98 Native Trees of Canada 



MORUS RUBRA, Linn. RED MULBERRY 



Common names: Red mulberry, black mulberry, mulberry. 

 French names: Murier rouge, murier sauvage. 



The red mulberry is found growing naturally in Canada only in the Niagara 

 peninsula, and westward to the Detroit river, but is nowhere a common tree. 



It is small, 15 to 30 ft. in height, when grown in the open. The trunk is short 

 and the crown is broad, round-topped, and compact. On this account and for 

 its berries it is sometimes planted on lawns and in gardens. 



The bark is reddish-brown and divides into long plates or strips, which are some- 

 what flaky. It resembles that of the white cedar but is firmer, not so stringy or fibrous. 



The twigs are slender, reddish, and have a somewhat zigzag habit of growth. 

 When cut on a warm day early in the spring they give out a milky juice with a rather 

 sweetish taste. 



The leaf-scars are distinctly marked with a more or less closed ring of raised 

 bundle-scars. This is characteristic of all the mulberry species. 



The winter buds are about J^ in. long, stout, greenish to brown, shiny, some- 

 times slightly flattened, and stand out well from the twig. 



The leaves are 3 to 5 in. in length, broadly oval, but variable in form; some 

 are entire and others have one, two or even five lobes. They are thin, firm, dark 

 green above, and downy beneath. The margins are saw-toothed. 



The fruit resembles a blackberry, about 1 in. long, attached to a stem about 

 one-quarter as long. It is red when full grown but dark purple when ripe. It is 

 sweet, juicy, and edible and is eagerly devoured by birds, and for this reason the 

 tree is sometimes planted near gardens to distract the birds' attention from other 

 more valuable small fruits. 



The wood is bright orange-brown in colour and is fairly hard and heavy. It 

 is ver>" durable and is sometimes used for posts, cooperage, and boat-building in 

 the Ohio valley where it is most abundant. It is not an important tree in Canada. 



THE MAGNOLIAS 



Twenty species of magnolia {Magnolia) are found throughout this continent 

 and eastern Asia. Seven are native to North America, and only one occurs 

 naturally in Canada. Most of them are of little economic importance except for 

 decorative planting. For this purpose many horticultural varieties have been 

 produced. The Asiatic species, while not as large trees as the American, have 

 larger and more showy flowers. 



MAGNOLIA ACUMINATA, Linn. CUCUMBER TREE 



Common names: Cucumber tree, magnolia, pointed -leaved 



magnolia. 

 French name: Magnolier a feuilles acuminees. 



The cucumber tree is rare in Canada, and, like many other trees in this country, 

 is to be found only in the southwestern portion of Ontario in the counties bordering 

 on lake Erie. 



