Welcome to Catnapin's

Tree & Shrub Gallery

Miscellaneous Trees #2

                       

Hamamelidaceae - Witch Hazel family
Sweet Gum (Redgum) Liquidambar styraciflua
This tree usually does not flower until it is over 15 years old. Flowers are very small, green and grow in balls up a racemes 2-3" long (no photo). Many two pronged seeds grow in a 1 1/2" diameter spiny seed ball that resembles a mace. Leaves are bright green, 5 pointed stars that turn orange, scarlet and purple in the fall. They are fragrant when crushed. Tree grows 60-120 feet tall in wet soils. Many animals eat the seeds. The sap can be chewed like gum. The hardwood lumber is second only to oak. There are only 3 species alive today: in North America, Formosa, and Turkey. But the fossil records more than twenty reaching back 55,000,000 years ago.
Photos taken in Van Zandt and Smith Counties, Texas, November 2006
(Native of Texas - Smith but not listed in Van Zandt)

                       

Female flowers (pistillate)

Male flowers (staminate)

Lauraceae - Laurel family
Sassafras (White Sassafras, Red Sassafras, Silky Sassafras) Sassafras albidum (Laurus albidus)
Small green flowers bloom in showy clusters before leaf emergence. Male and female flowers on different plants. The female flower has sterile stamen called staminodes. Clusters of shiny dark blue drupe, 3/8" long, attached to the branch by red cups and stalks. Leaves are 3"-6" long and have four variations that can all be on the same branch: right or left mitten, 3 lobed, elliptical. 60 foot tall tree grow readily from sucker roots to make thickets. Bark is brown with a cinnamon colored inner bark that has a spicy aroma. Root bark is used to make one kind of Root Beer (there are may recipes). Twig pith is powdered and used to thicken soup. Hardwood has been used for fence posts and furniture.
Flower, fruit, and fall leaf on tree photos taken by Sonnia Hill in Van Zandt County, Texas, March, July, August 2004
Leaf/tree photos taken in Van Zandt and Smith Counties, Texas, November 2006
(Native of Texas - Smith but not listed in Van Zandt)

              

Cornaceae - Dogwood family
Flowering Dogwood Cornus florida (Benthamidea florida)
Large white flower (sometimes pink or red) blooms early in the spring as the leaves unfold (no photo). The petals are actually bracts and are usually notched. The flowers are clustered in the center, greenish yellow. Small clusters of oblong red berries, 1/2" long, with a black tip. Leaf is about 6" long and turns red to purple in the fall. Bark is in square blocks. Small spreading tree to about 30 feet tall but usually about 15 feet tall. Many cultivated varieties are available. Likes semi-shade and moist soil. Birds eat the berries.
Photos taken in Smith County, Texas, November 2006
(Native of Texas - Smith, Van Zandt)

Similar Species

Cornaceae - Dogwood family
Roughleaf Dogwood Cornus drummondii
Shrub to 16 feet tall. Flat terminal clusters of 1/4" wide creamy flowers with 4 petals. Fruit is white, 1/4" wide. Leaves 4" long with long tip, prominent veins, top rough, bottom velvety. Flower stems reddish. Fall color is purple-red.
(Native of Texas - Brown)

              

Female flowers (pistillate)

Male flowers (staminate)

Aceraceae - Maple family
Red Maple (Scarlet Maple) Acer rubrum
Tree grows 40-60 feet tall. Serrated leaves have 3-5 points. New leaves and twigs red. Fall leaves vary in color: red, orange, yellow, yellow-green. Small red flowers in dense clusters, blooms late winter to early spring. Winged fruits are red to brown and grow in pairs. Seedlings are easy to transplant. Grows in low wetlands.
Flower and fruit photos taken by Sonnia Hill in Van Zandt County, Texas, February-March 2004
Photos taken in Van Zandt and Smith Counties, Texas, November 2006
(Native of Texas - Smith but not listed in Van Zandt)