122 TIMBER TREES OF NORTH CAROLINA. 



The red cedar bears seed abundantly nearly every year. Young 

 trees frequently form a large part of the growth on dry rocky 

 fields and hillsides, particularly in the Piedmont plateau region. 

 Young growth is often overtopped and crowded out by faster 

 growing pines and oaks, although it can live in deep shade for a 

 long time. Small specimens are very sensitive to fire. It is very 

 free from the attacks of insects and from all fungal diseases. 



The leaves are small, entire, scale-like, and sharp-pointed or 

 obtuse. The fiowers are small and inconspicuous, and the fruit is 

 a small ovate smooth berry, dark purple, and covered with a glau- 

 cous bloom. On deep loamy soil the red cedar has a well devel- 

 oped tap-root and numerous deeply seated lateral roots. 



The wood is light, soft, not strong, brittle, very close and 

 straight-gnuned, compact, easily worked, and durable in contact 

 with the soil ; dull red in color; the thin sapwood nearly white. 

 It is used for posts, sills, railroad ties, interior finish, cabinet 

 making, woodenware, and for lead pencils to the exclusion of all 

 other woods. The wood is odorous, and an infusion of the ber- 

 ries ig used medicinally. 



Taxodium distichum, Richard. 

 (CYPRESS. BALD CYPRESS ) 



A large tree, of great commercial value, with deciduous leaves, 

 a small flat spreading or pyramidal top, and deeply furrowed or 

 loose reddish-brown bark, reaching a height of 150 and a diameter 

 of 13 feet. 



It occurs in wet situations from Delaware to Florida and Texas, 

 and in Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana ; reach- 

 ing its best development in the south Atlantic and Gulf states. 

 It is common and forms extensive forests. 



In North Carolina, where it reaches an average height of 60 to 

 100 and an average diameter of 5 to 7 feet it occurs in the coastal 

 plain region (tig. 33), where it is one of the most common trees 

 along streams and swamps. It is found on a variety of soils between 

 a heavy mud-alluvium and a light sand or rarely on peaty soil. 



Although seed years are frequent, young plants are not common. 



