147H A W T H O R N

Hawthorn, or thorn-apple, occursin Maine as a low spreading tree

or shrub that rarely reaches a height of more than 15–18 feet. There areapproximately 22 different speciesfound in the state. Hawthorns canusually be recognized by the smallapple-like fruits and the thorns on thebranches. In the past, hawthorns wereplanted as hedges in place of fencing.

The bark is dark brown to ashygray and somewhat scaly.

The leaves are alternate, doubly-toothed, and usually somewhat lobed,thin and dark green.

The flowers appear about the firstof June in flat, showy white clusters.

The fruit, which is ¾ inch indiameter, resembles a small apple. Theflesh is thin, mealy and encloses 1–5rounded nutlets. It is used for jelliesand bird food.

The twigs are slender, rigid andusually armed with long thorns. Theyform a compact crown due to theirzigzag method of growth.

H Crataegus spp. L.

The wood is heavy, hard andclose-grained. It is used to some extentfor handles and other small articles.

The fruit of the hawthornis used for jellies and bird food.

HA

WT

HO

RN

A R E A O FO C C U R R E N C E

148 S E R V I C E B E R R Y

Approximately seven species ofserviceberry or shad bush grow

as shrubs or small trees in Maine. Ofthese, two species—Allegheny service-berry Amelanchier laevis Wieg. anddowny serviceberry Amelanchier arborea(Michx. f.) Fern.—commonly grow to besmall trees 30–40 feet in height and 6 to8 inches in diameter. Allegheny service-berry, is the more common of the two.They are both found in open hardwoodstands or along the margins of open areasthroughout much of the state.

The bark of serviceberry is smooth,gray to light violet-brown with darkervertical stripes; older bark is slightly fis-sured longitudinally and twisted.

The leaves of Allegheny service-berry are half grown at flowering time,and have a reddish or purplish tinge.When downy serviceberry leaves arejust unfolding, they are green anddensely hairy beneath. Mature leavesof both species are alternate, dark green

S Amelanchier spp. Medik.

Serviceberry wood isoccasionally used for toolhandles, small implementsand fishing rods.

149S E R V I C E B E R R Y

The flowers are white and sweet-smelling with 5 petals. The serviceber-ry flowers before other trees and is veryeasy to spot along the edges of fieldsand streams in spring.

Serviceberry fruit is berry-like,ripens in early summer, is ⅓–½ inch indiameter, and red to dark purple whenmature and edible. Serviceberry twigsare slender, red-brown and finely hairywhen young, becoming smooth as thetwigs grow. The buds are long, sharppointed, reddish or pinkish, and filledwith silky hairs.

The wood is occasionally used fortool handles, small implements andfishing rods. It is heavy, hard, strong,close-grained and dark brown tingedwith red.

Serviceberry buds are longand sharp-pointed; thelateral buds hug the twig.

above and lighter green below, 1½–3inches long, 1–1½ inches wide, ellipticto ovate with a rounded or heart-shaped base.

SE

RV

IC

EB

ER

RY

150

There are two native species ofmountain ash found in Maine:

the American mountain ash SorbusAmericana Marsh, also called round-wood, and the showy or Northernmountain ash Sorbus decora (Sarg.)Schneid.

American mountain ash occursstatewide; it is not a true ash, but isclosely related to the apple. It rarelyreaches over 20 feet in height. It is par-ticularly common in mountainousregions and along the coast. The leavesare alternate, compound 13–17 incheslong, tapered, and have 11–17 finelytoothed leaflets. The leaflets are 2–4inches long, ⅝–1 inch wide, and with-out hairs.

The small creamy-white flowersare borne in cymes. The berry-likefruit is bright red, and about ¼ inch indiameter. These remain on the tree lateinto the winter; they make good bird

M A Sorbus spp.

Showy mountain ash is usuallybetter balanced in outline thanthe American mountain ash andhas a well-rounded crown.M O U N T A I N A S H

M O U N T A I N A S H 151

This photo is of American mountain ash fruit.Showy mountain ash fruit is larger.

food. In the past, they were sometimesused as an astringent in medicine. Thebud scales are hairless and sticky. Thepale brown wood has little valuebecause it is soft and weak.

Showy mountain ash is most com-monly found in northern and westernparts of the state. It is usually betterbalanced in outline than the Americanmountain ash and has a well-roundedcrown. The leaves are alternate, com-pound, and differ from the precedingspecies in having leaflets which are only1½–3 inches long, and ⅝–1⅝ incheswide. The fruit is larger, up to ½ inchin diameter, and matures later in theseason. The outer bud scales are sticky;the inner scales are hairy.

MO

UN

TA

IN

AS

H

152 S H A G B A R K H I C K O R Y

S HCarya ovata (P. Mill.) K. Koch Shagbark hickory is most common-

ly found in southern Maine onmoist but well-drained soil. It has acylindrical head and a straight, gradu-ally tapering trunk. It reaches a heightof 70 feet and a diameter of 2 feet.

The bark is light gray on the trunkand separates into long, loose plates,giving it a shaggy appearance.

The leaves are compound, alter-nate, 8–14 inches long; most oftenthere are 5 leaflets, rarely seven. The 3terminal leaflets are the largest. Leafletmargins are serrate.

The fruit has the thick outer huskdeeply grooved at the seams. The huskseparates along these grooves whenripe. The fruit is globose and is bornesingly or in pairs. The edible kernel issweet. The twigs are hairy or smoothand olive-gray to dark red-brown. Pithis star-shaped in cross section. Budscales are hairy.

Shagbark hickorywood is primarilyused to make pallets.

153S H A G B A R K H I C K O R Y

The wood is very strong, close-grained, heavy, hard, tough and flexi-ble. It was formerly used in the manu-facture of agricultural implements, axeand tool handles, carriages and wag-ons, especially the spokes and rims ofthe wheels. Its principal uses are nowpallets, pulp and firewood.

M A I N E R E G I S T E R O FB I G T R E E S 2 0 0 8Shagbark Hickory*

Circumference: 116''/133''Height: 84'/72'

Crown Spread: 60'/58'Location:

Falmouth/Westbrook *TIE

Shagbark hickory is easily distinguished by itsbark, which separates into long, loose plates.

HI

CK

OR

Y

154 B I T T E R N U T H I C K O R Y

B HCarya cordiformis (Wangenh.) K. Koch

Although common further south,bitternut hickory is rare in

Maine, occurring only in the extremesouthwestern corner of the state at thesouthern tip of York County. Bitternuthickory will grow on a variety of sites,but makes its best growth on moistbottomland soils.

The bark of young trees is silvery-gray and smooth; older trees have graybark with tight, shallow, interlacing fur-rows. The bark remains tightly attachedon old trees and does not become shag-gy. The leaves are 8–10 inches long,alternate, pinnately compound with 7–9leaflets. The terminal leaflet is similarin size to the adjacent ones.

The flowers occur in spring; maleflowers are in catkins and female flow-ers are in a terminal spike. The fruit isa nut; it is nearly round and onlyslightly flattened. It is covered by a thin green husk with 4 small wingsdescending from a sharp point to themiddle. As the name bitternut implies,

the meat is very bitter and not eaten byhumans, although some wildlife utilizeit as food. The twigs are somewhatstout (although much less so thanother hickories) and have distinctivesulfur-yellow buds.

The wood is hard; further south,it used for making tool handles, furni-ture, paneling and pallets, as well as forfuel. It is a choice wood for smokingmeats. In Maine, due to its rarity, thewood is not used commercially.

HI

CK

OR

Y

B W Juglans nigra L.

Black walnut is not native toMaine, but is planted occasional-

ly as an ornamental tree. In forestedsituations in its native range, it cangrow to be up to 100 feet tall with along straight trunk free of branches.In Maine, it is usually planted in theopen and exhibits an open-grown formwith wide-spreading branches. Blackwalnut’s natural range extends over alarge portion of the eastern UnitedStates from western Vermont andMassachusetts to southeastern SouthDakota, south into Texas and theFlorida panhandle.

The bark is brown, with furrowedridges forming a diamond pattern. If thebark is cut with a knife, the cut surfacewill be dark brown. The leaves are alter-nate, pinnately compound 12–24 incheslong with 10–24 leaflets; a terminalleaflet is often lacking.The fruit is roundand composed of a nut enclosed in athick green husk. The twigs are stout,light brown, with a chambered pith.Thebuds are large and tan.

The wood is so valuable that, in

M A I N E R E G I S T E R O FB I G T R E E S 2 0 0 8

Black WalnutCircumference: 158''

Height: 100' Crown Spread: 87'Location: Limerick

WA

LN

UT

155B L A C K W A L N U T

some parts of the country, trees havebeen stolen in the dead of night fromfront lawns and city parks. It is a rich,dark brown and takes a good polish,making it valuable for furniture, cabi-nets and gunstocks. Much of the woodharvested today is turned for veneer.

The nuts are edible, but must begathered before the animals harvestthem all. Ground nut shells have hadnumerous uses, including as a carryingagent for insecticidal dusts and forcleaning aircraft engine parts; while thefruit husks have been used to makefabric dye.

156 B U T T E R N U T

B Juglans cinerea L.

Butternut, also known as whitewalnut, occurs naturally or in

cultivation to some extent statewide. Itgrows on rich, moist soil and on rockyhills, especially along fencerows. It fre-quently has stout, spreading limbsextending horizontally from the trunkto form a low, broad, rounded head. Itgrows to 30–40 feet high and a diame-ter of 1–2 feet. Currently, butternut isunder severe threat from butternutcanker, Sirococcus clavigignenti-juglan-dacearum. This fungus was most likelyintroduced from outside of NorthAmerica and is now killing butternutsthroughout much of Maine.

The bark of young trees and of thebranches is gray. On old trees, it is broad-ly ridged on the trunk and light brown.

The leaves are compound with aterminal leaflet, alternate, 15–30 inch-es long, and consist of 11–17 leaflets.The leaflets have serrate margins.

Butternut is sometimesused for furnitureand cabinetwork andtakes a high polish.

157B U T T E R N U T

M A I N E R E G I S T E R O F B I G T R E E S 2 0 0 8Butternut Circumference: 186'' Height: 74' Crown Spread: 88' Location: Durham

The fruit is composed of a nutenclosed by a fleshy husk covered withsticky hairs. It is about 2½ inches longand oval shaped. Fruit is produced indrooping clusters of 3–5. The nut isthick-shelled with sharp ridges on thesurface. American Indians used the oilfrom the nuts to make butter. Browndye was made from the husk.

The twigs are stout, greenish andhairy, with chocolate-brown, cham-bered pith. The large leaf scars have aconspicuous, buff-colored hairy pad atthe top; the buds are also hairy.

The wood is coarse-grained, light,soft and weak. It is sometimes used forfurniture and cabinetwork and takes ahigh polish.

BU

TT

ER

NU

T

158 H O R S E C H E S T N U T

Not related to the native chestnut,the horsechestnut comes from

Asia and the Balkan Peninsula and isgenerally planted as a shade and orna-mental tree.

It is symmetrically round or ovalin outline with a stiff branch habit. Thetips of the branches curve slightly whenmature. It has heavy, luxuriant, deepgreen foliage which changes to bronzein early autumn. The large, oppositeleaves with 5–7 leaflets, are arrangedpalmately on a single stalk; and distin-guish it from any of Maine’s nativetrees. With the pyramids of white flow-ers blossoming in the early spring andthe large, bur-like, leathery huskenclosing one or more smooth,mahogany-colored nuts, the horsech-estnut is not easily confused with anyother species. The nuts are poisonouswhen ingested. It makes a good shade

tree, but requires rich soil for bestdevelopment. It is prone to a leaf blight.

The buds are large, sticky andnearly black. The wood is soft, lightand close-grained. In Europe, it is usedfor carving and veneer. In the past inthe U.S., it was burned as firewood.

H Aesculus hippocastanum L.

HO

RS

EC

HE

ST

NU

T

159A M E R I C A N S Y C A M O R E

diameter. It contains a large number ofsmall wedge or shoenail-shaped nut-lets, and usually remains on the treeuntil spring.

The twigs are zigzag in shape andare encircled by conspicuous stipules.The winter buds have a single, wrin-kled, cap-like scale.

The wood is hard, firm, very perish-able when exposed to the weather, andliable to warp. In the past, it was used forfurniture and interior finish of houses.

There are historic records ofAmerican Sycamore occurring

along streams and on rich bottomlands in southern Maine. Currentlythere are no known native populationsin the state. However, sycamore isplanted here as an ornamental. Farthersouth and west it grows to be an enor-mous tree, often 4-6 feet in diameterand 120 feet tall, trees in Maine how-ever do not attain great size.

The bark on the trunk and largelimbs is greenish-gray and flakes off inbroad scales exposing white patchesbeneath.

The leaves are simple, alternate,3–5 lobed and light green. The base ofthe leaf-stalk is hollow, swollen andcovers the bud.

The fruit head generally occurssingly, is round and about 1 inch in

A S Platanus occidentalis L.

M A I N E R E G I S T E R O F B I G T R E E S 2 0 0 8American Sycamore Circumference: 160'' Height: 105' Crown Spread: 93' Location: Waterford

SY

CA

MO

RE

160 B L A C K T U P E L O

B T Nyssa sylvatica Marsh.

Black tupelo, or blackgum, is foundin Sagadahoc, Androscoggin,

Cumberland and York counties and asfar north as Southern Oxford Countyand Waterville in Kennebec County.However, it is not commonly foundexcept in very wet areas. Trees 2 feet indiameter are found in the town ofCasco on an island in Sebago Lake.Large specimens have also been report-ed on the south side of PleasantMountain in Denmark on a flat, open,wet area. Easily distinguished at a dis-tance by its numerous slender horizon-tal branches, the tree rarely reachesmore than 50 feet in height. It occurs inrich moist soils, such as swamps or bor-ders of rivers. Black tupelo can live to avery old age. Trees over 500 years oldhave been found in New Hampshire.

The bark on young trees issmooth, grayish and flaky, later becom-ing reddish to grayish-brown. On oldtrees, it forms coarse blocks or ridges.

While black tupelo wood isheavy, fine-grained and verytough, it is not durable and isused principally for pulp.

161B L A C K T U P E L O

The leaves are alternate, oval toobovate, 2–5 inches long, wedge-shaped at the base and pointed at thetip. The edges are usually entire. Theleaves are dark green, shiny above,occasionally hairy below, and turnbright crimson in autumn.

The fruit is dark blue, fleshy,approximately ½ inch in length, andborne in clusters of 1–3 on long, slen-der stems. The fruit has an acid taste,but is edible.

The twigs are moderately stoutwith a diaphragmed pith.

The wood is heavy, fine-grained,very tough but not durable. It was for-merly used for the hubs of wheels andsoles of shoes. It is now used principal-ly for pulp.

Black tupelo hasa characteristichorizontalbranching pattern.

TU

PE

LO

162 B L A C K L O C U S T

The locust is a rapid grower,frequently attaining a heightof 20 feet in 10 years, butincreasing much more slowlythereafter.

Black locust is not a native of thisstate, but is extensively planted.

It is abundant in some localities, andis found mostly near dwellings or onabandoned farmlands, where it oftenbecomes naturalized. The locust is arapid grower, frequently attaining aheight of 20 feet in 10 years, butincreasing much more slowly there-after. It reaches a height of about 50feet and a diameter of 8–20 inches.The branches are small, brittle, occa-sionally multi-angled, and at first arearmed with stipular spines. The top isnarrow and oblong. It is one of the lasttrees to send out foliage in the spring.

The bark on old trees is darkbrown, deeply furrowed and brokeninto small scales.

The leaves are alternate, oncecompound, 8–14 inches long, with7–19 leaflets that are about 2 incheslong with an entire margin and aslightly notched tip.

B L Robinia pseudoacacia L.

163B L A C K L O C U S T

M A I N E R E G I S T E R O F B I G T R E E S 2 0 0 8Black Locust Circumference: 205'' Height: 80' Crown Spread: 66' Location: Belfast

The flowers are borne in looseracemes 4–5 inches long. Showy andvery fragrant, they appear in June.

The fruit is a smooth, flat, darkpurplish-brown pod about 3–4 incheslong, containing 1–8 bean-like seeds.

The wood is heavy close-grained,strong, and very durable when in con-tact with the soil. It is used for fenceposts, firewood and planking for boats.In the past, it was used to make pegsfor use with glass insulators.

The buds of the black locust are almostcompletely hidden.

LO

CU

ST

164 H O N E Y L O C U S T

Honeylocust is not native toMaine, but has been frequently

planted in urban areas in the southernand central portions of the state. Thetrees most commonly planted andthose that have escaped cultivation inMaine are a thornless variety, Gleditsiatriacanthos f. inermis (L.) Zabel.

Honeylocust has somewhat pen-dulous, slender, spreading branches thatform an open, broad, flat-topped head.It attains a height of 75 feet and adiameter of 20 inches. Simple or (usu-ally) three-forked spines, 1½–3 incheslong or longer, occur on the branchesand trunk; but spines are lacking on thecommonly planted variety.

The bark is divided into long, nar-row ridges by deep fissures; and thesurface is broken into small scales thatare persistent. The leaves are alternate,both once and twice compound, 4–8inches long and have from 18–28leaflets. The margins of the leaflets arefinely blunt-toothed.

The flowers are borne in slenderclusters 2–2½ inches long. Theyappear in June when the leaves areabout fully-grown. Staminate and pis-tillate flowers are produced separatelyon the same tree.

The fruit is a shiny, reddish-brown, flattened pod 8 inches or morein length. The pod is curved, withirregular wavy edges, and is oftentwisted. The walls are thin and tough.

The twigs are smooth and dis-tinctly zigzag in shape. Winter budsbarely protrude from the leaf scar.

The wood is coarse-grained, hard,strong, and very durable in contact withthe soil. It is used for firewood and boatdecking in Maine. In the past, it was usedto manufacture the wooden pegs thatglass insulators were screwed onto whenglass insulators were used with telegraph,telephone and electrical power lines.

H Gleditsia triacanthos L.

M A I N E R E G I S T E R O F B I G T R E E S 2 0 0 8Honeylocust Circumference: 178'' Height: 50'

Crown Spread: 80' Location: Bath

LO

CU

ST

165S A S S A F R A S

Sassafras occurs in southern Mainein eastern Cumberland, southern

Oxford and York counties, and issometimes planted for ornament.Excellent specimens may be seen inthe York Village cemetery.

The bark on young stems is thinand reddish-brown. On older stems, itbecomes thick and scaly.The inner barkis very fragrant and sometimes chewed.

The leaves are alternate, veryhairy when they first appear, losing thehair at maturity except on the midrib.They are light green and of 3 shapes:entire, mitten-shaped and three-lobed.

The flowers open in early springwith the first leaves, in racemes con-taining about 10–15 flowers.

The fruit ripens in September andOctober and is a blue, lustrous drupethat is supported on a fleshy, red stalk.

M A I N E R E G I S T E R O F B I G T R E E S 2 0 0 8Sassafras Circumference: 82'' Height: 66' Crown Spread: 21' Location: York

The twigs are green in color,smooth and aromatic when broken.

The wood is soft, weak, brittle,very aromatic, light brown and verydurable in the soil. Historically, theroots and bark were distilled for oil ofsassafras, used to perfume toiletries.The oil has been banned from use infoods in the US.

S Sassafras albidum (Nutt.) Nees

SA

SS

AF

RA

S

166 N A N N Y B E R R Y

N Viburnum lentago L.

Nannyberry occurs statewide as ashrub or small tree reaching a

height of 10–30 feet. It frequently isfound growing in moist soils, oftenalong the borders of swamps or streams.

The leaves are opposite, ovate,abruptly pointed, with fine sharp teeth.The upper surface is a lustrous deepgreen. The undersurface is lighter. Thepetiole is conspicuously flanged with awarty, wavy margin.

The dark blue fruit ripens in fall.It is about ½ inch long, ellipsoid, edible,sweet, tough-skinned, with a nipple-like tip. The fruit occurs in smalldrooping clusters on red-stemmedstalks, and does not shrivel or shrinkwhen ripe.

The terminal buds are shaped likea pair of rabbit ears and bulge at thebase. The 2 large bud scales extendbeyond the end of the bud. They arenearly smooth and are purplish-brownto lead-colored. The smooth twigs ofthe season are gray to gray-brown. Thewood is orange-brown and emits anunpleasant odor.

NA

NN

YB

ER

RY

167W I T C H - H A Z E L

W - H Hamamelis virginiana L.

Witch-hazel occurs as a smalltree or shrub in most parts of

Maine except in the far north. It isfound on borders of the forest in lowrich soil or on rocky banks of streams.

The bark is gray-brown and some-what scaly on older stems. The leavesare alternate, broadly obovate, non-symmetrical at the base, and have awavy margin.

It has bright yellow flowers withthread-like petals in autumn or earlywinter. The fruit is a woody capsule,usually two in a cluster. The seeds aredischarged fiercely when ripe.

The twigs are gray, zigzag, withgray or rust-colored hair and scalpel-shaped buds.

An extract from the bark is mixedwith alcohol and used as an astringent.

M A I N E R E G I S T E R O F B I G T R E E S 2 0 0 8Witch-hazel Circumference: 18'' Height: 32' Crown Spread: 17' Location: Rockport

WI

TC

H-

HA

ZE

L

168 S T A G H O R N S U M A C

Staghorn sumac is a shrub or smalltree that grows throughout most

of the state. It can grow to about 25feet tall and about 8 inches in diameter,although it is usually smaller.Occurring mostly on disturbed sitessuch as road sides and old fields,staghorn sumac sprouts readily fromthe roots. It often forms thickets thathave a characteristic domed-shapedappearance with the tallest stems in thecenter. Unlike the unrelated poisonsumac, staghorn sumac is not poison-ous to the touch.

The bark is grayish-brown andhas numerous lenticels. The leaves are16–24 inches long, alternate, pinnatelycompound with 11–31 opposite, ser-rate leaflets. The leaves turn a brilliantred in fall. The flowers form in earlysummer in large, compact, yellow pan-icles 2–8 inches long. The fruit ripensin August as a spire of showy, red, vel-vety berries that often remain into the

winter. The twigs are stout and veryhairy. The winter buds are not coveredby scales.

The wood has a greenish cast withdark grain. It is not used commerciallyexcept for small specialty items.Because the wood has a chamberedpith which can be easily cleaned out, itwas used for sap spiles (tubes for col-lecting sap in a sugarbush).

S SRhus hirta (L.) Sudworth

SU

MA

C

169M O U N T A I N L A U R E L

M L Kalmia latifolia L.

Mountain laurel is an erect-stemmed low shrub or small

tree that grows in rocky woods or on lowground. Mountain laurel occurs rarely insouthern and western Maine and is list-ed as a species of special concern.

The leaves are evergreen, green onboth sides, elliptical, up to 3 incheslong and 1 inch wide. They are flat,thick and leathery with an entire mar-gin, and narrowed at both ends.Arrangement is mostly alternate,grouped at the tip of the twig, some-times opposite and rarely in threes.

The flowers are pink with varia-tions possible. They are borne in erect,terminal clusters.

The fruit are globose, woody cap-sules borne on erect, hairy, sticky stalksthat are many times longer than thediameter of the capsules. The capsuleshave long, persistent styles.

The twigs are rounded and stickyat first, but later become smooth.

LA

UR

EL

170 R O S E B A Y R H O D O D E N D R O N

R R Rhododendron maximum L.

Rosebay rhododendron, or greatlaurel, is a shrub or straggling

tree up to 30 feet high. It is a very rarespecies found locally in parts ofSomerset, Franklin, Cumberland and

Rosebay rhododendronis listed as a threatenedspecies in Maine.

York counties in damp woods or nearpond margins. It is listed as a threat-ened species in Maine.

The leaves are evergreen, ovate tooblong, alternate, entire, 4–8 incheslong, thick and leathery, with the marginfrequently rolled under.They are smoothand dark green above, pale below. Theflowers are bell-shaped and occur indense clusters. They are generally whitewith a pinkish tinge with other varia-tions possible. The fruit is an oblong,woody capsule covered with sticky hairs.It is borne terminally in erect clusters onstalks several times longer than the cap-sule. The twigs are hairy.

RH

OD

OD

EN

DR

ON

171F L O W E R I N G D O G W O O D

F D Cornus florida L.

Flowering dogwood is an unusual-ly beautiful shrub or small tree

and occurs naturally only in YorkCounty. Planted specimens generally areonly hardy in the southern and coastalareas of the state. Unfortunately flower-ing dogwood is under serious threat fromDogwood anthracnose Discula destruc-tive, a non-native fungal disease.

Flowering dogwood reaches aheight of 12–20 feet. The bark is grayand smooth on younger stems; on oldertrees it becomes black and finely blocky,as if broken into small squares. Theleaves are opposite, entire, ovate toelliptic, bright green and smooth above,pale green with hairs on the veinsbeneath. They are 3–6 inches long.

The flowers are conspicuous andappear early in the spring. They aregreenish-white or yellowish and arearranged in dense umbels surrounded

by 4 large, white, petal-like bractswhich give the appearance of largespreading flowers. The fruit is a brightred, ellipsoid drupe about ½ inch longthat occurs in clusters.

The twigs are smooth, greenishand angular. The buds are covered bytwo valve-like scales. The flower budsare large and button-shaped.

The wood is hard and close-tex-tured. In the past, it was widely usedfor the manufacture of shuttles for tex-tile weaving. It is not used commercial-ly in Maine due to its rarity.

M A I N E R E G I S T E R O F B I G T R E E S 2 0 0 8Flowering Dogwood Circumference: 35'' Height: 37' Crown Spread: 30' Location: Portland

DO

GW

OO

D

172 A LT E R N A T E - L E A F D O G W O O D

A- D Cornus alternifolia L. f.

Alternate-leaf or blue dogwoodoccurs throughout the state as a

shrub or small tree up to 20 feet tall.The leaves are alternate, entire,

elliptic-ovate and tend to be crowdedat the ends of the twigs. They are2½–4½ inches long, yellowish-green,smooth above and have appressed hairsbeneath.

The creamy white flower clustersappear in June after the leaves havedeveloped. The fruit is a bluish-blackdrupe, somewhat round, about ⅓ inchin diameter, that ripens in Septemberand October.

The twigs are often lustrous andgreenish-brown. Dead twigs becomebright yellow-green.

DO

GW

OO

D

173R E D O S I E R D O G W O O D

Red osier dogwood is an abundantcolonial shrub usually less than

10 feet tall. On very rare occasions it

may reach the size of a small tree. Itoccurs throughout the state. It growson the edges of fields and streams, andin wet areas. It readily invades fields,where it is considered a pest.

The leaves are opposite, entire,lance-shaped to elliptic to ovate, 2–4inches long and whitened underneath,with 5–7 lateral veins.

The flowers are in flat-toppedclusters. The fruit is white and ¼–⅓inch in diameter. The twigs are brightred to green and minutely hairy. Theyare used for handles for cemetery bas-kets. The buds lack scales and aredensely hairy.

R O D Cornus sericea L.

Red osier dogwood has opposite leaves andbright red twigs.

DO

GW

OO

D