Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

Western Carolina University (21) View all

Common forest trees of North Carolina

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  • wcu_great_smoky_mtns-9715.jpg
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  • SWEET BAY, OR WHITE BAY (Magnolia virginiana L.) SWEET BAY, or white bay, is a small slender tree with gray branches attaining heights of 15 to 30 feet, depending upon the soil conditions. It is found on low, moist or wet lands, and along the margins of water in the Coastal Plain and less abundantly in the eastern portion of the Piedmont region. It is associated with white cedar in the "juniper bays." It sprouts up freely after fires and sometimes forms thickets. It is often cultivated as a garden plant in this country and in Europe. The leaves are simple, oblong, pale green above and white beneath, most of them dropping off during the winter, especially in the Piedmont. The winter buds are thickly Y\ \>\// KWJI ^P^covered with fine hairs. The fra- grant f 1 owers, with 9 to 12 pure white petals on slender smooth stems, measure from 2 to 3 inches across. They continue to open during several weeks in the spring and early summer. The fruit cluster, or "cone," is oval in shape, dark red, smooth, about 2 inches long by one-half an inch broad, and contains scarlet seeds which are variably oval and much flattened, about one-quarter of an inch long. The wood is soft, light brown tinged with red, with cream-white sapwood. The tree is usually too small for the wood to be of much commercial importance, although it is sometimes used along with gum for wooden ware and for making paper pulp. SWEET BAY, OR WHITE BAY Leaf, one-third natural size. Twig, two-thirds natural size. 58
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Object’s are ‘parent’ level descriptions to ‘children’ items, (e.g. a book with pages).