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.

Sumac, Skunk-Bush Sumac

Skunk-bush; Skunk-Bush Sumac Rhus aromatica var. flabelliformis Shinners;.  This tough, low-growing, evergreen shrub has three lobed leaves with rounded lobes (not pointed like Poison Ivy) born in an alternating pattern on thin, grey stems.  The leaves have a strong smell when crushed or cut, earning it the nick-name “Skunk-Bush”, although they do not smell remotely like skunk.  The scientific name ‘aromatica’, is more generous, though the smell is more offensive than aromatic.  Common in wooded areas of thin soil covering chalk limestone, skunk bush is nearly inconspicuous until winter, for the leaves are evergreen and the hairy fruit a dull red.  The tiny but fragrant, inconspicuous, greenish-white flowers open in mid March.  The fruit are little more than a thin, hairy skin covering a large, hard seed.  (630) 3/27 – 4/6/15; 17 no obs; 18 no obs (drupe 5/25/18); 3/25/19 (drupe 5/18/19); 20 no obs;

Skunk Bush habit; a low growing evergreen shrub with grey stems, alternating, three lobed leaves, and compact bunches of hairy, dull red berries

Note; trifoliate leaves, each leaflet with three rounded lobes, are not sharply pointed like Poison Ivy, and have a strong, offensive odor when cut or crushed

Note; tiny, inconspicuous, greenish flowers are born in short spikes from leaf axils

Note; terminal clumps of fragrant flowers open as new leaves are growing in

Note; clumps of hairy, dull red fruit, little more than thin skin covering hard seeds

Redbud; Eastern Redbud

Redbud; Eastern Redbud Cercis canadensis L;. A low, stiff, upright, deciduous bush with multiple trunks, approaching the size of a small tree, which has crisp, matte, round to heart shaped leaves alternating along new stems, and dark grey, smooth to slightly corrugated (but not furrowed) bark that is very thin.  Main trunks are often short lived, (10-20) years, but new trunks rise from the root-base to replace them.  Mexican and Texas varieties are differentiated on the basis of how hairy the stems and leaves are, the Texas variety (texensis) being nearly smooth and hairless.  Redbud are best known for their abundant violet-red flowers, which sprout in umbels directly from trunks, branches and twigs early in the year (March), before other trees have begun blooming or putting out leaves.  New leaves bud out after the flowers have closed.  Three petals of each flower point up, while two wing petals encase ten filamentous stamen and the pistol.  Flowers convert to dark brown, flattened bean pods that eventually open on their own, scattering the small, flattened seeds. Cultivars range in color from white to purple, leaf colors from light green to burgundy, and some trailing or weeping varieties have been developed. Old Redbud trunks produce a medium brown wood streaked with black which makes attractive lathe-work.  Common in all zones, tending to be leggy in forest shade, and squat or stunted in full sun.  (553-555) (March 3/15, blasted by freeze) 3/22/15 – 4/17/15; 2/22/16 – 4/5/16; 2/21/17 – 3/25/17; 3/6/18; 3/8/19 – 4/14/19; 3/6/20 – 3/28/20;

Eastern Redbud habit; a variable understory bush with multiple, readily branching trunks, some approaching a small tree, which bears large, round to heart shaped leaves and bright purple-red flowers in early spring, directly from old growth and trunks.

Note; the dark grey, nearly black bark, is very thin, and smooth, often textured but not furrowed or corky.

Note; umbels of variable, purple-red legume flowers bud directly from old growth, such as trunks, branches, as well as last year’s twigs, before leaves grow in

Note; each flower is composed of three upright banner petals and two wing petals encasing the stamen filaments and pistol

Note; umbels of flowers are most common along twigs, attracting bees, although there is little detectable fragrance

Note; crisp, matte green, round to heart shaped leaves born alternately along new stems

Note; flowers convert to flattened bean pods, which turn black before they curl and pop open when dry, releasing the seeds.

Privet; Glossy Privet

Privet; Glossy/Japanese Privet Ligustrum lucidum var. macrophyllum Ait;. Much bigger, more upright, and less aggressive than L sinense (Chinese privet), this vigorous, invasive, hardy, evergreen, ornamental from south-eastern Asia is more of an understory tree than bush.  The smooth, light grey bark of the trunks, often mottled with lichens, bear large (2-4”), glossy green, pointed leaves that are arranged in opposite pairs along long (6’+) arching stems.  More upright, L lucidum is an understory tree with 3-6 trunks, and though the stems might take root if they touched the ground, they rarely do. Terminal panicles of fragrant, white flowers, each with 4 rounded petals, grow out from the axils of new leaves and the ends of last year’s stems.  Flowers convert to blue-black, oblong fruit which remain on the bush through the winter, providing spring food for migrating birds.  L lucidum is common both in the thin soils of limy high ground and the deep soils of lowland flood plains. (856) 5/28/15- ; 16 not recrd; 17 not recrd; 5/26/18; 19 no obs; 5/10/20;

Glossy Privet habit; an upright, evergreen bush with tree like trunks, often mottled with lichens, which bears large, opposite, glossy, oval leaves, and terminal panicles of showy, white flowers

Note; the trunks are smooth, lacking the knobs of L sinense (Chinese privet)

Note; opposite, glossy, dark green, pointed, egg shaped leaves with a sharp drip-tip stay on the plant for several years

Note; terminal panicles of showy, white flowers with a mild fragrance, each flower composed of four rounded petals, stamen and pistol emerging beyond the flower profile

Note; each shallow tube flower has four rounded petals, two white, filamentous stamen tipped with cream colored anthers extending beyond the flower face

Poison Ivy

Poison Ivy; Poison Ivy Toxicodendron radicans L;.  A variable, noxious plant that grows as a clinging vine on tree trunks, or free-standing as a low, weak, or sprawling plant with reddish stems which sports coarsely toothed trifoliate leaves, and occasionally white berries.  Clusters of tiny (3/16”) green and yellow flowers, composed of 5 fleshy petals arranged around a yellowish disk of stamens and a white pistol, bud from old leaf scars, turning into smooth white berries, which some birds can eat without ill effects.  The glossy, compound leaves come in sets of three leaflets, each of which is deeply indented into three or five pointed lobes.  The leaves are generally small (2-3”) in upright plants, but much larger (4-6”) in the vine form.  Some vine forms have an extra set of leaves, arranged as a compound leaf of 5 leaflets. Vines attach to tree trunks with dense mats of roots, much like Virginia Creeper, but can be easily stripped off.  Rhizomes burrow through leaf litter, spreading underground.  The general rule, “Leaves of three, leave them be” was coined to warn people of the bad rash touching Poison Ivy leaves can induce.  Although there are other plants which bear leaves in sets of three (Ash, Hops, Skunk Berry), they are shaped differently.  Poison Ivy prefers acid soils around Juniper trees, reaching larger sizes near water.  Goats can graze the leaves with no ill effects.  Poison Ivy rash generally lasts two weeks, but lathering the rash with Burt’s Bees poison ivy soap can cut down on the itch and shorten the duration to days.  If exposed to leaves, wash with soap and cold water, as hot water may drive the poison into pores.  Do not attempt homeopathic remedies that involve drinking tea made from the leaves, for this has led to horrible reactions.  A few lucky individuals seem not to react to poison ivy.  Poison ivy cannot tolerate full sun, and is easy to eradicate by pulling runners out of the ground (guarding the skin with rubber gloves).  Do not burn dried plants, as the smoke can carry the toxic resin into the lungs. Leaves turn a dark red in the Fall.  (638-641) 4/13/15 – 5/15/15; 4/5/16; 3/10/17 – 4/10/17; 18 no obs; 4/1/19; 4/9/20;

Poison Ivy habit; a variable plant that may be a free standing, weak reddish stem, or a vine that climbs trees with short clinging roots, like Virginia creeper, or an Ivy, with trifoliate leaves and small greenish-yellow flowers that convert to white berries.

Note; glossy green leaves come in sets of three pointed, egg-shaped leaflets with coarsely toothed margins.  Some leaves have 5 leaflets.

Note; small spikes of greenish, fleshy flowers with five petals arranged around a ring of yellowish stamen, with a central, white pistol, are born from old leaf axils.

Note; flowers convert to greenish berries, which turn white when mature.

Note: leaves turn bright red in the fall

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

Oak; Texas Red Oak

Oak; Texas Red Oak Quercus texana Buckl; Most of Texas is too dry for the straight Northern Red Oak preferred by home-owners, and the sun is so intense it can sunburn its smooth bark.  Locally, Texas Oak takes the place of Red Oak, both in terms of the color of its wood, the shape of its acorns, and the shape of its leaves.  The deeply cut lobes of deciduous Texas Red Oak leaves, like the Red Oak, end in sharp points, but it grows from a heavy bulbous base (a drought tolerant feature), supporting multiple trunks, and its black, corky, ridged bark protects it from the sun.  The tree is subject to viral wilt which kills trunks of stressed trees at about 4’, turning their heart wood to mush.  New trunks sprout from the base, and new shoots grow from trunks, giving the tree a “shabby” look, but eventually the tree dies. Texas Red Oak reproduces via catkins of tiny flowers, which convert into clusters of blunted, egg-shaped, light brown held in a shallow, nearly flat cap.  Catkins bud from the tips of last year’s stems, just before new growth begins to bud in. Tiny wasps lay eggs between the layers of Q. texana leaves, which the tree surrounds, with a hard, seed-like coating, suspending it in white fibers, producing a green.  The local name “Red” Oak comes from the reddish color of the highly desired, straight grained,  heart-wood, which has a peculiar, though not unpleasant, sour smell when freshly split.  Acorn weevils drill pin-prick holes in the light brown acorns, and the grubs eat out the nut, emerging through holes the size of pencil lead, drilling into the soil where they finish molting.  Drilled acorns are filled with black crud and are not viable. (192-193) 4/1/15; 2/23/16; 3/8/17-3/20/17; 3/18/18; 3/20/19-4/1/19; 3/5/20 – 3/28/20;

Texas Red Oak habit; a deciduous, crown tree that often has multiple trunks rising from a bulbous base, sometimes with new suckers sprouting from it, bearing pinnate leaves cut by deep sinuses, each lobe with a sharp tip, and producing egg-shaped, brown acorns

Note; black, corky, deeply furrowed bark that gives Texas Oak protection from the sun and drought.

Note; the bulbous base shared by multiple trunks, which readily sprouts new shoots

Note; alternating, pinnate leaves cut by deep, rounded sinuses, each lobe with a sharp point

Note; brown, oval, egg shaped acorns lacking a sharp, terminal spike, with an exit hole from an Acorn Weevil larva

Note; warty, green leaf galls caused by a tiny wasp that lays an egg between the layers of the leaf, filled with white filaments that support a hard core.

Note; leaves turn dark red in the fall

 

 

Oak; Post Oak

Oak; Post Oak Quercus stellata Wangh,. The white to light grey bark of this slow growing, deciduous, irregular shaped tree comes in loose chips rather than deep fissures.  The bulbous base is often surrounded by shoots, forming an island of wispy suckers, a few of which can become secondary trunks, or the main trunk, should the trunk die.  The light green, irregular, three lobed leaves are rounded, rather than sharply pointed, like Red Oak.  Leaves are frequently infested with reddish or greenish fruit-like galls.  A grub lives in a small hard knot in this gall, suspended by a fibrous network inside.  Catkins (small spikes of tiny flowers) emerge from the ends of last year’s stems after new leaves have sprouted.  The small acorns are nearly round, with a sharp tip. Cut branches or trunks reveal the typical radiating pattern of oaks, but do not form the dark heart-wood of red oak.  Useless for lumber, the wood was most often split into fence posts and rails, lending the tree its scientific, and local name (rails/posts).  Locally it is most common along the chalky escarpment and slopes, often in a tangled, shrubby form, but it can grow to very large size over time.  Forests of this tree are common between Wichita Falls and Vernon Tx along 287. The stately, knurled Big Tree (on Big Tree Circuit), the largest tree on the ILC, is a Post Oak.  (154-155) 4/3/15; 3/25/16; 3/10/17-3/28/17; 3/25/18 – 4/10/18; 3/25/19 – 4/1/19; 3/25/20;

Post Oak habit; a slow growing, often knurled looking, deciduous oak with crooked branches, an irregular crown and scaly (rather than furrowed) bark that produces very small acorns

Note; light grey bark that is scaly, rather than furrowed

Note; often with multiple trunks, or at least islands of green wispy suckers growing around a bulbous base.

Note; leaves, arranged in an alternating spiral, have three to five smooth lobes with rounded tips.

Note; catkins emerge from last year’s stems after new leaves have grown in

 

Note; leaf galls, often red, called “cherry galls” are composed of a thin, warty shell surrounding a hard core suspended by radiating white filaments

Note; small, nearly round acorns with a sharp drip tip.