and Europe. It survives the winters at Philadelphia. Several varieties
have been developed by cultivation and are sold by nurseries.
Southern forests have contributed, and still contribute, large
quantities of magnolia leaves for decorations in northern cities during
winter. The flowers are not successfully shipped because they are easily
bruised, and they quickly lose their freshness and beauty.
SWEET MAGNOLIA (_Magnolia glauca_) ranges from Massachusetts to
Texas and south to Florida. It reaches its largest size on the
hummock lands of the latter state. Trees are occasionally seventy
feet high and three or more in diameter, but in many parts of its
range it is small, even shrubby. Among the names by which it is
known are white bay, swamp laurel, swamp sassafras, swamp magnolia,
white laurel, and beaver-tree. It inhabits swamps in the northern
part of its range, hence the frequency of the word “swamp” in
coining names for it. Beaver-tree as a name is probably due to its
former abundance about beaver dams, where impounded water made the
ground swampy. In the North, sweet magnolia’s chief value is in its
flowers, which are two or three inches across, creamy-white, and
fragrant. They were formerly very abundant near the mouth of the
Susquehanna river in Maryland and Pennsylvania, and northward
through New Jersey; but the traffic in the flowers has destroyed the
growth in many places where once plentiful. It is not important as a
timber resource, but it is employed for a number of useful purposes
where logs of fair size may be had. The sapwood is creamy-white, but
the heart is nearly as dark as mahogany, and in Texas it is used to
imitate that wood. The brown and other shades combine with fine
effect. One of its common uses is for broom handles. Heartwood is
worked into high-grade chairs. It takes a beautiful polish.
FRASER UMBRELLA (_Magnolia fraseri_) ranges south from the Virginia
mountains to Florida and west to Mississippi. It is of largest size
in South Carolina where trees are sometimes thirty feet high and a
foot or more in diameter. The leaves fall in autumn of the first
year; the creamy-white, sweetly-scented flowers are eight or ten
inches in diameter, and the fruit resembles that of the other
magnolias. The wood is weak, soft, and light. The heart is clear
brown, the sapwood nearly white. It has not been reported in use for
any commercial purpose. Among its other names it is known as
long-leaved cucumber tree, ear-leaved umbrella tree, Indian bitters,
water lily tree, and mountain magnolia. In cultivation this species
is hardy as far north as Massachusetts, and it is planted for
ornament in Europe.
PYRAMID MAGNOLIA (_Magnolia pyramidata_) seems to have generally
escaped the notice of laymen, and it therefore has no English name
except the translation of the Latin term by which botanists know it.
Its habitat lies in southern Georgia and Alabama, and western
Florida, and it is occasionally seen in cultivation in western
Europe. It is a slender tree, twenty feet or more in height. Its
flowers are three or four inches in diameter, and creamy-white in
color. A tree so scarce cannot be expected to be commercially
important.
WESTERN BLACK WILLOW (_Salix lasiandra_) is a rather large tree when
at its best, reaching a diameter of two feet or more, and a height
of fifty, but in other parts of its range it rarely exceeds ten feet
in height. It follows the western mountain ranges southward from
British Columbia into California. The wood is soft, light, and
brittle, and is used little if at all. Lyall willow (_Salix
lasiandra lyalli_) is a well marked variety of this species and is a
tree of respectable size.
GLOSSYLEAF WILLOW (_Salix lucida_) is a far northern species which
has its southern limit in Pennsylvania and Nebraska. It grows nearly
to the Arctic circle. Trees twenty-five feet high and six or eight
inches in diameter are the best this species affords.
LONGLEAF WILLOW (_Salix fluviatilis_) is known also as sandbar
willow, narrowleaf willow, shrub, white, red, and osier willow, and
by still other names. It ranges from the Arctic circle to Mexico,
reaching Maryland on the Atlantic coast, and California on the
Pacific. In rare cases it is sixty feet high, and two in diameter,
but it is usually less than twenty feet high.
[Illustration]
WAHOO
[Illustration: WAHOO]
WAHOO
(_Evonymus Atropurpureus_)
No one seems to know what the original meaning of the word wahoo was. It
is applied to no fewer than six different trees in this country, four of
them elms, one a basswood, and one the tree now under consideration. The
generic name, _Evonymus_, appears to be an effort to put somebody’s seal
of approval on the name, for it means in the Greek language “of good
name.”
It belongs to the family _Celastraceæ_, which means the staff family.
Some designate members of this group as “Spindle trees,” because
formerly in Europe the wood was employed for knitting needles, hooks for
embroidering, spindles for spinning wheels, and the like. Unless the
members of the family in Europe have wood quite different from that of
the wahoo tree in this country, no adequate reason can be found for the
use of the wood for spindles or staffs, because it is poor material for
that purpose. It may be compared with basswood.
This beautiful little tree, scarcely more than a shrub in most regions
of its growth, is a widely distributed species, its range extending
through western New York to Nebraska, southeastern South Dakota and
eastern Kansas, and in the valley of the upper Missouri river, Montana,
southward to northern Florida, southern Arkansas and Oklahoma. In these
localities it is generally a shrub, rarely reaching a height of more
than nine or ten feet. It attains the proportions of a tree only in the
bottom lands of southern Arkansas, Oklahoma, and in the lower
Appalachian regions. The most favorable habitat of the tree is moist
soil along the banks of streams. In the southern and western parts of
its range, under favorable conditions of soil and climate, and when
isolated from other species, the wahoo tree grows to rather large size
and develops a wide flat top of slender spreading branches.
The largest and most beautiful specimens of wahoo grow in the
mountainous regions of West Virginia, eastern Tennessee, and western
North Carolina. In these sections it is no unusual thing for a tree of
this species to attain a height of sixty or seventy feet and a diameter
of twenty or twenty-four inches. It is never found in pure stands but is
isolated along the edge of the forest, and thrives best near water
courses.
The tree is known by a variety of names in the different parts of the
country. The Indians are said to have called it wahoo. Burning bush, a
very popular name, is especially appropriate, as no brighter dash of
color is displayed by any tree than the scarlet fruit of this growth,
which remains on the branches long after the leaves have fallen, often
until the winter storms beat it to the ground. The growth is also
called occasionally by the name bleeding-heart tree, in reference to the
blood-red contents revealed by the bursting fruit.
The wahoo in the fall of the year may be identified by the flaming color
of its fruit, or rather the seeds of the fruit. The hull bursts and
exposes the bright red seeds within. These, contrary to the usual run of
red fruits, are not of a glossy surface, and in this the tree is unique.
During the summer season, however, identification is not such a simple
matter, for the foliage is quite ordinary, and the flat, unassuming
flowers have little that is distinctive about them; but as the autumn
approaches and the leaves turn a pale yellow color, the tree becomes a
conspicuous and beautiful object with its scarlet berries.
The bark of the wahoo is ashen gray, thin, furrowed, and divided into
minute scales. On the branchlets it is a dark purplish-brown, later
becoming brownish-gray.
The heartwood of wahoo is white, with a slight tinge of orange. The
sapwood, scarcely distinguishable from the heartwood, is more nearly
white in tone. The wood is heavy and close-grained but not very hard. It
weighs when seasoned a little less than forty pounds to the cubic foot.
Such of this wood as is sawed into lumber, which is but a small
quantity, sells commercially with poplar saps, thus masquerading like
its forest fellow, the cucumber tree. The character of the wood is such
that it will not stand exposure to the weather any length of time. It is
far from durable, but is remarkably clear from defects and answers
admirably many purposes for which sap poplar is desirable.
The leaves of the tree are waxy in appearance, opposite, entire,
elliptical or ovate in shape, from two to four inches long, one to two
broad. They are finely serrate and pointed at both apex and base, and
the stems are short and stout.
The flowers, which appear in May and June, are definitely four-parted,
presenting a Maltese cross in shape. They are half an inch across, and
their rounded petals are deep purple in color. The fruit which succeeds
these flowers and which ripens in October is also four-parted. It is
about half an inch across, a pale purple when full size, and hangs on
long slender stems. When ripe the purple husk bursts and reveals the
seed enveloped in a scarlet outer coat that fits it loosely. The leaves,
bark, and fruit of the wahoo are acrid and are reputed to be poisonous.
The wood is one-third heavier than that of yellow poplar, and it is
evident that it would not pass as poplar with any one disposed to reject
it. It is also much harder than poplar, and is more difficult to season,
as it checks badly. The medullary rays are so thin as to be scarcely
discernible. The wood contains many very small pores. The bark is said
to possess some value for medicinal purposes. No special uses for the
wood have been reported, and it is too scarce to be of much value. The
tree’s principal importance is as an ornament, and it shows well in
winter borders where the bright colors of the seeds are exposed. It is
planted both in this country and in Europe. The plantings seldom or
never reach tree size.
FLORIDA BOXWOOD (_Schæfferia frutescens_) is of the same family as wahoo
but of another genus, and is quite a different kind of tree. The generic
name is in honor of Jakob Christian Schaeffer, a distinguished German
naturalist who died in 1790. Two species of this tree occur in the
United States, one the Florida boxwood, the other a small, shrubby
growth in the dry regions of western Texas and northern Mexico. Florida
boxwood is a West Indies tree which flourishes in the Bahamas and
southward along the other islands to Venezuela. It has gained a foothold
on the islands of southern Florida where it has found conditions
favorable and it grows to a height of thirty or forty feet, and reaches
a trunk diameter of ten inches, but such are trees of the largest size.
The leaves are bright yellow-green, about two inches long, and one or
less in width. They appear in Florida in April and persist a full year,
until the foliage of the succeeding crop displaces them. The flowers
which are small and inconspicuous, open about the same time as the
leaves. The fruit is a scarlet berry which ripens in November, and has a
decidedly disagreeable flavor. The bark is very thin.
When sound wood in sufficiently large pieces is obtainable it is
valuable for a number of purposes, but chiefly as a substitute for
Turkish boxwood as engraving blocks. The trees are always small in
Florida, which is the only place in the United States where they occur,
and the largest are often hollow or otherwise defective. The wood weighs
48.27 pounds per cubic foot, thoroughly dry, which is about two pounds
heavier than white oak. It is rich in ashes, having about four times as
much as white oak. The color of the heartwood is a bright, clear yellow
to which is due the name yellow-wood occasionally applied to the tree in
the region where it grows, as well as in markets where it is sold. This
is not the tree known in commerce as West Indies boxwood, though it may
be an occasional substitute. It is said that Florida boxwood was
formerly much more abundant in this country than it is now. It was
lumbered for the European market at about the same time that the south
of Florida was stripped of its mahogany. It is suitable for many small
articles where a hard, even-grained wood is wanted.
IRONWOOD (_Cyrilla racemiflora_) ranges from the coast region of North
Carolina to Florida, and west near the coast to Texas. It is known as
leatherwood, burnwood, burnwood bark, firewood, red titi, and white
titi. Ten woods besides this are called ironwood in some parts of this
country. The name is applied because the hardness of the wood suggests
iron. It is not remarkable for its weight nor its strength. The
medullary rays are thin and inconspicuous. In color it is brown, tinged
with red. It is not apparent why it is a favorite fire wood, for its
fuel value does not rate high theoretically, being much below many
species with which it is associated. The largest trees rarely exceed a
height of thirty feet and a diameter of twelve inches. They flourish in
shady river bottoms and along the borders of sandy swamps and shallow
ponds.
The tree occasionally assumes the form of a bush and sends up many stems
which produce almost impenetrable thickets. Aside from its use as fuel,
it is in small demand anywhere. In Texas it is sometimes made into
wedges, and similar uses for it are doubtless found in other regions
where it is abundant. It is named from Domenico Cirillo, an Italian
naturalist who died in 1799.
TITI (_Cliftonia monophylla_) is of the _cyrilla_ family and is one of
three species which occasionally pass under that name. It sometimes
reaches a height of fifty feet and a diameter of one or more. Its range
follows the coast region from South Carolina to Louisiana. It betakes
itself to swamps and flourishes in situations that would be fatal to
many species. Half under water during many months of the year it is
placed at no disadvantage. It grows equally well in shallow swamps which
are rarely overflowed. Near the southern limits of its range in Florida
it is reduced to a shrub. It is known as ironwood and buckwheat tree.
The last name is due to its seeds which are about the size of a
buckwheat grain and otherwise resemble it. The flowers appear in early
spring on long racemes, and are very fragrant. The wood weighs about
thirty-nine pounds per cubic foot, is not strong, but is moderately
hard. It is valuable as fuel and burns with a clear, bright flame.
[Illustration]
MOUNTAIN LAUREL
[Illustration: MOUNTAIN LAUREL]
MOUNTAIN LAUREL
(_Kalmia Latifolia_)
This tree belongs to the heath family and not to the laurels, as the
name seems to imply. The same is true of rhododendron. The kalmia genus
has five or six species in this country, but only one of tree size, and
then only when at its best. Mountain laurel reaches its best development
in North and South Carolina in a few secluded valleys between the Blue
Ridge and the western mountains of the Appalachian ranges. The largest
specimens are forty or fifty feet high and a foot or a foot and a half
in diameter. Trunks are contorted and unshapely, and lumber is never
sawed from them.
The tree has many names, most of them, however, are applied to the
species in its shrubby form. A common name is simply laurel, but that
does not distinguish it from the great laurel which is often associated
with it. Calico bush is one of its names, and is supposed to be
descriptive of the flowers. Spoonwood is one of its northern names,
dating back to the times when early settlers, who carried little
silverware with them to their frontier homes, augmented the supply by
making spoons and ladles of laurel roots. Ivy is a common name,
sometimes mountain ivy, or poison ivy. Poison laurel and sheep laurel
are among the names also. The leaves are poisonous, and if sheep feed on
them, death is apt to follow. The exact nature of the poison is not
understood. Sheep seldom feed on the leaves, and do so only when driven
by hunger. Other names are small laurel, wood laurel, and kalmia. The
last is the name of the genus, and is in honor of Peter Kalm, a Swedish
naturalist.
The species is found from New Brunswick to Louisiana, but principally
among the ranges of the Appalachian mountains. Its thin bark makes it an
easy prey to fire and the top is killed by a moderate blaze. The root
generally remains uninjured and sends up sprouts in large numbers.
Thickets almost impenetrable are sometimes produced in that way.
Flowers and foliage of mountain laurel are highly esteemed as
decorations, foliage in winter, and the flowers in May and June. The
bloom appears in large clusters, and various colors are in evidence,
white, rose, pink, and numerous combinations. The seeds are ripe in
September, and the pods which bear them burst soon after.
The wood of mountain laurel weighs 44.62 pounds per cubic foot. It is
hard, strong, rather brittle, of slow growth, brown in color, tinged
with red, with lighter colored sapwood. This description applies to the
wood of the trunk; but in nearly all cases where mention is made of the
wood of this tree, it refers to the roots. These consist of enlargements
or stools, often protruding considerably above the ground. If the area
has been visited repeatedly by fire, the roots are generally out of
proportion to the size of the tops. In that respect they resemble
mesquite, except that the enlarged root of mesquite penetrates far
beneath the surface while that of mountain laurel remains just below the
surface or rises partly above it.
The utilization of mountain laurel is not confined to the trunks which
reach tree size. Generally it is the root that is wanted. Roots are
usually sold by weight, because of the difficulty of measuring them as
lumber or even by the cord. The annual product of this material in North
Carolina alone amounts to about 85,000 pounds, all of which goes to
manufacturers of tobacco pipes and cigar holders. The use of the laurel
root for pipes is as old as its use for spoons. Pioneers who raised and
cured their own tobacco smoked it in pipes which were their own
handiwork. The laurel root was selected then as now because it carves
easily, is not inclined to split, does not burn readily, and darkens in
color with age. It is cheap material, is found throughout an extensive
region, and the supply is so large that exhaustion in the near future is
not anticipated.
The wood is employed in the manufacture of many small articles other
than tobacco pipes. Paper knives, small rulers, turned boxes for pins
and buttons, trays, plaques, penholders, handles for buckets, dippers,
and firewood, are among the uses for which laurel is found suitable.
It is of no small importance for ornamental purposes, and is often seen
growing in clumps and borders in public parks and private yards, where
its evergreen foliage and its bloom make it a valuable shrub. It is
planted in Europe as well as in this country.
GREAT LAUREL (_Rhododendron maximum_) is also in the heath family. More
than two hundred species of _rhododendron_ are known, and seventeen are
in this country, but only one attains tree size. The generic name means
“rose tree,” and the name is well selected. The flowers are the most
conspicuous feature belonging to this species, and few wild trees or
shrubs equal it for beauty. It is not native much west of the Alleghany
mountains, but grows north and east to Nova Scotia. It is at its best
among the mountains, thrives in deep ravines where the shade is dense,
and on steep slopes and stony mountain tops. It forms extensive thickets
which are often so deep and tangled that it is difficult to pass through
them. This laurel is seldom found growing on limestone. It reaches its
largest size in the South. Trees thirty or forty feet high and a foot in
diameter occur in favored localities. It grows on the Alleghany
mountains in West Virginia at an elevation exceeding 4,000 feet and
there forms vast thickets. Some use is made of the wood for engraving
blocks and as tool handles. It is hard, strong, brittle, of slow growth,
and light clear brown. It is frequently planted in parks in this country
and Europe, and three or more varieties are distinguished in
cultivation. This laurel’s leaves have a peculiar habit of shrinking and
rolling up when the thermometer falls to zero or near it. Among the
names applied to it are great laurel, rose bay, dwarf rose bay tree,
wild rose bay, bigleaf laurel, deer tongue, laurel, spoon hutch, and
rhododendron.
CATAWBA RHODODENDRON (_Rhododendron catawbiense_) is a rare,
large-flowered species of the mountain regions from West Virginia
southward to Georgia and Alabama. The wood is not put to use, and the
species is chiefly valuable as an ornamental shrub. It seldom reaches
large size.
SOURWOOD (_Oxydendrum arboreum_) follows the Alleghany mountain ranges
south from Pennsylvania, and extends into Florida, reaching the Atlantic
coast in Virginia, and Indiana, Tennessee, and Louisiana westward. The
best development of the species is found among the western slopes of the
Big Smoky mountains in Tennessee. It is called sorrel-tree, sour gum,
and sour gum bush, on account of the acidity of the leaves when chewed.
Arrow-wood, another name, refers to the long, straight stems between the
whorls of branches of young trees--those three or four feet high. The
stems are of proper size for arrows, and amateur bowmen use them. Those
who designate the tree as lily-of-the-valley have in mind the flowers.
The shape suggests an opening lily, but the size does not. The flower is
about one-third of an inch long, but panicles several inches long are
covered with them. They open in July and August, and in September the
fruit is ripe. The seed is pale brown and one-eighth of an inch long.
The sourwood tree at its best is fifty or sixty feet high and from
twelve to eighteen inches in diameter. The bark of young trees is
smooth, but on mature trunks it resembles the exceedingly rough bark of
an old black gum. In fact, many people suppose this tree to be black
gum, never having noticed the difference of leaf, fruit, and flower. The
genus consists of a single species. The wood is heavy, hard, compact,
and it takes good polish. The medullary rays are numerous, but thin, and
they contribute little or nothing to the figure of the wood. The annual
rings show little difference between springwood and summerwood, and
consequently produce poor figure when the lumber is sawed tangentially.
The pores are many and small and are regularly distributed through the
yearly ring. Heartwood is brown, tinged with red, the sapwood lighter.
The strength and elasticity of sourwood are moderate. The wood is made
into sled runners in some of the mountain districts where it occurs, but
no particular qualities fit it for that use. It is occasionally employed
for machinery bearings. It has been reported for mallets and mauls, but
since it is not very well suited for those articles, the conclusion is
that those who so report it have confused it with black gum which it
resembles in the living tree, but not much in the wood. Small handles
are made of it, and it gives good service, provided great strength and
stiffness are not required. Sourwood is not abundant anywhere, and
seldom are more than a few trees found in a group.