ANGIOSPERM TREES 



287 



almost twenty species of hickories in the United States, part of 

 which are known as "true hickories," while the others are known 

 as "pecan hickories." The "true hickories" include six species of 

 importance, among them shagbark, Southern shagbark, and 

 BiGLEAF shagbark hickories; mockernut; false pignut, and 

 PIGNUT hickories. All of these .are generally medium sized trees, 

 with leaves composed of five to seven 

 leaflets, the wood very heavy, hard, 

 tough, and elastic. All are quite 

 valuable as timber producing trees 

 and the first three produce the 

 hickory nuts of commerce. All, ex- 

 cept the southern shagbark, range 

 over a considerable portion of the 

 Eastern United States. 



The "pecan hickories" are char- 

 acterized by a greater number of 

 leaflets (five to seventeen) than the 

 preceding group. One species, the 

 PECAN hickory, is a large tree ranging 

 through the south central United 

 States. Its timber is of secondary 

 importance, but it is the producer 

 of our pecan nuts, and has been 

 widely planted for that purpose. Bitternut hickory is common 

 from the Atlantic coast to the Great Plains, and from southern 

 Maine, New York, Michigan and Minnesota to the Gulf coast. 

 It is a rapid growing, medium-sized tree whose wood is hard, 

 heavy, and elastic. 



The Beech 



Beech (Fagus) is represented in North America by a single 

 species. The alternate and sharply toothed leaves are elliptical in 

 shape and of a firm, papery texture. The long, pointed buds are 

 covered with numerous scales. Staminate beech flowers are borne 

 in spherical heads, while female flowers occur in two- to four- 

 flowered spikes, giving rise to the fruit, ("beech nut") a pyramid- 

 shaped nut enclosed in a bur covered with slender spines (fig. 



Fig. 204. — Hickories have 

 compound leaves also, but with 

 fewer leaflets than the walnuts. 



