96 



Remarks. — Specimens with the habit of retaining their branches 

 which lop downward, usually have thicker sap wood and are harder to 

 split. This form is popularly styled the white beech. The form with 

 smooth tall trunks with upright branches usually has more heart wood, 

 splits more easily and is popularly distinguished as red beech. The term 

 yellow beech is variously applied. This species is a large tree in all 

 parts of the State, although the largest specimens are found in the 

 southeastern ]iart of the State. In the virgin forests trees almost 1 

 m. in diameter and 30 m. high were frequent. 



Beech was formerly used onl3' for fuel, but in the last few decades 

 it has l)een cut and used for many piu'poses, and the supply is fast 

 tliininishing. The lieauty of this tree both in summer and winter, 

 sunshin(> or storm makes it one of the most desirable for shade tree 

 ]ilanting, l:iut I have failed to find where it has been successfully used. 

 It is one of the few trees that docs not take to domestication. When 

 the original forest is reduced to a remnant of beech, as a rule, the 

 I'emaining beech will soon begin to die at tlie top. It is difficult to 

 transplant. AVhen planted the hole shoukl be filknl with earth ob- 

 tained fiom under a living tree, in order to introchicc the mycoi'rhiza 

 that is necessary to the growth of the tree. 



2. CASTA"VEA. The Chestnut. 



tastanea denlata (Marshall) Borkhausen. Chestnut. Plate 39. 

 Large tiees with deeply fissured bark, smooth on young trees; young 

 twigs more oi- less hairy, soon becoming glal.irous and a reddish-brown; 

 leaves lanceolate, average blades 13-22 cm. long, taper-i)ointed, wetlge- 

 sliai;)e oi- obtuse at the l.iase, coarsely serrate, teeth usually incurved, 

 at maturity glaluous on botli sides; flowers appear after the leaves in 

 the latter pint of .June or early in July, the staminate catkins from 

 tlie a.xils of the leaves f)f the year's growth, 1..5-3 dm. long, ])istillate 

 flowers in heads on short stalks in the axils of the leaves, usually on 

 the branch beyond the greater part of the staminate catkins; fruit 

 a globular sjiinj' bur 5-7 cm. in diameter which contains the nuts; 

 nuts usually 1-3, rarely .5, flattened on one side, edible; wood light, 

 soft, not strong, checks and warps on seasoning, yellowish-brown, 

 durable in contact with the ground. 



Distribution. — Maine, southern Ontario, Michigan, south to Dela- 

 ware and in the mountains to Alabama, anfl west to Arkansas. In 

 Indiana it is found locally in the south central counties. The most 

 northern station where I have seen trees that are native to a certainty 

 is in Morgan County a short distance north of Martinsville. There 

 are a few trees on the south bank of White River in Mound Park about 



