ANGIOSPERM TREES 305 



because of its fast growth and brilliant red fall foliage coloration, 

 the silver maple because of its incised leaves and silvery older 

 branches. The Norw^ay maple, native of Europe, and several 

 dwarf Japanese maples have been introduced as ornamentals. 



The only western maple of commercial interest is the big leaf 

 MAPLE which ranges from southeastern Alaska south along the 

 coast to southern California. It extends inland to the west slopes 

 of the Cascade Mountains in Washington and Oregon, and is 

 found on the west slopes of the Sierras in California. One of the 

 few commercial hardwoods found on the Pacific coast, it inhabits 

 a variety of soils, but does best on rich river-bottom lands where 

 it reaches a size of one hundred by four feet or more. Its habit of 

 growth is much like that of the eastern maples, under forest 

 conditions developing a long, straight, branch free trunk. The 

 wood is similar in quality to that of the eastern hard maples; in 

 addition to which burls, often developed on the old trees, have 

 become much in demand for manufacture into fancy veneers 

 in recent years, and have led to an increase in the importance 

 of this species. 



The Buckeye and Horse Chestnut 



Members of this genus (Aescuius) have large opposite, pal- 

 ma tely compound leaves, each made up of five to nine leaflets. 

 The stout twigs produce large, terminal buds from which emerge, 

 in addition to the leaves, conspicuous upright clusters of showy 

 flowers (fig. 220). The ffuit is a large leathery or spiny single 

 seeded structure. The buckeye is a native American tree; the 

 HORSE CHESTNUT, widely used as an ornamental, is a naturalized 

 tree in parts of the east, where it was brought many years ago 

 from its native Greece. 



Yellow buckeye is the only member of moderate commercial 

 importance. Its range includes the central portion of the eastern 

 United States, and it is best developed on deep fertile soils of the 

 western Appalachians and in the Ohio river valley, where it 

 grows to be a medium sized tree. Growth is rapid and the trees 

 mature in around seventy years, although ages greater than this 

 are probably reached. The wood is light, soft, and close grained, 

 the heartwood yellow in color. 



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