Shade Trees for the Southeast 



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a popular shade and ornamental tree. 

 Rather large at maturity, it forms a 

 broad, conical crown of pleasing sym- 

 metry. The thick, leathery leaves are 

 dark, shining green above and rusty 

 brown below. Large, fragrant, creamy- 

 white flowers, mostly produced before 

 July but sometimes continuing until 

 November, are followed by purplish, 

 conelike fruits. The tree is rather slow 

 growing and long-lived, relatively free 

 of pests, and tolerant of varying con- 

 ditions except poor drainage. It usually 

 is propagated from seed or pot-grown 

 transplants. Adequate space is needed 

 for best development, and it is often 

 used singly on lawns. In the moun- 

 tainous regions, severely cold weather 

 may kill much of the foliage. 



THE CAMPHOR-TREE is frequently 

 planted in lawns and parks and along 

 streets in many localities. It is a me- 

 dium-sized, stout evergreen that forms 

 a handsome, dense-topped crown. The 

 leaves, shiny green above and silvery 

 blue below, are strongly aromatic when 

 crushed. The fruit, a small bluish-black 

 drupe, often is abundant and occa- 

 sionally is considered a nuisance. The 

 tree is hardy but prefers a well-drained 

 soil, and, except for thrips and scale, 

 has few damaging pests. 



It is propagated usually from seed 

 or pot-grown transplants. Well-estab- 

 lished trees resist temperatures of 15 

 F. without a great deal of injury. 



THE WILLOW OAK is a rather large, 

 long-lived, and fast-growing deciduous 

 tree that develops a fairly short trunk 

 in the open. It has a dense oval or 

 round-topped crown. Slender branches 



with light-green, willowlike leaves give 

 the tree a graceful appearance. Al- 

 though growth is best in moist soils, it 

 also thrives satisfactorily in rather dry 

 situations. 



It is easily transplanted, moderately 

 storm-resistant, and, except for gall in- 

 sects on branches and a leaf rust dis- 

 ease, is relatively free of pests. The leaf 

 rust is seldom disfiguring, but it is the 

 alternate stage of a serious canker dis- 

 ease of southern pines. Willow oak is 

 used extensively as an attractive shade 

 tree for wide streets and large lawns. 



THE RED MAPLE has brilliant scarlet 

 to orange autumnal coloring, which 

 adds greatly to its ornamental value. 

 It is medium to fairly large in size. Its 

 branches develop low on the trunk to 

 form a dense, narrow, oblong head. 

 Conspicuous reddish flowers appear in 

 early spring and are followed by scar- 

 let fruits and attractive foliage. 



The tree grows rapidly, is relatively 

 short-lived, thrives satisfactorily on 

 fairly varied sites, and is rather easily 

 propagated and moderately resistant 

 to pests. Although grown less often 

 than many other trees, the red maple 

 is not uncommon in the Southeast. 



THE FLOWERING DOGWOOD is a 

 native tree that is grown widely for its 

 attractive flowers, red berries, and pleas- 

 ing crown. It attains 40 feet and has 

 spreading branches that form a low, 

 fairly dense, rounded head. The small 

 greenish-yellow flowers, produced in 

 April, May, or June, are surrounded 

 by four large, white bracts; pink forms 

 occur also. Red fruit and autumnal 

 leaf coloration add ornamental value. 



The tree, rather slow growing and 

 long-lived, is propagated with some 

 difficulty from seed and cuttings. It 

 has relatively few pests. It thrives in 

 shaded or exposed places but prefers 

 well-drained and fairly light soils. 

 While not always easily established, 

 it is useful around many homes. 



THE SWEETGUM is a large and fast- 

 growing tree with a pyramidal or ob- 



