Trees of North Carolina 71 



LEGUME FAMILY 



(LEGUMINOSAE) 



110. Gleditsia triacanthos L. Honey Locust.* 



A thorny tree of waste places, ditch banks, etc., 

 throughout the state. It is said to he an introduced 

 tree from west of the Alleghanies, but has now be- 

 come thoroughly naturalized. The fruits are long, 

 flat, black, edible pods, that are one of the principal 

 ingredients of Persimmon beer. Dates of flowering : 

 April 30, 1903; April 29, 1909; April 20, 1910; 

 April 30, 1913; 'May 9, 1916. Example: tree at 

 west end of the Arboretum, above spring. 



111. Cercis canadensis L. Red bud. 



A small tree of hillsides and valleys, common in 

 the Piedmont and rarer in the coastal plain, with 

 light smooth bark. Leaves heart-shaped; flowers 

 magenta-colored, pea-shaped; pods small, flat, num- 

 erous. Dates of flowering: March 16, 1903; in 

 1908 the flower buds were killed by the snow of 

 March 20, would have bloomed in three days ; March 

 20, 1909; March 23, 1910; March 26, 1916. Ex- 

 amples: trees near barn on Glenn Burnie Farm. 



* The "Mimosa" {Alhizzia Julibrissin Durazzini) is a very at- 

 tractive small tree of the legume family introduced originally from 

 Asia, but now escaped and well established in parts of the Pied- 

 mont, as in Orange County. Bark light, smooth ; leaves divided 

 Into 40-50 small, sensitive leaflets, not casting a deep shade ; 

 flowers large, clustered, pink, thready, sweet scented ; fruit a flat 

 pod about 2-3 inches long. Dates of flowering : June 12, 1910 ; 

 June 15, 1915 ; June 11, 1916. Examples : escaped trees in woods 

 west of athletic field and in woods south of Dr. Battle's house. 



Gymnocladus canadensis Lam., the Kentucky Coffee Tree, is also 

 occasionally spontaneous in neighborhoods where it is cultivated. 

 Trees cultivated in Chapel Hill are all male and bear no seeds. 

 The tree is a native of the middle west and does not quite reach 

 North Carolina. 



