[53] Monardes, a Spanish writer, described the sassafras about half a century after the landing of Columbus.
[54] Annual Report Chief U. S. Forestry Division, 1887; also Bulletins on Silk, published by U. S. Dept. Agriculture.
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Sassafras (local and common name).
Saxifrax, Sasifrax Tree (Fla., Tenn.).
Sassafac, Sassafrac (W. Va., Del.).
Gumbo file (La., negro).
Locality.
Vermont to Florida, westward intermittently to Michigan and Texas.
Features of Tree.
Thirty to fifty feet in height, one to three feet in diameter, sometimes larger, often low shrub, characteristic odor and leaves.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Thick heartwood, delicate brown, thin sapwood yellowish white, coarse-grained, annual rings clearly marked.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Light, soft, not strong, brittle, checks in drying, very durable in contact with soil. Slightly aromatic.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Pails, buckets, ox-yokes, fence-posts, and rails.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
31.
Modulus of Elasticity.
730,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
8500.
Remarks.
Leaves and shoots mucilaginous. Bark of root rich in highly aromatic essences. Sassafras often forms thickets. [p095]
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Red Mulberry, Mulberry (local and common name).
Black Mulberry (N. J., Pa., W. Va.).
Virginia Mulberry Tree (Tenn.).
Murier Sauvage (La.).
Locality.
Massachusetts to Florida, westward intermittently to Nebraska and Texas. Best in lower Ohio and Mississippi River basins.
Features of Tree.
Fifty to sixty feet in height, two and one half to three feet in diameter. Sweet edible fruit. Dark brown broken bark, smooth gray branches.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Thick heartwood, light orange yellow, thin sapwood whitish, coarse-grained, compact structure, annual layers clearly marked.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Light, soft, not strong, very durable in contact with soil, receives good polish.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Local ship-building, agricultural implements, fencing, cooperage.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
36.
Modulus of Elasticity.
11,700,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
11,000.
Remarks.
The buckeye and horse chestnut are species of the same genus. The common horse chestnut (Æsculus hippocastanum) was once thought to have been a native of Asia, but it is now quite certain that it originated on the mountains of northern Greece. Trees have been cultivated in Europe for at least three centuries and are now extensively grown over the United States. The name buckeye is generally applied to such species as are natives of North America.
The woods resemble one another in that they are soft, straight-grained, easily worked, and decay rapidly when exposed. They are employed to some extent in woodenware, artificial limbs, and paper-making. The trees may be known by their round prickly pods, containing smooth chestnut-colored bitter nuts. The leaves of the buckeye are arranged in groups of five, while those of the horse chestnut are in groups of seven. The horse chestnut produces showy spotted flowers. There are thirteen species of this genus, eight of which are North American. The name "horse chestnut" may refer ironically to the coarse nuts, or may arise from the fact that they are occasionally eaten by cattle, or from a horseshoe marking seen on young twigs. Hippocastanum is from hippos, a horse, and castanea, a chestnut. The name buckeye refers to the appearance of the brown nut through the paler husk partly separated when ripe, suggesting the eye of the common deer. [p097]
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Buckeye, Ohio Buckeye (local and common names).
Fetid Buckeye (W. Va.).
Stinking Buckeye (Ala., Ark.).
American Horse Chestnut (Pa.).
Locality.
Ohio River basin to Alabama, portions of Iowa, Kansas, and Indian Territory.
Features of Tree.
Twenty-five to forty-five feet in height. One to one and one-half feet in diameter. Yellowish-white flower, succeeded by round prickly pod or fruit.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood white, sapwood a little darker, close-grained, frequent dark lines of decay.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Weak, light, soft, hard to split.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Artificial limbs, woodenware, paper-pulp, rarely lumber.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
28.
Modulus of Elasticity.
910,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
7000.
Remarks.
The nearly similar horse chestnut (A. hippocastanum) is forty to fifty feet or more in height and two to four feet in diameter. The light, weak wood is seldom used. The name horse may be applied to the coarse nuts ironically, or may refer to their occasional use by cattle, or a horseshoe marking seen on young twigs. [p098]
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Buckeye (N. C., S. C., Ala., Miss., La., Tex., Ky.).
Sweet Buckeye (W. Va., Miss., Tex., Mo., Ind.).
Yellow Buckeye (S. C., Ala.).
Large Buckeye, Big Buckeye (Tex., Tenn.).
Locality.
Alleghany Mountains, Pennsylvania to Georgia, westward intermittently to Iowa and Texas.
Features of Tree.
Forty to seventy feet in height, one to three feet in diameter, sometimes low shrub. Large mahogany-colored seed.
Color, Appearance, and Grain of Wood.
Heartwood, creamy white, sapwood similar, compact structure, close-grained, difficult to split.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Similar to those of Ohio Buckeye (A. glabra).
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
26.64.
Modulus of Elasticity.
Modulus of Rupture.
Remarks.
This name is applied to two unrelated American trees—the Sweet or Red Gum (Liquidambar styraciflua), a member of the witch-hazel family, and the Sour or Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica), which is one of the dogwoods.
The woods afforded by these two trees are also distinct from one another, although both are referred to by the one name, gum. The softer Sweet Gum figures in carpentry. Selected pieces so resemble black walnut as to be cut into veneers and made up into furniture. Sour Gum is harder, it splits with difficulty, and is fitted for small work and implements, such as wagon-hubs and tool-handles. Both woods are close-and often cross-grained, besides being strong, heavy, tough, and difficult to season.
The Sweet Gum tree is characterized by rough, round balls, resembling those of the sycamore, by pointed star-like leaves, suggesting those of the sugar maple, and by corky ridges on the bark of younger branches. These latter cause the bark to resemble alligator-skin and give rise to the name alligator-wood. Liquidambar refers to gums excreted by the tree and sometimes used in medicine. The Sour Gum bears ovoid bluish-black sour drupes, or fruit containing single roughened seeds. The thick oval leaves are dark green above and dull or hairy below. The foliage of both species becomes brilliant in autumn. [p100]
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Sweet Gum (local and common name).
Liquidambar (R. I., N. Y., Del., N. J., Pa., La., Tex., Ohio, Ill.).
Red Gum (Va., Ala., Miss., Tex., La.).
Gum, Gum Tree (Va., S. C., La.).
Alligatorwood, Blisted (N. J.).
Locality.
Connecticut to Florida, westward intermittently to Illinois and Texas, Mexico. Greatest development in basin of Mississippi River.
Features of Tree.
Eighty to one hundred feet or more in height, three to five feet in diameter. Tall straight trunk, corky ridges frequent on branches. Star-shaped leaves turn to brilliant scarlet in autumn, round balls on long stems.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood rich brown suggesting black walnut, sapwood nearly white, close-grained, compact structure.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Heavy, rather soft, strong, stiff, not durable when exposed,[55] shrinks and warps badly in seasoning, receives high polish.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Veneers, cabinet-work, substitute for black walnut, shingles, clapboards, paving-blocks, wooden plates.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
37 (U. S. Forestry Div.).[56]
36.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,700,000 (average of 118 tests by U. S. Forestry Div.).[56]
1,220,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
9500 (average of 118 tests by U. S. Forestry Div.).[56]
9200.
Remarks.
Wood sometimes commercially known as satin walnut and sometimes as star-leaved gum. Large specimens often have hollow butts. [p101]
[55] E. C. Woodward, C. E. Division Engineer Texas & Pacific Ry. reports "gum" ties good after 5 years' service. They hold spikes well.
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Sour Gum, Black Gum, Tupelo (local and common names).
Pepperidge (Vt., Mass., R. I., N. Y., N. J., S. C., Tenn., Mich., Ohio, Ontario).
Wild Pear Tree, Yellow Gum Tree (Tenn.).
Gum (Md.).
Stinkwood (W. Va.).
Tupelo Gum (Fla.).
Locality.
Maine to Florida, westward intermittently to Michigan and Texas.
Features of Tree.
Forty-five to one hundred feet high, one and six inches to occasionally four feet in diameter. Ovoid, bluish-black, sour fruit, with seed. Horizontal branches, short spur-like lateral branchlets.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood light brown or yellow, often nearly white, sapwood hardly distinguishable, fine grain.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Heavy, not hard, fibres interlaced, therefore hard to work, strong, tough, checks unless carefully seasoned, not durable in contact with soil.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Wagon-hubs, rollers, ox-yokes, bowls, and woodenware.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
39.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,160,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
11,800.
Remarks.
Limited usefulness because difficult to work. Larger specimen in South. Large trees often hollow at butts and sometimes higher. [p102]
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Cotton Gum, Tupelo Gum, Large Tupelo (local and common names).
Sour Gum (Ark., Mo.).
Tupelo, Swamp Tupelo (N. C., S. C., La.).
Olivetree, Wild Olivetree (Miss., La.).
Locality.
Virginia and Kentucky, southward.
Features of Tree.
Sixty to eighty feet high, two to three feet in diameter. Blue oblong fruit one inch or more in length.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood light brown, often nearly white, sapwood nearly the same.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Light, not strong, soft, compact, difficult to work.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Turnery, woodenware, roots used as net-floats instead of corks.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
32.
Modulus of Elasticity.
730,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
9300.
Remarks.
| Box Tree (Buxus sempervirens). | Dogwood Foliage (Cornus florida). |
| Holly Foliage (Ilex opaca). Lignumvitæ Foliage (G. sanctum). | Dogwood Bark (Cornus florida). |
| Dogwood Wood. | |
| Lignumvitæ Wood. | |
The woods afforded by these trees are all demanded in small and very perfect pieces to fill needs for which no others appear to be perfectly fitted. The holly (Ilex) grows in Europe and America, where the brilliant evergreen foliage and red berries have long been associated with the Christmas season. The name holly is probably a subversion of "Holy."[57] The true boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) attains to some size in Europe and Asia, but remains a small shrub in America, where it is seldom if ever cut for wood, but is placed as a decoration along the borders of walks and gardens. The wood called "boxwood" in America is not therefore derived from the "box." The Lignumvitæs grow in Florida, the West Indies, and on the northern coast of South America.
Holly-wood is noted for its fine, even grain, but chiefly for its smooth, ivory-white color, fitting it for the white of inlaid work, for carvings and other decorations where white color and fine qualities are required. The principal European source is the Ilex aquifolium, while in America it is the Ilex opaca. Boxwood is, as stated, the name applied to several woods, all noted for their fine compact structure, rendering them suitable for very fine carvings such as are required in wood-engraving. The Eastern product as cut from the true box is so highly prized as to be sold by the pound. American boxwood is chiefly derived from the Flowering Dogwood, the Mexican Persimmon, and the Rose Bay. In Australia several species of Eucalyptus are said to be used. Lignumvitæ is noted for great strength and hardness. Layers of fibres alternately cross one another so that the wood may be said to crumble rather than split. It has no superior for implements that must be [p104] fine, true, and strong, such as the sheaves of pulleys and handles of tools. The supply is obtained from two species (Guajacum sanctum and Guajacum officinale).
Holly may be known by its foliage and berries. Box (Buxus) has small, smooth, ovate, dark, evergreen leaves joining the stem so as to be opposite one another. The Dogwood is known by its flowers; the Lignum-vitæ is a low gnarled tree. [p105]
[57] "The German name Christdorn, the Danish name Christorn, and the Swedish name Christtorn seem to justify this conjecture." (Keeler, quoting Loudon.)
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Holly, American Holly (local and common names).
White Holly (Va.).
Locality.
Massachusetts to Florida, westward intermittently to Indiana and Texas.
Features of Tree.
Occasionally fifty feet in height and three feet in diameter, frequently much smaller, particularly in North. Foliage is evergreen. Bright red berries remain until spring.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood cream-white, darkening or spotting on exposure. Sapwood similar or lighter. Very close-grained, compact structure.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Tough, moderately hard and heavy, easily worked.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Inlaid work, carvings, scrollwork, turnery, moderately for furniture and decoration.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
36.
Modulus of Elasticity.
910,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
9700.
Remarks.
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Dogwood, Flowering Dogwood (local and common names).
Boxwood (Conn., R. I., N. Y., Miss., Mich., Ky., Ind., Ont.).
False Box-dogwood (Ky.).
New England Boxwood (Tenn.).
Cornel, Flowering Cornel (Tex., R. I.).
Locality.
New England to Florida, westward intermittently to Minnesota and Texas, Sierra Madra Mountains, Mexico.
Features of Tree.
Twenty-five to thirty-five feet in height, one foot or more in diameter. Often low shrub, large white flowers precede foliage, red berry in fall. Rough blackish bark.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood rich brown, changing to green and red. Sapwood lighter, close-grained.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Heavy, strong, tough, hard, receives high polish.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Wood-carving, engraving, bearings of machinery, turnery.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
50.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,160,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
12,800.
Remarks.
The Mexican or Black Persimmon and the Great Laurel (Rhododendron maximum) afford substitutes. Yellowwood (Schaefferia frutescens) is also known as boxwood. The names Dogwood and Poison Dogwood are often applied to the sumach. Cornus signifies horn and refers to hardness of wood. [p107]
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Lignumvitæ (Fla.).
Ironwood (Fla.).
Locality.
Semitropical Florida, Bahamas, San Domingo, Cuba, Puerto Rico.
Features of Tree.
Twenty-five feet high, one foot in diameter, a low gnarled tree.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood rich yellow-brown in younger specimens and almost black in older ones. Sapwood light yellow. Close-grained, compact structure.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Very heavy and exceedingly hard, strong, hard to work, brittle. Lubricated by water.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Sheaves of ship-blocks, rollers, pulleys, tool-handles. Bearings for journals rotating in water.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
71.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,220,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
11,100.
Remarks.
Two other species, Guajacum officinale and Guajacum arborium, afford similar woods not commercially distinguished from the above. [p108]
The name Laurel applies locally or botanically to a number of American plants, several of which attain to the dignity of trees.
The Big Laurel or Magnolia (M. grandiflora) is an ornamental tree of the highest rank, extensively planted in parks and gardens of American cities as far north as Washington, and also grown in Europe. The wood is suitable for interior finish and is also used for fuel. The California Laurel (Umbellularia californica) and the Madroña or Madroña Laurel (Arbutus menziesii) are Pacific coast species of beautiful appearance, the strong, heavy, hard woods of which are of economic importance. Professor Sargent considers[58] that the former is the most valuable interior or cabinet wood produced by the forests of the Pacific coast. The wood of the Madroña has little or no place in construction, but its charcoal is used in the manufacture of gunpowder. The wood of the Great Laurel or Rose Bay (Rhododendron maximum) has been used as boxwood. The gnarled roots of the Mountain Laurel or calico bush (Kalmia latifolia) are used for rustic hanging-baskets, seats, and the like.
All of the kinds here noted have evergreen foliage. [p109]
[58] Page 69, "Catalogue Jesup Collection," Sargent.
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
California Laurel, Mountain Laurel (Cal., Nev.).
California Bay Tree, Spice Tree (Cal., Nev., Oreg.).
Laurel, Bay-tree, Oreodaphne (Cal.).
Myrtle-tree, Cajeput, California Olive (Oreg.).
Californian Sassafras.
Locality.
California and Oregon.
Features of Tree.
Seventy-five to one hundred feet in height, three to five feet in diameter. Evergreen foliage, beautiful appearance.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood light rich brown, sapwood lighter brown. Close-grained, compact structure.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Heavy, hard, strong, receives beautiful polish.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Ship-building, cabinet-work, cleats, crosstrees.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
40.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,510,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
11,400.
Remarks.
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Madroña, Madroña Laurel (Cal., Oreg.).
Laurel, Laurelwood, Madrone.
Madrone-tree, Manzanita (Oreg., Cal.).
Madrove (Cal.).
Locality.
Pacific coast from British Columbia to southern California.
Features of Tree.
Fifty to seventy-five feet in height, occasionally higher. Two to four feet in diameter. Straight well-formed trunk. Evergreen foliage. A shrub in the South.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Thick heartwood reddish, thin sapwood slightly pink. Close-grained; numerous and conspicuous medullary rays.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Heavy, hard, strong, checks badly in seasoning.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Largely for gunpowder, charcoal, also furniture.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
43.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,190,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
12,000.
Remarks.
| Osage Orange Trunk (M. aurantiaca). | Wild Black Cherry Trunk (P. scrotina). |
| Cherry Wood. | |
| Osage Orange Wood. | |
| Persimmon Wood. | |
The Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) grows in many of the central and southern United States and affords a hard, tough wood, resembling fine-grain hickory, that is used for implements and other small work. The plum-like fruit is remarkably astringent when green, but is sweet, rich, and palatable when ripe. The persimmon is a member of the ebony family (Ebenaceæ), and the extremely close-grained heartwood is almost black. The ebony of commerce is derived from tropical species of this genus.
The Osage Orange or Bois D'Arc (Maclura aurantiaca) is found in the Gulf and neighboring States, and has been cultivated in the North. The wood is unusually hard and strong, and is of a yellow color, which, however, darkens with age. It is in many ways a unique and serviceable product, widely utilized locally in the South, but almost unknown in the North, and nowhere sufficiently appreciated. The aborigines made bows and arrows of it, whence the name Bois D'Arc. The tree affords a useless fruit somewhat resembling the common orange in appearance.
The widely distributed Wild Cherry or Wild Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) supplies the cherry wood of commerce. This wood is strong, hard, fine-grained, red-colored, and one of the most popular decorative woods of the American forests. Sweet or Cherry Birch (Betula lenta) is often stained so as to imitate it, while it of itself is stained so as to resemble mahogany. The wood of the cultivated cherry is not used in the United States. The wild cherry bears purplish-black fruit somewhat larger than peas, sweetly bitter when ripe. The bark is also bitter. It should be noted of these woods that the thin heart of the persimmon is black, that of the Bois d'Arc is yellow, and that of the cherry is red. Each receives a high polish. [p112]
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Persimmon (local and common name).
Date Plum (N. J., Tenn.).
Simmon, Possumwood (Fla.).
Plaqueminier (La.).
Locality.
Connecticut to Florida, westward intermittently to Missouri and Texas.
Features of Tree.
Occasionally seventy feet in height, one to two feet in diameter. Soft plum-like fruit, astringent when green, sweet when ripe.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood dark-brown or black, sapwood light-brown, often with darker spots. Very thin heartwood. Very close-grained, compact structure. Medullary rays conspicuous. Resembles hickory.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Hard, heavy, strong.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Plane-stocks, shoe-lasts, etc. Prized for shuttles.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
49.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,110,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
12,400.
Remarks.
The astringency of unripe fruit is due to tannic acid. The dried and roasted seeds have been used for coffee.[59] Heartwood is not greatly developed in trees under one hundred years of age. [p113]
[59] U. S. Dispensatory.
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Osage Orange (local and common name).
Bois D'Arc (La., Tex., Mo.).
Bodark, Bodock (Kans.).
Yellow-wood, Osage Apple Tree (Tenn.).
Hedge, Hedge-plant, Osage (Ill., Ia., Neb.).
Mock Orange (La.).
Bow-wood (Ala.).
Locality.
Southern Arkansas, Indian Territory, and Texas. Cultivated elsewhere, as in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.
Features of Tree.
Twenty to fifty feet in height, rarely beyond one and one-half feet in diameter. Fruit resembles orange. Long thorns.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood bright orange, turns brown on exposure. Sapwood light yellow, close-grained, annual rings clearly marked.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Hard, heavy, very strong, flexible, durable in contact with soil. Receives beautiful polish. Shrinks in seasoning.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Fence-posts, piles, telegraph poles, railway ties, paving-blocks, occasionally indoor decoration.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
48.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,300,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
16,000.
Remarks.
Indians used wood for bows, thus the name Bois D'Arc, corrupted into Bow Dark or Bodark. A valuable wood not enough appreciated. Often planted as hedges. The fruit is useless. [p114]
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)