208. BLACK WALNUT (_Juglans nigra_ L.) tree, common in rich bottomlands.
Leaves: alternate, pinnately compound, one to two feet long, 15 to 23
leaflets, each about 3 inches long, tapering and toothed; with a
characteristic odor when crushed. Bark: thick, dark, rough. Twigs: have
dark, chambered pith shown by splitting lengthwise through center.
Flowers: greenish, male in catkins, female inconspicuous, both kinds on
the same tree. Fruit: green to black husk does not split, round; shell
rough, very hard, dark; nut rich and sweet. Wood: hard, strong, rich
brown color, very valuable for gunstocks, furniture, etc.
209. PECAN (_Carya pecan_ Engl. & Graebn.) abundant, the state tree.
Habitat: rich bottomlands preferred. Leaves: similar to black walnut but
average fewer leaflets, 9 to 17. Twigs: do not have dark, chambered
pith. Bark: somewhat variable in appearance but generally lighter in
color than walnut and not as flaky as soapberry both of which it
resembles. Fruit: very valuable crop in Texas, many cultivated varieties
tending toward larger size of nuts and thinner shell. Wood: not
valuable, hard but brittle and not strong.
210. BITTER PECAN (_Carya texana_ Schn.) rare tree of low woodlands. The
nuts are 4-angled and the seeds bitter. Wood tough and strong.
211. HICKORY (_Carya buckleyi_ Durand) uncommon in this county. Observed
in sandy woods. Leaves: pinnately compound, of 5 to 9 leaflets, the
terminal 4 to 6 inches long, 2 to 2¼ wide, twice as large as the lowest,
obovate and tapering at each end. Bark: dark, rough, close. Fruit:
resembles pecan but broader; shell thick, somewhat wrinkled, light in
color; seed sweet. Wood: hard, brittle, little used except for fuel.