The Trees of Tr./v/.s- 61 



The fruit is a leafy scaled catkin or a woody cone-like aggre- 

 gate of bracts. Bark smooth, shining, usually scaling away in 

 thin plates. 



Bracts of the fruit forming a woody, persistent 



cone 1. Alnus. 



Bracts of the fruit membranous deciduous with 



the nut 2. Betula. 



1. ALNUS L. Alder. 



Alnus rugosa (Du Roi) K. Koch. Smooth Alder. A shrub 

 or small tree sometimes reaching a height of 30. Bark thin, 

 smooth, brown. Leaves 2' to 41/2' long, thick, obovate, oval, 

 blunt, or rounded -at the apex, sharply serrate, dark green 

 above. Xut ovate, sharply margined without wings. 



Maine to Minnesota, Florida and Texas. Usually along 

 streams. The trees are too small to be of value for timber. 

 The wood is used for fuel and for charcoal. 



2. BETULA L. Birch. 



Betula nigra L. Birch. Water Birch. Red Birch. A large 

 forest tree reaching a height of 80-90 and trunk diameter of 

 5. The branches are slender and the crown is narrow. Bark 

 on branches thin, smooth, reddish brow r n, or silver gray, peel- 

 ing off in thin layers; on main trunk thick, reddish brown, 

 scaly. Leaves rhombic-ovate, irregularly doubly toothed or 

 sometimes lobed, l^'-S' long, dark green and lustrous above 

 somewhat hairy beneath, or smooth except along the veins. 

 Flowers opening before or with the leaves. 



Massachusetts to Minnesota and Kansas, Florida and 

 Texas. Chiefly along banks of streams, ponds, and swamps. 

 In Texas it extends to the Trinity Valley. 



The wood is hard, strong, light brown. It is used for fur- 

 niture, and for fuel. 



FAGACEAE Drude. The Beech Family. 



Monoecious trees with watry juice; leaves alternate, pin- 

 nately veined, mostly deciduous ; staminate flowers in elon- 



