The _leaves_ are simple, 2 to 3 inches long, entire, often broader near
the apex, shiny, 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
clusters on different trees. The _fruit_ is a dark blue, fleshy berry,
2/3 of an inch long, containing a single hard-shelled seed, and is borne
on long stems, 2 to 3 in a cluster.
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.
[Illustration: PERSIMMON