=Distribution.=--Connecticut to Iowa and south to Georgia and west to
Texas. It is more or less frequent in moist woods throughout Indiana,
except in the hilly counties where it becomes more or less rare. In the
hilly counties its place is taken by the southern black haw, _Viburnum
rufidulum_ which only rarely attains tree size.
=Remarks.=--This species could be used to advantage in ornamental
planting where small trees or shrubs are required for a screen or back
ground. The fruit of the black and red haws attract several species of
birds.
This species is quite variable in the shape, and texture of its leaves,
and in the size and shape of its fruit. In the southern part of the
State specimens are found that have very thick leaves with margined and
tomentose petioles which very much resemble the southern species.
=SPECIES EXCLUDED.=
The following species have been reported for Indiana but have been
excluded for want of satisfactory evidence to warrant their inclusion:
The reasons for exclusion are discussed under the name of the species.
It is needless to say that critical examination has been given doubtful
species, and doubtful records, and every effort possible has been made
to validate them.
=Pinus echinàta= Miller. Short-leaf Pine. This species does not occur in
our area and all reference to it should be transferred to _Pinus
virginiana_. References to this species are instances of wrong
determination.
=Pinus resinòsa= Aiton. Norway Pine. This species was reported as an
escape in Wabash County by Coulter[72] for Jenkins.
=Pinus rígida= Miller. Pitch Pine. Baird and Taylor[73] reported this
species for Clark County. The range of this species is to the east of
our area. They also reported _Pinus Strobus_, which has not been seen
since they reported it, and they failed to report _Pinus virginiana_
which is a common tree on the "knobs" of Clark County. A study of their
flora of Clark County shows that they did little or no collecting in the
"knobs." They also freely reported field crop, garden and flower
escapes, and it is believed that their reference to _Pinus rigida_ and
_Pinus Strobus_ should be regarded as to cultivated trees.
=Àbies balsàmea= (Linnæus.) Miller. Balsam Fir. Heimlich[74] reports
this as occurring in Porter County about Dune Park. He cites for his
authority Bot. Gaz. Vol. 27: Apr. 1899. The article referred to is
Cowles' article on the flora of the sand dunes of Lake Michigan, in
which he discusses the flora from Glen Haven in northern Michigan to
Dune Park, Indiana in Porter County, which has confused Heimlich in
separating the trees reported at several stations. It has never been
found in Indiana.
=Chamæcyparis thyoìdes= (Linnæus) Britton, Sterns and Poggenberg. White
Cedar. The range of this species is east of the Alleghany mountains and
no doubt was never native in our area. The first reference to it is by
Dr. Drake in his Picture of Cincinnati, published in 1815, page 83, in
which he says: "The White Cedar and Cypress are found on the banks of
the Wabash." Schneck[75] in his Flora of the Lower Wabash Valley says:
"Wet places near the mouth of the Wabash River." I am certain it is not
on the Indiana side of the river. Gorby[76] reports it for Miami County.
All of his botanical records are too unreliable to receive serious
consideration. Coulter[77] reports it as found in Allen County on the
authority of Dr. C. R. Dryer. I saw Dr. Dryer recently and he says he
has no recollections about it.
=Juniperus commùnis= Linnæus. Juniper. This species has been reported
from all parts of the State. The distribution of the species is to the
north of Indiana, and examining herbarium specimens it is found that
subulate forms of _Juniperus virginiana_ are frequently named _Juniperus
communis_. In the older floras it was a custom to include cultivated
forms, and not distinguish them as such. Since juniper has been for
years a common ornamental shrub, especially in cemeteries, it is highly
probable that many records have such a basis. It is proposed to drop
this species from our flora. I refer Higley and Raddin's[78] record to
the decumbent variety. VanGorder's and Bradner's records may also be the
decumbent form. Heimlich's record I regard as an error, see remarks
under _Abies balsamea_.
=Populus balsamífera= Linnæus. Balsam Poplar. This species was reported
by Bradner for Steuben County. In a letter from the late Prof. Bradner,
he said he had no specimen and had no recollection of the tree. J. M.
Coulter reported it for Jefferson County, but Young who also wrote a
flora of Jefferson County does not mention it. Baird and Taylor also
reported it for Clark County. The last two records may have been from
cultivated trees or mistaken for _Populus grandidentata_ which was not
reported and is in the area, and is a frequent tree in the "knobs" in
Clark County. Heimlich reports it in Proc. Ind. Acad. Sci.
1917:404:1918 for Cowles. I regard this as an error. See discussion
under _Abies canadensis_ on page 290. Since the range of the species is
to the north of Indiana, it is here proposed to drop it from our flora.
It should be looked for on the "divide" in Steuben County and about Lake
Michigan.
=Populus cándicans= Aiton. Balm of Gilead. This species has been
included in a few local floras, but it is believed that it has not yet
escaped from cultivation. Phinney[79] gives it as "an important timber
tree of Delaware County," which is an error.
=Populus nìgra= var. =itálica= Du Roi. Lombardy Poplar. Reference is
made to this tree by Blatchley[80], Meyncke[81] and Nieuwland[82] but it
is scarcely more than an accidental escape.
=Carya aquática= Nuttall. Water Hickory. This species is listed as one
of the principal trees occurring along the Wabash in the Coblenz edition
of Prince Maximilan's travels in North America. It is recorded as "Water
Bitternut (_Juglans aquatica_)." If it occurs in our area it most likely
would be found in the extreme southwestern counties. It has been
reported from Gallatin County, Illinois, bordering Posey County on the
west. There are two other records of its occurrence in the State, which
are doubtful. Ryland T. Brown[83] reported it in a list of the principal
trees of Fountain County in a report of the geology of Fountain County.
_Carya laciniosa_, which is sometimes called swamp hickory and which is
more or less frequent in the county, he failed to report. It is believed
this reference to _Carya aquatica_ should be referred to _laciniosa_. B.
C. Hobbs also reported it as common in Parke County in a short list of
the principal trees. He named only four of the five or more species of
hickory that occur in the county, and it is believed since he was no
botanist, that he confused the names. Elliott in his Trees of Indiana
gives "_Carya aquatica_" as common, but no doubt this reference should
be transferred to some other species.
=Carya myristicæfórmis= Nuttall. Nutmeg Hickory. This tree also was
reported by Prince Maximilian as occurring along the Wabash River. The
known range of the species is from North Carolina to Arkansas, and for
this reason the species is not included in this list.
=Betula lénta= Linnæus. Black Birch. This species has been reported for
Indiana as occurring in Fulton, Gibson, Miami, Noble, Posey, St. Joseph
and Steuben Counties. Sargent[84] says: "This species has until recently
been badly misunderstood. The range of the species is southern Maine to
northwestern Vermont, eastern Kentucky, and south to Delaware and along
the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia and Alabama." No doubt all
of the Indiana records should be transferred to _Betula lutea_, except
the Gibson and Posey County record which may be _Betula nigra_.
=Castanea púmila= (Linnæus) Miller. Chinquapin. This species was given a
place in our flora in Coulter's catalogue upon the authority of Sargent,
Ridgway and Schneck. Ridgway, in giving an additional list of the trees
of the Lower Wabash Valley[85] says: "There is some doubt as to No. 16
_Castanea pumila_, which is given on Prof. Sargent's authority; but
there is a possibility of an error having been made from the
circumstances that the name 'chinquapin' is in that region almost
universally applied to the fruit of _Quercus Muhlenbergii_." The Posey
County record was based on a specimen in Dr. Schneck's herbarium, which
proves to have been taken from a cultivated tree near Poseyville.
=Quercus ilicifòlia= Wangenheim. Bear Oak. This species is credited to
our flora by Will Scott in his ecological study of "The Leesburg Swamp"
in Kosciusko County, published in the Indiana Academy of Science, 1905,
page 225. In a reply to an inquiry addressed to him he says no herbarium
material was preserved. This ecological work was done during the summer
months while working at the biological station at Winona Lake. In a
footnote in this paper we are informed that for the identification of
the trees listed, Apgar's Trees of the Northern United States was used.
In this key to the trees, _Quercus velutina_ (Black Oak) is given only
as a variety of _Quercus coccinea_ (Scarlet Oak), and the distinction
between _Quercus velutina_ with its many formed leaves, and _Quercus
ilicifolia_ is not made apparent. In view of the fact that the natural
habitat of _Quercus ilicifolia_ is sandy barrens and rocky hillsides and
its western range is eastern Ohio, it is believed what Mr. Scott had in
hand was a variable form of _Quercus velutina_, which is frequent in
that vicinity. The evidence is not encouraging enough to include it.
=Quercus nìgra= Linnæus. Water Oak. This species has been reported by
several authors for Indiana. It is believed that a majority of the
records should be transferred to _velutina_ and _imbricaria_ or
_marylandica_. Gorby and Schneck call _Quercus nigra_ black jack oak,
which is generally the common name for _Quercus marilandica_. Ridgway in
his writings of the flora of the lower Wabash Valley, likewise speaks of
_Quercus nigra_ as jack oak and says it is found in poor soil. Coulter
in his catalogue of Indiana plants regarded these references to _nigra_
as errors and did not include it in his list. The report for Crawford
County by Deam should be transferred to _marilandica_. Since the range
of the species is not north of Kentucky, the reference to the species in
the State should be dropped.
The published records are as follows: Carroll (Thompson); Crawford
(Deam); Delaware, Jay, Randolph and Wayne (Phinney); Jay (McCaslin);
Fountain (Brown); Miami (Gorby); Parke (Hobbs).
=Quercus Phéllos= Linnæus. Willow Oak. This species has been reported
from various counties of the State. The tree is said to grow in swamps
and on sandy uplands, ranging from Staten Island, New York, south to
Florida and west to Texas, and north to southern Kentucky. If it occurs
within our area it no doubt would have been found by Dr. Schneck, who
was an enthusiastic student of the oaks. He reported it as occurring in
the lower Wabash in his early writings, but his herbarium contained no
specimens. The writer while in search for this species in Posey County
met three men in widely separated parts of the county who were
acquainted with the species in the South and they said they had never
seen it in Indiana. One of the men was an old man who had spent his
boyhood in Arkansas and he was well acquainted with the willow oak
before he came to Indiana. It is believed what has been reported for _Q.
Phellos_ has been narrow-leaved forms of _Q. imbricaria_ (shingle oak),
and that the records should be transferred to that species.
The published records are as follows: Gibson, Knox and Posey (Schneck);
Knox (Thomas); Miami (Gorby).
=Quercus prinoìdes= Willdenow. Scrub or Dwarf Chestnut Oak. Reported for
Marshall County by Nieuwland[86] on the authority of a specimen
deposited in the National Museum collected by Clark. I had this
reference checked by E. S. Steele and in a letter to me dated January 4,
1917, he says: "I find no specimen labeled _Quercus prinoides_, but
there is one named _Q. Prinus_. There is no ground for calling it _Q.
prinoides_." Since the specimen in question is a very immature one, I
propose not to take it into consideration since the range of the species
would be extended on a dubious specimen.
=Planèra aquática= (Walter) J. F. Gmelin. Planer-tree. Water Elm. This
tree was included in Coulter's catalogue upon the authority of Sargent,
who includes Indiana in the range of the species in his "Forest Trees of
North America," Vol. 9, U.S. Census Report, 1880, page 124. Dr. Schneck
spent a lifetime along the lower Wabash bottoms and very carefully
preserved specimens of all the flora of the region where this species is
reported to occur. In his report of the flora of this region in 1875 he
does not include this tree. An examination of his herbarium material
showed no specimens of this tree either from Indiana or Illinois. It is
fair to presume if he had been acquainted with the tree he would have
had it represented in his herbarium. Since the white elm is frequently
called water elm, as well as the planer-tree, it is easy to understand
how confusion might arise in separating these trees by non-professional
people.
=Morus nìgra= Linnæus. Black Mulberry. This species is reported by
Phinney[87] as one of the "more important and common forest trees
observed in Delaware County." He also enumerates _Morus rubra_. A
splendid example of careless work. This species is reported by Brown[88]
for Fountain County, and by McCaslin[89] for Jay County. These authors
reported this species as a native forest tree. Since this species is not
a native of the United States the citations no doubt should be referred
to our native mulberry, _Morus rubra_ (red mulberry).
=Ìlex opàca= Aiton. Holly. This species was included in Coulter's
Catalogue of the Plants of Indiana on the authority of Robert Ridgway. I
find no reference to this species in the writings of Ridgway.
In Shawnee Park on the west side of Louisville, Kentucky is a large tree
of this species. I was told that it was a native. A timber buyer of Tell
City told me that there was a native tree on his grandfather's farm in
the southern part of Perry County. Since this species has been reported
for Grayson County, Kentucky, which is less than forty miles to the
south, it is quite probable that a few trees were found as far north as
Indiana.
=Acer pennsylvánicum= Linnæus. Moosewood. The only record of this
species occurring in Indiana is in a report of the Trees occurring along
the Wabash River by Prince Maximilian. Since the report does not
definitely state where the species was observed or how frequently it
occurred and since the greater part of Maximilian's time was spent on
the Illinois side of the Wabash, it is more than likely that he observed
it on the Illinois side of the Wabash. While Indiana is within the
possible range of the species, it has not been discovered since. If not
extinct in our area it is most likely to be found among the hills of the
southern counties or in the vicinity of Lake Michigan. Robert Ridgway
says that he and Dr. Schneck saw it growing in a wooded cove near a
cavern called Flory's Cave in Johnson County, Illinois.
=Nyssa aquática= Linnæus. Tupelo Gum. Several early authors erroneously
reported _Nyssa sylvatica_ as this species. This species inhabits deep
swamps. Dr. Schneck and Robert Ridgway, recognized authorities and best
acquainted with the swamp area of the southwestern counties, at first
thought it was a member of our flora, but later decided that it should
be excluded.
Michael Catt, 83 years old, who lived nearly 75 years about three miles
west of Decker on the border of the cypress swamp in the south part of
Knox County, told me that he is positive that the tupelo gum was an
occasional tree in the cypress swamp west of Decker.
=Fraxinus caroliniàna= Miller. Water Ash. This species was included in
Coulter's Catalogue of Indiana Plants upon the authority of Dr. Schneck.
It is asserted that specimens were sent to Missouri Botanical Gardens
for verification. The writer has carefully examined all the specimens of
_Fraxinus_ in the Missouri Botanical Gardens, and all of Schneck's
specimens in the herbarium are now correctly named _Fraxinus profunda_.
Since this species is not in our range it should be dropped from our
flora.
TABLE OF MEASUREMENTS OF THE LARGEST TREES OF SOME SPECIES THAT OCCUR IN
INDIANA.
---------+-----------+-----------------------+-----------+-------+-------
Authority| County. | Name. | Circum- | Clear | Total
| | | ference. | Bole. |Height.
---------+-----------+-----------------------+-----------+-------+-------
| | | cm.ft.in.|dm. ft.|dm. ft.
| | | | |
Deam |Laporte |Pinus Strobus | 267 8 8|... .. |229 75
| | (White Pine) | | |
Deam |Lake |Pinus Banksiana | 116 3 11|... .. |168 55
| | (Jack Pine) | | |
Schneck |L. W. V.[A]|Taxodium distichum | 562 18 9|226 74 |445 146
| | (Cypress) | | |
Ridgway |L. W. V. |Salix nigra | 305 10 ..|... .. |268 88
| | (Black Willow) | | |
Schneck |L. W. V. |Populus deltoides | 671 22 ..|229 75 |518 170
| | (Cottonwood) | | |
Ridgway |L. W. V. |Populus grandidentata | 112 3 8|217 71 |217 71
| | (Quaking Aspen) | | |
Ridgway |Knox |Populus heterophylla | 229 7 6|156 51 |281 92
| | (Cottonwood) | | |
Deam |Marshall |Populus tremuloides | 121 4 ..|168 55 |168 55
| | (Quaking Aspen) | | |
Schneck |L. W. V. |Juglans nigra | 671 22 ..|226 74 |473 155
| | (Black Walnut) | | |
Schneck |L. W. V. |Carya alba | 315 10 4|168 55 |342 112
| | (White Hickory) | | |
Ridgway |L. W. V. |Carya glabra | 229 7 6|... .. |351 115
| | (Black Hickory) | | |
Ridgway |L. W. V. |Carya ovalis | 294 10 ..|213 70 |409 134
| | (Small-fruited | | |
| | Hickory) | | |
Schneck |L. W. V. |Carya illinoensis | 488 16 ..|275 90 |534 175
| | (Pecan) | | |
Deam |Madison |Ostrya virginiana | 117 3 10|... .. |122 40
| | (Ironwood) | | |
Ridgway |Knox |Carpinus caroliniana | 107 3 6| 21 7 | 98 32
| | (Blue Beech) | | |
Deam |Porter |Betula papyrifera | 63 2 1|... .. |183 60
| | (Paper Birch) | | |
Deam |Porter |Alnus incana | 42 1 5|... .. | 92 30
| | (Tag Alder) | | |
Schneck |L. W. V. |Fagus grandifolia | 336 11 ..|... .. |372 122
| | (Beech) | | |
Bot. Gaz.|Jackson |Castanea dentata | 671 22 ..|213 70 |... ...
June '80| | (Chestnut) | | |
Schneck |L. W. V. |Quercus alba | 549 18 ..|220 72 |503 165
| | (White Oak) | | |
Schneck |L. W. V. |Quercus Schneckii | 618 20 3|287 94 |552 181
| | (Schneck's Oak) | | |
Ridgway |L. W. V. |Quercus falcata | 427 14 ..|213 70 |396 130
| | (Spanish Oak) | | |
Schneck |L. W. V. |Quercus macrocarpa | 671 22 ..|220 72 |503 165
| | (Burr Oak) | | |
Ridgway |L. W. V. |Quercus Michauxii | 395 13 ..| 88 29 |364 119
| | (Cow Oak) | | |
Schneck |L. W. V. |Quercus palustris | 366 12 ..| 70 23 |366 120
| | (Pin Oak) | | |
Ridgway |Gibson |Quercus rubra | 702 23 ..|232 76 |... ...
| | (Red Oak) | | |
Ridgway |Knox |Quercus rubra | 427 14 ..|168 55 |436 143
| | (Red Oak) | | |
Schneck |L. W. V. |Quercus velutina | 610 20 ..|229 75 |503 165
| | (Black Oak) | | |
Ridgway |L. W. V. |Ulmus americana | 488 16 ..|152 50 |366 120
| | (White Elm) | | |
Ridgway |Gibson |Celtis occidentalis | 336 11 ..|253 83 |183 60
| | (Hackberry) | | |
Schneck |L. W. V. |Liriodendron Tulipifera| 762 25 ..|278 91 |580 190
| | (Yellow Poplar) | | |
Schneck |Posey |Asimina triloba | 69 2 3|... .. |146 48
| | (Pawpaw) | | |
Johnson |Posey |Sassafras officinale | 236 7 6|229 75 |290 95
| | (Sassafras) | | |
Schneck |L. W. V. |Liquidambar Styraciflua| 518 17 ..|244 80 |500 164
| | (Sweet Gum) | | |
Schneck |L. W. V. |Platanus occidentalis |1,116 33 4|207 68 |537 176
| | (Sycamore) | | |
Bot. Gaz.|Daviess |Platanus occidentalis |1,464 48 ..| 76 25 |... ..
June '80| | (Sycamore) | | |
Deam |Steuben |Amelanchier lævis | 56 1 10|... .. | 92 30
| | (Juneberry) | | |
Deam |Porter |Prunus pennsylvanica | 60 2 ..|... .. |107 35
| | (Wild Red Cherry) | | |
Ridgway |Knox |Cercis canadensis | 84 2 9| 70 23 |165 54
| | (Redbud) | | |
Ridgway |L. W. V. |Gleditsia aquatica | 212 7 ..|... .. |198 65
| | (Water Honey Locust) | | |
Schneck |Posey |Gleditsia triacanthos | 549 18 ..|186 61 |593 129
| | (Honey Locust) | | |
Deam |Posey |Acer Negundo | 300 9 10| 24 8 |122 40
| | (Box Elder) | | |
Schneck |L. W. V. |Acer rubrum | 396 13 ..|183 60 |329 108
| | (Red Maple) | | |
Schneck |L. W. V. |Acer saccharum | 381 12 6|183 60 |345 113
| | (Sugar Maple) | | |
Schneck |L. W. V. |Tilia glabra | 534 17 6|153 50 |332 109
| | (Linn) | | |
Deam |Jefferson |Tilia heterophylla | 356 8 8| 37 12 |183 60
| | (White Linn) | | |
Ridgway |L. W. V. |Nyssa sylvatica | 549 18 ..|... .. |... ...
| | (Black Gum) | | |
Deam |Posey |Diospyros virginiana | 178 6 10| 24 8 |137 45
| | (Persimmon) | | |
Ridgway |L. W. V. |Diospyros virginiana | 168 5 6|244 80 |351 115
| | (Persimmon) | | |
Schneck |L. W. V. |Catalpa speciosa | 183 6 ..|146 48 |308 101
| | (Catalpa) | | |
---------+-----------+-----------------------+-----------+-------+-------
[A] L. W. V.--Lower Wabash Valley.