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; Bur Oak

Oak; Bur Oak Quercus macrocarpa Michx;. A large, deciduous, relatively fast growing (for an oak!), open crowned tree with huge 2” acorns and gigantic (6-12”), undulating leaves that are deeply cut, each lobe having rounded corners rather than pointed tips.  The dark grey, corky bark is deeply furrowed, and the brown heart-wood is surrounded by 4” of tan sap-wood.  Oaks produce catkins, tiny spikes of miniscule flowers that look fuzzy, from the tips of last year’s stems, just as new shoots are budding.  Bur Oak bears the largest acorns of all oaks earning it the scientific name macro-carpa ‘big-fruit’. The deep acorn cap, fringed with stiff, burr-like curled fibers, enfolds over half the acorn, from which the common name ‘burr oak’ is derived.  Locally, the natural range of Bur Oak is the bottom lands or flood basins, where there is deeper soil and more water, but it will grow in shallow soils if watered for years.  It is an impressive tree, but due to its irregular shape, size and loose crown, is not commonly grown in yards. (148-149) 4/10/15; 3/25/16-? ; 18 no obs; 3/25/19-4/1/19; 3/25/20

Burr Oak habit; a large, open crowned tree native to moist bottom lands with deeply furrowed bark, huge acorns and long, undulating, rounded leaves.

Note; thick, deeply furrowed, dark grey, corky bark covers thick sap wood.

Note; gigantic (6-12”), undulating leaves with deep sinuses dividing lobes with rounded tips

Note; catkins bud from tips of last year’s stems just as new shoots are sprouting (March-early April)

Note; huge acorns up to 2” long, mostly concealed by a rough, scaly cap with a fringe of stiff, burr like hairs.

Mesquite; Honey Mesquite

Mesquite; Honey Mesquite Prosopis juliflora var. glandulosa Cockerell;. A variable, medium sized, drooping, deciduous tree with fine, leathery leaflets, Mesquite is the favored wood for barbecues, but a curse for ranchers.  Mesquite drops long seed pods and thorny stems, disqualifying it as a lawn tree. However, the frond like pinnate leaves, composed of leathery, strap like leaflets arranged in opposite pairs, produce a pleasant, light shade.  A short, sharp spine projects from each leaf node along the twigs. The deeply furrowed bark, dark when young, lightening with age, is heavy with tannin, staining the soil and any water it falls in. The wood is brittle and heavy, dark reddish-brown streaked with black, but rarely straight enough for lumber or furniture.  It decays above ground, but is impervious to rot underground, so stumps do not rot out.  Old trunks are invariably hollow, but continue to live, as long as live wood grows on the outer perimeter.  The elongated fluffy, greenish white flowers are fragrant, but short lived, converting to long (4-9”), slightly flattened pods, with small flattened seeds.  Amerind people ground and leached the beans to make a thick flour.  The leaflets are nutritious and moist, and though protected by thorns, make excellent fodder.  It is the first tree to colonize overgrazed range-land, so its range spread following over-grazing and the Dustbowl.  Mesquite grow upright on long arching suckers, which continue to droop each year, till nearly prone.  They are nearly impossible to eradicate, as they resist fire and sprout back from roots, but because the tree does not grow upright it is soon crowded out by oaks, juniper and elm.  Mesquite prairies extend from Mexico to Oklahoma, dominating a belt that runs from Mexico through San Antonio, Stephenville and Vernon.  Green wood is often burned in –BQ or grills, for it burns slow and produces steam, which keeps meat from drying out.  Local lore claims that once mesquite blooms there is no longer danger of frost.  The three named varieties, (glandulosa, velutina and torreyana) are difficult to distinguish.  (515-516) 4/20/15 – 5/1/15; 4/25/16; 3/28/17- ; 4/15/18; 19 not recrd; 4/24/20;

Honey Mesquite habit; a sprawling tree with deeply furrowed, coarse bark, sharp spines, and leathery leaflets, bearing fluffy greenish white flowers which convert to light colored bean pods

Note; deeply furrowed, fibrous, grey bark is laced with tannins, staining water a dark red

Note; arching new growth slowly droops towards the ground till nearly prone

Note; pinnate, frond like leaves, composed of opposite pairs of strap-like, leathery, light green leaves

Note; long columnar spikes of flowers, made up of many tiny flowers, are lightly fragrant

Note; sharp spines at each leaf node along the twigs

Note; long been pods

Locust; Texas Honey Locust

Locust; Common Or Texas Honey Locust Gleditsia tricanthos var. texana L; needing a lot of water, this tall, deciduous, thorny tree is most common on moist, deep soil flood plains.  The pinnate, light green leaves are made up of tiny oval leaflets that, unlike most pinnate leaves, alternate along the rib rather than appearing as opposite pairs.  Thick, reddish thorns up to 3” long grow directly on branches, often branching into many points on main trunks.  Flowers bud off of last year’s stems, forming spikes of tiny, greenish yellow buds that open to very fragrant flowers little more than pistol and stamen.  The flowers are favorite sources of nectar for honey bees.  Seeds are born in crescent shaped pods 5-18” long, and up to 1.5” wide.  Honey Locust die in drier years, dropping thorns and thorny branches.  (531-533) 4/10 – 4/20/15; 4/7/17 – 5/7/17; 4/15/18; 4/21/19 – 5/6/19; 4/25/20 (blasted);

Honey Locust habit; tall deciduous tree with smooth bark, bearing thick, branching, reddish thorns, soft, light green pinnate leaves, and small spikes of tiny, green, very fragrant flowers that convert to curled, flat, bean like pods

Note; the thorns on trunks branch into clumps of thick, reddish spikes.

Note; pinnate leaves with alternating small, light green, oval leaflets

Note; axillary flower spikes bud directly off leaf scars from last year’s twigs

Note; tiny greenish flowers, barely more than pistol and stamen, framed by thick bud sepals, are intensely, sweet in fragrance

 

Laurel; Texas Sophora

Laurel; Texas Sophora/Eve’s Necklace Sophora affinis Torr; This leggy, woody, vining, deciduous tree, common on the ILC, has dark red heartwood and yellow sapwood, and long stems lined with opposite leaves alternating at long intervals.  Preferring limestone and chalk outcroppings, it often faces west, into the hottest summer sun.  Older trunks are a light grey, but younger, vining branches are streaked with green, climbing into the crowns of other trees for support.  Small clusters of light lavender to pink or white, slightly hairy flowers hang from leggy, axillary stems, and though attractive, have little fragrance.  The long (up to 10”), thin seed pods are black, slightly curved, and deeply constricted between seeds, giving them a “necklace” appearance. Though not as toxic as Mountain Laurel, Eve’s Necklace also contains high levels of mescal. (570-571) 4/16/15 – 4/27/15; 3/30/16 – 4/13/16; 3/30/17 – 4/14/17; 18 no obs; 4/16/19; 4/12/20 – 5/1/20;

Texas Sophora habit; a leggy, deciduous, woody, vining tree with rough, shallowly furrowed bark and long shoots, that climbs into the upper story of other trees, bearing loose pinnate leaves and axillary panicles of light lavender and purple flowers

Note; new, green shoots are very long and thin, budding widely spaced pinnate leaves with broadly oval leaflets, in an alternating spiral

Note; loose hanging panicles of small lavender and yellow, pea like flowers bud from axils of new growth

Note; hanging, axillary panicles of light lavender, pea like flowers with a yellow basal spot on the banner petal, open in slow succession

 

Laurel; Mountain Laurel

Laurel; Mountain Laurel/Mescal-Bean Sophora Sophora secundiflora Lag; A stout, slow growing evergreen with leathery, pinnate leaves, each opposite leaflet a rough oval, native to Texas Hill Country.  Since it prefers limestone outcroppings, it does well enough here, though it has to be watered initially.  Spring growth produces a terminal spike, which blooms next year.  The large (6-10”) terminal clusters of showy, violet to pink flowers have a strong fragrance some might call pungent, each ½” flower opening in quick succession till the whole spike is full. The thick brownish seed pods contain brick-red seeds about ½” in diameter, used as beads by some Amerindians, thus it has also been called coral-bean.  The seeds contain a volatile alkaloid sophorine (mescal), which some Amerinds ground to powder and mixed in small portions with the Peyote Cactus, to make a narcotic that induced intoxication, delirium and a long sleep.  Thus, an alternative name for S secundiflora is “big-drunk bean”.  Otherwise the seeds are poison.  Black and grey tent caterpillars eat both the new leaves and flower spikes, so must be pulled off to ensure the plant blooms next year.  (568-569) 3/15/16 – 3/25/16; 3/20/17 – 4/1/17; 3/20/18 – 3/30/18; 4/16/19; 3/10/20 – 4/3/20;

Note; bright brick red berries in light grey seed pods

Mountain Laurel habit; a slow growing, evergreen shrub with pinnate leaves bearing panicles of bright blue, fragrant flowers that convert to pods of large orange-red seeds

Note; leathery, spatula shaped, evergreen leaves, red to orange seeds and grey, bean like pods

Note; glossy green, leathery, evergreen, opposite, oval leaflets on compound leaves

Cypress; Common Bald Cypress

Cypress; Common Bald Cypress Taxodium distichum;. This tall, thin conifer is unusual in that it is deciduous, the tiny, flat needles turning red-brown and falling off in the Fall.  Thus this Cyprus becomes “bald”, sprouting leaves again in the spring.  The smooth, slightly flaking bark is grey, new under-bark an attractive cinnamon reddish-brown.  Intolerant of prolonged drought, Cyprus are uncommon locally except as a tree in yards or medians, where they get watered regularly.  A few grow wild in drainage areas where there is near constant runoff, otherwise they are ironically more common in the drier West Texas, along near permanent streams.  The base of the tree fans out at ground level as buttress roots spread in each direction, an adaptation to swampy soil. The famous ‘knees’ form only where roots are underwater much of the year.  The fruit like cones are globular, anywhere from ½ to 1” in diameter, the scales lifting to release twin seeds.  The wood is soft and white, with only a mild aroma, and very little visible grain.  (13-14)

Common Bald Cyprus habit; a tall, straight, deciduous conifer with shaggy, flaking, cinnamon bark, that turns grey with age, which bears globular cones

Note; the flaky or scaly cinnamon bark which turns grey with age, lines straight trunks that lack major branches till the canopy

Note; frond like leaves, twigs lined with tiny, thin, flat, deciduous leaves, shed in the fall, growing again every spring

Note; the globe shaped cones, the scales protecting twin seeds lifting to release them

Ash; Hercules-Club Prickly-Ash

Ash; Hercules-Club Prickly-Ash (Toothache Tree) Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L;.  A small understory tree with sharp thorns on young stems, which become corky protuberances with age.  The deciduous, pinnate leaves have twin spines between each pair of leaflets.  The odd number of leaflets (one terminal leaflet) each have a finely toothed margin, which produce a strong, lemony smell when crushed, and a stinging or burning sensation when chewed.  Chewing the leaves temporarily numbs the tongue and relieves toothache, earning it the nickname “Toothache Tree”. Small clusters of white flowers form from tips of new growth each year, producing green berries which turn dark when ripe.  The white wood is soft, and rots quickly.  (594-595) 4/28/15-5/15/15, 17 no obs; 4/25/18; 19 not recrd; 20 no obs;

Prickly Ash habit; a deciduous understory tree with compound, with alternating leaves along new stems, each pair of leaflets guarded by a pair of sharp thorns.  Thorns on the trunk reduced to corky knobs, clumps of small green flowers budding from new growth.

Note; sharp spines on young stems, which turn to corky protuberances with age

Note; twin sharp spines between pairs of leaflets of compound leaves

Note; leaflets have a finely serrated margin, and a sharp, spicy smell and taste when crushed or chewed,

Note; chewing the leaves numbs the mouth and tongue, earning it the moniker “toothache” bush

Note; white flowers (April) from leaf nodes

Buckeye; Mexican Buckeye

Buckeye; Mexican Buckeye Ungnadia speciosa Endl;.  A deciduous bush with many leggy, smooth barked trunks, which forms dense clumps of small arching, boughs nver more than 3″ in diameter, growing from a central woody knot just under ground level.  Common on chalky limestone, it reaches tree proportions in some areas with deeper soil.  Clusters of attractive, pale pink, fragrant, peach-like flowers about ½” across bud directly from nodes on trunks and old stems, new growth coming in after the flowers have bloomed.  Each flower has 5 petals, the curved anthers and pistol protruding beyond them.  A deciduous plant, the flowers emerge shortly before the compound leaves bud out, each with 5-7 leaflets, on new, fast growing stems.  Blooming in mid-March, U speciosa overlaps somewhat with Redbud.  The fruit is a three lobed, pear-shaped, internally divided capsule, each of which has a single, shiny, black, slightly toxic seed about ½ across and ¾” long, with a pronounced white spot on one end.  Archaeological evidence of stashes of seeds mixed with Mountain Laurel (Mescal) seeds in remote caves suggests that Amerinds did not devise a method to detoxify the seeds for food, but used them in conjunction with Mountain Laurel as a ritual stimulant (686) 3/28-4/17/15; 3/23/16-4/20/16; 3/11/17-3/30/17; 3/22/18-4/15/18; 3/20/19-4/14/19; 3/17/20 – 3/27/20;

Mexican Buckeye habit; multiple, leggy, arching, small, smooth trunks growing from a common base bear clumps of pink flowers directly off of old stems before foliage emerges

Note; clumps of flowers bud directly from old leaf nodes on trunks and older stems.

Note; showy, pink, fragrant flowers with curved pistol and stamen that protrude out beyond the 5 petals

Note; three lobed seed capsules, each with three large, lustrous, black, oval seeds that rattle when the boughs are shaken.

Note; compound leaves do not emerge until flowers have bloomed

Ash; Texas Ash

Ash; Texas Ash Fraxinus texensis (Sarg. A medium sized deciduous crown tree that sprouts up from a large bulbous, underground root base.  The outer sap wood is white, rotting quickly, so many animals make homes in the holes they dig out of the pulpy wood.  Though old trunks die off, new shoots sprout from the base.  Bark on new growths is smooth and greenish to light grey, but corky ridges form in the light grey to dark bark of mature trunks.  A thin layer of fine, cloth-like inner bark forms under the ridges of corky outer bark.  The dense, nearly black or dark grey heartwood does not form till nearly 6” of sapwood has accumulated, and has been a favorite for baseball bats.  Compound leaves are composed of 3-5 oblong leaflets, with slightly toothed margins, each on a lengthened petiole.  Panicles of thread like catkins form at the leaf scars of last year’s twigs, maturing into “helicopter” samara.  (865-866) 3/22/15 – 4/8/15 (samaras 4/25/15); 3/16/16; 3/10/17 – 3/28/17; (samara 5/7/18); 3/15/19; 3/12/20 (samara 5/27/20);

Texas Ash habit; a crown tree with corky, furrowed, grey bark, opposite pinnate leaves, which produces helicopter samara.  Several trunks may grow from a bulbous base, trunks and branches rotting quickly when they die.

Note; corky, deeply furrowed, dark grey bark on mature trunks, with a think layer of fibrous bark underneath

Note; several trunks often sprout from the bulbous base, often dying before developing heart wood

Note; pinnate leaves of 5-7 pointed, elliptical leaflets born in opposite pairs along straight stems

Note; thread like catkins born in whorls at leaf nodes March-April

Note; helicopter samara (winged seeds) ripen in June, whirling as they fall, carried some distance from the parent tree