58 TIMBER TREES OF NORTH CAROLINA. 



ders of swamps and in rich bottom lauds ; and it reaches its best 

 development in southern Arkansas, Indian Territory, and eastern 



Texas. 



In North Carolina, where it attains a height of 15 to 25' feet, 

 it occurs in the coastal plain and Piedmont plateau regions. 



The dark green glossy leaves are broadly ovate, pointed at the 

 apex, and truncate or heart-shaped at the base. The conspicuous 

 bright purplish-red flowers are in clusters along the branches, and 

 appear before or with the leaves in early spring The fruit is an 

 oblong compressed many-seeded pod, from 2£ to 3£ inches long. 

 The winter-buds are blunt and chestnut-brown in color. 



The wood is rather coarse-grained, heavy, hard, and not very 

 strong. Its color is a rich dark brown, ting'ed with red ; the thin 

 sapwood lighter. 



Prunus pennsylvanica, Linnaeus. 



(wild red cherry, fire cherry, bird cherry, 

 peruvian.) 



A small tree, with slender branches, a narrow head and smooth 

 reddish-brown, or in old trees, dark red-brown scaly bark. It 

 reaches a height of 30 to 40 teet and a diameter of 12 to IS 

 inches ; but at its northern and western limits it is a low shrub. 



It occurs from Newfoundland to British Columbia, south 

 through the northern states to Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, 

 and Iowa, on the eastern slopes of the Pocky mountains in Col- 

 orado, and along the Alleghany mountains of North Carolina and 

 Tennessee; and reaches its best development on moist, rather rich 

 soil, in the Big Smoky mountains of Tennessee. It often takes 

 possession of ground which has been cleared by fire. 



In North Carolina it is confined to damp situations on the slopes 

 of high mountains, above an elevation of 3,500 feet. (Fig 8, p. 59) 



It bears seed in great abundance, and usually every year. After 

 spruce or Carolina balsam, or sometimes beech and maple forests, 

 have been burned, a growth of fire cherry often springs up, but 

 it is apt to be replaced by the original growth in about forty 

 years, which is the average length of life for this tree. 



The oblong, sharply pointed leaves are finely toothed, shining 



