i 



Statk Board of F()ri';s'I'ry. 241 



mond) and (Meyncke); Gibson (Schneck); Jefferson (.). M. Coul- 

 ter) and (Young); Knox (Ridgway) and (Thomas); Kosciusko 

 (Coulter)*; Miami (Gorby)**; Monroe (Blatchley); vicinity of New 

 Albany (Clapp); Parke (Hobbs); Posey (Schneck); Shelby (Bal- 

 lard); Vigo (Blatchley). 



Additional records are: Putnam (Grimes); Clark, Dearborn, De- 

 catur, Floyd, Gibson, Jackson, Posey, Ripley and Scott (Deam). 



Economic uses. Wood heavy, hard, not strong, close-grained, 

 inclined to shrink and v^^arp in seasoning, takes a good polish, sap 

 wood white, heart wood a rich brown which can be finished to 

 imitate walnut or mahogany. In the export trade it is frequently 

 referred to as American mahogany or satin walnut. 



Horticultural value. It no doubt would prove to be perfectly 

 hardy in at least the southern two-thirds of the State where it 

 would be a desirable tree for shade and ornamental purposes. 

 When grown in the open it develops a large oval crown, much 

 resembling the maple in form and appearance. It is adapted to a 

 wet or moist soil, somewhat difficult to transplant, grows rapidly; 

 its foliage in summer is a glossy rich green, in autumn turning to 

 brown, orange and crimson tints. It is practically free from dis- 

 ease and injurious insects. 



PLATANACE^. The Plane Tree Family. 



PLATANUS. The Plane Tree. 



Platanus occidentalis Linnaeus. Sycamore. Plate 75. Bark 

 gray below, grayish-green above, splotched with white, on age sepa- 

 rating from the tree in thin, brittle plates; buds when chewed at 

 first bitter, followed by a pungent peppery taste; twigs pubescent 

 when young, soon glabrous except a ring below the leaf scar, pass- 

 ing from a greenish-yellow to gray in color, at each node the 

 growth changes direction from 10-25° which gives the twig a zig- 

 zag appearance; leaves alternate, broadly ovate in outhne, 10-35 cm. 

 (4-9 inches) wide, 3-5 lobed, the broad lobes frequently toothed, 

 light green, hairy when expanding, soon glabrous except on the 

 veins beneath, base of petiole sheathing the axillary buds; flowers 

 appearing in May with the leaves in heads on woolly peduncles; 



*From cultivated tree. 



**Probably erroneous or from a cultivated tree. 



