Studies of Trees | Page 6

in some parts of the northeastern States it grows to medium size with a diameter of two feet.
Range: Northern part of North America.
Soil and location: Inhabits low, swampy lands; in the State of Maine often forming thick forests.
Enemies: Very seldom affected by insects.
Value for planting: Is hardy in New England, where it is especially used for hedges. It is also frequently used as a specimen tree on the lawn.
Commercial value: The wood is durable for posts, ties, and shingles. The bark contains considerable tannin and the juices from the tree have a medicinal value.
Other characters: The fruit is a cone about ? inch long.
Other common names: Arbor-vitae is sometimes called white cedar and cedar.
Comparisons: The arbor-vitae is apt to be confused with the true white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) but the leaves of the latter are sharp-pointed and not flattened or fan-shaped.
CHAPTER II
HOW TO IDENTIFY TREES--(Continued)

GROUP IV. THE LARCH AND CYPRESS
How to tell them from other trees: In summer the larch and cypress may easily be told from other trees by their leaves. These are needle-shaped and arranged in clusters with numerous leaves to each cluster in the case of the larch, and feathery and flat in the case of the cypress. In winter, when their leaves have dropped off, the trees can be told by their cones, which adhere to the branches.
There are nine recognized species of larch and two of bald cypress. The larch is characteristically a northern tree, growing in the northern and mountainous regions of the northern hemisphere from the Arctic circle to Pennsylvania in the New World, and in Central Europe, Asia, and Japan in the Old World. It forms large forests in the Alps of Switzerland and France.
The European larch and not the American is the principal species considered here, because it is being planted extensively in this country and in most respects is preferable to the American species.
The bald cypress is a southern tree of ancient origin, the well-known cypress of Montezuma in the gardens of Chepultepec having been a species of Taxodium. The tree is now confined to the swamps and river banks of the South Atlantic and Gulf States, where it often forms extensive forests to the exclusion of all other trees. In those regions along the river swamps, the trees are often submerged for several months of the year.
How to tell them from each other: In summer the larch may be told from the cypress by its leaves (compare Figs. 14 and 16). In winter the two can be distinguished by their characteristic forms. The larch is a broader tree as compared with the cypress and its form is more conical. The cypress is more slender and it is taller. The two have been grouped together in this study because they are both coniferous trees and, unlike the other Conifers, are both deciduous, their leaves falling in October.
[Illustration: FIG. 14.--Twig of the Larch in Summer.]
THE EUROPEAN LARCH (Larix europaea)
Distinguishing characters: Its leaves, which are needle-shaped and about an inch long, are borne in *clusters* close to the twig, Fig. 14. There are many leaves to each cluster. This characteristic together with the *spire-like* form of the crown will distinguish the tree at a glance.
Leaf: The leaves are of a light-green color but become darker in the spring and in October turn yellow and drop off. The cypress, which is described below, is another cone-bearing tree which sheds its leaves in winter.
[Illustration: FIG. 15.--Twig of the Larch in Winter.]
Form and size: A medium-sized tree with a conical head and a straight and tapering trunk. (See Fig. 90.)
Range: Central Europe and eastern and central United States.
Soil and location: Requires a deep, fresh, well-drained soil and needs plenty of light. It flourishes in places where our native species would die. Grows 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