180 



63.— Western Sugar-bekry. Hack beery. Palo Blanco. [Cel 

 th occidentaUs, Linn., var. reticulata.) 



A rather small tree, usually growing along streams in bigli mountain 

 canyons, or in less favorable situations reduced to a shrub. It occurs 

 fiom the mountains of southern Arizona through the Eocky Mountains 

 to eastern Oregon 5 sometimes 30 feet high, with a trunk 18 inches in 

 diameter, but mostly with a short, thick trunk, and branching near 

 the ground, thus furnishing but little good timber, although the latter is 

 sound, heavy, hard, and desirable for turnery. The wood is not gener- 

 ally distinguishable fiom that of the type which is found fiirther east. 



Dcscr'qjtiou . —heaxes thickisl), 1 to 2^ iuches loDg and f to 1| inches wide, mostly 

 lieart-shaped, with an acute apex, sometimes ovate lauce-sbaped ; base often with 

 unequal sides (oblique) ; margin entire or sharply toothed ; upper surface rough, with 

 Hue, shar}} teeth pointing toward the apex; usually with soft pubescence helow or 

 roughish on the veins, which are peculiarly joined into a net-work (i-ctictdaic). 

 Fruit globular, cherry-like, reddish-yellow (purple with age), -^of aniuch in diameter, 

 with large stone and scanty llesh (sweetish) ; on slender stems, :J to ^ of an inch long 

 from a-xiLs of leaves. Young shoots hairy. Ilesembles an Elm in its general appear- 

 ance. 



(34. Mexican Mulberry. {Morns micro2)kijUa, Buckley.) 



A small tree, sometimes 20 to 25 feet high and G to 10 inches in di- 

 ameter, or reduced to a shrub. It occurs most commonly in the mount- 

 ain canyons of southern Kew Mexico, where it probably attains its 

 largest size (also in western Texas and Mexico). The wood is hard 

 and heav3^, but of little use, except for fuel as the trunks are generally 

 much distorted, flattened, and twisted. 



Bescr'qjtion. — Leaves snuill, 1 to If inches long, ^ to 1 inch wide, ovate-heart-shaped, 

 sharp- pointed, margin sharply toothed; rough, with short bristly hairs above and 

 below ; leaf-stems and young shoots velvety. Fruit snudl, often sweet and pleasant. 

 Bark much broken, except in young trees. Milky juice exudes from a fresh wound. 



PLATANACE.E : PLANE-TREE FAMILY. 



65. — Sycamore. {Platamis WrigMii, Watson.) 



A middle sized tree^ 40 to 60 feet in height and 1 to 2 feet in diameter, 

 abundant in the mountain canyons of southwestern New^ Mexico, and 

 in some localities being the predominant species (it occurs also in 

 southeastern Arizona and in Mexico). The wood is light, soft, and 

 brittle. 



DescnpHon. —LeaxGs alternate, rounded in outline, 5 to 7 inches broad, deeply cut 

 into 3 to 7 (chiefly 5) sharp-pointed lobes; usually a deep sinus at the base; young 

 shoots and leaves densely clothed above and below with a velvety down, which is 

 more or less persistent with age. The seeds are packed in a spherical head—" ball 

 which is f of an inch in diameter, 3 to 5 of these balls borne on a long pendent stem. 

 The trunks are often crooked and more winding than other species of Platamis. 



