279. CIGAR TREE (_Catalpa speciosa_ Warder.) a tree well known in
cultivation and rarely as an escape, in woods. This tree with its large,
opposite, heart-shaped LEAVES, showy white or lavender, flaring
bell-shaped FLOWERS and pencil-like PODS is too conspicuous to require a
detailed description. Wood: soft, light, coarse-grained; sometimes
planted in groves in rich soil for use as fence posts or sometimes for
railroad ties.
280. TRUMPET CREEPER (_Tecoma radicans_ L.) a rare vine growing along
fence rows and edges of woods in sandy land; common in East Texas.
Leaves: pinnately compound and opposite, of 9 to 11 leaflets, toothed,
pointed, ovate. Flowers: large, orange-red, flaring trumpet-shaped,
nearly 3 inches long. Fruit: pods 2 to 5 inches long, tapered; seeds
flat, winged, numerous.
[Illustration: 280 trumpet creeper]
281. BUTTONBUSH (_Cephalanthus occidentalis_ L.) button willow: usually
a large shrub, fairly common in swamps or near water; often cultivated.
Leaves: simple, opposite or in whorls of 3 or more, smooth, dark green,
with a stout yellow midrib, 2 to 7 inches long, ½ to 3½ wide. Twigs:
stout, smooth, with a thick pith, pale reddish-brown and covered with a
bloom in their first winter. Bark: dark, rough, with narrow scales;
contains tannin; used in treatment of fevers. Flowers: creamy white,
fragrant, in dense balls about 1 to 1½ inches in diameter. Fruit: a dark
brownish, hard ball, remaining through the winter.