BROADLEAVED TREES OF YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 



21 



may reach three feet or more in diam- 

 eter. However, in Yosemite National 

 Park it is a small tree. Here, although 

 larger specimens may be found, it is 

 usually twenty to thirty feet tall and 

 rarely more than six inches in diam- 

 eter with erect, slender branches 

 forming a loose, open, and narrow 

 crown. It often takes the form of a 

 many-stemmed shrub ten to fifteen 

 feet tall — particularly in moist, 

 shaded locations along streams in 

 protected canyon bottoms. The bark, 

 smooth on young trees and scaly on 

 old trunks, is thin and varies from a 



dull greenish-brown to reddish-brown 

 in color. Smaller branches are light 

 green in color. 



Loose clusters of small, rather in- 

 conspicuous yellow flowers appear 

 in the spring. The interesting, yellow- 

 ish-green fruit — which resembles 

 a large olive in appearance — is a 

 conspicuous feature in the late sum- 

 mer and early fall. It consists of a 

 large, thin-shelled, light brown seed 

 surrounded by a thick, fleshy cover- 

 ing. It is ripe about October, at which 

 time it drops from the tree. 



WESTERN CHOKECHERRY 



Prunus virginiona var. demissa (Nutt.) Torr. — Rose Family (Rosaceae) 



Although this species, which is clusters of white flowers, or its fruit, 



found up to 5,500 feet, is not of great often attracts the attention of Park 



importance in the forests of Yosemite visitors. In rich soil of protected loca- 



National Park; its dense, elongated tions it occurs singly or in small 



Pholo by Brockman 



Foliage and flowers of chokecherry {Inch squares on background) 



