38 TREES AS GOOD CITIZENS 



a point not far above the ground; its bark is brown and 

 rough, the leaves a dull olive green, blunt toothed and 

 triangular, often broader than long, and tapering to a 

 sharp point. The Carolina Poplar, or Cottonwood, has 

 a wider crown and more open branching than the Lom- 

 bardy Poplar, and is marked by its large twigs at the 

 ends of branches; its bark is dark grey, almost smooth, and 

 its leaves are larger than those of the Lombardy and have 

 coarse teeth. The Quaking or American Aspen, another 

 member of the Poplar group, is easily recognized by its 

 finely toothed, small, trembling leaves, its reddish 

 brown twigs and its sharply pointed narrow buds; its 

 trunk, gradually tapering to the top and its slender 

 branches. In the Large-toothed Aspen the buds are 

 thicker and broader and the leaves have much coarser and 

 more remote teeth. The unfolding leaves are white and 

 woolly. 



The Ginkgo is a tree of unusual appearance, with 

 slender branches, extending upward and outward from 

 the trunk at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. The 

 trunk and branches are straight and tapering, the bark 

 dark brown or greyish, smooth in youth and becoming 

 rough and seamed. The leaves are a bright green, fan- 

 shaped, and have several short clefts in the edge, and 

 grow from alternating short button-like branches in 

 clusters of from three to six. Because the leaves resemble 

 those of the maidenhair fern in shape, though much 

 larger, this tree is frequently called the Maidenhair Tree. 



The American Beech is marked by its smooth, close 

 grey bark, hugging the trunk and branches even in old 

 trees, which permanently show every cut or bruise. In 

 its close bark it resembles the Red Maple, but in the 

 Beech the branches and twigs are alternate, while in the 

 Red Maple they grow opposite each other. The leaves 



