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THE TREES OF MILLSAPS COLLEGE a guide to find noteworthy trees on campus

1. southern red oak2. cherrybark oak3. eastern redcedar4. black cherry5. sugarberry6. flowering dogwood7. southern magnolia8. live oak9. catalpa10. river birch11. pin oak12. ginkgo13. sweetgum

14. Osage orange15. water oak16. white oak17. eastern cottonwood18. willow oak19. red maple20. tuliptree21. bald cypress22. fringe tree23. American elm24. eastern redbud25. post oak

tree placement

Mary Harmon was a Belhaven college home economics professor from 1952-1982. An advocate of hands-on learning, she helped her students carry out projects that benefited their communities.

In October, 2008, Mrs. Harmon celebrated her 102nd birthday. To honor her on this extraordinary occasion her daughter, Mill-saps alumna Mary Parker Buckles, wanted to showcase her mother's teaching meth-odology and her lifelong love of plants and gardening. Mother and daughter invited Millsaps professor Debora Mann to work with her botany students in identifying and researching noteworthy campus trees. The 25 descriptions that appear here and the coor-dinated permanent labels attached to trees throughout the grounds are the result.

The labeled trees are located in five areas on campus: Whitworth Circle, the Bowl, the Plaza, the Nicholson Garden, and the south lawn of the Christian Center. Together they constitute the Mary Harmon Tree Trail, represented in the map to the left.

The southern red oak is common on dry, upland soils. Because it is long-lived and can grow in poor soil, it is often planted as a shade tree.

SOUTHERN RED OAKQuercus falcata Michaux FAGACEAE Beech Family

The leaves of the southern red oak are lobed, bristle-tipped, shiny green above, with rusty or grayish hairs beneath. The leaf shape is variable, but often the leaves are deeply divided into three main lobes, with the endmost lobe slender, elongated, and three-point-ed. The base of the leaf is typically U-shaped. The bark is dark gray, and becomes divided by fissures into broad ridges.

The southern red oak is common on dry, upland soils. Be-cause it is long-lived and can grow in poor soil, it is often planted as a shade tree. The wood is used for construction lumber.

CHERRYBARK OAKQuercus pagoda Raf. FAGACEAE Beech Family

The large tree at the margin of the Whitworth Circle is a cher-rybark oak. The common name is a reference to its dark gray bark, which becomes scaly on older trees, somewhat like that of the black cherry. The specific epithet, pagoda, refers to the shape of the leaves: held upside down, the pointed lobes suggest the roofline of a pagoda. The bristle-tipped leaves, which are shiny above, have small, whitish hairs beneath. The lower leaves have five to eleven lobes, often single-pointed, with shallow sinuses between the lobes and a broadly V-shaped base. The upper leaves often have fewer lobes with deeper sinuses, like the leaves of the southern red oak. In fact, the cherrybark oak is sometimes treated as a variety of the southern red oak. The cherrybark oak is one of the larger southern oaks, growing to heights of 100 to 130 feet with a diameter of over three feet. It is in found in bottomlands of streams and rivers. Like other oaks, it bears its male flowers in dangling catkins and its female flowers in short spikes. The acorns are used by squirrels and other animals. It is valued for its high quality timber, much of which is used for furniture.

finding noteworthy trees on campus

THE TREES ARE:

EASTERN REDCEDARJuniperus virginiana L. CUPRESSACEAE Cypress or Cedar Family

The eastern redcedar is a narrow, conical evergreen tree that grows to medium height. It may have three-sided needle-like leaves as well as scale-like leaves, both dark green with a hint of blue in color. The reddish-brown bark of the tree is thin and shredding. The cones are about a quarter of an inch in diameter, dark blue, and berry-like. Wild birds often eat the cones, spread-ing the seeds over long distances. The heartwood of the eastern redcedar is red in contrast with the white sapwood. The fragrant wood is used for furniture, especially storage chests. Due to its decay-resistance, the wood is also suitable for fence posts.

The eastern redcedar is a pioneer invader, meaning that it is one of the first species to repopulate an area of damaged land. It is not uncommon to find it on roadsides and abandoned fields. It also thrives in calcium-rich soils that are unfavorable for the growth of many other tree species. The common "cedar apples" found on twigs of the tree are actually due to the fungus Gymno-sporangium juniperi-virginianae. This fungus completes part of its life cycle on apple trees, where it causes the disease known as cedar apple rust. For this reason, the eastern redcedars are unwel-come around apple orchards.

BLACK CHERRY Prunus serotina Ehrh. ROSACEAE Rose Family

The leaves of the black cherry are narrow, oval, two to five inches long and about an inch wide, with small teeth along the margins. They are dark green and shiny on top and paler underneath, often with rusty hairs along the mid-vein. The small, white flowers are borne in long clusters. The fruits are about a third of an inch long and become purplish to black as they ripen. The young bark is smooth, brown, and marked with horizontal lenticels (corky air pores). Older bark becomes dark, rough, and cracked. When bruised, the twigs have a bitter-almond scent that can be useful for identifying the black cherry.

The wood is valued for furniture and cabinets because of its close grain and reddish-brown color. Although the fruits are small and have a stony pit, the flesh is edible and is sometimes used to make jam and wine. The fruits are also eaten by many kinds of wild birds and mammals. Livestock should be kept from feed-ing on damaged black cherry branches, however, because when wilted, the foliage produces hydrogen cyanide that is harmful when consumed.

The sugarberry is native to the southeastern United States, where it is commonly found in moist soils of floodplains.

SUGARBERRY Celtis laevigata Willd. ULMACEAE Elm Family

The sugarberry is a medium to large tree that usually has a straight trunk and slightly drooping branches. The simple leaves are alternately arranged, two to five inches long, and light green on both surfaces. They are lance-shaped with a long pointed tip and three main veins. The two halves of the leaf are unequal at the base. The leaf margins are variable and may be smooth, wavy, or with teeth, especially toward the tip. The fruit of the sugarberry is about one-fourth of an inch in diameter and ranges in color from orange to reddish-black. The fruits are dry, sweet, and contain a single, stony seed. The tree can be recognized by its bark, which is light gray, thin, and smooth with distinct wart-like bumps.

The sugarberry is native to the southeastern United States, where it is commonly found in moist soils of floodplains. The light-colored wood is used for making furniture and crates. The fruits are often eaten by birds and sometimes by people.

FLOWERING DOGWOOD Cornus florida L. CORNACEAE Dogwood Family

The flowering dogwood is a small understory tree of eastern hardwood forests. Widely used in landscaping, this tree is beauti-ful at all times of the year. In the spring before the leaves emerge, it bears small clusters of yellowish-green flowers; each cluster is surrounded by four large, white, petal-like bracts. The bark of the trunk is dark and broken into small squares like a checker-board. The leaves are oppositely arranged with somewhat wavy edges and curved veins on each side of the mid-vein of the nearly hairless leaf. Under a lens, very small teeth are evident along the margins. During the fall, the leaves turn dark red, and the tree produces clusters of bright red fruits.

The wood of the flowering dogwood is heavy and strong enough to be used for the heads of golf clubs and mallets. The bark and roots were used medicinally by Native Americans to treat malaria.

Live oaks were once important for building the ribs and bows of ships. The United States established large preserves of live oaks to ensure a supply of the strong, dense wood for the Navy.

SOUTHERN MAGNOLIA Magnolia grandiflora L. MAGNOLIACEAE Magnolia Family

The southern magnolia, which is both the State Tree and State Flower of Mississippi, is emblematic of the South and attractive throughout the year. The leathery, evergreen leaves are shiny, dark green above with rusty hairs beneath. The flowers, which are produced in May and June, are six to eight inches across, white, and cup-shaped with a powerful fragrance. The cone-like fruit clusters are covered with rust-colored hairs. When the fruits open in early autumn, the red seeds can be seen attached to the “cone” by a thin thread.

The southern magnolia grows naturally in moist bottom-lands, but it is widely planted as an ornamental. The leaves are sometimes used in flower arrangements. The wood of the magno-lia is used in the creation of furniture, paneling, and cabinets.

LIVE OAKQuercus virginiana Miller FAGACEAE Beech Family

The leaves of the live oak are thick, leathery, and evergreen. El-liptical in shape, they have smooth margins, a dark green upper surface, and a lighter underside covered in small, thick hairs. The bark is a dark brownish color, segmented into scaly ridges. Live oaks grow only to medium height but develop massive, but-tressed trunks with broad, spreading crowns that may reach 100 feet across. They are able to resist hurricane-strength winds com-mon in their native range along the coast from Virginia to Texas. Often planted as shade trees, live oaks are associated with the Deep South, where they may be seen draped with Spanish moss on their limbs.

Live oaks were once important for building the ribs and bows of ships. The United States established large preserves of live oaks to ensure a supply of the strong, dense wood for the Navy. The live oak timber used in the construction of the famous ship the U.S.S. Constitution contributed to its resistance to battle shot, earning it the nickname “Old Ironsides.”

The catalpa is also called the “Caterpillar Tree” or “Fisherman’s Tree”.

True to its name, the river birch is found in the floodplains of rivers and in other moist bottomlands. It is useful in restoration projects to stabilize riverbanks.

CATALPA Catalpa speciosa Warder ex Engelm. BIGNONIACEAE

The catalpa is a medium-sized tree with large, heart-shaped leaves arranged oppositely in pairs or in whorls of three. The flowers, which are displayed in showy clusters, are tubular and white with yellow and purple spots. They produce long, slender cigar-shaped pods that contain flat, winged seeds with fringed edges.

The catalpa is also called the "Caterpillar Tree" or "Fisher-man's Tree" because it attracts the catalpa sphinx moth, Cer-atomia catalpae, the larvae of which feed on the leaves. Many people harvest these caterpillars and use them as fishing bait, and some people plant this tree specifically for the “catalpa worms.”

RIVER BIRCH Betula nigra L. BETULACEAE Birch Family

The river birch is most easily recognized by the shaggy bark on young trunks and branches. It varies in color from orange-brown to silvery gray and peels off in thin, curly layers. Older bark becomes darker, thick, and scaly. The leaves are simple and alternately arranged, with doubly toothed margins and parallel side veins. The leaves are dull, dark green above and pale yellow-green below. The outline of the leaf may look nearly four-sided, with the two sides toward the base meeting in a broad angle and the two sides toward the tip meeting in a narrow angle. The male flowers are produced in the spring on drooping catkins about an inch-and-a-half long. The female flowers are found in small, upright, half-inch long catkins that look like miniature cones.

True to its name, the river birch is found in the floodplains of rivers and in other moist bottomlands. It is useful in restora-tion projects to stabilize riverbanks. It is also used in landscaping because of the attractive color and texture of its bark.

The pit from the ginko tree can be roasted and eaten. In fact, the name ginkgo comes from the Chinese meaning “silver fruit.”

PIN OAK Quercus palustris Muenchh. FAGACEAE Beech Family

The leaves of the pin oak are three to five inches long and have five to seven lobes with the sinuses extending almost to the midrib. The lobes usually have three teeth with long bristle-tips. The leaves are shiny, dark green above and smooth beneath when mature except for tufts of hairs in the axils of the large veins. The bark is gray-brown and nearly smooth on younger trees, develop-ing low ridges with age.

The common name comes from the thin, pin-like twigs that extend from the branches. The specific epithet palustris means of swamps or wet places, an appropriate name since their natural habitat is in wet bottomlands. Although they are widely planted for landscaping, pin oaks are not a common forest species in Mis-sissippi, as their natural range is centered to the north.

GINKGO Gingko biloba L. GINKGOACEAE Ginkgo Family

The leaves of the ginkgo have an easily distinguishable fan shape with a long leafstalk and forking, parallel veins. Sometimes divided into two lobes, the leaves are alternately arranged and are often found in clusters on a short spur. They are light green on both sides until the autumn, when they turn bright yellow. The ginkgo has a straight trunk that develops rough, deep furrows in the gray bark.

The ginkgo is thought to have originated in China. For cen-turies it was cultivated in temple gardens in China and Japan, and the few wild populations discovered in China may actually be remnants of former gardens. Now it is commonly found decorat-ing lawns or lining streets. Its resistance to air pollution, insects, and disease, as well as its pleasing appearance, makes it ideal for landscaping. It should be noted, however, that the ginkgo is dioecious, having the male and female flowers on separate trees. The seed, produced by the female ginkgo, has a large, smooth, silvery-white pit surrounded by pale pink flesh that smells like rancid butter. As a result, the male ginkgo tree is preferred for landscaping by those who find the seeds objectionable. However, if the fleshy, malodorous part is removed, the pit can be roasted and eaten. In fact, the name ginkgo comes from the Chinese meaning "silver fruit." The ginkgo is also referred to as the maidenhair tree because its leaves resemble those of the maiden-hair fern. A "living fossil," the ginkgo is the only survivor of its phylum, Ginkgophyta.

SWEETGUM Liquidambar styraciflua L. HAMAMELIDACEAE Witch Hazel Family

The sweetgum has leaves with five pointed lobes in the shape of a star. The leaves are simple, alternate, and toothed. They are shiny, dark green above and paler beneath. The leaves and buds have a spicy odor when crushed. In autumn, the leaves turn yellow, orange, red, and purple, sometimes all on the same tree. The fruit is a woody ball consisting of spiky capsules that open to release small, winged seeds.

The common name, sweetgum, as well as the name of the genus, Liquidambar, refer to the amber-colored sap, which some use as chewing gum. The sweetgum sap is also referred to as storax, hence the specific epithet, styraciflua. The sap, obtained by tapping the trees, has been used medicinally in skin lotions. Native Americans used the roots and bark to treat skin disorders, diarrhea, fevers, and other ailments. The trunk of the tree itself makes good lumber that is used for furniture, veneers, flooring, and plywood. Sweet gum trees are planted as ornamentals for their attractive fall color, and are used in reforestation and land reclamation projects because they grow quickly and are resistant to insects and diseases.

OSAGE ORANGE Maclura pomifera (Raf.) Schneider MORACEAE Mulberry Family

The Osage orange is a medium-sized tree that often has a crooked trunk and arching branches. It was originally found in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas but is now found throughout many eastern and northern states. The leaves of the Osage orange are three to five inches long, alternate, simple, and ovate in shape. The fruits, which mature in the autumn, resemble pale green or-anges three to five inches in diameter. Although they look similar to oranges, they are actually composed of fruits of many flowers packed closely together. They contain a white, milky sap that turns black when exposed to air. In the winter, the Osage orange sheds its leaves, leaving behind a sharp spine above each leaf scar; these spines are a good identifying characteristic when fruits are not present. The wood is extremely durable and is a unique orange color. The Osage orange is described as dioecious because the pollen-bearing and seed-bearing flowers are found on separate trees.

The wood of the Osage orange is used for the construc-tion of archery bows, giving rise to another common name, bois d’arc. A yellow dye can be extracted from roots. The ridged and scaly bark of the trunk can be used for obtaining tannin, which is important in the leather-making process. Farmers used to grow the trees around their crop fields to form a "living fence" of spiny branches that would keep out large animals. This is the origin of yet another common name, hedge-apple.

The water oak is most abundant in bottomlands but can be found in upland soils as well. It is the most common large tree species at Millsaps.

The acorns of the white oak are less bitter with tannins than acorns of the red oaks and were once used by Native Americans to make flour.

WATER OAK Quercus nigra L. FAGACEAE Beech Family

The water oak is a relatively fast-growing, short-lived oak that can grow fifty to eighty feet in height and three-and-a-half feet in diameter. Its simple, alternate leaves, which are two to four inches long and one to two inches wide, are variable in shape and may be lobed or unlobed. Often the leaves have three shallow lobes and are broadest toward the tip. The bark of this tree is dark gray and smooth when young and develops ridges as it reaches maturity.

A native of the Southeast, the water oak is most abundant in bottomlands but can be found in upland soils as well. It is the most common large tree species at Millsaps. The small, round acorns, which it produces in abundance, support a large popula-tion of gray squirrels on the campus.

WHITE OAK Quercus alba L. FAGACEAE Beech Family

The white oak is a slow-growing, long-lived tree that can live more than 300 years and exceed 100 feet in height and four feet in diameter. The leaves have rounded lobes that are relatively symmetrical on both sides of the leaf. When the leaves first emerge in the spring they are pink and velvety, but as they mature they become bright green and smooth on top and lighter under-neath, finally turning dark red during the fall. The bark is light gray and furrowed, scaly, or even shaggy.

The white oak produces high quality wood that is used in shipbuilding, furniture manufacture, hardwood flooring, and for the staves of whiskey barrels. The acorns are less bitter with tan-nins than acorns of the red oaks and were once used by Native Americans to make flour. They are also consumed by various birds and mammals.

The late Mr. Joe Lee Gibson (1919-2007), whose dedicated service to the College maintaining the physical plant and grounds spanned a remarkable sixty-nine years, recalled that when he first began work at Millsaps in 1936, the cottonwoods that now tower over the Bowl were mere saplings not much taller than he was.

EASTERN COTTONWOOD Populus deltoides Bartram ex Marshall SALICACEAE Willow Family

The eastern cottonwood is a fast-growing hardwood found grow-ing naturally along streams and in moist valleys, and planted elsewhere as shade trees. It is dioecious, producing male and female flowers on separate plants. The small flowers are found on catkins that are produced in the spring before the leaves emerge. The leaves are simple, alternate, and toothed, and have a distinc-tive triangular (deltoid) shape, turning yellow in the fall. Many people recognize the cottonwood by its abundant, cotton-like seeds, which it produces in the spring. Sometimes referred to as the "necklace poplar," the seed capsules of this tree resemble a string of beads. As the tree ages, its bark changes from a smooth yellow-green to a deeply furrowed, thick and rough light gray.

The late Mr. Joe Lee Gibson (1919-2007), whose dedicated service to the College maintaining the physical plant and grounds spanned a remarkable sixty-nine years, recalled that when he first began work at Millsaps in 1936, the cottonwoods that now tower over the Bowl were mere saplings not much taller than he was.

WILLOW OAK Quercus phellos L. FAGACEAE Beech Family

The willow oak takes its common name from the shape of its leaves, which are long and narrow, reminiscent of those of a willow. Unlike the leaves of its namesake, however, a willow oak leaf has a tiny bristle at the tip, and the margins are smooth, whereas the willows commonly found in our area have toothed leaves. Willow oak leaves are simple, alternate, and light green, somewhat shiny above and dull beneath. The bark is grayish brown and smooth when young, becoming darker and rough with shallow grooves as it ages.

The wood of the willow oak is softer and less valuable than that of many oaks. It is a popular choice for a shade tree, how-ever, because of its fast growth and the delicate appearance of its foliage.

The tuliptree, also known as the yellow poplar, is one of the most majestic hardwoods of eastern forests, known for its tall, straight trunks.

RED MAPLE Acer rubrum L. ACERACEAE Maple Family

The red maple is aptly named because it has red flowers, red fruit, red leaf-stalks and red to yellow autumn foliage. The leaves have three or sometimes five lobes. The base of the end-most lobe is wide and separated from the side lobes by shallow, V-shaped sinuses. The top surfaces of the leaves are dark green and smooth, and the undersides are whitened and typically smooth. Although the flowers are small, they are conspicuous because they bloom in bright red clusters early in the spring before the leaves emerge. The red fruits, which mature in the spring, have paired wings that spin like helicopter blades on the wind. The bark is smooth and gray when young, becoming darker and broken with age.

The red maple is found in many different habitats, from mountains to wet bottomlands and swamps. In fact, it has the greatest distribution from north to south of all trees in east-ern North America. Softer and less valuable than that of some maples, the wood is used for fuel, pulpwood, and some furniture. Pioneers made brown and black dyes from its bark and harvested its sap to produce syrup. Typically, however, the red maple is used purely as an ornamental tree.

TULIPTREE Liriodendron tulipifera L. MAGNOLIACEAE Magnolia Family

The tuliptree, also known as the yellow poplar, is one of the most majestic hardwoods of eastern forests, known for its tall, straight trunks. The bark is light gray and often whitened in the furrows. The leaves are alternately arranged and have four pointed lobes. The base of the leaf is broad and rounded, and the end is either squared-off or has a shallow V-shaped indentation giving the leaf a distinctive shape that resembles the silhouette of a tulip. The tulip-shaped flowers are greenish-yellow with orange markings toward the center. They produce slender, dry, winged fruits about an inch-and-a-half long in upright, cone-like clusters.

Tuliptrees are planted as shade trees and for their attractive flowers and bright yellow fall foliage. The flowers of the tuliptree provide nectar from which bees make honey. The wood is used for furniture, siding, shingles, toys, and boats. Native Americans used its trunks to make canoes, and according to legend, Daniel Boone preferred its wood for his dugout canoe. Some of the larg-est tuliptrees may be found at Mount Vernon; they are 140 feet tall and were planted by none other than George Washington.

BALDCYPRESS Taxodium distichum (L.) Richard TAXODIACEAE Baldcypress Family

The baldcypress is a deciduous conifer native to southern swamps. Although it is found naturally growing in areas subject to flooding, the baldcypress can also thrive in upland sites when planted as an ornamental, as on the Millsaps plaza. In water, the roots develop "cypress knees," which are conical structures that grow upward to the surface. The functions of these knees are unknown. The grayish-brown bark of the baldcypress is thin and fibrous, and the trunk of the tree becomes enlarged and buttressed at the base. The flat, light green leaves are arranged alternately on slender greenish twigs, giving a fern-like appearance. The tree grows ball-shaped cones about an inch in diameter.

The heartwood of older trees is extremely resistant to decay and is used for constructing boats, shingles, sidings, and even railroad ties. A relative of the majestic California redwood, it can reach heights of over 140 feet and is reported to live to be more than 1,000 years old.

FRINGE TREE Chionanthus virginicus L. OLEACEAE Olive Family

The fringe tree, also known as grancy graybeard or old-man’s-beard, is a small, understory tree of eastern deciduous forests. Its common names as well as the name of the genus, Chionanthus (from the Greek for “snow and “flower”) refer to its white blos-soms, which have long, slender petals. Borne in the spring in drooping clusters, they give the tree an airy, delicate appearance. Dark blue fruits about three-fourths of an inch long mature in late summer or fall. The leaves are simple and opposite with dark red-dish or purple petioles. The foliage turns yellow in autumn.

The fringe tree is valued in landscaping for its fragrant, at-tractive flowers. Because of its small size, it can be planted where space is limited or beneath the canopy of a larger tree.

The baldcypress, a relative of the majestic California redwood, it can reach heights of over 140 feet and is reported to live to be more than 1,000 years old.

The bark of redbud has been used as an astringent and in the treatment of dysentery. Flowers of the tree can be put into salads or fried and eaten. The immature green pods can be used as a substitute for snow peas.

AMERICAN ELM Ulmus americana L. ULMACEAE Elm Family

The American elm is a graceful tree that may reach 100 feet in height and over four feet in diameter at maturity. The trunk is usually forked into many spreading branches that droop at the ends. The leaves are oval, three to five inches long and one-and-a-half to two inches across, and are widest in the middle. They are doubly saw-toothed with many straight, parallel side veins. The two sides of the leaf are unequal at the base. The bark is light gray and deeply furrowed with broad, forking, scaly ridges. Clusters of greenish flowers are produced early in the spring. The winged fruit is elliptical and flat with a single seed in the center and hairs along the edges.

The American elm has a broad distribution in eastern North America from Canada to Texas and Florida. Unfortunately, the American elm has been ravaged by Dutch elm disease, a fungal infection spread by a beetle. Elm wood is used for furniture, crates, and railroad ties. Its fruits attract a variety of animals including goldfinches and squirrels. Deer and rabbits are known to browse the twigs.

EASTERN REDBUD Cercis canadensis L. FABACEAE Pea Family (or CAESALPINIACEAE)

The eastern redbud is a small tree with simple, alternate, heart-shaped leaves borne on zigzag twigs. It produces clusters of showy, purplish-pink flowers early in the spring before the leaves emerge. The fruits look like flat pea pods, about three inches long, that turn from green to reddish to brown as they mature.

The redbud is a common understory tree in eastern decidu-ous forests and is also planted extensively as an ornamental. The bark of redbud has been used as an astringent and in the treatment of dysentery. Flowers of the tree can be put into salads or fried and eaten. The immature green pods can be used as a substitute for snow peas.

The post oak is commonly found on dry, sandy soils and rocky ridges. Lumber mills take advantage of the post oak’s strength and resistance to decay to make posts, railroad ties, and construction lumber.

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POST OAK Quercus stellata Wangenh. FAGACEAE Beech Family

The shiny, dark green and slightly rough, leathery leaves of the post oak have square lobes in an arrangement resembling the Christian cross. The small leaf hairs, which can be seen with a lens, are stellate (star-shaped), hence the specific epithet, stellata. The bark of the tree is gray-brown, ridged, and checked. The win-ter silhouette of older trees with their gnarled, twisted branches is suggestive of rugged strength and durability.

This species is commonly found on dry, sandy soils and rocky ridges. Lumber mills take advantage of the post oak’s strength and resistance to decay to make posts, railroad ties, and construction lumber. People also choose these trees as low-main-tenance yet attractive ornamentals because they grow whether in good topsoil, dry clay, or sandy soils.

BOTANY STUDENTS

REFERENCES

Grimm, William Carey. The Illustrated Book of Trees. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1983.

Little, Elbert L. The Audubon Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1980.

Petrides, George A. A Field Guide to Eastern Trees: Eastern United States and Canada, including the Midwest. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1998.

Radford, Albert E., Harry E. Ahles, and C. Ritchie Bell. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1968.

United States. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service. The PLANTS Database. Baton Rouge: National Plant Data Center, September 2008 http://plants.usda.gov.

FLORA AUTHOR LIST

William Bartram, 1739-1823

Friedrich Ehrhart, 1742-1795

George Engelmann, 1809-1884

Carl Linnaeus, 1707-1778

Humphrey Marshall, 1722-1801

Otto von Muenchhausen, 1716-1774

Constantine Samuel Rafinesque, 1783-1840

Louis Claude Marie Richard, 1754-1821

Camillo Carl Schneider, 1876-1951

Thomas Walter, 1740-1789

John Aston Warder, 1812-1883

Friedrich Adam Julius von Wangenheim, 1749-1800

Carl Ludwig Willdenow, 1765-1812