Trees, Shrubs and Vines 



to the preceding. The name of sour gum, to one famil- 

 iar with the tree's most notable feature, carries his 

 thoughts to the woods in autumn, when, rivalling the 

 dogwood's brilliancy, and of much greater size, before 

 which even the maple pales, it is a mass of vivid uni- 

 form scarlet, the most striking feature in the scenery. 

 It has a wide range, though not one of the more abun- 

 dant trees. The leaf is " simple and entire," as a bota- 

 nist would say, inclined to the obovate in form, and by 

 no means " stylish " ; and the shelving sprays of foliage 

 help one to identify the tree at a long distance. It is 

 essentially a forest-growth, tolerated rather than favored 

 in cultivated grounds. In the West it is called pepper- 

 idge, but its Indian name, tujjelo, is the prettiest — too 

 sweet for its sour juices, — and as we wish to make the 

 best of an indifferent matter, we will always hereafter 

 call it tupelo. 



Kentucky Coffee-tree. — To know a tree thor- 

 oughly it must be studied in winter: this season is a 

 great revealer of secrets. Trees are sometimes as big 

 hypocrites as men and women, and when you see one 

 that in summer is all suavity and grace, wait till winter 

 before you make a final estimate. An elm carries one 

 disposition through the year ; but some species are the 

 incarnation of a snarl from fall till spring. Such a one 

 is the Kentucky coffee-tree, its few coarse branches 

 snappishly angular ; its appearance quite justifies its 

 other name of "stump-tree." 



The botanist knows what to expect in the way of fo- 

 liage when fine twigs are lacking — there will probably 

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