Chickasaw Plum Prunus angustifolia

Chickasaw Plum Prunus angustifolia. A thicket forming, twiggy bush which has sharp thorns along the branches, this fruit tree is common on open land along water courses and road sides.  Blooming later than P umbellate, which produces umbels of flowers on the ends of stems, Chickasaw Plum produces white flowers along the full length of stems, making a display of total white “bottle brushes”.  The ½” fruit begins green, turns red, then yellow when it is ripe.  The leaves are soft and serrated along the edges, but longer and thinner than P umbellate.  Like other members of the cherry and plum family, the leaves are toxic to livestock and rabbits.  Each individual, sweetly fragrant flower is composed of 5 oval petals surrounding a central pistol with many filamentous stamen.  Known clumps are most prevalent under the power lines along the DORBA trails. (401) 3/21/19; 20 no obs;

3/21/19

Note: Chickasaw Plum blooming with masses of fragrant, white flowers from nodes along entire stems

Note; thicket forming habit of Chickasaw Plum

Note; dense masses of blooms along entire stems

Note; leaf bearing twigs can form into long, sharp thorns along the small, twiggy trunks.

Eastern Black Walnut

Walnut; Eastern Black Walnut Juglans nigra L;. A large, low branching, slow growing, deciduous forest tree, with thick, deeply furrowed, black to dark grey, corky bark, Walnuts are more common in Eastern Forests where there is abundant rainfall.  DFW is on the margins of Walnut habitat, a few specimens growing along the north facing slopes of water cut canyons along the MK Trace.  The compound pinnate leaves, over a foot long, each have up to 17 slightly toothed, lance shaped leaflets, born in opposite pairs, with a final solo leaflet.  Catkins are produced in April off the ends of last year’s stems, at the same time new leaves are budding.  Catkins, which look like strings of warty knobs, convert into round, green nuts up to 2” in diameter, which turn black after they fall.  Inside this fibrous husk (3/16” thick), lies a very hard, round, nut 1″ to 1½”  in diameter, with deep convolutions, that can only be cracked open with a hammer (rock or iron).  The flesh of the nut is lobed like an English Walnut, but is somewhat spicy, once commonly used to flavor ice-cream.  Tiny maggots eat much of the pulp away from the seed as it rots on the forest floor.  Black Walnut wood is dense, dark brown with nearly black grain, but often bored through by wood beetles.  Texas black walnut (Juglans microcarpa), found west of DFW, has much smaller seeds, as the name micro– implies. (123-124) 4/18/15; 4/22/16; 3/28/17 – 4/10/17; 4/17/18; 4/20/19; 4/13/20 – 4/20/20;

Eastern Black Walnut habit; a large, readily branching canopy tree with a loose crown, long compound pinnate leaves, and dense, dark brown heart-wood with black veining, bearing very hard nuts encased in fibrous casques

Note; deeply furrowed, thick, black to dark grey, corky bark

Note; long compound pinnate leaves with odd numbers of leaflets, opposite pairs and a final lone tip leaflet, each lance shaped with a slightly serrated margin

Note; pendulant catkins that look like strings of warty knobs bud from the ends of last year’s twigs as new leaves are growing out

Note; large, round, green fruit which turn black after they fall, composed of a thick, fibrous rind surrounding a very hard, thick nut with spicy, white meat.

Note; the hard, convoluted nut embedded within an inedible, fibrous casque, green when it falls, turning black with age

Viburnum, Rusty Blackhaw

Viburnum; Rusty Blackhaw Viburnum Viburnum rufidulum Raf;.  A small, understory, evergreen tree with cubed, but not ridged, corky bark, V rufidulum yearly produces new sprigs of glossy green, oval leaves with a very finely toothed margin, arranged in opposite pairs along the stems, completely lacking any drip-tip.  New stems, often long arching suckers off of the main trunk and branches, have a slight layer of rusty colored fuzz, giving the plant its descriptive name. Panicles of small, white, tube flowers that are mildly fragrant, bud from the ends of new growth.  The short tube ends in a corolla of 5 petals, with five white stamen, each tipped with a yellow anther, protruding beyond the profile of the flower, giving the bunches a slightly fuzzy look. The fruit are oblong, dark blue drupe with a single seed. Viburnum cultivars are popular in hedges, both for their yearly bloom of large, showy bunches of white flowers, and their glossy, evergreen foliage. (957-958) 3/30 – 4/15/15; 3/15 – 4/5/16; 3/22/17 – 4/7/17; 3/28/18; 19 no obs; 3/25/20;

Note; terminal bunches of white tube flowers that unfold into a corolla with 5 petals, the white stamen tipped with yellow anthers protrude beyond the profile of the flowers, giving the bunches a fuzzy look

Rusty Blackhaw habit; an evergreen, understory shrub with dark, corky bark, glossy foliage, and showy bunches of white flowers that convert to oblong blue drupes

Note; the dark bark is corky and divided into cubes, not furrowed ridges.

Note; bright, evergreen, glossy, oval leaves with very fine serration along the margins, are arranged in opposite pairs along stems, completely lacking any drip-tip

Sumac; Prairie and Smooth Flame-Leaf Sumac

Sumac; Prairie and Flame-Leaf/Smooth Sumac Rhus copallina L;. As the name implies, the leaves of this woody, deciduous shrub turn bright red in the fall.  The trunks have low, rough, corky knobs, but are otherwise smooth and unfurrowed.  Long (10-14”) pinnate leaves bear opposite pairs of slightly asymmetric, lance shaped leaflets. Terminal clusters of tiny greenish-white, fragrant flowers bud from the ends of this year’s growth, each with 5 petals arranged around a central disk.  Flowers convert to heavy stalks of hard, dark red berries (some varieties are white).  Though small and inconspicuous, sumac has many uses.  The resin of this Sumac has a copal like property, and can be burned as an incense, earning it the scientific species name copallina.  The stems and bark contain high levels of tannin, used for curing hides, and Amerindians crushed the berries to make lime-laced water taste palatable.  The berries are a rich source of food for birds migrating through DFW in the early spring. Two nearly identical varieties grow in the area, the Prairie Flame Leaf has toothed edges on the leaves, but lacks wings on leaf stems, while the flower petals are longer, and whiter.  The Smooth Flame-Leaf has a smooth, untoothed leaf margins, with flattened wings on leaf stems, while the flowers are more rounded, and have a darker colored disks, but both varieties are considered one species.  (632-633) 5/10/15; 5/30/16; 5/15/17 – 5/30/17; 6/2/18; 19 no obs. 5/20/20

Note; flowers convert to dense panicles of dark red (or white), hard berries, readily eaten by migrating birds in the spring

Flame Leaf Sumac habit; a densely branching, deciduous tree with relatively smooth bark, bearing alternating, compound pinnate leaves and panicles of white flowers that convert to dense clusters of dark red berries.

Note; the relatively smooth bark lacks ridges, or scales, but has corky rough protuberances

Note; Smooth Flame Leaf Sumac have compound pinnate leaves with an odd number of asymmetrical leaflets with smooth margins, and flattened ‘wings’ between leaflets

Note; Prairie Flame Leaf Sumac have compound pinnate leaves with an odd number of nearly symmetrical leaflets with coarsely toothed margins, lacking ‘wings’ between leaflets

Note; dense terminal panicles fragrant flowers, each with five white, elongated petals arranged around a dark central disk

Note; Prairie Flame Leaf Sumac flowers have longer, thinner petals with pointed tips

Note; Smooth Flame Leaf Sumac flowers have shorter, rounded petals

Note; leaves turn a bright, dark red in the fall, remaining on the plants for some time, earning this Sumac the nick-name Flame Leaf Sumac.

Soapberry, Western Soapberry

Soapberry; Western Soapberry Sapindus drummondii Hook;. Soapberry can grow to be a branching crown tree in some areas, but in the DFW area it is normally a short, spindly, deciduous bush of the understory, rarely more than 4” in diameter.  The loose, light grey, extremely scaly bark is often tinged with yellow or orange lichens.  Light green shoots produce a new crop of oddly pinnate leaves which alternate in a spiral around the stems, the asymmetrical leaflets alternating along the ribs, rather than being arranged in opposite pairs.  Leaves turn bright yellow in the fall.  Flower panicles, 6-10” long, bud from the tips of new growths, bearing tiny (1/4”), fragrant, short-lived, white flowers with 5 papery thin petals.  Flowers have 8 or more stamen, each tipped with an off-white anther, which project out, far beyond the flower, giving the flower heads a fuzzy look.  Flowers convert to yellowish, translucent berries with a solid pit, which look similar to Chinaberry seeds.  When dried, the saponin rich berries can be vigorously rubbed in water to produce soap-suds.  Otherwise, the berries, though used in moderation as a purgative and antiseptic, are considered toxic.  Trees are parasitized by the Soapberry Borer beetle, which eats away the water carrying xylem layer under the bark.  (683-684) 5/28/15 – 6/5/17; 5/25/17 – 6/5/17; 5/25/18; 19 no record; 5/28/20

Western Soapberry habit; a spindly tree of the understory with grey, scaly bark, alternating pinnate leaves, and terminal panicles of tiny, white flowers which convert to round yellow berries.

Note; alternating spirals of pinnate leaves composed of an odd number of asymmetrical, lanceolate leaflets which alternate along the rib, rather than being arranged in opposite pairs.

Note; panicles of fragrant, but short lived, very small, white flowers grow from terminal buds of new growth

Note; tiny white, ball like buds that open to small white flowers with 5 papery petals and 10 filamentous stamen, each tipped with a yellow anther

Note; translucent, yellowish fruit with a large, hard pit visible inside, make suds when scrubbed in water

Note; asymmetric leaves are bulged to one side

Peach Tree

Peach; Peach Tree Prunus persica;.  Peaches originated in the “Mediterranean” climate of western China and eastern Persia, as the scientific name persica indicates.  Wild Peaches will sometimes grow  from pits of hybrid peaches, but otherwise they do not naturally propagate in this area.  Called “clings”, the flesh clings to the seeds of wild peaches, rather than separating easily, as commercial hybrids do.  However, the flowers and leaves look similar.  Trees have smooth to scaly bark, and the long limbs tend to droop when laden with fruit, or sometimes even split apart from the trunk.  The leaves are slightly folded, long and narrow, with very short petioles, with a pronounced drip-tip, and are born alternately along stems.  Flowers form before new growth emerges, budding from leaf scars on last year’s stems.  Dark red bud sepals open, allowing the five showy, pink petals to unfold, which like other members of the Rosacea family, sport a dome of filamentous stamen, each tipped with an anther, surrounding a central pistol.  Fruit are hairy, scored by a central cleft, and have one hard, flattened pit with a convoluted surface.  The sweet fruit are eaten by birds and wasps alike if left on trees too long.  Like Almonds, the seed inside is laced with cyanide, making them taste bitter, and potentially poison if too many are eaten.  (406-407) 3/5/16; 2/25/17 – 3/15/17; 18 no obs (drupe 5/24/18); 2/28/19 – 3/23/19 (drupe 6/22/19); 2/18/20 – 3/15/20 (drupe 6/12/20);

Peach habit; a readily branching, short tree with smooth to scaly bark.

Note; large, showy five petal, pink flowers with multiple filamentous stamen.

Note; flowers convert to fleshy drupe scored by a cleft, with a flattened, rough seed inside.

Note; alternating, narrow, deciduous, elongated leaves with finely serrated, slightly undulating margins partly obscure fruit

Note; the large fruit on short stems, bud directly from nodes along last years growth.  hard, and reddish, and covered with fine fuzz, peaches will ripen and turn soft if picked when fully grown.

Pecan

Pecan; Pecan Carya illinoensis Koch. Better known for the commercially grown Paper-Shell Pecan, which have larger nuts with thin shells, native Pecan (known as Nueces in Mexico) tend to be a smaller tree, which have smaller nuts with hard shells.  Pecans are a tall, deciduous tree with lanky, brittle branches, lined with flaking rather than corky bark.  The compound pinnate leaves have an odd number of elliptical leaflets with smooth margins, the leaflets arranged in opposite pairs along a central rib, with a single leaflet at the tip.  The wood is soft and brown, and has a strong odor.  Catkins appear in spring, budding from the leaf axils of new growth.  The fruit begin as oblong, green ovals with four ridges, nuts ripen in October-November as the fibrous casques ripen, turn black and split along the seams, allowing the nut to fall out, or be shaken out.  Nuts with the husks still attached are usually spoiled.  Though no wild Pecans grow in the ILC, they are plentiful in other forested areas, constituting an important winter food source for rodents and wild boar.  Many domesticated trees, grafted from Paper-Shell cultivars, have been planted on the ILC.  (127-128 Vines) 5/1/20

Pecan habit; a very tall, leggy tree with scaly rather than corky bark, bearing alternating, compound pinnate leaves and reproducing through catkins which convert to clusters of edible nuts

Note; catkins are produced from new growth after the leaves have budded out

Note; compound pinnate leaves arranged in an alternating pattern around stems have an odd number of lanceolate leaflets with finely serrated margins, arranged as opposite pairs with one terminal leaflet

Note; green, oblong fruit, in clusters of 3-5, are composed of a fibrous casque, split by four seams, surrounding a thin shelled nut.

Note; husks turn black and split along seams, allowing the smooth, brown nuts to fall out

Plum; Flatwoods Plum

Plum; Flatwoods Plum Prunus umbellate Ell;. Southern forests host many variable, similar scraggly, deciduous, understory plums with distinctive, dark scaly bark and twigs that end in a sharp, hard thorn.  Oval shaped leaves with a finely serrated margin and prominent drip-tip, alternate along short stems, which become a sharp thorn when the leaves drop.  Plums are the first fruit trees to flower in the spring (late Feb to early March), umbels of fragrant, white blossoms ½ – ¾” across (no pix) budding from last year’s twigs before new leaves develop. Each flower is composed of 5 oval petals surrounding a central pistol and a dome of filamentous stamen.  Early blooms risk late frosts or ice-storms, in which case the tree may produce a second, smaller bloom. The small ( ½ – ¾ ”), light purple, pulpy fruit, ripening between June and July, are somewhat dry and tart, but are sweet enough to be eaten.  The pit is round and flattened. The wood is a dark brown with slightly darker striations.  It is common on shallow lime-stone soil, but grows well in deeper, moist bottom lands too. Also known locally as Chickasaw Plum. (401) 3/5 – 27/15; 2/22/16 – 3/14/16 (fruit 6/15/16); 2/18/17 – 3/15/17; 3/6/18 – 3/20/18; 2/18/20 – 3/10/20;

Note; umbels of white fragrant flowers with multiple stamen budding from leaf nodes on last year’s twigs

Flatwoods Plum habit; a slightly scraggly understory tree with distinctive, scaly bark and long, woody thorns, bearing soft, alternating, oval leaves with finely serrated margins, producing umbels of fragrant, white flowers composed of 5 petals arranged around a dome of stamen.

Note; the scaly bark is nearly black in color, mottled with dark grey

Note; younger stems have smooth, light grey bark which peels away revealing a mahogany color

Note; the alternating leaves are an elliptical oval with a finely serrated margin and a prominent drip tip.

Note; Flatwood Plum bear flowers in loose clusters

Persimmon; Texas Persimmon

Persimmon; Texas Persimmon Diospyros texana Scheele;. This tall, somewhat ragged, deciduous tree has leaves that are thicker at the end than the stem (spatulate), arranged in an alternating pattern along this year’s twigs.  The heart-wood is dense and brown (unlike the black persimmon from further south in Texas), and takes a nice polish.  Young stems are smooth, but the bark on mature trunks is broken into corky cubes.  Small greenish white, cup-shaped flowers (no pix) erupt from this year’s leaf axils, forming round, orange, pulpy fruit up to 1” across with many flattened almond shaped seeds less than ½” long.  The fruit is sweet when it ripens, but contains more seeds than pulp.  The fruit that falls is eaten by possum and coyotes, but from the prevalence of the seeds in scat, most are eaten by raccoons.  Persimmons prefer deeper soils along streams in bottom lands.  (838-839) 17 no obs; 5/6/18; 5/11/19; 5/10/20;

Texas Persimmon habit; a tall, straight tree with dark grey, corky bark broken into cubes, bearing alternating spatulate leaves and fleshy flowers that convert to 1″ orange, pulpy fruit.

Note; grey bark is broken into corky cubes

Note; spatulate leaves arranged in an alternating pattern along new twigs.

Note; orangish, pulpy fruit about 1” in diameter, full of ¼” seeds.

Note; fall colors yellow to orange

Note; greenish, bell shaped flowers

Note; seeds prevalent in racoon scat

 

Oak; Live Oak

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Oak; Live Oak Quercus virginiana Mill;. Dallas is beyond the northern edge of the natural range of live oaks, but the trees grow here if planted and watered for the first few years.  The deeply furrowed, rough, black bark of this readily branching evergreen contrasts with the glossy dark green of its small (<2”) evergreen leaves, which depending on the variety, range from slightly curled with sharp holly-like points, to smooth and elongated ovals.  The leaves last for two or more years, older leaves shedding in the spring just before new leaves grow in (mid-March).  Live Oaks reproduce from catkins, tiny spikes of miniscule flowers, a few of which convert to acorns that are much longer than most oaks, often turning bronze in color after they fall.  The slow growth, spreading growth pattern, drought resistance and evergreen qualities make this tough, dense-wooded tree a favorite for large yards or campuses.  Though the long, drooping, habit of new growth gives this oak a scraggly look when young, it usually grows wider than tall, achieving a manicured, rounded profile.  The tough, dense, springy wood, favored by ship-builders, allows the branches to extend far outward, making them safe for kids to climb in without fear they will breaking.  The leaves and bark, are so heavy with tannin that they do not make good mulch.  The acorns, longer than other types of oak, end in a terminal spike, and held in exceptionally small caps, are green when they fall, but soon turn a rich brown.  They sprout easily, if they escape acorn weevils, and form an enlarged, woody, tuber-like base just underground which preserves young tree through dry periods.  Light brown, woody galls caused by tiny wasps, form on twigs. (170-171) 4/10/15; 3/26/16-4/15/17; 3/22/18 – 4/10/18; 3/25/19 – 4/20/19; 3/25/20 – 4/17/20;

Live Oak habit; a slow growing, evergreen oak that branches readily, with dark grey to black, deeply furrowed (or cubed), corky bark, and very dense, springy, hard wood that produces elongated, rich brown colored acorns.

Note; nearly black, deeply furrowed, corky bark, often broken into cubes, rather than ridges, with a spreading habit

Note; long, tough, dark green leaves, sometimes with tooth-like projections along the margins, which shed just before catkins and new growth appear in the spring

Note; fuzzy catkins which emerge just as the tree is budding new, wispy growth with fresh leaves

Note; grey stem galls caused by a tiny wasp.  These are not the fruit of the tree

Note; acorns are long and thin, with a sharp tip, and a very small cap, green when they fall, but turning a rich brown after a few days.

Note; rich brown color, extra small cap, elongated form, and tiny hole where a wevil larva exited.