=PLATANÀCEAE.= The Plane Tree Family.
=PLÁTANUS.= The Plane Tree.
Platanus occidentàlis Linnæus. Sycamore. Plate 71. The largest tree of
the State; bark thin, smooth, on age separating into thin plates and
exfoliating, base of the trunks of very old trees somewhat roughened or
fissured, gray to grayish-green, splotched with white; twigs at first
covered with a scurvy pubescence, becoming at maturity glabrous except a
ring at the node about the leaf-scar, gray or light brown, and zigzag;
leaves alternate, long-petioled, nearly orbicular in outline, the blades
somewhat deltoid, blades large, variable in size and shape, average
blades 9-17 cm. long, frequently much larger on vigorous shoots,
generally with 3-5 main lobes, sometimes the lobes are indistinct and
the leaves appear only irregularly toothed, margins toothed, rarely
entire between the lobes, truncate or cordate at the base, acute or
acuminate at the apex; one form has been noted with leaves obovate,
scarcely lobed and with a wedge-shaped base; leaves covered on both
sides at first with a dense tomentum, becoming at maturity glabrous
above--rarely tardily pubescent, nearly glabrous beneath, except on the
veins and in the axils, petioles remaining pubescent; flowers appear in
May with the leaves in heads on long woolly peduncles; fruit a globose
head of many seeds, 2-3.5 cm. in diameter, maturing late in the year;
the seed are scattered by the wind during the winter months; wood heavy,
hard, weak, close-grained, difficult to split and work, takes a high
polish; when used as a container it does not communicate an objectional
taste or odor to contents.
=Distribution.=--Maine, Ontario to Nebraska, south to the Gulf States
and west to Texas. Found in all parts of Indiana, although there are no
records for the extreme northwestern counties. It is a tree of a low
ground habitat, and is found principally in low ground along streams,
about lakes, and ponds. In such habitats it is a frequent tree in all
parts, except in the "flats" of the southern counties. In some places it
is a common to a very common tree, especially along the upper courses of
White River.
=Remarks.=--In this State this species is always called the sycamore
tree. It is the largest tree of the State, and the largest deciduous
tree of the United States. Indiana has the distinction of having the
largest living sycamore in the United States. It is located near
Worthington, Indiana, and "in 1915, measured 43 feet and 3 inches in
circumference at five feet above the ground." See frontispiece. The
sycamore grew to great diameters in all parts of the State. It was
commonly hollow, because it is believed the tree in early life is
usually more or less injured by floating ice and debris which starts
inner decay. Hollow sycamore logs were commonly used by the pioneers in
which to smoke their meat, and sections of hollow logs about 12 dm. (4
feet) long were used to store grain in, and were known as "gums."
The value of sycamore lumber has been very much underestimated. It has
many uses such as butcher blocks, interior finish, furniture, piling,
tobacco boxes, veneer berry boxes, handles, wooden ware, etc. Indiana
has led in the production of sycamore lumber for years.
The sycamore is well adapted for shade, ornamental and forestry
purposes. It transplants easily, grows rapidly, stands pruning well and
is comparatively free from injurious insects. It grows straight, tall
and usually with a rather narrow crown. It prefers a moist soil, but
adapts itself to dry situations. For planting overflow lands, or on the
banks of streams it is one of the best species we have. It is also one
of the best species for roadside tree planting, because it is deep
rooted, grows tall, and does not produce a dense shade.
=MALÀCEAE.=[51] The Apple Family.
The trees of this family that occur in our area have simple, alternate
leaves; perfect, regular flowers, 5-merous calyx and corolla; fruit a
more or less fleshy pome.
Flowers in racemes, cavities of mature fruit twice as many
as the styles, seeds less than 4 mm. (1/8 inch) long 2 Amelanchier.
Flowers in cymes or corymbs, cavities of mature fruit as
many as the styles, seeds more than 4 mm. (1/8 inch)
long.
Fruit green, mature carpels papery 1 Malus.
Fruit red, orange, blue-black or yellow, mature carpels
bony 3 Cratægus.
=I. MÀLUS.= The Apples.
_Malus angustifolia_ has been reported from the State, but it is a
species of more southern range. Both _Malus ioensis_ and _Malus
lancifolia_ may easily be mistaken for this species.
Leaves and petioles glabrous or only slightly pubescent;
calyx tube and outside of calyx lobes glabrous or only
slightly pubescent.
Leaves distinctly lobed, at least those of vigorous
shoots; petioles pubescent above 1 M. glaucescens.
Leaves serrate, not lobed; petioles glabrous 2 M. lancifolia.
Leaves (at least the lower surfaces) and petioles
densely tomentose; calyx lobes densely tomentose
on both sides 3 M. ioensis.
=1. Malus glaucéscens= Rehder. American Crab Apple (_M. fragrans_
Rehder). Plate 72. Bark reddish, fissured and scaly; leaves on glandless
petioles, petioles usually 2-4 cm. (3/4-1-1/2 inches) long, leaves
narrow ovate to almost triangular, those on the lateral branchlets of
the ovate type, those of the terminal branchlets and vigorous shoots of
the triangular type, 3-8 cm. (1-1/2-3 inches) long, acute at the apex,
mostly rounded or somewhat cordate at the base, sometimes tapering,
those of the triangular type usually truncate, margin of the ovate type
of leaves more or less sharply serrate, the basal third of the leaf with
shallow teeth or entire, margins of the triangular type more deeply
serrate to almost lobed, hairy above and below when they expand,
becoming smooth both above and below, sometimes a few hairs are found on
the veins beneath at maturity, bright green above, paler beneath;
flowers appear in May when the leaves are about half grown, usually 5 or
6 in a cluster, white or rose-color, very fragrant, 3-4 cm. (1-1/2-2
inches) broad when fully expanded; calyx lobes lanceolate-acuminate,
tomentose on the inside, glabrous outside; fruit depressed-globose,
without angles, yellow-green, 2-4.5 cm. (3/4-2 inches) thick, 2-2.5 cm.
(3/4-1 inch) long, very fragrant and covered with a waxy bloom.
=Distribution.=--Central New York, lower peninsula Michigan, western New
Jersey to northern Alabama and Missouri. Found in all parts of Indiana.
No doubt in the original forests it was rare, but the removal of the
large trees has been favorable to its growth until today it is somewhat
frequent in moist open woods, along streams and neglected fences. It is
most frequent among the hills in southern Indiana, and in all its
distribution it is usually found in clumps.
In our area it is a small tree about 10-20 cm. (4-8 inches) in diameter
and 4-6 m. (12-18 feet) high, with a spreading crown. An exceptionally
large tree is located on the south bank of Round Lake in Whitley County
which measures 1.3 m. (51 inches) in circumference at one meter (3 feet)
above the ground where the first branch appears.
Specimens which were collected by the person whose name follows the
county have been seen by the writer from the following counties of
Indiana: Allen (Deam) 1919; Brown (Deam) 1911; Clark (Deam) 1913;
Daviess (Deam) 1910; Decatur (Deam) 1911; Delaware (Deam) 1911; Floyd
(Very) 1896; Fountain (Deam) 1919; Hamilton (Mrs. Chas. C. Deam) 1913;
Kosciusko (Deam) 1910; Laporte (Deam) 1911; Morgan (Deam) 1910; Noble
(Deam) 1919; Owen (Deam) 1911; Posey (Deam) 1911; Randolph (Deam) 1916,
1919; Steuben (Deam) 1905; Warren (Deam) 1911; Wayne (Deam) 1919; Wells
(E. B. Williamson) 1896, (Deam) 1898, 1907, 1916, 1919.
[Illustration: Plate 72.