked twigs are quite conspicuous.

The BARK is deeply divided into broad, flat ridges which separate into thick plate-like scales. On old trees it becomes shaggy. In color it varies from light brown tinged with orange, to nearly black.

The LEAVES are from 3 to 6 inches long, and less than ½ inch wide; the tips are greatly tapered and the entire margin finely toothed. The leaves are bright green on both sides, turning pale yellow in the early autumn.

The FLOWERS are in catkins, the male and female on separate trees.

The FRUIT is a capsule containing numerous minute seeds with long silky hairs which enable them to be blown long distances.

The WOOD is soft, light, and not strong. A high grade of charcoal, used in the manufacture of gunpowder, is obtained from willow wood, and it is the chief wood used in manufacture of artificial limbs.

AMERICAN HORNBEAM (Blue Beech)
Carpinus caroliniana Walt.

American hornbeam or blue beech, also known as ironwood and water beech, is a small slow-growing, bushy tree with a spreading top of slender, crooked or drooping branches. It is found along streams and in low ground, usually in the shade of other trees. Its height is usually from 20 to 30 feet and its diameter 4 to 8 inches, although it sometimes grows larger.

The TRUNK is fluted with irregular ridges or “muscles” extending up and down the tree. The BARK is smooth, light brownish-gray to dark bluish-gray in color, sometimes marked with dark bands extending horizontally on the trunk.

The LEAVES are simple, alternate, oval, long-pointed, doubly toothed along the margin, and 1 to 3 inches long. They resemble those of the black or sweet birch, but are smaller.

The FLOWERS are borne in catkins separately on the same tree; the male catkin about 1½ inches long, the female, about ¾ of an inch, with small, leaf-like, three-lobed green scales. The FRUIT is a nutlet about ⅓ inch long. It falls, attached to the leaf-like scale which acts as a wing aiding its distribution by the wind.

The WOOD is tough, close-grained, heavy, and strong. It is sometimes selected for use for levers, tool handles, wooden cogs, mallets, wedges, etc. The tree is of little commercial importance and often occupies space in the woods that should be utilized by more valuable species.

EASTERN HOPHORNBEAM (Ironwood)
Ostrya virginiana (Mill.) K. Koch

The tree gets its common names from the qualities of its wood and the hop-like fruit. It is a small, slender, generally round-topped tree, from 20 to 30 feet high and 7 to 10 inches in diameter. The top consists of long slender branches, commonly drooping toward the ends. It is found mostly on rather dry soils throughout the uplands of the eastern part of the state.

The BARK is mostly light, gray-brown, or reddish-brown, and finely divided into thin scales.

The LEAVES are simple, alternate, generally oblong with narrow tips, sharply doubly toothed along the margin, and from 2 to 3 inches long.

The FLOWERS are of two kinds on the same tree; the male, in drooping catkins which form the previous summer, the female, in erect catkins on the newly formed twigs. The FRUIT, which resembles that of the common hop vines, consists of a branch of leafy bracts 1 to 2 inches long containing a number of flattened ribbed nutlets.

The WOOD, strong, hard, durable, light brown to white, with thick, pale sapwood, is often used for handles of tools, mallets, and other small articles.

RIVER BIRCH (Red Birch)
Betula nigra L.

This is the only native birch found at low elevations in the South. It occurs in East Texas and, as the name implies, in the deep, rich soils along the borders of streams, ponds, lakes, and swamps.

The BARK provides a ready means of identifying this tree. It varies from reddish-brown to cinnamon-red in color, and peels back in tough papery layers. These layers persist on the trunk, presenting a very ragged and quite distinctive appearance. Unlike the bark of other birches the thin paper layers are usually covered with a gray powder. On older trees, the bark on the main trunk becomes thick, deeply furrowed, and a reddish-brown color.

The LEAVES are simple, alternate, 2 to 3 inches long, more or less oval in shape, with double-toothed edge. The upper surface is dark green and the lower a pale yellowish green.

The FLOWERS are in catkins, the two kinds growing on the same tree. The FRUIT is cone-shaped about one inch long, and densely crowded with little winged nutlets that ripen from May to June.

The WOOD is strong and fairly close-grained. It has been used to some extent in the manufacture of wooden-ware, in turnery, and for wagon hubs. However, this tree is scattered in its distribution and is not of commercial importance.

AMERICAN BEECH
Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.

Beech is found in East Texas to the Trinity River on the bottomland of streams and the margins of swamps. It is one of the most beautiful of all trees, in summer or winter.

The simple, alternate, oblong-ovate LEAVES are 3 to 4 inches long, pointed at the tip, and coarsely toothed and hairy along the margin. When mature, they are almost leathery in texture. The beech produces a dense shade. The light brown winter buds are long, slender, and pointed.

The BARK is, perhaps, the most distinctive characteristic, as it maintains an unbroken, light gray surface throughout its life.

The little, brown, three-sided FRUITS or beechnuts are almost as well known as chestnuts. The nuts are in pairs in a prickly involucre. The kernel is sweet and edible. The fallen fruit, known as mast, is a favorite food of wildlife.

The WOOD of the beech is hard, strong, and tough, though it will not last long on exposure to weather or in the soil. The tree is of economic importance as a lumber tree, the wood being used for furniture, flooring, carpenters’ tools, and novelty wares.

ALLEGHENY CHINKAPIN
Castanea pumila Mill.

Chinkapins may grow as trees or form shrubby thickets; consequently their identification is at times confusing.

Some taxonomists credit East Texas with one species and a variety. Others list four species. Further study is needed.

C. pumila grows in dry woods, sandy ridges, and on borders of swamps from Florida to East Texas north to Ark., Tenn., Pa., and N. J. It may grow into a small tree 10 to 30 feet high and may reach 50 feet. If burned back by fires, it may send out stolons or sprouts and form dense shrubby growths. BRANCHLETS pubescent, gradually changing to a lustrous olive-green or orange-brown, then darker. The LEAVES are 4 to 6 inches long, 1½ to 2 inches wide, oblong to ovate and acute, the margin coarsely toothed with slender, rigid, spreading or incurved teeth. Base of leaf unequal, either rounded or wedge-shaped. Leaf at first tomentose above and below, later yellow-green above and whitish-downy below. Petiole short, stout, and flattened on the upper side. FRUIT a single brown, ovoid, pointed, plump, sweet, edible nut, ¾ to 1 inch long, encased in a bur covered with erect, crowded spines approximately ¾ inch long. WOOD light, hard, strong, coarse-grained; used for fence posts and railway ties. Of little economic importance because of its relative scarcity. C. pumila is a nut-producing tree of potential commercial importance.

ASHE CHINKAPIN (C. pumila var. ashei Sudw.) is a small tree of dry sandy soils. Leaves are felt-like below. This variety is distinguished by its bur which has scattered, forked, and horizontally divergent bristles. The surface of the bur has smooth areas free of bristles.

A variation of chinkapin with leaves 3 to 4 inches long and lustrous below is frequently described as FLORIDA CHINKAPIN (C. alnifolia var. floridana Sarg.)

SHUMARD OAK (Spotted Oak)
Quercus shumardii Buckl.

This species, one of the largest Southern red oaks, was named for Benjamin F. Shumard, an early state geologist of Texas. SHUMARD OAK is found in the eastern part of the state on well-drained alluvial soils and on fertile slopes. It forms a tall, wide-spreading, rather open head. The BARK is dark, rough, divided into ridges, and usually from 1 to 1½ inches thick. It seldom comprises the principal species of any forest stands, but more often occurs as individual trees. It attains a diameter of more than 3 feet and a height of more than 100 feet, but is usually smaller.

Winter BUDS covered with gray, smooth scales, while the buds of Texas oak (page 44) are covered with red, densely pubescent scales.

The LEAVES are deciduous, simple, alternate 6 to 8 inches long by 4 to 5 inches wide; 7-lobed, rarely 5, and each lobe 2 or 3-lobed or deeply toothed. The lobes are frequently thicker than is shown in the drawing. The leaves are smaller and more deeply lobed than those of the black oak. Leaves smooth except for dense tufts of pale hairs at the axils of the veins below.

The FRUIT is a small acorn, about ⅔ inch in diameter and ¾ to 1¼ inches long, set in a shallow saucer-like cup.

The WOOD is heavy, hard, strong, close-grained, and light reddish-brown in color, and commercially important for lumber and cross ties.