56 TIMBER TREES OF NORTH CAROLINA. 



The wood is lieavj, hard, close-grained, and brown in color; 

 the thin sapwood light yellow. 



Cladrastis lutea, Koch. 

 (yellow wood, virgilia. chittam.) 



A tree, with branching trunk, wide-spread pendulous branches, 

 and smooth silvery gray or light brown bark, reaching a height of 

 60 and a diameter of 4 feet. 



It occurs in central Kentucky, central Tennessee, on the moun- 

 tains of eastern Tennessee and in North Carolina, and is one of 

 the rarest and most local trees of eastern North America. It 

 grows generally in rich soil, and reaches its best development near 

 Nashville, Tenn. 



In this State, where it is found in Swain, Clay, Macon, and 

 Cherokee counties, it has an average diameter of 18 inches and a 

 height of about 40 feet. 



Large numbers of pods are borne about every second year, but 

 they coTJtain many abortive seeds. Seedlings are common near 

 old trees, when cattle are excluded. Numerous sprouts come up 

 around old trees and about live stumj>s. 



In Clay county a large part of the foliage of yellow wood is 

 often destroyed in the early fall by the leaf miner insect. 



Tiie leaves are composed of 7 to 11 broadly oval entire leaflets 

 placed alternaj;ely along the leaf stalks. The white flowers are 

 borne in long terminal drooping racemes. The fruit is a pod Ij 

 to 4 inches in length. The lustrous brown downy winter-buds 

 are in fours, superposed, and crowded together to form a cone. 

 The superficial lateral roots are long and very tough. 



The wood is heavy, very hard, strong and close-grained ; bright 

 clear yellow in color; the thin sapwood almost white. It takes 

 a good polish, is used for fuel and gunstocks, and yields a clear 

 yellow dye. 



Gleditschia triacanthos, Linnpeus. 



(honev locust.) 



A large tree, with slender spreading branches and dark rough 

 deeply fissured bark,reaching a height of 140 and a diameter of 6 feet. 



