Dendrology Exam #2

MADBUCKINABOX

Maples, Ashes, Dogwoods, Buckeyes, Box Elder

4 Species of (Sapindaceae) in West TN

Acer negundo, Acer saccharum, Acer saccharine, Acer rubrum

ID Tips of Acer negundo

Pinnately compound, strongly toothed, 3-5 leaflets

Another common name for Acer negundo

Ash-leaf maple

Preferred habitat for Acer negundo

Wet/moist soils near water but often found on roadsides and disturbed soils

Lumber value of Acer negundo

Considered a trash tree with soft wood

Ecological significance of Acer negundo

Minor food source for birds and squirrels but preferred food of Evening grosbeak

Boxelder bug prefers this tree to lay its eggs

ID Tips for Acer rubrum

Red round stems, flowers, and petioles, has 3 points

ID Tips for Acer saccharum

5 points, green underside with a U shaped notch

ID Tips for Acer saccharinum

5 points, silver/white underneath, V shaped indentation, deep lobes

Acer saccharum location/preferred soil

North of TN, prefers mesic forests, can form monocultures in the north, shade tolerant

Acer saccharum ecological significance

Seeds are not nutritious, but deer, squirrels, moose, and other wildlife often feed on twigs and stems and browse found leaves

Acer saccharum syrup

Making syrup, but most have very cold over-winter temperatures to produce the sugary maple syrup

Acer saccharum lumber value

Speciality items: bowling pins, bowling flooring, NBA hardwood courts, professional baseball bats, flooring

Acer rubrum lumber value

Soft wood considered a trash tree

Acer rubrum ecological significance

Seeds are poor nutritional value but leaves are browsed upon by deer and elk

Acer rubrum syrup

Can be made from the tree in the north but after the buds sprout syrup develops an odd flavor

Acer saccharinum lumber value

Fas growing, but brittle and often splits and loses limbs after storms. Is used for lumber but typically considered a trash tree

Acer saccharinum syrup

Can be used, but has lowest sugar content of all the maples

Two other Acer spp. in TN that are not in West TN

Acer spicatum (Mountain Maple) and Acer pennsylvanicum (Striped Maple)

Difference in location of Acer spicatum and Acer pennsylvanicum

Acer spicatum found at highest elevations, and Acer pennsylvanicum found in lower elevations (both only in mountains though)

Difference in appearance of Acer spicatum and Acer pennslyvanicum

Acer spicatum tends to have a more dentate margin, and Acer pennslyvanicum has a striped trunk

Acer spicatum and Acer pennsylvanicum ecological significance

Both are browsed by deer and moose, particularly during winter, Buds are eaten by ruffed grouse

Lumber value of Acer spicatum and Acer pennslyvanicum

None, they are too small

Appearance of all Aesculus spp

Opposite leaved, palmately compound, fruit looks fleshy but after splitting open reveals a shiny brown nut.

Main issue with Aesculus spp

All parts of the tree are poisonous, cattle is an issue, ranches will kill any near pastures

Aesculus spp lumber value

Never used, wood is light and soft

Helpful distinction categories for Aesculus spp

flowers, size, and range

Four species of Aesculus in TN

Aesculus glabra, Aesculus flava, Aesculus pavia, Painted Buckeye

Range of each Aesculus Spp.

Aesculus glabra: Middle TN

Aesculus flava: East TN

Aesculus pavia: West TN, South

Painted Buckeye: Small range in TN Valley

ID Tips of Aesculus glabra

Foul odor when break twig, nut has a prickly husk, grows into large trees

ID Tips of Aesculus flava

No foul odor, nut does not have a prickly husk

ID Tips for Painted Buckeye

Bushy shrub or small tree with yellow flowers, eaves mid vein more yellow

ID Tips for Aesculus pavia

Red flowers, West TN, shrubby, found in swampy flood plains

Most famous species in Oleaceae

Olives

Two bushes in the Oleaceae family that are not that common

Fringe Tree/Old Man's Beard and Eastern Swamp Privet

Eastern Swamp Privet location/ecological

Hydric soils along streams lake banks and in swamps

Primarily flanting erosion control

Two common Fraxinus genus in TN

Fraxinus americana and Fraxinus pennslyvanica

ID Tips Fraxinus americana

U shaped leaf scar, underside tends to be more white, mature bark has long narrow veritable ridges alternating with deep valleys, texture more firm to the touch

ID Tips for Fraxinus pennslyvanica

D shaped leaf scar, leaflets pairs can have slight tapering wing, bark is more flakey and plate-like with more horizontal cracks

Two other Fraxinus spp (other than white and green)

Pumpkin Ash (Fraxinus profunda) and Blue Ash (Fraxinus quadrangulated)

ID Tips for Fraxinus quadrangulated

Blue Ash, fairly distinctive due to its angled square stem

ID Tips for Fraxinus profunda

Pumpkin Ash, swampy wetlands, pubescent leaves and rachis

Shade tolerance of Fraxinus

Shade tolerant when young, become more intolerant when older

Lumber value of Fraxinus

Excellent shock resistance, used in baseball bats, rackets and paddles

Two types of wood only permitted for MLB bats

maple and ash

Difference between Maple and Ash for baseball bats

Maple is heavier, harder, transfers more energy to the ball but has a smaller sweet spot

Ash is lighter, flexible larger sweet spot by typically doesn't his as far

Fraxinus seeds

Wind dispersed and consumed by many wildlife species

Bug that has greatly impacted Fraxinus Americana and Fraxinus pennslyvanica

Emerald Ash Borer

Genus from Oleaceae that is an invasive exotic

Ligustrum

Three worst species from the invasive genus Ligustrum

European Nedrow, Chinese Privet, and Japanese Privet

One genes of Cornaceae in TN

Cornus (Dogwoods)

Most common Cornaceae in TN

Cornus florida

Other dogwoods in TN

Alternate Leaf Dogwood, Silky dogwood, Roughleaf dogwood, and Stiff dogwood

Cornus spp all have what type of venation?

Arcuate

ID Tips for Cornus florida

Arcuate venation, pretty flowers, develops bright red football shaped berries, distinctly block bark

Cornus florida lumber value

Butcher blocks, weaving spindles, and tool handles

Two species of Catalpa

Catalpa speciosa, Catalpa bignonioides

ID Tips for Catalpa spp.

Whorled, very large leaves

Catalpa spp. is known as what due to its fruit

Cigar Tree

Catalpa spp. lumber value

C. speciosa can grow large enough to be used as lumber but ornamentals are rarely harvested because they are full of knots, it is soft, making it better for wood carvings

Catalpa spp. ecology significance

Used by hummingbirds

ID Tips for Euonymus americanus

Distinct fruit and persistent, only a bush and all stems are green

Euonymus americanus ecological significance

Considered an ice cream plant for whitetails, seeds are widely consumed by wildlife but it is a strong laxative for humans

Hydrangea quercifolia ID Tips

Flowers are most distinctive only bloom in early summer but flower remnants are very persistent

Bark is also distinctive, makes shrub look diseased

Hydrangea quercifolia ecological significance

Deer browse vegetation, and its presence generally indicates a healthy forest

Anacardiaceae, Rhus genus--> three species

Rhus copallinum

Rhus glabra

Rhus typhina

ID Tips Rhus copallinum

Fleshy rachis, leaflets are entire

ID Tips Rhus typhina

Lacks fleshy rachis, leaflets are serrated, stems are distinctly pubescent

ID Tips Rhus glabra

Lacks fleshy rachis, serrated leaflets, stems are smooth

Range of each Rhus spp.

Rhus glabra: East, no coast

Rhus capollinum: East, coast

Rhus typhina: Northeast

Taxicodendron spp. (three)

Taxicodendron vernix

Taxicodendron radicans

Taxicodendron pubescens

Taxicodendron vernix location & common name

Poison sumac

South, spotty in the east

Prefers swampy, very moist soils

Taxicodendron radicals location & common name

Poison ivy

East

Generalist, though typically not found in very dry or very wet areas

Taxicodendron pubescens location & common name

Poison Oak

South East

Prefers dry, sandy soils

Other than Rhus spp. & Taxicodendron spp. one other Anacardiaceae in TN

American Smoke Tree, alt. simple, very rare shrub

Aralia spinosa range

Southeast

ID Tips for Aralia spinosa

Very large bipinnately compound leaf

Thorny "trunk"

Large panicle of white flowers, large number of berries

Aralia spinosa lumber value

None

Aralia spinosa ecological significance

Understory plant in the southeast, berries consumed by wildlife and have been used for medicinal value in the past, used as ornamental but a similar Japanese spp is more common

Gleditsia triacanthos range

Midwest --> south stops at Appalchians

ID Tips for Gleditsia triacanthos

Bipinnately command leaves, 3 pronged huge thorns, long bean pods

Gleditsia triacanthos ecological significance

Beans consumed by wildlife

Gleditsia triacanthos lumber value

Excellent lumber quality, but not grown in enough quantities to be of commercial value

Cooking Gleditsia triacanthos beans

Cook like green beans when young, when older can be ground into flour

Robinia pseudoacacia ID Tips

Thorny

Large inflorescence of white flowers

Papery bean pods

Robinia pseudoacacia ecological significance

Very shade intolerant, sensitive to competition

Widely planted for strip mine reclamation and erosion control

Spreads rapidly and considered a weed

Beans poisonous consumed by wildlife but not a nutritionally important mast

Robinia pseudoacacia lumber value

Used in the pioneer days, but mainly for fence posts, pulp, and other low grade uses today

Desirable as firewood (Burns flow, extreme heat)

Gymnocladus dioicus ID Tips

(Kentucky coffee tree) Bipinnate, leaves don't form until late spring, drop in early fall, typically leafless for 6 month, distant bean pos

Gymnocladus dioicus beans

Poisonous but not after being roasted, Native Americans used the roasted beans as food and made a drink from it

Cladrastis kentukea ID Tips

Alternate arrangement of leaflets, produces a bean pod

Cladrastis kentukea lumber value

Used for furniture and gun stocks but overall a very rare tree

Cladrastic kentukea ecological significance

Beans are eaten by wildlife but rarity means it doesn't contribute much, very good pollinator tree

Albizia julibrissin Info

Persian silk tree, Mimosa tree, Pink silk tree

native to Asia, exotic pest in Eastern US

Carya glabra ID Tips

All parts lack pubescence

5 leaflets, leaflet size decreases descending along rachis

Nuts relatively small

Bitter

Carya tomentosa ID Tips

Covered in hair

7-9 leaflets, descending szie

Fruit similar in size to C. glabra, but splits clean open at maturity

Carya ovata ID tipsS

Shaggy bark

5 leaflets

Rachis and leaflet underside glaborous, stem and buds pubescent

Nuts 1.5-2" considered the best tasting in our area

Carya cordiformus

Very distinct sulfur yellow buds

Heartshaped interior of nut

Raised ridges on fruit

Bitter

5-13 leaflets, 7-9 more common

Carya illinoinesis

Fruit and leaflet most distinctive

9-17 leaflets

Other hickories in TN

Water Hickory, Sand Hickory