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TREES
OF THE
NORTHERN UNITED STATES
THEIR STUDY, DESCRIPTION AND
DETERMINATION
FOR THE
USE OF SCHOOLS AND PRIVATE STUDENTS
BY
AUSTIN C. APGAR
PROFESSOR OF BOTANY IN THE NEW JERSEY STATE NORMAL SCHOOL
"Trees are God's Architecture."--_Anonymous._
"A Student who has learned to observe and describe so simple a
matter as the form of a leaf has gained a power which will be
of lifetime value, whatever may be his sphere of professional
employment."--_Wm. North Rice._
NEW YORK-:-CINCINNATI-:-CHICAGO
AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY
Copyright, 1892, by the
AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY.
W. P. 3.
PREFACE.
This book has been prepared with the idea that teachers generally would
be glad to introduce into their classes work dealing with the real
objects of nature, provided the work chosen were of a character that
would admit of its being studied at all seasons and in all localities,
and that the subject were one of general interest, and one that could be
taught successfully by those who have had no regular scientific
instruction.
The trees of our forests, lawns, yards, orchards, streets, borders, and
parks give us just such a department. Though many consider a large part
of the vegetable kingdom of little importance, and unworthy of any
serious study, there are few who do not admire, and fewer still who do
not desire to know, our trees, the monarchs of all living things.
The difficulty in tree study by the aid of the usual botanies lies
mainly in the fact that in using them the first essential parts to be
examined are the blossoms and their organs. These remain on the trees a
very short time, are often entirely unnoticed on account of their small
size or obscure color, and are usually inaccessible even if seen. In
this book the leaves, the wood, the bark, and, in an elementary way, the
fruit are the parts to which the attention is directed; these all can be
found and studied throughout the greater part of the year, and are just
the parts that must be thoroughly known by all who wish to learn to
recognize trees.
Though every teacher is at liberty to use the book as he thinks best,
the author, who has been a class teacher for over twenty years, is of
the opinion that but little of Part I. need be thoroughly studied and
recited, with the exception of Chapter III. on leaves. The object of
this chapter is not to have the definitions recited (the recitation of
definitions in school work is often useless or worse than useless), but
to teach the pupil to use the terms properly and to make them a portion
of his vocabulary. The figures on pages 38-43 are designed for class
description, and for the application of botanical words. The first time
the chapter is studied the figure illustrating the term should be
pointed out by the pupil; then, as a review of the whole chapter, the
student should be required to give a full description of each leaf.
After this work with Chapter III., and the careful reading of the whole
of Part I., the pupils can begin the description of trees, and, as the
botanical words are needed, search can be made for them under the proper
heads or in the Glossary.
The Keys are for the use of those who know nothing of scientific botany.
The advanced botanist may think them too artificial and easy; but let
him remember that this work was written for the average teacher who has
had no strictly scientific training. We can hardly expect that the great
majority of people will ever become scientific in any line, but it is
possible for nearly every one to become interested in and fully
acquainted with the trees of his neighborhood.
The attainment of such botanical knowledge by the plan given in this
volume will not only accomplish this useful purpose, but will do what is
worth far more to the student, _i.e._, teach him to employ his own
senses in the investigation of natural objects, and to use his own
powers of language in their description.
With hardly an exception, the illustrations in the work are taken from
original drawings from nature by the author. A few of the scales of
pine-cones were copied from London's "Encyclopaedia of Trees"; some of
the Retinospora cones were taken from the "Gardener's Chronicle"; and
three of the illustrations in Part I. are from Professor Gray's works.
The size of the illustration as compared with the specimen of plant is
indicated by a fraction near it; 1/4 indicates that the drawing is one
fourth as long as the original, 1/1 that it is natural size, etc. The
notching of the margin is reduced to the same extent; so a margin which
in the engraving looks about entire, might in the leaf be quite
distinctly serrate. The only cases in which the scale is not given are
in the cross-sections of the leaves among the figures of coniferous
plants. These are uniformly three times the natural size, except the
section of Araucaria imbricata, which is not increased in scale.
The author has drawn from every available source of information, and in
the description of many of the species no attempt whatever has been made
to change the excellent wording of such authors as Gray, Loudon, etc.
The ground covered by the book is that of the wild and cultivated trees
found east of the Rocky Mountains, and north of the southern boundary of
Virginia and Missouri. It contains not only the native species, but all
those that are successfully cultivated in the whole region; thus
including all the species of Ontario, Quebec, etc., on the north, and
many species, both wild and cultivated, of the Southern States and the
Pacific coast. In fact, the work will be found to contain so large a
proportion of the trees of the Southern States as to make it very useful
in the schools of that section.
Many shrubby plants are introduced; some because they occasionally grow
quite tree-like, others because they can readily be trimmed into
tree-forms, others because they grow very tall, and still others because
they are trees in the Southern States.
In nomenclature a conservative course has been adopted. The most
extensively used text-book on the subject of Botany, "Gray's Manual,"
has recently been rewritten. That work includes every species, native
and naturalized, of the region covered by this book, and the names as
given in that edition have been used in all cases.
Scientific names are marked so as to indicate the pronunciation. The
vowel of the accented syllable is marked by the grave accent (`) if
long, and by the acute (') if short.
In the preparation of this book the author has received much valuable
aid. His thanks are especially due to the authorities of the Arnold
Arboretum, Boston, Massachusetts, and of the Missouri Botanical Garden,
St. Louis, for information in regard to the hardiness of species; to Mr.
John H. Redfield, of the Botanical Department of the Philadelphia
Academy of Natural Sciences, for books, specimens from which to make
illustrations, etc.; and to Dr. A. C. Stokes, of Trenton, New Jersey,
for assistance in many ways, but especially for the accurate manner in
which he has inked the illustrations from the author's pencil-drawings.
The author also wishes to acknowledge the help received from many
nurserymen in gathering specimens for illustration and in giving
information of great value. Among these, special thanks are due to Mr.
Samuel C. Moon, of Morrisville Nurseries, who placed his large
collection of living specimens at the author's disposal, and in many
other ways gave him much intelligent aid.
CONTENTS.
PAGE.
PART I. ESSENTIAL ORGANS, AND TERMS NEEDED FOR THEIR DESCRIPTION 9-43
CHAPTER I. Roots 9
CHAPTER II. Stems and Branches 11
CHAPTER III. Leaves 17
CHAPTER IV. Flowers and Fruit 24
CHAPTER V. Winter Study of Trees 29
CHAPTER VI. The Preparation of a Collection 35
CHAPTER VII. Figures to be used in Botanical Description 38
PART II. PLAN AND MODELS FOR TREE DESCRIPTION 44-50
PART III. KEY, CLASSIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIES 51-201
* * * * *
GLOSSARY OF BOTANICAL TERMS, AND INDEX TO PART I 203-212
INDEX TO PART III 213-224
TREES.
PART I.
THE ESSENTIAL ORGANS, AND THE TERMS NEEDED FOR THEIR DESCRIPTION.
CHAPTER I.
_Roots._
Though but little study of the roots of trees is practicable, some
knowledge of their forms, varieties, and parts is important.
The great office of the roots of all plants is the taking in of food
from the soil. Thick or fleshy roots, such as the radish, are stocks of
food prepared for the future growth of the plant, or for the production
of flowers and fruit. The thick roots of trees are designed mainly for
their secure fastening in the soil. The real mouths by which the food is
taken in are the minute tips of the hair-like roots found over the
surface of the smaller branches. As trees especially need a strong
support, they all have either a _tap-root_--one large root extending
from the lower end of the trunk deep down into the ground; or _multiple
roots_--a number of large roots mainly extending outward from the base
of the trunk.
Trees with large tap-roots are very hard to transplant, and cannot with
safety be transferred after they have attained any real size. The
Hickories and Oaks belong to this class.
Trees having multiple roots are readily transplanted, even when large.
The Maples and Elms are of this class.
Roots that grow from the root-end of the embryo of the seed are called
_primary roots_; those growing from slips or from stems anywhere are
_secondary roots_.
Some trees grow luxuriantly with only secondary roots; such trees can
readily be raised from stems placed in the ground. The Willows and
Poplars are good examples of this group. Other trees need all the
strength that primary roots can give them; these have to be raised from
seed. Peach-trees are specially good examples, but practically most
trees are best raised from seed.
A few trees can be easily raised from root-cuttings or from suckers
which grow up from roots. The Ailanthus, or "Tree of Heaven," is best
raised in this way. Of this tree there are three kinds, two of which
have disagreeable odors when in bloom, but the other is nearly odorless.
By using the roots or the suckers of the third kind, only those which
would be pleasant to have in a neighborhood would be obtained. One of
the large cities of the United States has in its streets thousands of
the most displeasing of these varieties and but few of the right sort,
all because the nurseryman who originally supplied the city used
root-cuttings from the disagreeable kind.
If such trees were raised from the seed, only about one third would be
desirable, and their character could be determined only when they had
reached such a size as to produce fruit, when it would be too late to
transplant them. Fruit-trees, when raised from the seed, have to be
grafted with the desired variety in order to secure good fruit when they
reach the bearing age.