History: American Woods (Forward)
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Introduction
The American Woods section of this wiki will be a direct duplication from the "out of print" and "out of copyright" book titled "American Woods" by Shelley E. Schoonover.
The data below is replicated from this source, dated 1951.
State Trees
Legend and definitions
"Spp." is the abbreviation for "species." It means that the author is referring to all species in that given genus. Often it is also used when the author doesn't know the specific species but knows that it is in a certain genus; i.e., there are many plants in the genus Salvia, and they can all be lumped together in Salvia spp.1
(a) Officially designated by legislative action.
(b) Selected by popular vote of the people or unofficially recognized.
(c) Prominent tree growing within the State.
| State | Common Name | Botanical Name | Year Adopted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | (c) Slash Pine | Pinus caribaea | |
| Arizona | (c) Honey Mesquite | Prosopis fuliflora | |
| Arkansas | (a) Pine | Pinus spp. | 1939 |
| California | (a) Coast Redwood ("California Redwood") | Sequoia sempervirens | 4/3/37 |
| Colorado | (a) Colorado Blue Spruce | Picea pungens var. glauca | 1939 |
| Connecticut | (a) White Oak | Quercus alba | 1947 |
| Delaware | (a) American Holly ("Holly") | Ilex opaca | 1939 |
| District of Columbia | (c) American Sycamore and Black Cherry | Platanus occidentalis & Prunus serotina | |
| Florida | (b) Cabbage Palmetto ("Cabbage Palm") | Quercus virginiana | 1931 |
| Georgia | (a) Live Oak | Quercus virginiana | 1937 |
| Idaho | (a) Western White Pine | Pinus monticola | 2/13/35 |
| Illinois | (a) Oak ("Native Oak") | Quercus spp. | 1937 |
| Indiana | (a) Yellow Poplar ("Tulip Tree") | Liriodendron tulipifera | 1931 |
| Iowa | (c) Black Walnut | Juglans nigra | |
| Kansas | (a) Cottonwood | Populus spp. | 1937 |
| Kentucky | (b) Yellow Popular ("Tuliptree") | Liriodendron tulipifera | |
| Louisiana | (a) Southern Magnolia ("Evergreen") Englemann | Magnolia grandiflora | 2/8/38 |
| Maine | (b) Eastern White Pine ("Pine") | Pinus strobus | |
| Maryland | (a) White Oak | Quercus alba | 6/1/41 |
| Massachusetts | (a) American Elm | Ulmus americana | March, 1941 |
| Michigan | (b) Apple | Malus pumila | |
| Minnesota | (b) Eastern White Pine | Pinus strobus | |
| Mississippi | (a) Southern Magnolia ("Evergreen") | Magnolia grandiflora | 2/8/38 |
| Missouri | (a) Engelmann Hawthorn ("Red Haw") | Crataegus engelmanni | 1931 |
| Montana | (b) Ponderosa Pine | Pinus ponderosa | |
| Nebraska | (c) Eastern Cottonwood | Populus deltoides | |
| Nevada | (c) Single Leaf Pinyon Pine | Pinus monophylla | |
| New Hampshire | (c) White Birch | Betula lutea | |
| New Jersey | (c) Atlantic White Cedar | Chamaecyparis thyoides | |
| New Mexico | (c) Pinyon Pine | Pinus edulis | |
| New York | (b) Sugar Maple | Acer saccharophorum | |
| North Carolina | (b) Yellow Poplar ("Tulip Tree") | Piriodendron tulipifera | |
| North Dakota | (b) Green Ash | Fraxinum pennsylvanica var. lanceolata | |
| Ohio | (b) Ohio Buckeye ("Buckeye") | Aesculus glabra | |
| Oklahoma | (a) Eastern Redbud ("Redbud Tree") | Cercis canadensis | 3/30/37 |
| Oregon | (a) Douglas Fir | Pseudotsuga taxifolia | 3/7/39 |
| Pennsylvania | (a) Eastern Hemlock ("Hemlock") | Tsuga canadensis | 1931 |
| Rhode Island | (a) Maple | Acer spp. | April, 1984 |
| South Carolina | (a) Cabbage Palmetto ("Palmetto") | Sabal palmetto | 1939 |
| South Dakota | (b) Cottonwood | Populus spp. | |
| Tennessee | (b) Eastern Red Cedar | Juniperus virginiana | |
| Texas | (a) Pecan ("Pecan Tree") | Carya illinoensis (syn. Hicoria pecan) | 1919 & 3/25/27 |
| Utah | (a) Colorado Blue Spruce | Picea pungens var. glauca | 2/20/33 |
| Vermont | (b) Sugar Maple | Acer saccharophorum | |
| Virginia | (a) Flowering Dogwood | Cornus florida | 1918 |
| Washington | (a) Western Hemlock | Tsuga heterophylla | 1947 |
| West Virginia | (a) White Oak | Quercus alba | 1935 |
| Wisconsin | (b) Sugar Maple | Acer saccharophorum | |
| Wyoming | (c) Lodgepole Pine | Pinus contorta var. latifolia |
How a Tree Grows
The accompanying illustrations gives a graphic picture of the physical properties of a tree. There are three primary parts to a tree: the roots, the trunk, and the crown. The roots extract from the soil the water and mineral salts needed by the tree in its growth. They also store up the food manufactured by the leaves, and hold the tree firmly in place. The trunk is the main body of the tree from which lumber is manufactured. Each year a new layer of wood is added to the trunk of the tree. These layers produce the "grain" and "figure" of the wood.
The crown embraces the branches, leaves, flowers, and fruit. Water and sunshine give life to the tree and are limiting factors in its growth.
It is not our purpose to go into a great deal of detail with regard to tree growth since this is a specialized study. The illustration is included to give a general picture of the physical make-up of a tree and to form a basis for the study which follows of the beauty and usefulness of many kinds of woods found in the United States.
References