50 



ILLINOIS NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY CIRCULAR 51 



when ripe. The dark red-brown to almost black bark is thin and 

 smooth, and has horizontal, slitlike, corky areas at first, but 

 breaks into rough, scaly plates with age. 



Cherry trees are seldom seriously damaged by diseases or 

 insect pests. However, hydrocyanic acid (HCN) forms in wilting 

 leaves and is poisonous to livestock. The light, hard, strong, close- 

 grained, light brown wood of wild black cherry is excellent for 

 making fine cabinet articles and for interior finish work of 

 houses. The wood of chokecherry is of little commercial value. 



Chestnuf- 



Of the three native chestnuts in the United States, only 

 American chestnut (Castanea dentata) is native to Illinois. 

 American chestnut (Fig. 51), a broad, round-topped, bulky tree 

 that reaches a height of 60 feet, is grown to a limited extent in 

 orchards. It prefers an acid soil. 



The 6- to 8-inch, thin, oblong, lance-shaped alternate leaves 

 (Fig. 51 inset) are sharply pointed, coarsely and very sharply 

 toothed, dark green above, and pale yellow beneath. The white 

 flowers are borne on two kinds of catkins on the same tree and 



Fig. 51. — American cliestnut, with its sharply toothed, oblong, lance- 

 shaped leaves (inset), has practically disappeared from the American land- 

 scape because of the scourge of chestnut blight. 



