Handbook of Teees of the Northeen States and Canada. 283 



This is one of the most valuable trees of the 

 American forests, sometimes attaining the 

 height of 80-100 ft., with straight columnar 

 scaly-barked trunk 3-5 ft. in thickness. When 

 isolated it develops an oblong or rounded top 

 of slender rigid branches, and growing alike on 

 dry gravelly slopes and moist intervales it is 

 one of the chief elements of many tracts of 

 forests of the Appalachian regions. Its flowers 

 appear later than those of other representa- 

 tives of the genus (hence the specific name, 

 from a Latin word meaning late) and when 

 its leafy top is trimmed with its many nod- 

 ding racemes of small white flowers it is a 

 highly ornamental tree. Its fruit, when fully 

 ripe is of pleasant vinous flavor and is often 

 used in making rum, and the aromatic bark 

 is valued as a flavoring, as a tonic and sedative 

 medicine. 



I The wood of which a cubic foot weighs 36.28 

 lbs. is strong, rather hard and very close 

 grained and one of our most valuable woods 

 for furniture making and interior finishing.! 



Leaves oval or oblong to lance-obovate, 2-5 in. 

 long, tapering or rounded at base, taper-pointed, 

 serrate with incurved teeth, glabrous, thick 

 lustrous dark green above, paler beneath, with 

 slender petioles bearing red glands. Flowers 

 opening when the leaves are nearly grown, y^ in. 

 across in erect or nodding racemes 4-6 in. long, 

 terminating short leafy branchlets : caly.x with 

 short lobes, persistent ; petals obovate. Fruit sub- 

 globose and somewhat lobed, %-% in. in di- 

 ameter, reddish black with juicy purple flesh of 

 vinous flavor and stone about M, in. long pointed 

 at apex. 



1. A. W., II, 29. 



