Handbook of the Trees of New England
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Lorin Low Dame >> Handbook of the Trees of New England
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=Fruit.=--In compound terminal panicles, 6-10 or 12 inches long, made up
of small, dryish, smooth-stoned drupes densely covered with acid,
crimson hairs, persistent till spring.
=Horticultural Value.=--Hardy throughout New England. Grows in any
well-drained soil, but prefers a deep, rich loam. The vigorous growth,
bold, handsome foliage, and freedom from disease make it desirable for
landscape plantations. It spreads rapidly from suckers, a single plant
becoming in a few years the center of a broad-spreading group. Seldom
obtainable in nurseries, but collected plants transplant easily.
The cut-leaved form is cultivated in nurseries for the sake of its
exceedingly graceful and delicate foliage.
[Illustration: PLATE LXVIII.--Rhus typhina.]
1. Winter buds.
2. Branch with staminate flowers.
3. Staminate flower.
4. Branch with pistillate flowers.
5. Pistillate flower.
6. Fruit cluster.
7. Fruit.
=Rhus Vernix, L.=
_Rhus venenata, DC._
DOGWOOD. POISON SUMAC. POISON ELDER.
=Habitat and Range.=--Low grounds and swamps; occasional on the moist
slopes of hills.
Infrequent in Ontario.
Maine,--local and apparently restricted to the southwestern sections; as
far north as Chesterville (Franklin county); Vermont,--infrequent;
common throughout the other New England states, especially near the
seacoast.
South to northern Florida; west to Minnesota and Louisiana.
=Habit.=--- A handsome shrub or small tree, 5-20 feet high; trunk
sometimes 8-10 inches in diameter; broad-topped in the open along the
edge of swamps; conspicuous in autumn by its richly colored foliage and
diffusely panicled, pale, yellowish-white fruit.
=Bark.=--Trunk and branches mottled gray, roughish with round spots;
branchlets light brown; season's shoots reddish at first, turning later
to gray, thickly beset with rough yellowish warts; leaf-scars prominent,
triangular.
=Buds and Leaves.=--Buds small, roundish. Leaves pinnately compound,
alternate; rachis abruptly widened at base; leaflets 5-13, opposite,
short-stalked except the odd one, 2-3 inches long, 1-2 inches wide,
smooth, light green and mostly glossy when young, becoming dark green
and often dull, obovate to oval or ovate; entire, often wavy-margined;
apex acute, acuminate, or obtuse; base mostly obtuse or rounded; veins
prominent, often red; stipules none.
=Inflorescence.=--Early in July. Near the tips of the branches, in
loose, axillary clusters of small greenish flowers; sterile, fertile,
and perfect flowers on the same tree, or occasionally sterile and
fertile on separate trees; calyx deeply 5-parted, divisions ovate,
acute; petals 5, oblong; stamens 5, exserted in the sterile flowers;
ovary globose, styles 3.
=Fruit.=--Drupes about as large as peas, smooth, more or less glossy,
whitish; stone ridged; strongly resembling the fruit of _R.
Toxicodendron_ (poison ivy).
=Horticultural Value.=--No large shrub or small tree, so attractive as
this, does so well in wet ground; it grows also in any good soil, but it
is seldom advisable to use it, on account of its noxious qualities. It
can be obtained only from collectors of native plants.
=Note.=--This sumac has the reputation of being the most poisonous of
New England plants. The treacherous beauty of its autumn leaves is a
source of grief to collectors. Many are seriously affected, without
actual contact, by the exhalation of vapor from the leaves, by grains of
pollen floating in the air, and even by the smoke of the burning wood.
It is easily distinguished from the other sumacs. The leaflets are not
toothed like those of _R. typhina_ (staghorn sumac) and _R. glabra_
(smooth sumac); it is not pubescent like _R. typhina_ and _R. copallina_
(dwarf sumac); the rachis of the compound leaf is not wing-margined as
in _R. copallina_; the panicles of flower and fruit are not upright and
compact, but drooping and spreading; the fruit is not red-dotted with
dense crimson hairs, but is smooth and whitish. Unlike the other sumacs,
it grows for the most part in lowlands and swamps.
In the vicinity of Southington, southern Connecticut, _Rhus copallina_
is occasionally found with a trunk 5 or 6 inches in diameter (C. H.
Bissell).
[Illustration: PLATE LXIX.--Rhus Vernix.]
1. Winter buds.
2. Branch with sterile flowers.
3. Sterile flower.
4. Branch with fertile flowers.
5. Fertile flower.
6. Fruiting branch.
AQUIFOLIACEAE. HOLLY FAMILY.
=Ilex opaca, Ait.=
HOLLY. AMERICAN HOLLY.
=Habitat and Range.=--Generally found in somewhat sheltered situations
in sandy loam or in low, moist soil in the vicinity of water.
Maine,--reported on the authority of Gray's _Manual_, sixth edition, in
various botanical works, but no station is known; New Hampshire and
Vermont,--no station reported; Massachusetts,--occasional from Quincy
southward upon the mainland and the island of Naushon; rare in the peat
swamps of Nantucket; Rhode Island,--common in South Kingston and Little
Compton and sparingly found upon Prudence and Conanicut islands in
Narragansett bay; Connecticut,--mostly restricted to the southwestern
sections.
Southward to Florida; westward to Missouri and the bottom-lands of
eastern Texas.
=Habit.=--A shrub or small tree, exceptionally reaching a height of 30
feet, with a trunk diameter of 15-18 inches, but attaining larger
proportions south and west; head conical or dome-shaped, compact;
branches irregular, mostly horizontal, clothed with a spiny evergreen
foliage. The fertile trees are readily distinguished through late fall
and early winter by the conspicuous red berries.
=Bark.=--Bark of trunk thick, smooth on young trees, roughish, dotted on
old, of a nearly uniform ash-gray on trunk and branches; the young
shoots more or less downy, bright greenish-yellow, becoming smooth and
grayish at the end of the season.
=Winter Buds and Leaves.=--Buds short, roundish, generally obtuse,
scales minutely ciliate. Leaves evergreen, simple, alternate, 2-4 inches
long, 1-1/2-3 inches wide, flat when compared with those of the European
holly, thickish, smooth on both sides, yellowish-green, scarcely glossy
on the upper surface, paler beneath, elliptical, oval or oval-oblong;
apex acutish, spine-tipped; base acutish or obtuse; margin wavy and
concave between the large spiny teeth, sometimes with one or two teeth
or entire; midrib prominent beneath; leafstalks short, grooved; stipules
minute, awl-shaped, becoming blackish, persistent.
=Inflorescence.=--Flowers in June along the base of the season's shoots;
sterile and fertile flowers usually on separate trees,--the sterile in
loose, few-flowered clusters, the fertile mostly solitary; peduncles and
pedicels slender, bracted midway; calyx persistent, with 4 pointed,
ciliate teeth; corolla white, monopetalous, with 4 roundish, oblong
divisions; stamens 4, alternating with and shorter than the lobes of the
corolla in the fertile flowers, but longer in the sterile; ovary green,
nearly cylindrical, surmounted by the sessile, 4-lobed stigma. Parts of
the flower sometimes in fives or sixes.
=Fruit.=--A dull red, berry-like drupe, with 4 nutlets, ribbed or
grooved on the convex back, ripening late, and persistent into winter. A
yellow-fruited form reported at New Bedford, Mass. (_Rhodora_, III, 58).
=Horticultural Value.=--Hardy in southern New England; though preferring
moist, gravelly loam, it does fairly well in dry soil; of slow growth;
useful to form low plantation in shade and to enrich the undergrowth of
woods; occasionally sold by collectors but rare in nurseries; nursery
plants must be frequently transplanted to be moved successfully; only a
small percentage of ordinary collected plants live. The seed seldom
germinates in less than two years.
=Notes.=--The cultivated European holly, which the American tree closely
resembles, may be distinguished by its deeper green, glossier, and more
wave-margined leaves and the deeper red of its berries.
"There are several fine specimens of the _Ilex opaca_ on the farm of
Col. Minot Thayer in Braintree, Mass., which are about a foot in
diameter a yard above the ground and 25 feet in height. They have
maintained their present dimensions for more than fifty years."--D. T.
Browne's _Trees of North America_, published in 1846.
This estate is now owned by Mr. Thomas A. Watson. Several of these
trees have been cut down, but one of them is still standing and of
substantially the dimensions given above. It must have reached the limit
of growth a hundred years ago and now shows very evident signs of
decrepitude. This may be due, however, to the loss of a square foot or
more of bark from the trunk.
[Illustration: PLATE LXX.--Ilex opaca.]
1. Branch with staminate flowers.
2. Staminate flower.
3. Pistillate flower.
4. Fruiting branch.
ACERACEAE. MAPLE FAMILY.
=Acer rubrum, L.=
RED MAPLE. SWAMP MAPLE. SOFT MAPLE. WHITE MAPLE.
=Habitat and Range.=--Borders of streams, low lands, wet forests,
swamps, rocky hillsides.
Nova Scotia to the Lake of the Woods.
Common throughout New England from the sea to an altitude of 3000 feet
on Katahdin.
South to southern Florida; west to Dakota, Nebraska, and Texas.
=Habit.=--A medium-sized tree, 40-50 feet high, rising occasionally in
swamps to a height of 60-75 feet; trunk 2-4 feet in diameter, throwing
out limbs at varying angles a few feet from the ground; branches and
branchlets slender, forming a bushy spray, the tips having a slightly
upward tendency; head compact, in young trees usually rounded and
symmetrical, widest just above the point of furcation. In the first warm
days of spring there shimmers amid the naked branches a faint glow of
red, which at length becomes embodied in the abundant scarlet, crimson,
or yellow of the long flowering stems; succeeded later by the brilliant
fruit, which is outlined against the sober green of the foliage till it
pales and falls in June. The colors of the autumn leaves vie in
splendor with those of the sugar maple.
=Bark.=--In young trees smooth and light gray, becoming very dark and
ridgy in large trunks, the surface separating into scales, and in very
old trees hanging in long flakes; young shoots often bright red in
autumn, conspicuously marked with oblong white spots.
=Winter Buds and Leaves.=--Buds aggregated at or near the ends of the
preceding year's shoots, about 1/8 inch long; protected by dark reddish
scales; inner scales lengthening with the growth of the shoot. Leaves
simple, opposite, 3-4 inches long, green and smooth above, lighter and
more or less pubescent beneath, especially along the veins; turning
crimson or scarlet in early autumn; ovate, 3-5-lobed, the middle lobe
generally the longest, the lower pair (when 5 lobes are present) the
smallest; unequally sharp-toothed, with broad, acute sinuses; apex
acute; base heart-shaped, truncate, or obtuse; leafstalk 1-3 inches
long. The leaves of the red maple vary greatly in size, outline, lobing,
and shape of base.
=Inflorescence.=--April 1-15. Appearing before the leaves in close
clusters encircling the shoots of the previous year, varying in color
from dull red or pale yellow to scarlet; the sterile and fertile flowers
mostly in separate clusters, sometimes on the same tree, but more
frequently on different trees; calyx lobes oblong and obtuse; petals
linear-oblong; pedicels short; stamens 5-8, much longer than the petals
in the sterile and about the same length in the fertile flowers; the
smooth ovary surmounted by a style separating into two much-projecting
stigmatic lobes.
=Fruit.=--Fruit ripe in June, hanging on long stems, varying from brown
to crimson; keys about an inch in length, at first convergent, at
maturity more or less divergent.
=Horticultural Value.=--Hardy throughout New England; found in a wider
range of soils than any other species of the genus, but seeming to
prefer a gravelly or peaty loam in positions where its roots can reach a
constant supply of moisture. It is more variable than any other of the
native maples and consequently is not so good a tree for streets, where
a symmetrical outline and uniform habit are required. It is
transplanted readily, but recovers its vigor more slowly than does the
sugar or silver maple and is usually of slower growth. Its variable
habit makes it an exceedingly interesting tree in the landscape.
[Illustration: PLATE LXXI.--Acer rubrum.]
1. Leaf-buds.
2. Flower-buds.
3. Branch with sterile flowers.
4. Sterile flower.
5. Branch with sterile and fertile flowers.
6. Fertile flower.
7. Fruiting branch.
8. Variant leaves.
=Acer saccharinum, L.=
_Acer dasycarpum, Ehrh._
SILVER MAPLE. SOFT MAPLE. WHITE MAPLE. RIVER MAPLE.
=Habitat and Range.=--Along streams, in rich intervale lands, and in
moist, deep-soiled forests, but not in swamps.
Infrequent from New Brunswick to Ottawa, abundant from Ottawa
throughout Ontario.
Occasional throughout the New England states; most common and best
developed upon the banks of rivers and lakes at low altitudes.
South to the Gulf states; west to Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and
Indian territory; attaining its maximum size in the basins of the
Ohio and its tributaries; rare towards the seacoast throughout the
whole range.
=Habit.=--A handsome tree, 50-60 feet in height; trunk 2-5 feet in
diameter, separating a few feet from the ground into several large,
slightly diverging branches. These, naked for some distance, repeatedly
subdivide at wider angles, forming a very wide head, much broader near
the top. The ultimate branches are long and slender, often forming on
the lower limbs a pendulous fringe sometimes reaching to the ground.
Distinguished in winter by its characteristic graceful outlines, and by
its flower-buds conspicuously scattered along the tips of the
branchlets; in summer by the silvery-white under-surface of its deeply
cut leaves. It is among the first of the New England trees to blossom,
preceding the red maple by one to three weeks.
=Bark.=--Bark of trunk smooth and gray in young trees, becoming with age
rougher and darker, more or less ridged, separating into thin, loose
scales; young shoots chestnut-colored in autumn, smooth, polished,
profusely marked with light dots.
=Winter Buds and Leaves.=--Flower-buds clustered near the ends of the
branchlets, conspicuous in winter; scales imbricated, convex, polished,
reddish, with ciliate margins; leaf-buds more slender, about 1/8 inch
long, with similar scales, the inner lengthening, falling as the leaf
expands. Leaves simple, opposite, 3-5 inches long, of varying width,
light green above, silvery-white beneath, turning yellow in autumn;
lobes 3, or more usually 5, deeply cut, sharp-toothed, sharp-pointed,
more or less sublobed; sinuses deep, narrow, with concave sides; base
sub-heart-shaped or truncate; stems long.
=Inflorescence.=--March to April. Much preceding the leaves; from short
branchlets of the previous year, in simple, crowded umbels; flowers
rarely perfect, the sterile and fertile sometimes on the same tree and
sometimes on different trees, generally in separate clusters,
yellowish-green or sometimes pinkish; calyx 5-notched, wholly included
in bud-scales; petals none; sterile flowers long, stamens 3-7 much
exserted, filaments slender, ovary abortive or none: fertile flowers
broad, stamens about the length of calyx-tube, ovary woolly, with two
styles scarcely united at the base.
=Fruit.=--Fruit ripens in June, earliest of the New England maples. Keys
large, woolly when young, at length smooth, widely divergent,
scythe-shaped or straight, yellowish-green, one key often aborted.
=Horticultural Value.=--Hardy in cultivation throughout New England. The
grace of its branches, the beauty of its foliage, and its rapid growth
make it a favorite ornamental tree. It attains its finest development
when planted by the margin of pond or stream where its roots can reach
water, but it grows well in any good soil. Easily transplanted, and more
readily obtainable at a low price than any other tree in general use for
street or ornamental purposes. The branches are easily broken by wind
and ice, and the roots fill the ground for a long distance and exhaust
its fertility.
[Illustration: PLATE LXXII.--Acer saccharinum.]
1. Leaf-buds.
2. Flower-buds.
3. Branch with sterile flowers.
4. Branch with fertile flowers.
5. Branch with sterile and fertile flowers.
6. Sterile flower.
7. Fertile flower.
8. Perfect flower.
9. Fruiting branch.
=Acer Saccharum, Marsh.=
_Acer saccharinum, Wang._ _Acer barbatum, Michx._
ROCK MAPLE. SUGAR MAPLE. HARD MAPLE. SUGAR TREE.
=Habitat and Range.=--Rich woods and cool, rocky slopes.
Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, westward to Lake of the Woods.
New England,--abundant, distributed throughout the woods, often forming
in the northern portions extensive upland forests; attaining great size
in the mountainous portions of New Hampshire and Vermont, and in the
Connecticut river valley; less frequent toward the seacoast.
South to the Gulf states; west to Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, and
Texas.
=Habit.=--A noble tree, 50-90 feet in height; trunk 2-5 feet in
diameter, stout, erect, throwing out its primary branches at acute
angles; secondary branches straight, slender, nearly horizontal or
declining at the base, leaving the stem higher up at sharper and sharper
angles, repeatedly subdividing, forming a dense and rather stiff spray
of nearly uniform length; head symmetrical, varying greatly in shape; in
young trees often narrowly cylindrical, becoming pyramidal or broadly
egg-shaped with age; clothed with dense masses of foliage, purple-tinged
in spring, light green in summer, and gorgeous beyond all other trees of
the forest, with the possible exception of the red maple, in its
autumnal oranges, yellows, and reds.
=Bark.=--Bark of trunk and principal branches gray, very smooth, close
and firm in young trees, in old trees becoming deeply furrowed, often
cleaving up at one edge in long, thick, irregular plates; season's
shoots at length of a shining reddish-brown, smooth, numerously
pale-dotted, turning gray the third year.
=Winter Buds and Leaves.=--Buds sharp-pointed, reddish-brown, minutely
pubescent, terminal 1/4 inch long, lateral 1/8 inch, appressed, the
inner scales lengthening with the growth of the shoot. Leaves simple,
opposite, 3-5 inches long, with a somewhat greater breadth, purplish and
more or less pubescent when opening, at maturity dark green above,
paler, with or without pubescence beneath, changing to brilliant reds
and yellows in autumn; lobes sometimes 3, usually 5, acuminate,
sparingly sinuate-toothed, with shallow, rounded sinuses; base
subcordate, truncate, or wedge-shaped; veins and veinlets conspicuous
beneath; leafstalks long, slender.
=Inflorescence.=--April 1-15. Appearing with the leaves in nearly
sessile clusters, from terminal and lateral buds; flowers
greenish-yellow, pendent on long thread-like, hairy stems; sterile and
fertile on the same or on different trees, usually in separate, but not
infrequently in the same cluster; the 5-lobed calyx cylindrical or
bell-shaped, hairy; petals none; stamens 6-8, in sterile flowers much
longer than the calyx, in fertile scarcely exserted; ovary smooth,
abortive in sterile flowers, in fertile surmounted by a single style
with two divergent, thread-like, stigmatic lobes.
=Fruit.=--Keys usually an inch or more in length, glabrous, wings broad,
mostly divergent, falling late in autumn.
=Horticultural Value.=--Hardy throughout New England. Its long life,
noble proportions, beautiful foliage, dense shade, moderately rapid
growth, usual freedom from disease or insect disfigurement, and
adaptability to almost any soil not saturated with water make it a
favorite in cultivation; readily obtainable in nurseries, transplants
easily, recovers its vigor quickly, and has a nearly uniform habit of
growth.
=Note.=--Not liable to be taken for any other native maple, but
sometimes confounded with the cultivated Norway maple, _Acer
platanoides_, from which it is easily distinguished by the milky juice
which exudes from the broken petiole of the latter.
The leaves of the Norway maple are thinner, bright green and glabrous
beneath, and its keys diverge in a straight line.
[Illustration: PLATE LXXIII.--Acer saccharum.]
1. Winter buds.
2. Flowering branch.
3. Sterile flower.
4. Fertile flower, part of perianth and stamens removed.
5. Fruiting branch.
=Acer saccharum, Marsh., var. nigrum, Britton.=
_Acer nigrum, Michx. Acer saccharinum,_ var. _nigrum, T. & G. Acer
barbatum,_ var. _nigrum, Sarg._
BLACK MAPLE.
=Habitat and Range.=--Low, damp ground on which, in New England at
least, the sugar maple is rarely if ever seen, or upon moist, rocky
slopes.
Apparently a common tree from Ottawa westward throughout Ontario.
The New England specimens, with the exception of those from the
Champlain valley, appear to be dubious intermediates between the type
and the variety.
Maine,--the Rangeley lake region; New Hampshire,--occasional near the
Connecticut river; Vermont,--frequent in the western part in the
Champlain valley, occasional in all other sections, especially in the
vicinity of the Connecticut; Massachusetts,--occasional in the
Connecticut river valley and westward, doubtfully reported from eastern
sections; Rhode Island,--doubtful, resting on the authority of Colonel
Olney's list; Connecticut,--doubtfully reported.
South along the Alleghanies to the Gulf states; west to the 95th
meridian.
The extreme forms of _nigrum_ show well-marked varietal differences; but
there are few, if any, constant characters. Further research in the
field is necessary to determine the status of these interesting plants.
=Habit.=--The black maple is somewhat smaller than the sugar maple, the
bark is darker and the foliage more sombre. It generally has a
symmetrical outline, which it retains to old age.
=Leaves.=--The fully grown leaves are often larger than those of the
type, darker green above, edges sometimes drooping, width equal to or
exceeding the length, 5-lobed, margin blunt-toothed, wavy-toothed, or
entire, the two lower lobes small, often reduced to a curve in the
outline, broad at the base, which is usually heart-shaped; texture firm;
the lengthening scales of the opening leaves, the young shoots, the
petioles, and the leaves themselves are covered with a downy to a
densely woolly pubescence. As the parts mature, the woolliness usually
disappears, except along the midrib and principal veins, which become
almost glabrous.
=Horticultural Value.=--Hardy throughout New England, preferring a
moist, fertile, gravelly loam; young trees are rather more vigorous than
those of the sugar maple, and easily transplanted. Difficult to secure,
for it is seldom offered for sale or recognized by nurseries, although
occasionally found mixed with the sugar maple in nursery rows.
[Illustration: PLATE LXXIV.--Acer Saccharum, var. nigrum.]
1. Fruiting branch.
=Acer spicatum, Lam.=
MOUNTAIN MAPLE.
=Habitat and Range.=--In damp forests, rocky highland woods, along the
sides of mountain brooks at altitudes of 500-1000 feet.
From Nova Scotia and Newfoundland to Saskatchewan.
Maine,--common, especially northward in the forests; New Hampshire and
Vermont,--common; Massachusetts,--rather common in western and central
sections, occasional eastward; Rhode Island,--occasional northward;
Connecticut,--occasional in northern and central sections; reported as
far south as North Branford (New Haven county).
Along mountain ranges to Georgia.
=Habit.=--Mostly a shrub, but occasionally attaining a height of 25
feet, with a diameter, near the ground, of 6-8 inches; characterized by
a short, straight trunk and slender branches; bright green foliage
turning a rich red in autumn, and long-stemmed, erect racemes of
delicate flowers, drooping at length beneath the weight of the maturing
keys.
=Bark.=--Bark of trunk thin, smoothish, grayish-brown; primary branches
gray; branchlets reddish-brown streaked with green, retaining in the
second year traces of pubescence; season's shoots yellowish-green,
reddish on the upper side when exposed to the sun, minutely pubescent.
=Winter Buds and Leaves.=--Buds small, flattish, acute, slightly
divergent from the stem. Leaves simple, opposite, 4-5 inches long,
two-thirds as wide, pubescent on both sides when unfolding, at length
glabrous on the upper surface, 3-lobed above the center, often with two
small additional lobes at the base, coarsely or finely serrate, lobes
acuminate; base more or less heart-shaped; veining 3-5-nerved,
prominent, especially on the lower side, furrowed above; leafstalks
long, enlarged at the base.
=Inflorescence.=--June. Appearing after the expansion of the leaves, in
long-stemmed, terminal, more or less panicled, erect or slightly
drooping racemes; flowers small and numerous, both kinds in the same
raceme, the fertile near the base; all upon very slender pedicels; lobes
of calyx 5, greenish, downy, about half as long as the alternating
linear petals; stamens usually 8, in the sterile flower nearly as long
as the petals, in the fertile much shorter; pistil rudimentary, hairy in
the sterile flower; in the fertile the ovary is surmounted by an erect
style with short-lobed stigma.
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