114 



A BANYAN-LIKE COPPICE OF SOUR GUM 



(Nyssa sylvatica) 



John W. Harshberger 



European botanists have given considerable attention to the 

 growth forms of trees and an abundant literature has been the 

 result of this line of study. American botanists have not treated 

 this field of botanical inquiry with much consideration. The 

 following note is put on record, as a contribution to this subject. 



It is well known that the ailanthus {Ailanthus glandidosus), 

 white poplar {Populus alba) of the introduced foreign trees and 

 sassafras (Sassafras variifolium) , as a native tree, produce abun- 

 dant offspring in the form of suckers from the roots until the 

 parent tree is surrounded by a thicket of young trees. Our 

 native sour gum {Nyssa sylvatica) should be added to the list. 

 On September i8, 1925, the accompanying photographs were 

 taken of a sour gum coppice with the parent tree centrally 

 placed, about which were grouped smaller trees that arose from 

 its roots.* The central and taller tree was 3 feet 9 inches in 

 circumference. There were 187 younger trees about the parent 

 one with diameters ranging from one to three inches and extend- 

 ing in all directions. The coppice measured in a northeastern- 

 southwestern direction 100 feet 6 inches, or 44 feet 8 inches 

 from the parent tree to the northeastern side and 55 feet 10 

 inches from the central tree to the southwestern side of the 

 coppice. Presumably the extent of the sour gum thicket was 

 determined by the distance to which the roots of the larger tree 

 spread. This interesting banyan-like coppice is found on a farm 

 above Neshaminy Creek near Edison, Bucks County, Pennsyl- 

 vania. 



*i\ friend insists that these younger trees arose as seedlings from fruit 

 dropped by the larger tree. 



