Studies of Trees | Page 7

very rapidly.
Enemies: The larch is subject to the attacks of a sawfly, which has killed many trees of
the American species. A fungus (Trametes pini) which causes the tree to break down with
ease is another of its enemies.
Value for planting: A well-formed tree for the lawn. It is also useful for group planting in
the forest.
Commercial value: Because its wood is strong and durable the larch is valuable for poles,
posts, railroad ties, and in shipbuilding.

[Illustration: FIG. 16.--Twig of the Cypress.]
Other characters: The fruit is a small cone about one inch long, adhering to the tree
throughout the winter.
[Illustration: FIG. 17.--The Bald Cypress.]
Comparisons: The tree is apt to be confused with the American larch, also known as
tamarack and hackmatack, but differs from it in having longer leaves, cones twice as
large and more abundant and branches which are more pendulous.
The larch differs from the bald cypress in the broader form of its crown and the
cluster-like arrangement of its leaves. The twigs of the bald cypress are flat and feathery.
The larch and bald cypress have the common characteristics of both shedding their leaves
in winter and preferring to grow in moist or swampy soils. The larch, especially the
native species, forms the well-known tamarack swamps of the north. The bald cypress
grows in a similar way in groups in the southern swamps.
BALD CYPRESS (Taxodium distichum)
Distinguishing characters: The *feathery character* of the *twigs*, Fig. 16, and the
*spire-like form* of the tree, Fig. 17, which is taller and more slender than the larch, will
distinguish this species from others.
[Illustration: FIG. 18.--Cypress "Knees."]
Leaf: The leaves drop off in October, though the tree is of the cone-bearing kind. In this
respect it is like the larch.
Form and size: Tall and pyramidal.
Range: The cypress is a southern tree, but is found under cultivation in parks and on
lawns in northern United States.
Soil and location: Grows naturally in swamps, but will also do well in ordinary
well-drained, good soil. In its natural habitat it sends out special roots above water. These
are known as "cypress knees" (Fig. 18) and serve to provide air to the submerged roots of
the tree.
Enemies: None of importance.
Value for planting: An excellent tree for park and lawn planting.
Commercial value: The wood is light, soft, and easily worked. It is used for general
construction, interior finish, railroad ties, posts and cooperage.
Other characters: The bark is thin and scaly. The fruit is a cone about an inch in diameter.
The general color of the tree is a dull, deep green which, however, turns orange brown in

the fall.
Comparisons: The cypress and the larch are apt to be confused, especially in the winter,
when the leaves of both have dropped. The cypress is more slender and is taller in form.
The leaves of each are very different, as will be seen from the accompanying illustrations.

GROUP V. THE HORSECHESTNUT, ASH AND MAPLE
How to tell them from other trees: The horsechestnut, ash, and maple have their branches
and buds arranged on their stems *opposite* each other as shown in Figs. 20, 22 and 24.
In other trees, this arrangement is *alternate*, as shown in Fig. 19.
How to tell these three from each other. If the bud is large--an inch to an inch and a half
long--dark brown, and sticky, it is a horsechestnut.
If the bud is not sticky, much smaller, and rusty brown to black in color, and the ultimate
twigs, of an olive green color, are flattened at points below the buds, it is an ash.
[Illustration: FIG. 19.--Alternate Branching (Beech.)]
If it is not a horsechestnut nor an ash and its small buds have many scales covering them,
the specimen with branches and buds opposite must then be a maple. Each of the maples
has one character which distinguishes it from all the other maples. For the sugar maple,
this distinguishing character is the sharp point of the bud. For the silver maple it is the
bend in the terminal twig. For the red maple it is the smooth gray-colored bark. For the
Norway maple it is the reddish brown color of the full, round bud, and for the box elder it
is the greenish color of its terminal twig.
The form of the tree and the leaves are also characteristic in each of the maples, but for
the beginner who does not wish to be burdened with too many of these facts at one time,
those just enumerated will be found most certain and most easily followed.
[Illustration: FIG. 20.--Opposite Branching (Horsechestnut.)]
THE HORSECHESTNUT (Aesculus hippocastanum)
Distinguishing characters: The *sticky* nature of the *terminal bud* and its *large size*
(about an inch long). The bud is