272. WOOLY BUMELIA, CHITTAM WOOD, or GUM ELASTIC (_Bumelia lanuginosa_
Pers.) a common tree of widespread and varied habitat. Leaves: mostly
blunt at apex, entire, 1 to 2½ inches long, dark and smooth above,
whitish or sometimes rusty, wooly beneath, especially when young;
tardily deciduous. Twigs: with small, scattered spines usually tipping
the smallest twigs. Flowers: in July, whitish, inconspicuous. Fruit:
ripe Sept. and Oct., oval, black, few or solitary; sweetish, with a
single, dark brown, shining seed about ¼ inch across. Wood: hard, heavy,
tough, smooth-grained.