CHAPTER III: THE TREE FAMILIES 



It is quite possible for a person who has never had any par- 

 ti|ilar interest in trees to acquire by himself a general knowledge 

 the tree families represented in our American forests, and to 

 fjm an intimate and delightful acquaintance with particular 

 cies and individual trees, as his personal preferences dictate, 

 i^id it is not to be undertaken as a herculean task,, a duty to be 

 rirformed, a means of grace, or an ill-tasting medicine that does 

 de good. True, there are half a hundred families or more, and 

 'er six hundred distinct species of trees, if we wander from Key 

 'est to the far Aleutians, and from Maine to Mexico, and count 

 ery species any botanist has discovered and named. But the 

 erage forest contains comparatively few families. Different 

 milies have traits in common that indicate their relationship, 

 ithin the family closer kinship still is revealed. 

 The discovery of these family ties and f^imily groups comes 

 asy and as naturally as breathing, once it is begun. The neces- 

 ary botany is unconsciously imbibed. One borrows that from 

 le books as need is. Every acorn-bearing tree is an oak. The 

 eedle leaves set in scaly sheaths at the base distinguish the 

 ines from all other evergreens. The hickories have close rela- 

 ives in all the nut trees. The sycamores have no near relatives 

 t all. The willows and poplars are alike in catkin flov/ers and 

 uffy seeds. All locusts bear pods. 



The key that follows is a simple tool. It unlocks mysteries 

 hat are largely imaginary as to the common tree families by 

 setting them forth in brief, descriptive terms, giving a bird's-eye 

 viev/ of them, and emphasising their chief points of similarity 

 and difference. Botanical terms have been avoided, and such 

 characters selected as shall be obvious to the inexperienced 

 observer. 



The phm of construction is easily grasped. A and AA are 

 the two grand divisions into which trees naturally fall. Being 

 co-ordinate, these have the same letter of the alphabet, and are 

 set on the extreme left margin of the page. The second has an 



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