Trees of Indiana Part 27

DIOSPYROS VIRGINIANA Linnaeus. Persimmon. ( 1/2.)]

=Remarks.=--The fruit is edible and the horticultural possibilities of this tree have never received the attention they deserve. The opinion is current that the fruit does not ripen and is not edible until it is subjected to a frost. This is an error. The best and largest fruit I have ever eaten ripened without a frost. A large native tree on the Forest Reserve in Clark County ripens its fruit in August, which is of an excellent quality and usually has only one, and rarely more than three seeds. The fruit of this tree is of the oblong type. The fruit varies much in size, time of ripening and quality. Some is scarcely edible. Some of the native trees bear fruit when they are not over eight feet tall, some are usually prolific bearers while others bear sparingly. For this reason if one wishes to grow persimmon trees it is best to buy grafted trees from some reliable nurseryman. The tree is hardy throughout Indiana and while it is a very slow growing tree, it can nevertheless be recommended for ornamental and roadside tree planting. It is to be noted that cattle will not browse persimmon, and that hogs greedily eat the ripe fruit. The fruit of many trees does not fall until early winter, and such trees are a granary for several kind of animals of the forest.

The wood is hard, heavy, strong and close-grained. Practically the whole output of persimmon lumber is used in making shuttles. In Indiana the tree is too rare to furnish much lumber.

=OLEaCEAE.= The Olive Family.

Leaves compound; fruit dry, a samara. 1 Fraxinus.

Leaves simple; fruit fleshy, a drupe. 2 Adelia.

=1. FRaXINUS.= The Ashes.

Trees with opposite, odd-pinnate leaves; flowers appear in April or May in cl.u.s.ters from the axils of last year's leaves, the staminate and pistillate on different or sometimes on the same tree; fruit a 1-seeded samara.

Bark of mature trees furrowed; fruit not winged to the base.

Body of fruit robust, round and rather abruptly pa.s.sing into the wing; the body rarely winged 1/3 its length.

Shoots and axis of leaves smooth. 1 F. americana.

Shoots and axis of leaves velvety p.u.b.escent, at least when young. 2 F. biltmoreana.

Body of fruit flattened and gradually pa.s.sing into the wing; the body usually winged more than 1/3 its length.

Shoots glabrous, or practically so. 3 F. lanceolata.

Shoots velvety p.u.b.escent, at least when young.

Calyx of fruit less than 3 mm. long; body of samara just below the wing less than 3 mm.

wide, rarely 4 mm. wide, usually 1.5-2.5 mm. wide; samaras 3-4.5 cm. long. 4 F. pennsylvanica.

Calyx of fruit more than 3 mm. long, generally 4-5 mm. long; body of samara just below the wing more than 3 mm. wide, usually 4-5 mm.

wide; samaras generally 4-6 cm. long. 5 F. profunda.

Bark of mature trees scaly or flaky; fruit winged to the base.

Twigs usually 4 angled; leaflets on very short stalks. 6 F. quadrangulata.

Twigs round; leaflets sessile. 7 F. nigra.

=1. Fraxinus americana= Linnaeus. White Ash. Gray Ash. Plate 124. Large trees with deeply furrowed bark; twigs smooth, greenish gray and often covered with a bloom; leaves generally 2-3.5 dm. long, rachis smooth; leaflets 5-9, usually 7, generally 5-14 cm. long, on stalks generally 0.3-1 cm. long, the terminal one on a stalk 2-4 times as long, leaflets ovate to narrow-oblong, narrowed, rounded or oblique at base, short or long ac.u.minate at apex, sometimes merely acute, margins entire or irregularly serrate, usually not serrated to the base, teeth short, dark green and smooth above, glaucous beneath, sometimes almost green beneath about Lake Michigan and in the northern tier of counties, usually p.u.b.escent beneath along the midrib and along the veins, sometimes glabrous; calyx persistent on the fruit, about 1 mm. long; fruit ripens in September and October, linear, 3-4.5 cm. long, variable in size and shape, body of samara cylindrical, somewhat narrower than the wing and usually 1/3-1/4 the length of the samara, each face of the body usually striated longitudinally with about 8 faint lines; wing terminal, generally about 0.5 cm. wide, pointed or notched at apex.

=Distribution.=--Nova Scotia to Minnesota and south to the Gulf.

Frequent to common in all parts of Indiana. It is the most abundant in the northern two-thirds of the State, where it is a.s.sociated princ.i.p.ally with beech, sugar maple, linn, slippery elm and red oak. In the hilly part of the State it is found princ.i.p.ally near water courses and in ravines, and rarely on the white and black oak ridges. It is rarely found in the low "flats" of the southeast part of the State, or in the s.h.i.+ngle oak bottoms along the Patoka River.

=Remarks.=--The foliage of the white ash is quite variable in the texture of the leaflets. Leaflets on some trees are quite thin while those of other trees are thick and leathery, and no doubt would be cla.s.sed by Sargent as variety =subcoriacea=[68].

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate 124.

FRAXINUS AMERICANA Linnaeus. White Ash. ( 1/2.)]

A form of white ash with reddish-purple fruit is found from Steuben to Clark County. This form is the prevailing type of white ash in Wayne County in the vicinity of Centerville. It has been described by Fernald as forma =iodocarpa=.[69]

The wood is heavy, hard, strong, elastic, sap wood white and the heart wood light brown. It is one of the most valuable of Indiana woods, and is used by almost all wood using industries. Its princ.i.p.al uses include handles, b.u.t.ter tubs, car and vehicle stock, automobiles and implements.

The white ash has been under cultivation at the Clark County State Forest for fifteen years, and the present indications are that it is one of the very best species to use for forest planting. It is hardy; grows in nearly all kinds of soil, although it prefers a moist, rich soil; transplants successfully; grows rapidly; bears pruning well; erect in habit of growth, and so far in our area forest plantings have not been destroyed by injurious insects. However, in some parts of the State, where trees have grown in the cities, some have been killed by scale insects. Aside from this the white ash would be an excellent tree for roadside planting, because it comes into leaf late, and never produces a dense shade.

At present seed collectors are not able to separate the species of ash, and as a consequence white ash seedlings bought from a nursery are not always true to name. For this reason it is suggested that to obtain seedlings true to name that seed be collected and planted from a tree true to name. The seed should be planted in a sandy soil in rows, about 25 seeds to the foot, and covered about an inch deep with earth. The trees should be planted 4 4 ft. to 8 8 ft. apart.

=2. Fraxinus biltmoreana= Beadle. Biltmore Ash. Plate 125. Large forest trees, resembling the white ash. Young trees acquire the furrowed bark character earlier than the white ash, furrows of the bark of mature trees are usually deeper, and the ridges correspondingly farther apart; twigs are robust like the white ash and always velvety p.u.b.escent except in age when they may become smooth; leaves generally 2-3.5 dm. long, rachis p.u.b.escent; leaflets 5-11, usually 7-9, generally 5-14 cm. long, on stalks generally 0.3-1 cm. long, the terminal one on a stalk 2-4 times as long, leaflets broadly ovate to narrow ovate, or oblong to narrow oblong, narrowed, rounded, or oblique at the base, short or long ac.u.minate at apex, sometimes merely acute, margins generally entire, sometimes with a few short teeth toward the apex, dark green and smooth above, glaucous and more or less p.u.b.escent beneath; fruit similar to the preceding species.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate 125.

FRAXINUS BILTMOREANA Beadle. Biltmore Ash. ( 1/2.)]

=Distribution.=--This species has only recently been separated from the white ash and its range has not been ascertained. It is known to occur in the Appalachian Mountains from Pennsylvania to Georgia. In Indiana it is known to occur as far north as Wells County. It is commonly a.s.sociated with the white ash, but much less frequent except in a few districts where it is the prevailing type. Such a district is in Gibson County north of Owensville. Here as well as in other parts of Gibson County very large trees have been observed. In the original forest the pioneers called the very large specimens of ash with deeply furrowed bark "the old fas.h.i.+on" ash. It is believed that most of these specimens were of this species. In the hilly parts of Indiana this species is found in situations too dry for the white ash, and for this reason should be given preference in hillside planting.

On the wooded bluff of White River in Fairview Park north of Indianapolis is a specimen that measures 31 dm. in circ.u.mference, b.h.

The deepest furrows on the north side of the tree are 6 cm. deep.

=Remarks.=--This species is not yet commonly separated from the white ash and is known to the trade as white ash. Mr. Beadle who first recognized the species, named it Biltmore ash in honor of the Biltmore Estate on which the first tree was discovered. Authors ever since have so called it, and the common name which this form should bear is Biltmore ash.

On the Clark County State Forest is a planting of sixteen year old white ash in which are mixed quite a number of Biltmore ash. This species at a distance, can be distinguished from the white ash by the rougher bark of the trunks and the darker green color of its foliage, and in the autumn by its more colored foliage. A closer view shows that the leaflets of the Biltmore ash stand in a plane above the rachis higher than those of the white ash.

The wood is not commercially distinguished from the white ash, but its mechanical properties rank it somewhat below that species.[70]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate 126.

FRAXINUS LANCEOLATA Borkhausen. Green Ash. ( 1/2.)]

=3. Fraxinus lanceolata= Borckhausen. White Ash. Green Ash. Swamp Ash.

Plate 126. Medium to large sized trees with fissured bark, the ridges and furrows narrower than those of the white ash; twigs slender and glabrous at maturity; leaves generally 2-3 dm. long, rachis smooth, rarely slightly p.u.b.escent; leaflets 5-9, usually 7, generally 5-15 cm.

long, on stalks generally about 0.5 cm. or less in length, the terminal one on a stalk 2-4 times as long, leaflets generally narrow-oblong or ovate to narrow ovate-oblong, generally with a narrowed base, sometimes rounded and oblique, short or long ac.u.minate at apex, margin entire near the base, the remainder of the margin generally spa.r.s.ely serrate with short teeth, dark green and smooth above, a lighter green beneath and more or less p.u.b.escent on the petiolules, midrib and veins; calyx persistent, about 1 mm. long; fruit ripens in September and October, linear or spatulate, 3-5 cm. long, variable in size and shape, body 1/3-1/2 the length of samara, compressed or flattened and gradually narrowed to the base, usually less than half as wide as the wing, each face of the body usually striated with about 2-4 lines which are stronger than those near the edge of the body; wing generally 5-6 mm.

wide, pointed or notched at apex, and decurrent on the sides of the body for about one-half of its length.

=Distribution.=--Lake Champlain to the Saskatchewan and south to the Gulf. Found in all parts of Indiana. It is usually found in low ground along streams, in swamps, and in low woods. It is usually a.s.sociated with white elm, red maple, cottonwood, aspens, linn, bur oak, etc., in the south to this list should be added silver maple and cypress. It prefers a habitat wetter than that of the white ash, although the two are found together in wet woods. In swampy woods it is often a common tree. While it has a general distribution in the State, it is much more local than the white ash.

=Remarks.=--This form is not usually separated from the next species, and both are known in books and by nurserymen as green or red ash. The common name, green ash, should be applied to this species to separate it from the true white ash, and the next.

In ash forest plantings on the Clark County State Forest, it is to be noted that this and the next species bear fruit while the trees are as small as 1.5 cm. in diameter, while the white and Biltmore ash which are much older and 6-8 cm. in diameter have never borne fruit. This species and the next bear fruit oftener and in greater abundance than the white or Biltmore ash. It is also to be noted that practically all of the volunteer ash trees found along fences and roadsides, except very large trees, are of the green ash species.

The wood is similar to that of white ash, and the cut is usually sold as that species. However, it ranks below white ash in its mechanical qualities.[71]