Before the coronavirus crisis and my daily walking regimen, I barely noticed trees. I knew they mostly had green leaves and brown to gray bark. I did notice flowering trees because they were more colorful. But that was about it. I didn’t really study the leaves or wonder how to grow them. I don’t have a yard —only a patio — so the different types of trees were of little concern to me. But now on the trails, I examine them in detail every day. I notice the shape of leaves and the texture of bark. I appreciate these creations of God’s handiwork. Below are a few I have seen (and I’m sure you have too) with descriptions from Texas A&M Forest Service.
Eastern Redbud
Secondary Name: Judas-Tree Leaf Type: Deciduous Tree Description: A small or medium-sized tree, usually less than 40 feet tall and a trunk to 12" in diameter, with arching branches that form a wide, flat-topped crown.
Range/Site Description: Occurs in East Texas, west to Austin and Dallas, usually on well-drained soils in forests or at the edge of the woods or planted as a landscape specimen.
Leaf: Alternate, simple, heart-shaped, 3" to 5" long and wide, leaf edge smooth; upper surface dull, dark green and lighter beneath, turning yellow in the fall.
Flower: One of the first trees to bloom in early spring, the flowers appear before the leaves as conspicuous, pink to purplish, pea-shaped flowers in clusters along the twigs and small branches.
Fruit: A flattened, many-seeded pod, 2" to 4" long and 0.5" wide, tapering at the ends, reddish during the summer and brown when ripe, often hanging on the tree through the following winter.
Bark: Reddish-brown, smooth when young, but developing a scaly texture and then long, narrow plates and shallow fissures on older trunks.
Wood: Heavy, hard, not strong, rich dark brown in color, and of little commercial importance; cultivated in the nursery trade as a landscape tree.
Similar Species: Texas redbud occurs in Central Texas and Oklahoma and has glossy, leathery leaves.
Interesting Fact: Sometimes called "Judas-tree" for its resemblance to a Mediterranean relative, Cercis siliquastrum, from which the disciple Judas Iscariot supposedly hanged himself after betraying Christ.
Cedar Elm
Secondary Name: Texas Elm
Leaf Type: Deciduous
Tree Description: A large tree to 75 feet tall with a tall straight trunk 2 to 3 feet in diameter and stiff branches that form a narrow, oblong crown.
Range/Site Description: The most common elm tree in Texas, distributed widely in East, South and Central Texas. Most often found near streams, in solid stands on flatwoods near rivers, or on dry limestone hills. Also planted widely as a landscape tree.
Leaf: Alternate, simple, 1" to 2.5" long and 0.75" to 1" wide, oval to elliptical in shape, finely toothed or sometimes double-toothed along the margin and blunt at the tip. The upper surface is dark green, shiny and rough, while the lower surface and petiole are pubescent. Twigs sometimes have thin, corky "wings" and the leaves can turn gold to orange red in the fall.
Flower: Appear in late summer or autumn as hairy, short-stalked clusters in the leaf axils.
Fruit: An oval "samara," 0.25" to 0.5" long, the seed centered in the middle of the wing, deeply notched at the tip and hairy all over, especially along the margin. Seeds are borne in the fall, which distinguishes this species from the other native elms.
Bark: Light brown to gray, with flattened ridges that break into thin, loose, flaky scales.
Wood: Reddish-brown, brittle, with a thick layer of light-colored sapwood. The wood is sometimes used to manufacture wheel hubs, furniture and fencing. Commonly sold in the nursery trade as a landscape tree.
Similar Species: Winged elm has larger leaves and seeds that mature in spring; varieties of Chinese elm have similar leaves, but the bark is distinctly orange and flaky.
Crapemyrtle
I have a friend who thinks this is a “sexy” tree because of its smooth, muscular bark. But I have another friend who doesn’t like these trees because they remind her of cemeteries.
Secondary Names: Crape Myrtle, Crepemyrtle
Leaf Type: Deciduous Tree Description: Perhaps the most common small landscape tree or large shrub planted in Texas, crapemyrtle is usually multi-trunked with smooth, muscular limbs, grows to 20 feet tall and 15 feet wide, with mature trunks ranging from 4" to 12" in diameter.
Range/Site Description: Native to China and Korea, it performs well as a landscape tree across most of Texas. It tolerates a wide range of site conditions, including drought and slightly alkaline soils.
Leaf: Simple, alternate, 1.5" to 3" long, oval to oblong, thin, blunt-tipped, without teeth along leaf edge. Some cultivars turn red or orange in the fall.
Flower: Showy spikes of white, pink, red, or purple flowers appear throughout the summer, each made up of petals that resemble crepe-paper. Not fragrant.
Fruit: An upright spike of round 0.5" diameter green fruits develops in late summer, drying to brown spherical capsules that open to release the winged seeds up to 0.25" long.
Bark: Smooth, muscular, in irregular patches ranging from tan to chocolate-colored, peeling during the growing season into long, thin strips that fall away to reveal new bark beneath.
Wood: Hard, dense, light-colored; no commercial uses. Major economic value is in the nursery trade; many cultivars are available, with selections from the National Arboretum the most pest-resistant.
Similar Species: Queen's crapemyrtle and Japanese crapemyrtle are similar but have opposite leaves.
Interesting Fact: A common — but incorrect — pruning practice of removing the entire top of the tree each winter is called "crape murder."
Monterrey Oak
Secondary Names: Netleaf White Oak, Mexican White Oak
Leaf Type: Semi-evergreen Tree Description: A medium-sized oak to 40 feet tall and a trunk to 2 feet in diameter, with a broad, rounded crown.
Range/Site Description: Naturally occurring only in one known U.S. population, near the Devil's River in Val Verde county, but more common in Mexico. Now planted widely as a landscape tree.
Leaf: Simple, alternate, 2" to 5" long, highly variable, but often with several shallow lobes or teeth toward the tip. Leaves are thick, leathery and semi-evergreen, with distinct raised veins on the yellowish underside. New leaves in spring are peach-colored and in colder climates the leaves are late-deciduous and turn yellow brown.
Flower: Male and female flowers borne in spring on the same tree, the male flowers on catkins up to 4" long, the female flowers less conspicuous.
Fruit: An acorn, maturing in one year, up to 1" long and enclosed one-half by the acorn cup.
Bark: Dark to light gray, developing scales and flaky plates, then shallow fissures on older trunks.
Wood: Primarily used as a landscape tree in the nursery trade, and often sold as 'Monterrey oak.'
Similar Species: Netleaf oak has similar venation on the undersides of leaves but has obovate leaves and is restricted to high elevations in West Texas.
Interesting Fact: Only recently discovered in the U.S. (1992) as a native tree species, but widely available in commercial nurseries.
Japanese Maple
I planted one of these on my patio!
Leaf Type: Deciduous
Tree Description: A small landscape tree for patios, tight spaces and shaded areas, Japanese maple can reach to 20 feet tall and a trunk up to 12" in diameter. Many cultivars are available with different characteristics.
Range/Site Description: Performs best on rich, well-drained sites in East Texas. Susceptible to extremes of drought and heat.
Leaf: Simple, opposite, usually with 5-7 palmate lobes with deep sinuses between them, almost to the point of separation. Leaf edges with fine teeth and leaf color ranges from green to deep red depending on the cultivar.
Flower: Borne as red, drooping clusters in spring, in the axils between leaf and twig.
Fruit: Fruit is a double samara, or "key," reddish, each winged half about 0.5" to 1" long.
Bark: Thin, tight and gray, often muscular in appearance, with vertical seams developing with age and size. Easily damaged by mowers.
Wood: Valuable commercially solely as a landscape tree for the nursery trade.
Similar Species: Lilac chastetree or vitex has similar leaf shape, but leaflets are individually stalked.
Live Oak
Secondary Name: Coast Live Oak
Leaf Type: Evergreen
Tree Description: A large, stately tree, commonly to 50 feet tall with a short, stout trunk of 4 feet or more in diameter, dividing into several large, twisting limbs that form a low, dense crown that can spread more than 100 feet, the limbs often touching the ground in open-grown settings.
Range/Site Description: Occurs on well-drained soils in the southern coastal plain, from Virginia through the Atlantic and Gulf states and into Texas, west to the Balcones Escarpment and south to Hidalgo county. Widely planted as a landscape tree in Texas.
Leaf: Simple, alternate, evergreen, thick and leathery; oval, oblong or elliptical in shape, 2" to 4" long and 0.5" to 2" wide; smooth, glossy and dark green above, pale and silvery white beneath. Leaves can sometimes be toothed, especially toward the tip.
Flower: Borne in spring on the same tree, the male flowers on catkins up to 3" long, the female flowers on a peduncle 1" to 3" long in the leaf axils.
Fruit: An acorn, requiring one year to mature, about 1" long and 0.5" in diameter, oblong, dark brown and shiny, set about one-half its length in a gray, downy cup that is borne on a long stem or peduncle.
Bark: Dark brown, rough, and furrowed on trunk and large branches, developing very thick, interlacing ridges and deep furrows on older trees. Some specimens have thinner, paler, scaly bark.
Wood: Very heavy, hard, strong and tough, light brown with nearly white, thin sapwood; formerly used in shipbuilding and for wagon wheel hubs. Now primarily sold as a landscape tree in the nursery trade.
Similar Species: Texas live oak occurs north and west of the Balcones Escarpment in Central Texas and tends to be smaller and multi-trunked. Mexican blue oak is a rare evergreen oak that occurs in West Texas.
Interesting Fact: Live oaks were once prized for their naturally curved limbs and trunk, used by shipbuilders in the 18th century to fashion the ribs and planking of tall sailing ships, such as "Old Ironsides." Refitting that ship in the 1980s included specialty pieces cut from live oaks in Texas that had been killed by the oak wilt fungus.
Comments