Clay Hill Memorial Forest Plants- Feather Creek

Carya ovata, the shagbark hickory, is a common hickory in the eastern United States and southeast Canada. It is a large, deciduous tree, growing up to 27 metres (89 ft) tall, and will live up to 200 years. Mature shagbarks are easy to recognize because, as their name implies, they have shaggy bark. This characteristic is, however, only found on mature trees; young specimens have smooth bark. less ↑

Carya tomentosa, (Mockernut hickory, mockernut, white hickory, whiteheart hickory, hognut, bullnut) is a tree in the Juglandaceae or Walnut family. The most abundant of the hickories, common in the eastern half of the US, it is long lived, sometimes reaching the age of 500 years. A straight-growing hickory, a high percentage of its wood is used for products where strength, hardness, and flexibility are needed. The wood makes an excellent fuelwood, as well. less ↑

Diospyros virginiana is a persimmon species commonly called the American Persimmon,Common Persimmon,Eastern Persimmon, "'Simmon", "Possumwood", or "Sugar-plum". It ranges from southern Connecticut/Long Island to Florida, and west to Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Kansas. The tree grows wild but has been cultivated for its fruit and wood since prehistoric times by Native Americans. less ↑

Fagus grandifolia, commonly known as American Beech or North American beech, is a species of beech tree. This is Latin for: Fagus, Beech; grandi, great; folia, leaves. It is native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Ontario in southeastern Canada, west to Wisconsin and south to eastern Texas and northern Florida in the United States. Trees in the southern half of the range are sometimes distinguished as a variety, F. grandifolia var.... less ↑

Fraxinus quadrangulata (Blue Ash) is a species of Fraxinus native primarily to the Midwestern United States, as well as the Bluegrass region of Kentucky and the Nashville Basin region of Tennessee. Isolated populations exist in Alabama, Southern Ontario, and small sections of the Appalachian Mountains. It is typically found over calcareous substrates such as limestone, growing on limestone slopes and in moist valley soils, at elevations of 120–600 m. less ↑

Juglandaceae -- Walnut family

    Robert D. Williams

    Black walnut (Juglans nigra), also called eastern black  walnut and American walnut, is one of the scarcest and most  coveted native hardwoods. Small natural groves frequently found  in mixed forests on moist alluvial soils have been heavily  logged. The fine straight-grained wood made prize pieces of solid  furniture and gunstocks. As the supply diminishes, the remaining  quality black walnut is used primarily for veneer. The  distinctive tasting nuts are in demand for baked goods and ice  cream, but people must be quick to harvest them before the  squirrels. The shells are ground for use in many products.

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Juniperus virginiana, American juniper or eastern red-cedar (also called red cedar, Virginia cedar, red juniper, or savin), is a medium-sized evergreen coniferous tree in the Cupressaceae (cypress family), widely distributed throughout the eastern half of North America. Although generally not considered to be an important commercial species, its wood is highly valued for specialty furniture and wood products because of its beauty, durability, and workability. It is often used to make or line chests and drawers (as a moth repellent) and for fence posts (because it is rot resistant). It provides cedarwood oil for fragrance compounds, food and shelter for wildlife, and protective vegetation for fragile soils. The number of trees and volume of American juniper is increasing throughout most of its range, as it readily colonizes disturbed sites, and is sometimes aggressively weedy in taking over abandoned fields and roadsides. Dozens of cultivars have been developed for ornamental and landscaping purposes, with a large array of forms and foliage colors. American juniper typically grows to 23 m (75 ft) high (although many cultivars are smaller), with a pyramidal or conical canopy, and thin bark. The leaves on young growth are needle-like but flattened, and are either opposite or ternate (in whorls of three). Leaves on older branches are scale-like and closely appressed (flattened together). The species is dioecious—male and wind-pollinated female flowers grow on separate plants, and only female flowers develop seed cones, which have fused scales and are round and berry-like, up to 1 cm (0.5 in) in diameter. Seed cones ripen to blue or black with a glaucous (waxy) coating, and typically contain 3 seeds. The seed cones of various Juniperus species make up 2 to 5% of the diet of 66 species of North American mammals. The species is often bird-dispersed, as seed germination rates may be higher following passage through a bird gut. Juniper “berries” are also edible by humans—they add the characteristic flavor to gin, and they are featured in teas and herbal supplements, and sometimes used as a flavoring in meat dishes. Juniperus virginiana, along with several other juniper species, is an alternate host for the fungal pathogen Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae, which causes cedar-apple rust. Cedar-apple rust has a complicated life cycle, but causes colorful orange galls on juniper trees, and rust-colored spots (turning to black) on the leaves of apple trees (Malus species) that grow in close proximity to juniper; the fungus can reduce apple production. (Adams 2008, Bailey et al. 1976, Lawson 1990, Martin et al. 1951, Wikipedia 2012.) less ↑

Hamamelidaceae -- Witch-hazel family

    Paul P. Kormanik

    Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), also called redgum,  sapgum, starleaf-gum, or bilsted, is a common bottom-land species  of the South where it grows biggest and is most abundant in the  lower Mississippi Valley. This moderate to rapidly growing tree  often pioneers in old fields and logged areas in the uplands and  Coastal Plain and may develop in a nearly pure stand. Sweetgurn  is one of the most important commercial hardwoods in the  Southeast and the handsome hard wood is put to a great many uses,  one of which is veneer for plywood. The small seeds are eaten by  birds, squirrels, and chipmunks. It is sometimes used as a shade  tree.

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Magnoliaceae -- Magnolia family

    Donald E. Beck

    Yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), also called  tuliptree, tulip-poplar, white-poplar, and whitewood, is one of  the most attractive and tallest of eastern hardwoods. It is fast  growing and may reach 300 years of age on deep, rich,  well-drained soils of forest coves and lower mountain slopes. The  wood has high commercial value because of its versatility and as  a substitute for increasingly scarce softwoods in furniture and  framing construction. Yellow-poplar is also valued as a honey  tree, a source of wildlife food, and a shade tree for large  areas.

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Moraceae -- Mulberry family

    Neil 1. Lamson

    Red mulberry (Morus rubra), called moral in Spanish, is  widespread in Eastern United States. It is a rapid-growing tree  of valleys, flood plains, and low moist hillsides. This species  attains its largest size in the Ohio River Valley and reaches its  highest elevation (600 m or 2,000 ft) in the southern Appalachian  foothills. The wood is of little commercial importance. The  tree's value is derived from its abundant fruits, which are eaten  by people, birds, and small mammals.

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Black Tupelo is showiest during the autumn when its leaves assume brilliant colors and some of its fruit is still hanging on the tree. Other common names of this tree are Black Gum and Sour Gum. A variety of Black Tupelo, Nyssa sylvatica biflora (Swamp Tupelo), is very similar to the typical variety that is described here. Swamp Tupelo differs by having smaller leaves (less than 2½" long) that are more oblong in shape. The seeds of its fruits are more deeply grooved than those of Black Tupelo. Swamp Tupelo is sometimes treated as a distinct species, Nyssa biflora. It is often found in swamps and its distribution is more southern. In Illinois, Swamp Tupelo is restricted to the southern tip of the state, where it is rare. Another species, Nyssa aquatica (Water Tupelo), prefers swamps with standing water and areas along major rivers that are frequently flooded. It is a tall tree (up to 100') with a long straight trunk that is swollen at the base; Water Tupelo is a frequent associate of Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum). This tree is also restricted to southern Illinois. It differs from Black Tupelo by having larger fruits (up to 1" long) that are borne individually, rather than in sessile clusters. It also has longer petioles. Sometimes, trees in this genus are assigned to the Dogwood family (Cornaceae). less ↑

Princess tree was introduced into the U.S. as an ornamental and landscape tree around 1840. It was first imported to Europe in the 1830's by the Dutch East India Company and brought to North America a few years later. This tree has since become naturalized in the eastern U.S. and is also grown on the west coast. Princess tree is native to western and central China where historical records describe its medicinal, ornamental, and timber uses as early as the third century B.C. It was cultivated centuries ago in Japan where it is valued in many traditions. Recently it has also been grown in plantations and harvested for export to Japan where its wood is highly valued.

It often is a pioneer on upland sites in the central part of its range, but it is primarily a species of bottomland and alluvial soils, also occurring on creek banks, mesic coves and lower slopes, on a wide range of soil types. It is a major pioneer species in the floodplains of large rivers and occurs on a variety of wet sites, including shallow swamps, sloughs, and wet river bottoms where soil is saturated 2-4 months during the growing season. Water dispersal often results in seed deposition on muddy flats highly conducive to germination because seed dispersal occurs when water is receding after spring floods. American sycamore is most commonly found in mixture with sweetgum, boxelder, silver and red maple, cottonwood, and willows. It is found at 0-300 (-750) meter elevation.

American sycamore can tolerate weeks of flooding, even complete submersion of seedlings, provided that the water is aerated. A significant portion of young sycamores can survive almost 2 months of continuously waterlogged soils during dormancy, but sycamore of various stages will die if the entire tree is inundated for more than two weeks during the growing season. Saplings top-killed by flooding may resprout from the root crown.

Flowers appear with the leaves in April-May or as early as late March in the South. Fruits ripen September-October (-November), usually breaking up and falling from the tree through the winter and into spring. less ↑

The wild black cherry is an ornamental bush, imported from eastern North America, where it reaches tree heights. At the beginning of the 20th century, a bush variety was planted in the Netherlands on a large scale as undergrowth in production forests. This bush grows on poor sandy soils and in the dunes. It developed extremely rapidly at the cost of indigenous forest plants and became such a plague that foresters gave it the nickname 'forest pest'. Combating the forest pest has turned out to be a never-ending task. Remnants of the plant remaining in the ground simply re-root. And the very tasty cherries are carried over distances by both birds and mammals. less ↑

Quecus alba L., white oak, grows from Maine to Minnesota southward to Florida and Texas. It is a large, stately tree that grows up to over 100 feet tall, and 38 to 50 inches in diameter, with a round to wide spreading irregular crown. White oak bark is whitish or light gray, varying from scaly to irregularly platy or ridged and furrowed. Leaves are simple and alternately arranged on the stems; they are 5-6 inches long and have a rounded tip and wedge-shaped base, with evenly notched edges; leaves are bright green above and whitish underneath. Male flowers are green and 2-4 inches long, while female flowers are reddish and they appear as single spikes with the leaves. White oak acorns are oval; about a quarter of the acorn body is covered with a cap which drops off at maturity. There are approximately 120 seeds per pound. less ↑

Shingle Oak is one of two oaks (Quercus spp.) in Illinois that has leaves with smooth margins; other oaks have pinnatifid leaves. The other oak species with smooth-margined leaves, Quercus phellos (Willow Oak), is found in southern Illinois. The leaves of Willow Oak are more narrow (½" or less) than those of Shingle Oak. At one time, the wood of Shingle Oak was used to make wooden shingles for houses, hence the common name. Other common names for this tree are Jack Oak and Northern Laurel Oak. less ↑

Fagaceae -- Beech family

    Ivan L. Sander

    Chinkapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii), sometimes called  yellow chestnut oak, rock oak, or yellow oak, grows in alkaline  soils on limestone outcrops and well-drained slopes of the  uplands, usually with other hardwoods. It seldom grows in size or  abundance to be commercially important, but the heavy wood makes  excellent fuel. The acorns are sweet and are eaten by several  kinds of animals and birds.

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Fagaceae Beech family

    Ivan L. Sander

    Northern red oak (Quercus rubra), also known as common red  oak, eastern red oak, mountain red oak, and gray oak, is  widespread in the East and grows on a variety of soils and  topography, often forming pure stands. Moderate to fast growing,  this tree is one of the more important lumber species of red oak  and is an easily transplanted, popular shade tree with good form  and dense foliage.

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Fagaceae -- Beech family

    Ivan L. Sander

    Black oak (Quercus velutina) is a common, medium-sized to  large oak of the eastern and midwestern United States. It is  sometimes called yellow oak, quercitron, yellowbark oak, or  smoothbark oak. It grows best on moist, rich, well-drained soils,  but it is often found on poor, dry sandy or heavy glacial clay  hillsides where it seldom lives more than 200 years. Good crops  of acorns provide wildlife with food. The wood, commercially  valuable for furniture and flooring, is sold as red oak. Black  oak is seldom used for landscaping.

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Jetbead is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub that was introduced from Central China, Korea and Japan in 1866 for ornamental purposes. Found in at least 17 states east of the Mississippi, it has recently come to the attention of land managers who noticed it becoming invasive in natural habitats away from intentional plantings. It is very shade tolerant and can do well in forest edges and interiors. Once established, it shades out native plants in the ground layer and inhibits native tree generation. Jetbead spreads by seed and by vegetative means. It can grow to 6 ft. in height and has opposite simple leaves 2½-4 in. long with doubly serrate toothed margins and conspicuous ribbed veins with long pointed tips. It flowers in the spring, producing white four-petaled flowers about 2 in. across. Small pale to red turning black, bead-like fruits are produced soon after flowering. Jetbead invades forests, creating a thick shrub layer that displaces native shrubs, shades out understory species and restricts tree seedling establishment. less ↑

Common Elderberry is an attractive shrub, but often ignored because of its ubiquitous occurrence. In fact, people often destroy this shrub along fences or waterways in residential areas, notwithstanding its outstanding value to wildlife, particularly to songbirds. Sometimes this plant is referred to as Sambucus nigra var. canadensis by some authorities, because it is regarded as a variety of the European species. Return less ↑

Lauraceae -- Laurel family

    Margene M. Griggs

    Sassafras (Sassafras albidum), sometimes called white  sassafras, is a medium-sized, moderately fast growing, aromatic  tree with three distinctive leaf shapes: entire, mittenshaped,  and threelobed. Little more than a shrub in the north, sassafras  grows largest in the Great Smoky Mountains on moist welldrained  sandy loams in open woodlands. It frequently pioneers old fields  where it is important to wildlife as a browse plant, often in  thickets formed by underground runners from parent trees. The  soft, brittle, lightweight wood is of limited commercial value,  but oil of sassafras is extracted from root bark for the perfume  industry.

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Ulmaceae -- Elm family

    G. A. Snow

    Winged elm (Ulmus alata) is a very hardy, small-to  medium-sized tree in a wide range of habitats throughout much of  the southern Midwest and Southeastern United States. Other common  names are cork elm and wahoo.

    On fertile soils with adequate moisture and drainage, winged elm  grows well and is a useful component of several forest types. On  poor dry sites it is stunted and gnarled and can be an  undesirable invader of grazing land. Winged elm lumber is mixed  with other elm. This tree is occasionally planted in southern  landscapes.

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The American Elm (Ulmus americana) is a native North American tree in the Ulmaceae family. Growing quickly when young, the American Elm has a broad or upright, vase-shaped silhouette, 80 to 100 feet high and 60 to 120 feet wide. Trunks on older trees can reach to seven feet across. Trees have an extensive but shallow root system. Propagation is by seed or cuttings; young plants transplant easily.

The six inch long, deciduous, double serrated leaves are dark green throughout the year, fading to yellow before dropping in fall. In early spring, before the new leaves unfold, its rather inconspicuous small green flowers appear on pendulous stalks. These blooms are followed by green, wafer-like seedpods which mature soon after flowering is finished. The seeds are quite popular with both birds and wildlife. American Elms must be at least 15 years old before they will bear seed.

The wood of American Elm is very hard and was a valuable timber tree used for lumber, furniture and veneer. Native Americans once made canoes out of American Elm trunks, and early settlers would steam the wood so it could be bent to make barrels and wheel hoops.

Once a very popular and long-lived (300+ years) shade and street tree, American Elm suffered a dramatic decline with the introduction of Dutch elm disease, a fungus spread by a bark beetle. It is vital to the health of existing trees that a program of monitoring be in place to administer special care to these disease- and pest-sensitive trees. less ↑

Ulmaceae -- Elm family

    John H. Cooley and J. W. Van Sambeek

    Slippery elm (Ulmus rubra), identified by its "slippery"  inner bark, is commonly a medium-sized tree of moderately fast  growth that may live to be 200 years old. Sometimes called red  elm, gray elm, or soft elm, this tree grows best and may reach 40  m (132 ft) on moist, rich soils of lower slopes and flood plains,  although it may also grow on dry hillsides with limestone soils.  It is abundant and associated with many other hardwood trees in  its wide range. Slippery elm is not an important lumber tree; the  hard strong wood is considered inferior to American elm even  though they are often mixed and sold together as soft elm. The  tree is browsed by wildlife and the seeds are a minor source of  food. It has long been cultivated but succumbs to Dutch elm  disease.

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This native plant is a branched woody shrub or small tree up to 15' tall. The young bark of small branches is gray and slightly rough, while the old bark of the trunk or larger branches is grey and rough with flat-topped plates. The opposite leaves are up to 3" long and 1" across; they are ovate or ovate-obovate, glabrous on both their lower and upper sides, and finely serrated along their margins. The slender petioles are up to 1" long and reddish. The buds of these leaves are short. Cymes of flowers about 3-5" across develop from the axils of the leaves; each cyme is much branched, but sessile at the base. Each flower is about ¼" across; it has 5 white petals that are well-rounded and longer than the sepals. There are 5 long stamens with slender white filaments and yellow anthers, and a small pistil at the center of the flower that is cream-colored at the base. The blooming period occurs from mid- to late spring. The flowers have a strong and pleasant fragrance; they are produced at about the same time as the leaves. Each flower is replaced by a fleshy ovoid drupe about 1/3" long; this drupe becomes blue-black at maturity, sometimes with a whitish bloom. Inside each drupe, there is a single stone (a seed with a hard coat) that is flat on one side and convex on the other. The drupes are sweet and edible, although somewhat thin-fleshed because of their stones. The root system consists of a branching woody taproot. less ↑

There are around 60 Vitis species in the world. Species in this genus are native to the temperate zones of the northern hemisphere, with a few species reaching the tropics. In North America, there are around two dozen species. A number of species occur in Asia, but just one is native to Europe, Vitis vinifera. This is by far the most economically important Vitis species and accounts for most commercial grape plantings, not just for wine. Nearly three quarters of world grape production is devoted to wine grapes, around a quarter for table grapes, and much smaller amounts for dried grapes (raisins) and non-alcoholic grape juice. (Vaughan and Geissler 1997) less ↑