Trees of Indiana Part 9

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate 34.

BETULA PAPYRIFERA Marshall. Paper or Canoe Birch. ( 1/2.)]

=3.= =Betula papyrifera= Marshall. Paper or Canoe Birch. Plate 34.

Rather a small tree; bark thin, creamy white; chalky, dark near the base on old trees, separating in thin papery layers; shoots green, glandular and hairy, becoming glabrous and reddish-brown; leaves ovate or rhombic-ovate, acute to long taper-pointed, truncate, rounded or wedge-shape at the base, average blades 5-8 cm. long, usually irregularly double-serrate, hairy at first, becoming glabrous above or nearly so, remaining more or less p.u.b.escent below, especially on the veins and with tufts of hairs in the axils of the veins, minutely glandular on both surfaces, sometimes with only a few glands on the midribs above; fertile catkins 2-4 cm. long and about 6-9 mm. wide, bracts about 4 mm. long, p.u.b.escent on both faces, lobed to about one-third the distance from the apex, the lateral lobes the largest, divaricate or slightly recurved; seed deeply notched at apex, nut oval, p.u.b.escent at the apex, wings as broad as, or broader than the nut.

=Distribution.=--Alaska to Labrador, south to New York, northern Indiana, Colorado and Was.h.i.+ngton. In Indiana it has been reported from Lake, Laporte, Marshall and St. Joseph Counties. It has not been found as a native in Ohio. This species is another example of a northern form finding its southern limit near Lake Michigan.

=Remarks.=--This species in other parts of the country is known as white, paper and canoe birch. I have not seen specimens more than 2 dm.

in diameter in Indiana.

=4.= =Betula ngra= Linnaeus. Black or Red Birch. Plate 35. A medium sized tree; bark on young trees peeling off transversely in thin reddish-brown strips which roll back and usually persist for several years, bark of older trees dark brown, furrowed and separating into short plates or peeling off in strips; young twigs hairy, becoming glabrous and reddish at the end of the season; leaves rhombic-ovate, acute, short and broadly wedge-shaped at the base, blades of ordinary leaves 4-8 cm. long, irregularly toothed, glabrous above and p.u.b.escent beneath, rarely entirely glabrous; fertile catkins generally 2-3 cm.

long, and usually slightly less than 1 cm. wide; bracts 6-10 mm. long, p.u.b.escent, ciliate, lobed to near the middle, the lobes about equal; nuts broadly ovate, broader than its wings, p.u.b.escent at the apex; wood light, strong, close-grained, heart wood light brown.

=Distribution.=--Ma.s.sachusetts west to Minnesota and south to Florida and Texas. In Indiana it is found more or less frequent in the counties bordering the Kankakee River, and as far east as St. Joseph, Marshall and Miami Counties. Along the Kankakee River it is frequently a tree of 6-8 dm. in diameter. This species has not been found in Michigan, northeastern Indiana or northern Ohio. It has never been noted near Lake Michigan, and the nearest point is Cedar Lake in Lake County about 20 miles south of the Lake. It is more or less frequent along certain streams throughout the southwestern part of the State. It is found as far north as Putnam and Marion Counties and eastward as far as Bartholomew, Scott and Clark Counties. There are no records for this species for eastern Indiana or western Ohio. About Hovey Lake in Posey County it reaches its greatest size, where trees up to 8 dm. in diameter and 30 m. high are to be found. In the "flats" in certain parts of Jackson and Scott Counties it becomes a common tree, a.s.sociated with pin oak and sweet gum.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate 35.

BETULA NIGRA Linnaeus. Black or Red Birch. ( 1/2.)]

=Remarks.=--This is the most abundant birch of Indiana. In fact all other species are too rare to be of economic importance. The fact that other species of birch are so rare in Indiana, is the reason that this species is simply called "Birch." Outside of Indiana it is known as red birch and river birch. The princ.i.p.al use of this wood in this State is for heading.

All of the birches, especially the horticultural forms, are used more or less for ornamental planting. They are beautiful trees but are short lived.

=4. aLNUS.= The Alders.

Trees or shrubs; bark astringent; staminate and pistillate catkins begin to develop early in summer and flower the following year early in the spring before the leaves appear; bracts of the fertile catkins thick and woody, obdeltoid with 3-rounded lobes at the apex; nuts obovate, reddish-brown.

Leaves sharply double-serrate, the ends of the primary veins forming the apex of the larger teeth, glaucous beneath; nuts with a narrow thick margin 1 A. incana.

Leaves single-serrate, pale beneath; nuts without margins 2 A. rugosa.

=1.= =Alnus incana= (Linnaeus) Muenchhausen. Speckled Alder. Plate 36.

Shrubs or small trees; bark generally smooth and a reddish-brown with a tinge of gray, with grayish dots, hence its name; twigs hairy at first, becoming smooth by the end of the season and a golden or reddish-brown with many fine dark specks; leaves broadly-oval, acute or short-pointed at apex, usually broadly rounded at the base, average blades 6.5-11 cm.

long, glaucous beneath, hairy on both sides on unfolding, at maturity becoming glabrous above or with a few hairs on the veins, beneath remaining more or less hairy until late in autumn when usually only the veins are hairy; pistillate catkins resembling small cones, 1-1.5 cm.

long and usually 7-12 mm. wide, near the ends of the branches, usually in cl.u.s.ters of 2-7.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate 36.

ALNUS INCANA (Linnaeus) Muenchhausen. Speckled Alder. ( 1/2.)]

=Distribution.=--Newfoundland to the Saskatchewan, south to New York, northeastern Ohio, northern Indiana and Nebraska. In Indiana it is confined to the northern tier of counties. I have specimens from Elkhart, Lagrange, Lake and Porter Counties. It was reported from Carroll County by Thompson, but in the absence of a verifying specimen I am inclined to think this citation should be referred to _Alnus_ _rugosa_. This species grows in low ground on the borders of streams, borders of swamps and in almost extinct sloughs near Lake Michigan. It is also found along Pigeon River in the eastern part of Lagrange County.

In the vicinity of Mineral Springs in Porter County it is locally a common shrub or tree. It has the habit of stooling out, and commonly the several specimens will be deflected from a vertical from 20-45 degrees.

The largest specimens are from 1-1.4 dm. in diameter and about 10 m.

high.

=Remarks.=--This species could be used to good advantage in ornamental planting in low ground. It grows rapidly, is easily transplanted and its foliage is dense and attractive.

=2.= =Alnus rugsa= (Du Roi) Sprengel. Smooth Alder. Plate 37. Shrubs with fluted or angled trunks, resembling _Carpinus_; bark thin, smooth or nearly so, reddish-brown, weathering gray; twigs hairy at first, becoming gray or reddish-brown by the end of the season and more or less glabrous and covered with small dark specks; leaves obovate, barely acute or rounded at apex, wedge-shape at base, average blades 6-10 cm.

long, hairy on both surfaces while young, becoming smooth or nearly so above, remaining more or less hairy beneath, especially on the veins, under surface of leaves sufficiently glutinous to adhere to paper if pressure be applied, margins set with short callous teeth, about .5-1 mm. long; fertile catkins cone-shape, 10-20 mm. long and about 7 mm. in diameter, borne at the ends of branches in cl.u.s.ters of 2-5.

=Distribution.=--Maine to Minnesota, south to Florida and Texas. In Indiana it is quite local. It has been reported in many of the counties of northern Indiana north of the Wabash River. It has been found in several of the southern counties and as far north as Salt Creek in Monroe County. No reports for the central part of the State. It is absent also in all of the eastern counties of the State, and the western part of Ohio. It is found growing in clumps in wet woods, swamps, cold bogs and along streams. It is usually a tall slender shrub; however, a specimen has been seen that measured 7 cm. in diameter and 5 m. in height.

=Remarks.=--Of no value except for ornamental planting in wet ground.

=f.a.gaCEAE.= The Beech Family.

Trees with simple, alternate, petioled leaves; flowers of two kinds; fruit a one-seeded nut. This is the most important family of trees occurring in the State.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate 37.

ALNUS RUGOSA (Du Roi) Sprengel. Smooth Alder. ( 1/2.)]

Winter buds long and slender, at least 4 times as long as wide; staminate flowers in globose heads on drooping peduncles; nuts sharply 3-angled 1 f.a.gus.

Winter buds not long and slender and less than 4 times as long as wide; staminate flowers in slender catkins; nuts not as above.

Staminate catkins erect or spreading; nut flattened on one side and enclosed in a spiny, woody husk 2 Castanea.

Staminate catkins drooping; nuts not flattened on one side, seated in a scaly, woody cup 3 Quercus.

=1. f.a.gUS.= The Beech.

=f.a.gus grandiflia= Ehrhart. Beech. Plate 38. Large tall trees with bark from light to dark gray; twigs densely covered at first with long hairs, soon becoming glabrous and turning to a reddish-brown; terminal winter buds about 2 cm. long; leaves ovate to ovate-oblong, long taper-pointed to merely acute, wedge-shape to cordate at base, regularly and usually minutely serrate, average blades 7-12 cm. long, silky when young, becoming at maturity glabrous above and nearly so beneath except on the veins; flowers appear in May; fruit a bur, supported on a club-shaped p.u.b.escent peduncle about 1.5 cm. long, covered with short recurved p.r.i.c.kles, densely rufous-p.u.b.escent, its 4-valves enclosing the two triangular brown nuts; nuts edible; wood very hard, strong, usually tough, difficult to season, close-grained, takes a high polish, sap wood white, heart wood reddish.

=Distribution.=--Nova Scotia, southern Ontario to Wisconsin, south to the Gulf States and Texas. It is found in every county of the State, although it is local in the prairie and dry sandy regions of the northwestern part of the State. It is a frequent to a very common tree on the high ground in many parts of the State. If the high ground and hills of the State are not forested with white and black oak, beech is almost certain to be the prevailing species. Wherever beech is found it is usually a frequent to a common tree, and it is not uncommon to see areas which are almost a pure stand of this species. It is also a frequent to a common tree in southern Indiana in what is called the "flats." Here it is a.s.sociated with sweet gum and pin oak. On the slopes of hills of the southern counties it is a.s.sociated with a great variety of trees. In the central part of the State its most frequent a.s.sociate is the sugar maple. In the northern counties it has a wider range of a.s.sociates, including white oak, ash, slippery elm, buckeye, ironwood, etc. It should be added that tulip is a constant a.s.sociate except in the "flats." In point of number it ranks as first of Indiana trees.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate 38.

f.a.gUS GRANDIFOLIA Ehrhart. Beech. ( 1/2.)]

=Remarks.=--Specimens with the habit of retaining their branches which lop downward, usually have thicker sap wood and are harder to split.

This form is popularly styled the white beech. The form with smooth tall trunks with upright branches usually has more heart wood, splits more easily and is popularly distinguished as red beech. The term yellow beech is variously applied. This species is a large tree in all parts of the State, although the largest specimens are found in the southeastern part of the State. In the virgin forests trees almost 1 m. in diameter and 30 m. high were frequent.

Beech was formerly used only for fuel, but in the last few decades it has been cut and used for many purposes, and the supply is fast diminis.h.i.+ng. The beauty of this tree both in summer and winter, suns.h.i.+ne or storm makes it one of the most desirable for shade tree planting, but I have failed to find where it has been successfully used. It is one of the few trees that does not take to domestication. When the original forest is reduced to a remnant of beech, as a rule, the remaining beech will soon begin to die at the top. It is difficult to transplant. When planted the hole should be filled with earth obtained from under a living tree, in order to introduce the mycorrhiza that is necessary to the growth of the tree.

=2. CASTaNEA.= The Chestnut.

=Castanea dentata= (Marshall) Borkhausen. Chestnut. Plate 39. Large trees with deeply fissured bark, smooth on young trees; young twigs more or less hairy, soon becoming glabrous and a reddish-brown; leaves lanceolate, average blades 13-22 cm. long, taper-pointed, wedge-shape or obtuse at the base, coa.r.s.ely serrate, teeth usually incurved, at maturity glabrous on both sides; flowers appear after the leaves in the latter part of June or early in July, the staminate catkins from the axils of the leaves of the year's growth, 1.5-3 dm. long, pistillate flowers in heads on short stalks in the axils of the leaves, usually on the branch beyond the greater part of the staminate catkins; fruit a globular spiny bur 5-7 cm. in diameter which contains the nuts; nuts usually 1-3, rarely 5, flattened on one side, edible; wood light, soft, not strong, checks and warps on seasoning, yellowish-brown, durable in contact with the ground.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate 39.