ILLINOIS TREES: SELECTION, PLANTING, AND CARE 



53 



Fig. 53. — Amur 

 cork tree has con- 

 spicuous deeply fis- 

 sured bark that ap- 

 pears corky. The 

 compound leaves (in- 

 set) are unusual be- 

 cause of the wing- or 

 flange-like appear- 

 ance of the midribs. 



2-8 inches high. Male and female flowers are produced on sep- 

 arate trees. The black fruit, up to Vo inch in diameter, has a 

 strong turpentine-like odor when bruised and contains five small, 

 one-seeded stones. It ripens in September and October. Amur 

 cork tree is tolerant of city conditions and is relatively free of 

 diseases and insect pests. The wood is very soft and subject to 

 storm damage. 



Crabapple 



The native crabapple (Malm ioensis) (Fig. 54) is a small, 

 spiny tree that grows throughout the state and produces flowers 

 in the spring. The alternate, egg-shaped to oblong, sharply 

 toothed or sometimes shallowly lobed, firm leaves (Fig. 54 inset) 

 are shiny and dark green above and pale yellow and somewhat 

 hairy beneath. They measure 21/2-4 inches long and 1-1 V2 inches 

 wide. The perfect flowers with their pink to rosy petals are 1-2 

 inches broad and borne in clusters of three to six. The green to 

 greenish-yellow, globe-shaped fruit is %-lV2 inches in diameter. 

 The thin bark is scaly and red to brown. 



A variety of this crabapple, Bechtal crab (M. ioensis plena), 



