52 



ILLINOIS NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY CIRCULAR 51 



Fig. 52. — The fast- 

 growing Kentucky cof- 

 fee tree, with its doubly 

 compound leaves (in- 

 set), has conspicuous 

 bark that is very rough 

 and scalv. 



^Ht^^^ 



pests. The coarse-grained, heavy wood is strong and durable, 

 but it is not very hard. It has very little commercial value, al- 

 though it is used to some extent for fence posts and rough tim- 

 bers, and occasionally in cabinet making. 



Cork Tree 



Amur cork tree {PheUodendron amurense) , introduced into 

 the United States from eastern Asia about 1856, is a low-growing 

 tree with wide-spreading branches and aromatic wood (Fig. 53). 

 It is called cork tree because of the corky appearance of its deeply 

 fissured, light gray bark. It grows to a height of 40-50 feet with 

 a branch spread of 30 feet. It is drought resistant and is recom- 

 mended for ornamental plantings in the northern two-thirds of 

 Illinois. 



The opposite, compound leaves (Fig, 53 inset) are composed 

 of 5-13 egg-shaped to elongate, finely toothed, sharp-pointed, 2- 

 to 4-inch-long leaflets which are dark green above and paler be- 

 neath. The leaflets are attached to a winged midrib. The leaves 

 turn yellow in autumn. The small, yellowish-green, inconspicu- 

 ous flowers appear in June and are produced in terminal clusters 



