In the coastal belt of eastern Texas as far as Matagorda Bay, farkleberry, or tree huckleberry, grows in moist sandy soil along the banks of ponds and streams. Although it is found from Virginia to Missouri and southward, it reaches its largest size, 20 to 30 feet, near the Gulf Coast of Texas. The crooked trunk may attain a diameter of 8 to 10 inches. Further inland it is a large shrub.
TREE SPARKLEBERRY (Nearly natural size)
The LEAVES are oval and glossy green, varying up to 2 inches in length and 1 inch in width. They are mostly evergreen, or at least persist on the twigs during the winter.
The FLOWERS are small, white, and bell-shaped, and appear in long open clusters on racemes.
The FRUIT consist of small, round, shiny, nearly black berries which ripen in the fall and, unless eaten by birds or animals, remain until spring. They have a slightly puckering but pleasing flavor.
The WOOD is heavy, hard, close-grained, and light reddish-brown. It is sometimes used for tool handles.
Gum bumelia, often called false buckthorn or chittamwood, occurs along streams in sandy woods in eastern Texas to the San Antonio River and over the Edwards Plateau to Palo Pinto County. It reaches its largest development probably in Central Texas where it occasionally grows as a tree 80 feet high and 3 feet in diameter.
GUM BUMELIA (Three-fourths natural size)
The branches are short, stout, and stiff, and often armed with straight or curved spines.
The LEAVES are oblong, more or less grouped near the ends of short spurs; rounded at the apex, narrowed at the base; thick, firm, dark green and shiny above, and rusty-woolly beneath. They are from 1 to more than 2 inches long and up to ¾ inch wide.
The FLOWERS are small and open in summer, each borne on a hairy flower-stem (pedicel) about ⅛ inch long. They are borne in fascicles of 15 to 18, near the axils of the new leaves or near the leaf-scars of old leaves. The petals are white and lobed. The fruit is fleshy, black, oblong, about ½ inch in length, borne singly or in a cluster of 2 or 3, and usually dry and firm on the outside and contain a light brown, firm rounded seed. The ripe fruit falls from the tree in autumn.
The WOOD is light brown streaked with white and surrounded by a band of lighter colored sapwood. It is heavy, hard, and close-grained.
B. lanuginosa var. Rigida A. Gray, is found in western and southern Texas, while B. lycioides L. Pers., is found in eastern Texas to Milam County.
Persimmon is a well known tree throughout its range. It is small, rarely exceeding 50 feet in height and 18 inches in diameter, occurring in the state as far west as the Colorado River. It prefers dry, open situations, and is most abundant in old fields, though it occurs on rich bottomlands.
COMMON PERSIMMON (Leaf and fruit, one-half natural size; twig, three-fourths natural size)
The BARK of old trees is almost black and separated into thick, nearly square blocks.
The LEAVES are alternate, oval, entire, 4 to 6 inches long, dark green and shining above, paler beneath.
The small FLOWERS, which appear in May, are yellowish or cream-white, somewhat bell-shaped, the male and female flowers occurring on separate trees; the male in clusters of 2 or 3, the female solitary. They are visited by many insects.
The FRUIT is a pulpy, round, orange-colored or brown berry, an inch or more in diameter and containing several flattened, hard, smooth seeds. The fruit is strongly astringent while green, but often quite sweet and delicious when thoroughly ripe. It is relished by both man and animals, especially after a few frosty nights.
The WOOD is hard, dense, strong, the heartwood brown or black, the wide sapwood white or yellowish. It is particularly valued for shuttles, golf club heads, and similar special uses, but is not of sufficient commercial use to warrant its growth as a timber tree.
The TEXAS or BLACK PERSIMMON (D. texana Scheele) is described on page 127.
Sweetleaf is usually found along the borders of streams and swamps, chiefly in East Texas. It seldom grows to a height of more than 30 feet or a diameter of more than 8 inches. The slender upright branches, forming an open head, are bluish or grayish, and decidedly roughened by elevated leaf-scars, or places of attachment of the last crop of leaves.
COMMON SWEETLEAF (Fruit and flowers about natural size; leaf, one-half natural size)
The thick, shiny, dark green LEAVES, arranged alternately along the stem, vary from 5 to 6 inches in length and 1 to 2 inches in width. They remain on the twigs until spring. The leaves are sweet and eagerly sought for food by livestock.
The tiny, pale yellow fragrant FLOWERS are produced in close clusters at intervals along the branchlets. The FRUIT, a small, one-seeded drupe, has a thin dark orange or brown skin. The fruit is eaten to some extent by deer.
The WOOD is light, soft and pale red or brown, and has no commercial value. Both leaves and bark yield a yellow dye. The bitter aromatic roots have been used as a tonic.
This attractive tree or shrub, may grow as a small tree, sometimes as much as 30 feet high, with a trunk 6 to 10 inches in diameter. It occurs in rich, wet woods and on the borders of swamps and streams, but is adaptable to many sites. It is found in the southeastern portion of Texas, being a native of the Gulf Region.
TWO-WING SILVERBELL (Twig, leaf, and flower one-half natural size; fruit about one-sixth natural size)
The BARK of the trunk is brown, divided by irregular longitudinal fissures, and separating on the surface into thin scales. The bark on the twigs forms long, loose, brown fibers, which makes it easy to identify during the winter.
The alternate, ovate to obovate LEAVES are bright green above, paler and downy underneath, 3 to 4 inches long, and 2 to 2½ inches wide. They are much larger on young shoots. The leaves have minute callous teeth.
The white FLOWERS, usually about 1 inch long, come before the leaves and are borne in clusters of 3 to 5. The tree is charming when thickly hung with its “silver bells.” The FRUIT is about 2 inches long with two wide, thin wings, and two (rarely three) narrow wings in between.
The WOOD is light, soft, strong, close-grained, and light brown, with thick, lighter-colored sapwood. It is not of commercial importance.
Water ash is common in shaded swamps, westward to the valley of the Neches River. It forms a tree, rarely more than 40 feet high, with a trunk sometimes 12 inches in diameter, and has small branches, making a narrow, often round-topped head.
CAROLINA ASH (Leaflet and fruit, three-fourths natural size; leaf, one-fourth natural size)
The BARK is thin, light gray, and marked by large irregularly shaped round patches which separate into small, thin, close scales.
The LEAVES are compounded, 7 to 12 inches long, thick and firm when mature, with 5 to 7, ovate to oblong, finely to coarsely toothed leaflets, 3 to 6 inches long, 2 to 3 inches wide, dark green above, and paler below.
The small male and female FLOWERS appear on separate trees, in February or March. The FRUIT is elliptic to oblong-ovate, frequently three-winged, 2 inches long, ⅓ to ¾ inch wide. The wing extends below the body of the fruit and narrows into a stipitate (stalk-like) base.
The WOOD is light, soft, weak, close-grained, nearly white, sometimes yellowish, with thick, lighter-colored sapwood. It is used chiefly for fuel.
White ash is found in East Texas to the valley of the Trinity River. It grows best in the rich moist soils of upper bottomlands. The bark is gray and furrowed, the branchlets smooth and gray with rust-colored winter buds.
WHITE ASH (Twig and fruit, one-half natural size; leaf, one-third natural size)
The compound opposite LEAVES are generally straight, 8 to 12 inches long, with 5 to 9 (usually 7) sharp pointed leaflets, dark green above and paler and whitish beneath.
The male and female FLOWERS appear on separate trees, the male in dense reddish-purple clusters and the female in more open branches. The FRUIT is a samara, 1 to 1½ inches long, resembling the blade of a canoe paddle in outline, with the smooth, terete body at the handle end. The fruit matures in late summer and is distributed effectively by the winds.
The WOOD of white ash is extremely valuable because of its toughness and elasticity. It is preferred for small tool handles, athletic equipment, and agricultural implements, and is used extensively for furniture and interior finish.
The ashes comprise the only group of trees in eastern America that have opposite, pinnately compound leaves with 5 or more leaflets. This fact provides a ready means of identifying the group. There are at least seven other species of ash in Texas.
Green ash is a common tree along streams as far west as the Guadalupe River. It attains a height of 50 feet or more, has spreading branches and a trunk ranging up to 2 feet in diameter. The TWIGS are smooth, round, and ashy gray, marked by pale lenticels and rusty bud-scales.
GREEN ASH (Fruit, two-thirds natural size; leaf, one-third natural size; twig, three-fourths natural size)
The BARK is ½ inch or more thick; brown, tinged with red, and slightly furrowed or ridged. The LEAVES are opposite compound, 10 to 12 inches long, with 5 to 9 pointed leaflets slightly toothed on the margin. They differ from those of white ash in being lustrous green on both sides or slightly paler beneath. The terminal leaflet is frequently askew from the main axis of the rachis.
The small, male and female FLOWERS occur on separate trees.
The FRUIT is flat, winged, 1 to 1½ inches long, ¼ to ⅓ inch wide, the wing portion extending well down past the middle of the terete, many-rayed body. The wing is sometimes square or slightly notched at the outer end.
The WOOD is heavy, hard, rather strong, brittle, and coarse-grained. It is used for the same purposes as white ash but is not as desirable.
Swamp privet or forestiera is found along river banks, lakes, and standing water over eastern Texas to the Colorado River. It is usually a large shrub but often becomes a small tree, less than 30 feet high, with a short trunk usually less than 8 inches in diameter. Its youngest branches are slender, somewhat hairy, slightly angular, and vary in color from yellowish-green to brown. They become darker and more rounded the second season.
SWAMP PRIVET (Leaves, one-fifth natural size; fruit, one-half natural size)
The BARK is thin, dark brown to brownish-gray, close, and slightly ridged.
The LEAVES are thin, simple, opposite, 2½ to 4 inches long, 1 to 1½ inches wide, pointed at both ends, yellowish-green on the upper surface, paler on the lower surface, and slightly toothed above the middle.
The FLOWERS appear in April before the leaves. They are of two kinds, borne separately on the same tree, rather small and in clusters.
The FRUIT, a drupe, falls when ripe in May or June. It is about 1 inch long and ¼ inch wide, oblong, and tipped with a point. The ripe fruit is deep purple, and contains a tough, dry pulp and a one-seeded stone.
The WOOD is close-grained, yellowish-brown, weak, and rather soft. It has no economic use.
Children give this tree, with its drooping, fringy, white flowers, such names as “grancy-gray beard” and “old-man’s beard.” Beautiful both in flower and fruit, it is a desirable tree for ornamental planting. It occurs naturally in loamy soil over the eastern part of the state to the valley of the Brazos River and generally grows in the shade of other trees.
FRINGETREE (Flower, three-fourths natural size; leaf and fruit, one-half natural size)
The BARK is similar to that of a young ash, but is rougher and whiter. It has tonic properties, and is used in domestic remedies.
The rather large, ovate LEAVES are 4 to 8 inches long, and ½ to 4 inches wide, dark green on the upper surface, paler underneath, and turning a clear bright yellow in autumn. The leaves are opposite, and leave conspicuous scars when they fall.
The odd white FLOWERS, which appear with the very young leaves, are borne in long, loose drooping panicles. The petals are very narrow and long, giving the effect of fringe.
The FRUIT is a dark blue-purple drupe, sometimes as much as an inch long, with a glaucous bloom, and borne in loose, drooping panicles. It is an excellent deer and bird food.
Catalpa, often miscalled “catawba”, is found naturalized in eastern Texas and occurs on various qualities of soil, most frequently on rich, moist bottoms. It is a medium-sized tree, rarely exceeding 50 feet in height and 15 inches in diameter. The trunk is usually short and the head broad with spreading branches.
NORTHERN CATALPA (Leaf, one-third natural size; twig and seed, two-thirds natural size; pod, one-fourth natural size)
The BARK varies from dark gray to brown, and is slightly rough, being divided into narrow, shallow strips or flakes.
The LEAVES are simple, opposite, cordate-based, long-pointed, 6 to 10 inches long, and softly pubescent beneath.
The FLOWERS appear in clusters or panicles in April or May, and are 1 to 2 inches long, trumpet-shaped, the wavy and spreading corolla irregular, two-lobed, and with a narrow notch on the margin; corolla white with purple and yellow markings.
The FRUIT consists of a bean-like capsule 8 to 16 inches long and from ⅜ to ½ inch in diameter. It hangs on the tree over winter and gradually splits into two parts, or valves. The seeds are about 1 inch long and terminate in wings that are rounded and short-fringed at the ends.
The WOOD is rather soft, light, coarse-grained, and durable, in contact with the soil. It is used for fence posts, poles and fuel, and occasionally for railroad ties. It is a mistake to attempt to grow catalpa for fence posts or other uses except on good agricultural soil.
SOUTHERN CATALPA (C. bignonioides Walt.) has a thin, scaly bark, abruptly short-acuminate leaf, fetid when crushed. Margin of lower lobe of flower entire. The valves of the capsule flatten after dehiscence. The terminal tuft on the seed forms a point.
This interesting tree, so named because of its willow-like leaves, is closely related to the catalpa. Often reaching a height of 25 feet and a diameter of 10 to 12 inches, it is found usually in dry, gravelly, porous soils in the valley of the lower Rio Grande and through West Texas.
The LEAVES are less than ½ inch wide and from 6 to 12 inches long, light green, and pointed. Their arrangement on the twig is either opposite or alternate.
DESERTWILLOW (Leaf, one-third natural size; fruit and flowers, one-half natural size)
The white FLOWERS shade into pale purple and are blotched in their “throats” with pale purple. They occur in an elongated cluster, or raceme, opening successively toward the end of the flower stalk.
The FRUIT “pods” are capsules 7 to 12 inches long, hard or woody, very slender, and contain numerous small seeds.
The soft, weak, close-grained WOOD is brown streaked with yellow. The sapwood turns to heartwood in 2 or 3 years.
Buttonbush of Texas is a small tree or large shrub up to 18 feet high, with a straight, tapering trunk up to 12 inches in diameter. Attaining its largest size in moist rich soil of eastern Texas, it is also found to the valley of the Rio Grande. The branches are generally upright, the spreading branchlets with pithy in the centers, often occurring in whorls of three from one place on the stem.
COMMON BUTTONBUSH (Leaf, one-third natural size; fruit and flowers, two-thirds natural size)
The LEAVES occur in pairs or whorls of 3 (occasionally more) each oval or elliptical, pointed, rounded at the base, from 2 to 7 inches long by 1 to 3 inches wide. They are thin, dark green above, with a large central midrib, and somewhat hairy beneath. They fall in autumn or remain on branchlets over winter.
The FLOWERS form a creamy white or yellow round head about 1 inch in diameter and are borne in clusters. The many small flowers in the head are fragrant and nectar-bearing. The long thread-like projecting styles are conspicuous on the flowering heads.
The FRUIT consists of a mass of nuts in a globular head forming an aggregate fruit ¾ inch in diameter. The red-brown nutlets have 2 to 4 closed, 1-seeded portions. The WOOD is of little value.
Rusty blackhaw is found in woods and thickets over East Texas. It forms a tree, sometimes 35 feet high, with a trunk over a foot in diameter, but is usually much smaller, often flowering as a shrub. The twigs are ashy-gray, becoming dark dull reddish-brown after one to several years. The winter buds are densely covered with rusty brown hairs which persist for some weeks at the base of the leaf-stalks.
The BARK is ¼ to ½ inch thick, becoming roughened into small plate-like, dark brown scales tinged with red.
RUSTY BLACKHAW (Fruit and twig, three-quarters natural size; leaf, two-thirds natural size)
The simple LEAVES are opposite or whorled, elliptic to obovate or oval, pointed or blunt at the apex, wedge-shaped or rounded at the base, and with fine teeth on the margin. They are leathery in texture, lustrous dark green above, pale and dull below, about 3 inches long, and 1 to 1½ inches wide.
The FLOWERS are small and white; each has five petals and five stamens, and appear in the spring in dense clusters at the tips of branches.
The FRUIT ripens in the fall. It is a bright blue, oval drupe, over ½ inch long, covered with a glaucous bloom, and containing a stony seed ¼ inch long and ⅓ inch wide.
The bad smelling WOOD has no economic use.
is an evergreen native to the mountains of the south Trans-Pecos Region. It grows from a height of 30 to 70 feet and 18 to 24 inches in diameter. The needles are blue-green. Fruit a cone as large as 1¼ inches in diameter. The wood is heavy and used to some extent for fence posts.
grows in the mountains of southwestern Texas, normally as a small tree, or even as a sprawling shrub under adverse conditions. Its name derives from the fact that the bark on older trees somewhat resembles alligator hide, being broken up into square plates 1 to 2 inches across. The leaves are about ⅛ inch long, and blue-green in color. The fruit is berry-like, nearly round, reddish-brown, and matures in two seasons. Seeds 3-4.
occurs in this country only on the slopes of the Chisos Mountains in Brewster County, Texas. It has graceful spreading branches with long slender, drooping branchlets. After the leaves fall, the thin bright cinnamon-brown bark separating into thin loose papery scales is characteristic.
occurs throughout western Texas, usually as a spreading shrub or small, much branched tree. The bark is ashy gray, ridged and shreddy. The leaves resemble those of the alligator juniper, but are gray-green in color, and fringed with minute teeth. The fruit is smaller, usually copper colored or occasionally blue, usually one-seeded, and matures in one season.
occurs in western Texas where it is often the largest of the junipers found there. The bark is reddish-brown or grayish-brown, thin, fibrous, and divided into flat, interlacing ridges. The leaves are similar to those of the alligator juniper, but pale to dark green in color. The fruit is nearly round, blue, and matures in two seasons. Seeds 1 to 3, usually 2.
sometimes called palm, but not to be confused with the dwarf palmetto (Sabal minor [Jacq.] Pers.) found in East Texas, reaches to heights of 30 to 50 feet and often 2 feet in diameter. It is a native of the rich bottomlands on the Bernando River in Cameron County, Texas, but has been widely cultivated and is found along the Gulf Coast, where the trunks are sometimes used for wharf piles. On the lower Rio Grande the leaves are used for the thatch of houses.
sweet myrtle is found in East Texas, usually in swamp lands. Its small yellow-green leaves are fragrant with a balsam-like resinous odor. Light green berries, about ⅛ inch in diameter remain on the trees during the winter months and are coated with a thick, pale blue wax. Bay berry candles are made from the wax.
is one of several cottonwoods growing in West Texas. Five other cottonwoods are native to the western part of the state. Wood is used for fuel and rafters of Mexican houses. It is not durable in the ground, but is fast growing on most areas. Populus tremuloides Michx., called quaking aspen or aspen popple, is a small-leafed, white-barked tree of the Trans-Pecos Region.
occurs in East Texas west to approximately the 97th meridian. It is a thicket-forming shrub with thick foliage and is one of the first plants to leaf out in the spring. Birds feed upon the numerous nutlets produced by the woody, cone-like structure.
found mainly in South Texas, is a small, spiny shrub, with bright yellow flowers. Fruit a turgid, woody pod. The wood is heavy, hard, and a rich, reddish-brown.
pronounced “wa-he-o”, is the famous honey plant of the Lone Star State. From its white flowers bees produce a water-white honey, highly valued for its flavor and purity. Guajillo occurs in South Texas, and resembles the other trees in the acacia group. The wood is used locally for fuel.
sometimes called “tepehuaje” or mimosa, is found on the rich moist soil of river banks and small streams only a few miles from the mouth of the Rio Grande River. It grows 50 to 60 feet high and 18 inches in diameter. The finely divided leaves give the tree the appearance of a huge fern. Seed pods are 10 to 12 inches long. The wood is heavy, hard, very close-grained, rich dark brown with a clear yellow sapwood. It is considered valuable and is sometimes manufactured into lumber. Two other species, (L. greggii S. Wats.) and (L. retusa Benth.), are found in West Texas but are smaller.
also called “bear berry”, and pink or beaded locust, is a native to most all of Texas. It occurs as a small sized tree, 18 to 20 feet tall and 8 to 10 inches in diameter. The branches are slightly zigzag, bright green when young turning to orange-brown. The leaves are 6 to 9 inches long, made up of from 13 to 19 leaflets. In the fall, it is loaded with clusters of black bean pods. The pods are peculiar in shape in that they are pinched in at each seed giving it the appearance of a string of beads. In fact, it is often called the “necklace tree” for that reason. The wood is very hard, light red in color, with a thick bright clear yellow sapwood.
or soap bush, an evergreen of southern and western Texas, is usually a shrub, but occasionally reaches 8 inches in diameter and 30 feet in height. It is a source of early spring honey in the Rio Grande Valley. Its wood is heavy, hard, and exceptionally durable. Guayacan, sometimes called guaiacum, is the hardest wood in Texas and the United States. The lignum-vitae of commerce is produced from another species.
a native of the Rio Grande Valley and abundant in Starr County where it may form considerable thickets, this small, slender evergreen is seldom more than 5 or 6 feet tall. On limestone ridges of the Sierra Madre of Nuevo Leon it reaches 20 to 25 feet high. Its leaves are trifoliate, 1½ to 2 inches long, and conspicuously marked with black glandular dots. The branches are brownish-red, but with bright yellow, new growth. The species is not native to any other section of the United States.