The Trees of Texas 



103 



Ira vs. The sepals are green, broadly ovate; the six petals 

 are green at first but soon become maroon color. Fruit cylin- 

 drical, somewhat curved, about 2 1 /o'-5' long, green becoming 

 yellow, finally brown. The flesh is sweet and edible and the 

 fruit has been recently called the "Hoosier banana." 



Southern Ontario, east to Pennsylvania, south to the Gulf 

 States and west to Kansas and Texas. In Texas it extends to 

 the valley of the Sabine River. 



The wood is soft, light, and coarse grained. The supply 

 is so 1 small that it has no economic importance for timber. 

 The fruit is edible and the tree is adapted for ornamental 

 planting within its native range. It prefers deep .rich moist 

 soil. 



MAGNOLIACEAE St. Hilaire. The Magnolia Family, 



Trees with alternate simple, entire, large leaves and bitter, 

 aromatic bark. The flowers are large, perfect, solitary, 

 terminal. The fruit is a cone-like aggregate. 



Leaf blades thick, leathery, persistent, with brown, 



rusty hairs beneath M. f oetida. 



Leaf blades membranous, smooth or silky beneath. . M. Virginiana. 



1. Magnolia f oetida (L.) Sargent. Bull Bay. Laurel. A 

 large cone-shaped tree 60-80 high and 4-5 in diameter, 

 with short branches, and rough, light brown, scaly bark 

 V>'- : ^' thick. Leaves evergreen, firm, leathery, bright glossy 

 green above, duller and covered beneath with rusty hairs, 

 5'-8' long, 2'-3' wide with prominent ribs and veins. Fruit 

 ovate or oval 3'-4' long, l 1 /^'^ 1 /^' wide, flattened some- 

 what and covered with hair. 



Tn river swamps and near ponds. North Carolina, south 

 to Florida and westward to Arkansas and Texas. In Texas 

 it extends to the Brazos valley. 



The wood is rather hard and used to a very limited extent 

 only for timber. The tree is planted for ornamanet and is 

 highly pri/rd throughout its range. 



2. Magnolia Virginiana L. Sweet Bay. White Bay. 

 Swamp Bay. A slender tree reaching a maximum height of 

 50-70 with trunk diameter of 2 to 3y 2 , but usually small- 



