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West Virginia Trees

Chapter 125: OPOSSUM WOOD
By A. B. Brooks
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Nature/Gardening/Animals

About This Book

A practical field guide to the native and introduced trees of West Virginia, providing keys based mainly on leaves and fruits, concise family and species descriptions, and detailed line drawings for about 101 native species. It organizes trees by botanical families, gives brief flower notes, a glossary of terms, and suggestions for identifying specimens; occasional introduced species and shrubs are noted. The bulletin emphasizes simplicity for non-specialists, offers measurements and habit descriptions for each species, and includes administrative prefatory material. Its aim is to aid lay readers and students in tree identification and to encourage local interest in forestry.

OPOSSUM WOOD

Halesia Carolina, L.

Form.—A small tree, reaching a height in this State of 30-50 feet with a diameter up to 10 or 12 inches. Farther south it reaches a much larger size.

Leaves.—Alternate, simple, 4-6 inches long, oblong-ovate, finely serrate, smooth above when old, slightly pubescent beneath.

Flowers.—Early spring with the leaves; perfect, white, about 1 inch long, bell-shaped, drooping on slender pedicels in crowded fascicles or short racemes.

Fruit.—Matures in autumn and persistent into the winter; a 4-celled, 4-winged, dry, drupaceous fruit, 1½-2 inches long, 1 inch wide; greenish turning brown when mature.

Bark.—Somewhat roughened by shallow fissures and narrow ridges.

Wood.—Light, soft, close-grained, light brown, with thick lighter colored sapwood.

Range.—Southern West Virginia to Florida, west to Texas, Arkansas and Illinois.

Distribution in West Virginia.—Common along the Great Kanawha and New rivers from the eastern part of Kanawha County through Fayette and Summers counties.

Habitat.—Rich slopes and banks of streams.

Notes.—The Opossum Wood has two other common names, Snowdrop, and Silver-bell Tree, both names referring to the white bell-shaped flowers. The tree is of no commercial importance here, but is very attractive when planted as an ornament. Variety monticola, with longer leaves and fruit, also occurs with this species.