432 
P/iRK AND CEMKT E-IVY. 
Ornamental Trees of L-ooKout Mountain. 
The most ornamental sylva of East Tennessee is 
located upon the mountain tops and declivities. The 
only oxydendrum in the United States grows freely 
upon Lookout Mountain. It is the' sorrel-tree or 
“sour-wood,” as commonly called. I'he wood has a 
sharp acid taste, but I know of no medicinal proper- 
ties, nor economic uses of the tree. It is strictly orna- 
mental. Every park and arboretum in the land ought 
to have a number of the sour wood or sorrel tree. It, 
is beautiful from early spring to late autumn. It puts 
forth handsome foliage not unlike the chestnut,_ but 
of much greater substance and more glossy. The 
flowers are in curious one sided racemes, long and 
pendent, and pure white. They are unusual in the 
way they persist. At a glance the tree seems to be in 
bloom the entire season, but it is the seed-berries en- 
cased in whitish sheaths or cells that do not fall until 
the tree sheds its leaves. In September the sour wood 
turns an even, rich crimson and the foliage is retained 
until late in November. 
Sumach, maple, and all oaks except the pin oak 
shed their leaves as they brighten in red and yellow. 
Not so the sour wood. Not a leaf falls until hard 
freezing weather. The pin oak in scarlet is the only 
other tree I know of with such persistent foliage, after 
assuming the bright autumn tints. 
A row or an avenue of the sour wood in any park 
would be exceedingly beautiful. In the spring it is 
more beautiful, more symmetrical and trim, than the 
chestnut (which it resembles), and the long racemes 
of white flowers are gay and attractive the whole 
season. 
I am taking several small sized specimens with me 
to New Orleans for my own garden, which is to have 
a row of trees on the north side. I can imagine noth- 
ing more striking than these trees, all in clear, even 
red leaves, as bright as the brightest of the red Jap- 
anese maples, from September till the last of Novem- 
ber. They are the first trees to turn scarlet, even be- 
fore the sumach. 
The Vibunuiitts of the arrow-wood sorts are comely, 
small trees that grow freely upon Lookout Mountain. 
The flowers are in corymbs and pure white. The 
seed-berries of one kind are dark red. Another kind 
has dark purple. They persist nearly all winter and 
are quite ornamental. The viburnums include the edi- 
ble black and red haw. The arrow-wood viburnums 
are rather large shrubs than trees. 
The showiest shrubs are the Rhns or sumach — -the 
staghorn, the dwarf, and R. aromatica. Staghorn pro- 
duces compact, pyramidal heads of rich crimson seed- 
berries, of a sharp acid taste. Aromatica blooms in 
■ ENTRANCE TO CHICKAMAUGA NATIONAL MILITARY PARK, CHATTANOOGA, TBNN. 
