T'POCKET GUIDE

TO

ALASKA TREES

Agriculture Handbook No, 5

U, S. Department of Agriculture
INDEX TO COMMON NAMES

OF ALASKA TREES

Page

Alaska-cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis) 25

Alder, red (Alnus rubra) 50

Alder, Sitka (Alnus sinuata) 52

Alder, thlnleaf (Alnus tenutfolia) 51

Apple, Oregon crab (Malus diversifolio) 55

Aspen, quaking (Populus tremuloides) 27

Birch, paper (Betula papyrifera) 45

Birch, Alaska paper (Betula papyrifera var. humilis) 46

Birch, Kenai (Betula papyrifera var. kenaica) 48

Birch, western paper (Betula papyrifera var. commutata) _ _ 45

Cottonwood, black (Populus trichocarpa) 32

Fir, alpine (Abies lasiocarpa) 22

Fir, Pacific silver (Abies amabilis) 23

Hemlock, mountain (Tsuga mertensiana) 20

Hemlock, western (Tsuga heterophylla) 19

Maple, Douglas (Acer glabrum var. douglasii) 59

Mountain-ash, European (Sorbus aucuparia) 58

Mountain-ash, Sitka (Sorbus sitchensis) 56

Pine, lodgepole (Pinus contorta) 13

Poplar, balsam (Populus tacamahaca) 29

Redcedar, western ( Thuja plicata) 24

Serviceberry, Pacific (Amelanchier florida) 54

Spruce, black (Picea mariana) 14

Spruce, Sitka (Picea sitchensis) 17

Spruce, white (Picea glauca) 15

Tamarack (Larix laricina) 12

Willow, Bebb (Salix bebbiana) 42

Willow, feltleaf (Salix alaxensis) 36

Willow, littletree (Salix arbusculoides) 38

Willow, Pacific (Salix lasiandra) 35

Willow, Scouler (Salix scouleriana) 41

Willow, Sitka (Salix sitchensis) 39

Willow, Yakutat (Salix amplifolia) 37

Yew, Pacific (Taxus brevifolia) 10

ALASKA SHRUBS DESCRIBED BRIEFLY

Alder, American green (Alnus crispa) 53

Birch, dwarf arctic (Betula nana) 49

Birch, resin (Betula glandulosa) 48

Dogwood, redosier (Cornus stolonifera) 61

Hawthorn, black (Crataegus douglasii) 56

Juniper, common (Juniperus communis) 26

Juniper, creeping (Juniperus horizontalis) 27

Mountain-ash, Greene (Sorbus scopulina) 59

Mountain-ash, Siberian (Sorbus sambucifolia) 59

Serviceberry, Saskatoon (Amelanchier alnifolia) 54

Willow, sandbar (Salix interior) 43

Willow, serviceberry (Salix pseudomonticola) 43
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FOREST SERVICE

Agriculture Handbook No. 5

A Revision of Miscellaneous Publication No. 55

Washington, D. C. June 1950

POCKET GUIDE

TO

ALASKA TREES

BY

RAYMOND F. TAYLOR, forester in charge, Alaska

Forest Research Center, and ELBERT L. LITTLE, JR.,

forester (dendrology). Forest Service

UNITED STATES

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 1950

PREFACE

Pocket Guide to Alaska Trees was first published in

1929 in response to the need of a nontechnical booklet

describing Alaska's tree species. Request for another

printing has provided the opportunity for revision and

enlargement in 1950 to include a few additions, more

detailed data on ranges, and other notes resulting from

various studies during this 21-year interval, when interest in Alaska has greatly increased.

Identification of the trees of Alaska is not difficult,

because relatively few kinds of trees grow in far northern lands toward their limits. Nearly every State in

the United States contains within its boundaries at

leasttwice as many native tree species as does this northern Territory. •

Alaska has 30 species and 2 important varieties of

native trees; that is, woody plants having one welldefined stem or trunk at least 2 inches in diameter at

breast height (4i/2 feet), a more or less definitely formed

crown of foliage, and a height of at least 10 feet. One

cultivated tree species has become established as naturalized also. Five species and 1 variety of small trees

are added here to the 28 species in the first edition,

while 2 of the latter have been combined as varieties of

the same species. One species formerly reported from

Alaska, bigleaf maple, is omitted in this revision in the

absence of authentic records.

Visitors will find relatively few unfamiliar trees, as

all Alaska tree species except three usually shrubby

species of willow and two varieties of paper birch occur

also in some part of the United States. Nineteen, or

almost two-thirds, of the Alaska tree species grow wild

also in some part of California, while seven are widely

distributed in the "north woods" across Canada and

south into the northeastern States.

Even the low figure of 30 native tree species seems

high, because these are not distributed throughout

Alaska and because some are of small size; only 15

tree species commonly surpass a height of 30 feet.

Nearly all the commercial timber of Alaska is produced

by these nine species : white spruce, Sitka spruce, western hemlock, mountain hemlock, western redcedar,

Alaska-cedar, balsam poplar, black cottonwood, and

paper birch.

For each species there are included: (1) Common

and scientific names, those approved by the Forest Service, with other names also in use; (2) nontechnical description with emphasis on the characters useful in

identification; (3) notes on size, habitat, and economic

importance; (4) range in Alaska and the limits beyond ;

III
and (5) drawings of leafy twigs and fruits or cones.

Twelve related shrubby species are briefly described, in

order to mention all Alaska representatives of the tree

genera except willows and to list shrubs which become

small trees elsewhere. Characters for the recognition

of the families and genera of Alaska trees are summarized. There are also two keys to species for summer and winter, based as far as possible upon nontechnical characters of leaves and twigs.

The notes on size, habitat, and economic importance

apply to trees and specimens from Alaska. Trunk

diameters are measured at breast height (4^2 feet).

Most of these species attain larger heights and diameters southward. Also, the woods of some species hare

other uses in the United States than in Alaska, where

the same species may be less accessible to markets, less

common, restricted in range, or of smaller size.

A list of selected references on the trees of Alaska has

been added. These may be consulted for further information. George B. Sudworth's Forest Trees of the Pacific Slope, an early Forest Service publication, included

Alaska in its range and described and illustrated 28

Alaska tree species. Besides the five mentioned as of

special value in the preparation of the first edition,

several important forestry and botanical publications

appearing afterward have been helpful in this revision.

References oh the trees of British Columbia contain the

trees of Alaska as well and have been listed.

Uses of Alaska woods are described in the following

Forest Service publications, now out of print: L. J.

Markwardt, The Distribution and the Mechanical Properties of Alaska Woods; B. F. Heintzleman, Pulp-timber Resources of Southeastern Alaska; and Alva W.

Blackerby, Opportunities for Minor Wood Product Industries in Alaska.

Two valuable floras of Alaska, published in serial

form, have been consulted freely in this revision. They

are: J. P. Anderson, Flora of Alaska and Adjacent

Parts of Canada, and Eric Hulten, Flora of Alaska and

Yukon. Anderson's Flora is especially useful for its

descriptions and small drawings of each species and for

its complete keys. Hulten's more technical Flora contains detailed botanical notes, exact information on

ranges, and a distribution map of Alaska for each species. Special acknowledgment is due Hulten's Flora

for its detailed ranges, which have been so helpful in

this revision. The large Alaska collections in the National Herbarium, United States National Museum,

have been studied also.

Illustrations in this revised edition, with three exceptions, are by Forest Service artists, and most of them

appeared originally in Forest Trees of the Pacific Slope,

IV
by George B. Sudworth. Miss Leta Hughey, scientific

illustrator (botany), Forest Service, has made nine

drawings for the revision. The figure of tamarack is

from W. F. Wight (Smithsn. Inst. Misc. Collect, v. 50,

pi. 17. 1907). The drawings of Yakutat willow and

Sitka willow are taken from articles by Frederick V.

Coville (Wash. Acad. Sei. Proc. v. 2, pi. 15. 1900; v. 3,

pi. 33.1901 ). All figures have been reduced to a scale of

either three-fourths, one-half, or natural size.

The map of Alaska, appearing in the center double

page, has been reduced from the large, folded map of

Alaska in the first edition. This revised map, drafted

by Miss Francene E. Sizer and Miss Hazel M. Hartman,

shows the forest regions of Alaska, the boundaries of

the Tongass and Chugach National Forests, and most of

the place names cited under ranges. For the original

map of the forest regions acknowledgment was made to

Zon and Sparhawk's Forest Eesources of the World,

bulletins of the United States Geological Survey, reports of the Alaska-Canadian Boundary Survey, Forest

Service timber-cover data, and to the late L. J. Palmer

and other individuals.

Grateful acknowledgment is made to J. P. Anderson,

formerly of Juneau and now at Iowa State College,

Ames, Iowa, for criticism and correction of the manuscript of the first edition and for suggestions about

additions for the revision. R. R. Robinson, Division of

Forestry, Bureau of Land Management, Anchorage, has

contributed for this edition information on tree ranges

in the interior of Alaska. Carleton R. Ball, formerly

of the United States Department of Agriculture, has

examined the revised manuscript on the difficult group

of willows {Salix) and has made helpful suggestions for

the species descriptions and key to the species in this

genus.

In order that more detailed information on the trees

of Alaska can be assembled, the request in the first

edition for corrections and additional data, particularly

regarding ranges of trees, is repeated here. This information may be sent to the Regional Forester, United

States Forest Service, Juneau, Alaska.

Almost all the coastal forests are within Alaska's two

national forests, which are administered by the Forest

Service of the United States Department of Agriculture,

with regional forester's headquarters in Juneau.

Field offices under direction of division supervisors are

located in Ketchikan, Craig, Petersburg, Juneau, Sitka,

Cordova, and Seward. Headquarters of the Alaska

Forest Research Center are located at Juneau, Alaska.

Inquiries for information on the forests of Alaska

should be addressed to the Regional Forester, United

States Forest Service, Juneau, Alaska.

Pocket Guide to Alaska Trees

By RAYMOND F. TAYLOB, forester in charge^ Alaska Forest Research

Centerj and ELBERT L. LITTLE, Jn.^ forester (dendrology) ^ Forest

Service,

CONTENTS

Page

The forests of Alaska 1

Coastal forests 1

Interior forests 2

Nonforested areas 3

Importance of fire prevention 4

Keys for identification of Alaska trees 5

Key to Alaska trees, based mainly upon leaves 6

Winter key to deciduous trees of Alaska 8

Alaska trees 10

Yew family (Taxaceae) 10

Pine family (Pinaceae) 11

Willow family (Salicaceae) 27

Birch family (Betulaceae) 44

Rose family (Rosaceae) -__ 54

Maple family (Aceraceae) 59

Dogwood family (Cornaceae) . 61

Selected references 62

THE FORESTS OF ALASKA

Alaska, with an area of 586,400 square miles, is approximately twice as large as Texas and one-fifth the

size of the United States. It has three general kinds of

vegetation : the coastal forests, the interior forests, and

the treeless vegetation of tundra and grassland. Distribution of the forests is shown on the center map.

COASTAL FORESTS

The dense forests of western hemlock and Sitka

spruce, an extension of similar forests along the coast

of British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon, extend

some 900 miles along the Alaska coast fro"m the southeast tip to Cook Inlet and Kodiak Island. Commercial

species extend from tidewater to about 1,500 feet elevation but subalpine species continue to at least 2,500 feet.

The climate is mild and cool with a rainfall varying

from 40 to 160 inches annually.

Two national forests, totaling almost 21 million

acres, contain most of Alaska's coastal forests. The

Tongass National Forest with more than 16 million

acres includes 70 percent of southeast Alaska forests

and is composed of 73 percent western hemlock, 21 per-
cent Sitka spruce, 3 percent each of western redcedar

and Alaska-cedar. The Chugach National Forest in

the Prince William Sound section, with almost 5 million

acres, has 65 percent hemlock, 22 percent Sitka spruce,

11 percent white spruce, and 1 percent each of cottonwood and paper birch. The two national forests include

possibly 6 million acres of commercial forest and an

estimated 84 billion board feet of virgin timber. Mature trees in merchantable stands range from 2 to 5

feet or more in trunk diameter, and from 100 to 160

feet tall.

The Alaska forests are of immense economic importance. They grow on nonagricultural land and are

under scientific forest management, the annual cut never

exceeding annual growth. In fact, until wood-using

industries are fully developed a very small fraction of

yearly potential growth will be utilized. The forests

of southeast Alaska can produce at least a million tons

of newsprint paper annually. The development of a

paper pulp industry is under way. Abundant water

power is available at more than 200 sites with a total

year-round capacity of about 1,000,000 horsepower. In

addition, the coastal forests can supply high-grade

lumber, plywood, poles, piling, and shingles.

Scenic grandeur is unsurpassed. The narrow waterways, rugged mountains and glaciers, and a variety of

wildlife offer a wealth of recreation values.

INTERIOR FORESTS

The interior white spruce-birch forests, which are

frequently mixed with balsam poplar, lie chiefly north

of the Alaska Range extending to the Arctic tundra.

The type extends across Canada to Labrador and Newfoundland, and south into the northeastern States. The

best stands in Alaska occur on the lower slopes of the

larger river valleys such as the Yukon, Tanana, Matanuska, and Susitna and their main tributaries. It is

a region of cold winters and has an annual rainfall of

only 7 to 20 inches. Because of this and the long summer days fire hazard is high. Most of the original

forests have been burned over since the gold rush of

1898 and the resulting second-growth stands continue

to suffer from repeated fires.

No accurate figures are available but it is estimated

that fairly dense stands of mixed white spruce and

white birch in interior Alaska cover nearly 40,000 square

miles. Possibly 60,000 square miles have more open

woodlands which generally lie on the upper slopes. A

rough estimate would place the total volume of these

interior woodlands at 225 billion board feet.

White spruce and birch grow slowly in comparison

to the coastal forests, but compare favorably with this
same type in eastern Canada where pulp and other industries depend upon such stands. Spruce 18 to 24

inches in diameter often occurs where there has been

no fire, but the more common size is 8 to 12 inches and

40 to 50 feet in height. White birch 10 to 14 inches in

diameter is found on the better sites. These stands are

used locally for mine props and timbers, house logs, and

sawed lumber.

The dwarfed, slow-growing black spruce forms dense

thickets on boggy fiats and swamps, and is occasionally

mixed with tamarack. Black spruce in Alaska seldom

exceeds 6 inches in diameter ; a tree 2 inches in diameter

may be 100 years old.

The interior forests, if protected from fire, could be

immensely valuable in the development of this vast

region. The birch timber is satisfactory for cabinet and

general use and the larger trees are excellent for peeler

logs. Itis fortunate that even after several fires, paper

birch and white spruce (both valuable species) regenerate rather than a weedlike gray birch which is so prevalentin the northeastern States. Itis possible that with

an extreme timber shortage in the States, the interior

forests will be utilized, particularly near the centers of

population.

There are no national forests in the interior; the Bureau of Land Management, United States Department

of the Interior, administers these public lands. The

Division of Forestry of that bureau at Anchorage can

supply further information on interior forests.

NONFORESTED AREAS

Willows and alders form thickets along stream

courses and above timber line.

Grasslands occur on the Alaska Peninsula, the Aleutians, and the south slopes of the Alaska Range.

Tundra is widely distributed over the vast treeless section bordering Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean north

of the Brooks Range. There are three tundra types:

wet, dry, and rocky or ridge tundra. Average composition is 30 percent lichens, 25 percent sedges, 25

percent shrubs, and 20 percent grasses, weeds, and

mosses. The ridge type above the timber line on mountains has a larger percentage of lichens, grasses, and

weeds and is less densely stocked. In many places the

forest is gradually advancing onto the tundra.

Efforts have been made to establish tree growth on

the western Aleutian Islands from time to time. Small

groves of Sitka spruce planted in 1805 by the Russians

at Unalaska have survived but not spread. Bruce and

Court (1945) reported the planting of Sitka spruce and

other species in the Aleutians by the united States

Army during World War II.

877179—50 2 3
IMPORTANCE OF FIRE PREVENTION

Widespread and repeated fires have caused the amazingly large areas of young second growth along the

railroads, highways, and water courses in the interior.

The Alaska Fire Control Service, organized in 1939 and

later merged with the Division of Forestry of the Bureau of Land Management, is making progress in preventing and controlling fires. Alaska citizens are beginning to realize that these fires not only destroy timber, but also cause changes in the food available to fur

bearers and other game animals and birds. Habitats

are changed or destroyed causing changes in migration

routes. Uncontrolled burning affects hunting, trapping, and grazing.

Frequent fires destroy the vegetative cover of watersheds causing flash floods and loss of a stable water

supply. Lichens, the mainstay of reindeer herds in

winter, require 15 to 40 years to reestablish themselves

after a fire, and, of course, it takes at least 80 to 100

years to grow a 10-inch white spruce again.

Only 20 percent of the fires are lightning-caused.

The rest are due to carelessness or negligence in extinguishing small fires before they become too large to

handle. The six tested fire-prevention rules below are

of use only if there is a desire to prevent fires. The desire can come only when inhabitants of interior Alaska

realize that the future development of many valuable

resources is being jeopardized by fires.

Follow these tested rules for forest fire prevention—

1. Majcing oamp,—^Before building a fire, scrape away

all inflammable material from a spot 5 feet in diameter.

Dig a hole in the center, and in it build your camp fire.

Keep your fire small. Never build it against trees or

logs or near brush.

2. Breaking caw/p,—Never leave a camp until you are

sure every spark of your fire is out. Stir the coals while

soaking them with water. Wet the ground around the

fire. If you cannot get water, stir in damp mineral

earth and tread it down until packed tight over and

around the fire. Be sure the last spark is dead.

3. Matches.—Be sure your match is out. Break it in

two before you throw it away.

4. Tobacco,—Be sure pipe ashes and cigar or cigarette stubs are dead before throwing them away. Never

throw them into brush, leaves, needles, or other

vegetation.

5. Brmh hurning,—Never burn brush or slash in

windy weather or while there is the slightest danger that

the fire will get away.

6. Fire fighting.—Put out the small fires and there

will be no larger ones. If you discover a large fire do

your best to get assistance.
KEYS FOR IDENTIFICATON OF

ALASKA TREES

Two nontechnical keys to Alaska trees are provided.

The first, based mainly upon leaves, can be used during

the growing season or throughout the year for the evergreens. The second identifies deciduous trees which

are leafless in the dormant season and is based largely

on the winter buds, twigs, and leaf scars.

Keys are outlines for identifying specimen trees

through the process of elimination. The tree species

of Alaska are divided into two groups according to certain nontechnical, distinguishing characters of leaves,

twigs, or winter buds, and each group is divided successively into two smaller groups down to a single species

atthe end. The name of a particular specimen is found

through selection, one by one, of the group in which it

fits. Paired groups are designated by the same letter,

single and double.

For example, a specimen with broad leaves to be

identified by the first key belongs under "AA," not "A,"

and all the trees under "A," having needlelike or scalelike evergreen leaves, are eliminated. Next, if the

leaves and branches are in pairs, this specimen belongs

under "MM," not "M," and is a Douglas maple. For

verification, comparison is made also with the drawing,

description, and range of this species.

In the first key, broadleaf trees are grouped into those

with simple leaves ("N") and those with leaves divided

into leaflets or compound ("NN"). Leaflets of a

compound leaf differ from simple leaves in that they

are usually smaller in size, are attached to a common

leafstalk that sheds with them, and have no developing

bud at the base. So far as known, the only Alaska

trees with compound leaves are Sitka mountain-ash and

European mountain-ash.
KEY TO ALASKA TREES, BASED MAINLY

ON LEAVES

A. Leaves needlelike or scalelike, evergreen (except in tamarack) ; trees resinous (except in yew) ; seeds more or less

exposed and not enclosed in a fruit—GYMNOSPERMS

(conifers or softwoods).

B. Leaves needlelike, flattened, abruptly pointed but not

prickly, in 2 rows comblike with leafstalks extending

down the twig ; seeds single in a scarlet juicy disk ; tree

of southern tip of southeast Alaska—PACIFIC YEW.

BB. Leaves needlelike or scalelike, not as above ; seeds borne

on scales of a cone.

C. Leaves needlelike, more than ^4 inch long, single or

clustered.

D. Needles shedding in fall, 12 to 20 in cluster on short,

spur branches (or single on leading twigs) —

TAMARACK.

DD. Needles evergreen, single or 2 or 3 in a bundle.

E. Needles in bundles of 2 (sometimes 3) with a sheath

at base—LODGEPOLE PINE.

EE. Needles single, without a sheath at base.

F. Older twigs roughened by projections where

needles were shed.

G. Needles sharp-pointed, stiff, without leafstalks—SPRUCE.

H. Needles 4-angled.

I. Twigs hairy ; needles mostly less than V2 inch

long—BLACK SPRUCE.

II. Twigs not hairy; needles more than %

inch long, with skunklike odor when

crushed—WHITE SPRUCE.

HH. Needles flattened but slightly keeled—

SITKA SPRUCE.

GG. Needles blunt, soft and not stiff, with short

leafstalks—HEMLOCK.

J. Needles flat, appearing in 2 rows—WESTERN

HEMLOCK.

JJ. Needles keeled or angled beneath, on all sides

of twig—MOUNTAIN HEMLOCK.

FF. Older twigs not rough—FIR.

K. Needles dark green on both sides—ALPINE FIR.

KK. Needles dark green above and silvery white

beneath—PACIFIC SILVER FIR.

CC. Leaves scalelike, usually less than i/s inch long,

crowded, forming fanlike sprays.

L. Leafy twigs flattened, shiny yellow green; leaves

flattened and not spreading, curved—^WÏîSTERN

REDCEDAR.

LL. Leafy twigs 4-anglecl or slightly flattened, dark bine

green ; leaves spreading, pointed—ALASKACEDAR.

AA. Leaves broad and flat, shedding in fall (deciduous) ; trees

nonresinous ; seeds enclosed in a fruit—ANGIOSPERMS

(flowering plants).

M. Leaves and branches arranged singly (alternate).

N. Leaves not divided into leaflets (simple).
o. Leafstalks mostly less than i^ inch long ; leaves mostly

more than twice as long as broad, with edges finely

toothed or without teeth ; winter buds covered by a

single scale—^WILLOW.

P. Leaf edges finely and distinctly toothed from base to

apex.

Q. Leaves 2 to 5 inches long, long-pointed, mostly

rounded at base—PACIFIO WILLOW.

QQ. Leaves 1 to 3 inches long, mostly short-pointed

at both ends—LITTLETREE WILLOW.

PP. Leaf edges without teeth or only sparsely and indistinctly toothed.

R. Leaves mostly oblanceolate to obovate, shortpointed at apex and usually tapering to the

narrow base.

S. Leaves thick, mostly with white or gray feltlike

or furry coat beneath ; catkins stoutish.

T. Leaves with dense white felt beneath ; catkins

stoutish, 2 to 4 inches long—FELTLEAF

WILLOW.

TT. Leaves with dense to sparse white or gray

furry coat beneath ; catkins stout, 1 to 2

inches long—SCOULER WILLOW.

SS. Leaves thin, rather thinly silvery silky beneath; catkins slender—SITKA WILLOW.

RR. Leaves broadly elliptical or oval or obovate,

broadly pointed to rounded at both ends.

U. Leaves mostly 1 to 2 inches wide, mostly oval,

hairy on both sides while young, becoming

hairless; catkins dense at maturity; seed

capsules short-stalked—YAKUTAT WILLOW.

UU. Leaves less than 1 inch wide, elliptical to

oblanceolate or obovate-oval, gray-hairy and

mostly roughly net-veined beneath ; catkins

loose at maturity; seed capsules longstalked—BEBB WILLOW.

00. Leafstalks usually more than i^ inch long (often

shorter in alder) ; leaves less than twice as long

as broad, with edges finely or coarsely toothed;

winter buds with 3 or more scales exposed.

V. Leaf edges finely toothed with curved and rounded

teeth—COTTONWOOD, POPLAR, ASPEN.

W. Leaves nearly round, less than 2 inches long ; leafstalks flattened—QUAKING ASPEN.

WW. Leaves longer than broad, 2^/^ to 5 inches long ;

leafstalks not flattened.

X. Seed capsules pointed, smooth, splitting into 2

parts; leaves pale green and brownish beneath; tree of interior forests—BALSAM

POPLAR.

XX. Seed capsules rounded, hairy, splitting into 3

parts ; leaves whitish beneath ; tree of

coastal forests—BLACK COTTONWOOD.

VV. Leaf edges coarsely toothed with sharp-pointed

teeth.

Y. Leaf edges doubly toothed with teeth of two sizes.

Z. Leaf edges not lobed ; bark papery, white, brown,

or reddish, peeling off—PAPER BIRCH,

a. Leaves rounded at base ; bark usually reddish

brown; tree of southeast Alaska—WESTERN PAPER BIRCH,

aa. Leaves usually wedge-shaped at base.
b. Leaves long-pointed ; bark usually whitish ;

tree of interior forests south to Pacific

coast—ALASKA PAPER BIRCH.

bb> Leaves short-pointed and often slightly

hairy above; bark usually dark brown;

tree of southern and interior Alaska—

KENAI BIRCH.

ZZ. Leaf edges wavy or shallowly lobed ; bark usually gray and smooth, not papery nor peeling

ofe—ALDER,

c. Leaves dark green above, not shiny, not sticky

when young; leaf edges with short-pointed

teeth; nutlets ("seeds") with 2 narrow

wings or none,

d. Leaves with rusty hairs along the veins beneath; leaf edges curled under slightly;

nutlets ("seeds") with 2 narrow wings—

RED ALDER,

dd. Leaves finely hairy or nearly smooth beneath; leaf edges flat; nutlets ("seeds")

without wings—THINLEAF ALDER,

cc. Leaves yellow green above, shiny on both

sides and especially beneath, sticky when

young ; leaf edges with long-pointed teeth ;

nutlets ("seeds") with 2 broad wings—

SITKA ALDER.

YY. Leaf edges with uniform teeth.

e. Leaves rounded at apex—PACIFIC SERVICEBERRY.

ee. Leaves short-pointed, sometimes 3-lobed—OREGON CRAB APPLE.

NN. Leaves divided into 7 to 17 leaflets (compound), the

leaflets attached along the extended leafstalk and

shedding with it—MOUNTAIN-ASH.

f. Leaflets toothed above middle and rounded at apex,

usually 9 or 11 (or 7 to 13)—SITKA MOUNTAINASH.

f£. Leaflets toothed near base, short-pointed, 9 to 17—

EUROPEAN MOUNTAIN-ASH.

MM. Leaves and usually branches in pairs (opposite) —

DOUGLAS MAPLE.

WINTER KEY TO DECIDUOUS TREES OF

ALASKA

A. Twigs with many wartlike, blackish spur branches about %

inch long ; upright, brown cones usually present ; trees with

pointed crown—TAMARACK.

AA, Twigs without spur branches or with longer spur branches ;

trees with spreading, usually rounded crown.

B. Winter buds, leaf scars, and branches arranged singly

(alternate).

C, Winter buds covered by a single scale—WILLOW (the

different species not readily distinguished in winter

condition).

CO. Winter buds with 3 or more scales exposed.

D. Winter buds resinous or sticky, shiny; lowest bud

scale centered over leaf scar—COTTONWOOD,

POPLAR, ASPEN.

E. Winter buds ^ inch or less in length, short-pointed,

only slightly resinous—QUAKING ASPEN.

EE. Winter buds % to 1 inch long, long-pointed, very

resinous.

8
p. Tree of interior forests—ÈALSAM POPLAII.

FF. Tree of coastal forests—BLACK COTTONWOOD.

DD. Winter buds not resinous or sticky (slightly resinous

in Sitka alder) ; lowest bud scales at side of bud.

G. Winter buds stalked, dark red or purple, with the

3 exposed scales meeting at their edges (scales

overlapping in Sitka alder) ; old, hard, blackish

cones usually present—^ALDER.

H. Cones short-stalked.

/. Cones 1/^ to 1 inch long—RED ALDER.

//. Cones less than i^ inch long—THINLEAF

ALDER.

HH. Cones long-stalked, with stalks mostly longer

than the cones—SITKA ALDER.

GO. Winter buds not stalked, composed of overlapping

scales.

J. Winter buds % inch or less in length ; bud scales

with few or no hairs.

K. Twigs with many small whitish spots (lenticéis and resin) ; bark papery, peeling off—

PAPER BIRCH.

KK. Twigs with few inconspicuous spots (lenticels) ; bark not papery.

L. Winter buds sharp-pointed, purple—PACIFIC

SERVICEBERRY.

LL, Winter buds blunt-pointed, dark brown—

OREGON CRAB APPLE.

JJ, Winter buds large, usually more than % inch

long ; inner exposed bud scales densely hairy—

MOUNTAIN-ASH.

M. Winter buds rusty-hairy—SITKA MOUNTAINASH.

MM. Winter buds white - hairy — EUROPEAN

MOUNTAIN-ASH.

BB. Winter buds, leaf scars, and usually branches in pairs

(opposite)—DOUGLAS MAPLE.
ALASKA TREES

YEW FAMILY (Taxaceae)

The seed plants with the seeds partly exposed (gymnosperms), not enclosed in fruits, are represented in

Alaska by two families of conifers or softwoods, the yew

family (Taxaceae) and the pine family (Pinaceae).

The Alaska examples are evergreen (with one exception) trees and shrubs with narrow or small leaves resembling needles or scales. Pacific yew {Taoms brevifolia Nutt.), the Alaska member of the yew family, is

distinguished by the seeds borne singly in a scarlet, juicy,

cuplike or berrylike disk, by the flat, pointed, nonresinous needles in two rows, and by the twisted leafstalks extending down the twig. In the pine family the

seeds are borne in a cone, which, however, is berrylike

in the junipers.

PACIFIC YEW aiaxus brevifolia Nutt.)

Other name : western yew.

Leaves (needles) in 2 rows, flat, slightly curved, stiff

or soft, abruptly pointed but not prickly, I/2 to % inch

long, shiny dark green above, pale beneath, not resinous

(fig. 1). Leafstalks yellow, extending down the twigs,

FIGURE 1.—Pacific yew {Taxus hrevifoUa)^ three-fourths natural size.

10
twisting to produce an even, comblike arrangement of

needles. Pollen and seeds on different trees. Seeds

single, % inch long, exposed at apex but partly surrounded by a scarlet, juicy, cuplike disk or "berry."

Bark purplish brown, thin, scaly, ridged and fluted.

Wood bright red with thin light yellow sapwood, finegrained, heavy, hard, elastic.

Pacific yew is a small tree or shrub up to 30 feet tall

with a straight conical trunk 6 to 12 inches in diameter

with horizontal or drooping branches but usually much

smaller. It is exceedingly scattered, occurring where

birds have dropped the seeds. It grows slowly in the

undergrowth of dense forests at the heads of streams

and moist canyons. The strong, durable wood is used

for bows, canoe paddles, and cabinet work but is too

scarce in Alaska to be commercially important.

Range: Southern tip of southeast Alaska. Known

from Mary, Annette, and Gravina Islands near Ketchikan and from southern end of Prince of Wales Island,

butit probably grows in other parts of southeast Alaska.

Southeast from British Columbia to Montana and

California.

PINE FAMILY (Pinaceae)

The largest and by far the most important family of

trees in Alaska is the pine family (Pinaceae), with 7

genera and 11 species of trees and 1 genus with 2 species

of shrubs. Members of this family make up nearly all

the trees of the forests of southeast Alaska and most of

the timber of the interior forests also. They furnish

nearly all of Alaska's lumber, pulpwood, and other

wood products. These cone-bearing, narrow-leaved,

resinous evergreens generally have tall, straight trunks

except where dwarfed near the limits of tree growth.

The 5 genera having needlelike leaves, with their Alaska

species, are: (1) Larch {Larix)^ with 1 species, tamarack, the only Alaska conifer shedding its leaves in the

fall; (2) pine (Pinm), with 1 species, lodgepole pine;

(3) spruce (Picea) ^ with 3 species, black spruce, white

spruce, and Sitka spruce; (4) hemlock (Tsuffa), with 2

species, western hemlock and mountain hemlock; and

(5) fir {Abies) ^ with 2 species, alpine fir and Pacific

silver fir. The other 2 genera, with scalelike leaves

usually less than i/g inch long, are (6) thuja [Thuja)^

with 1 species, western redcedar; and (7) white-cedar

{OJumiaeoypcùris)^ with 1 species, Alaska-cedar. The

eighth Alaska genus, juniper (Jwiiperm)^ with scalelike or awllike leaves and with seeds in a "berry," is

represented by 2 species of low shrubs, common juniper

(sometimes a small tree in the United States) and

creeping juniper.

877179—so- il
The characteristics readily used to identify these 7

genera, or the single species of the 4 genera with only 1

Alaska species, are summarized here.

Tamarack {Larix laricina (Du Eoi) K. Koch). The

only Alaska conifer which sheds its leaves in fall and

is leafless in winter. The needles are borne 12 to 20 in

a cluster on short, spur branches (or single on leading

twigs).

Lodgepole pine {Firms contorta Dough). The

needles are 2 (sometimes 3) in a bundle or cluster with

a sheath at base, 1 to 2 inches long. The one-sided,

prickly cones remain closed on the tree for many years.

Spruce {Picea). The needles are sharp-pointed and

stiff, either 4-angled or flattened and slightly keeled, extending out on all sides of twig. There is no leafstalk,

but each leaf is attached on a small stalklike projection

of the twig. Older twigs without needles are rough because of these projections. Cut branches of spruce and

hemlock shed their needles promptly upon drying.

(Botanical specimens with most needles remaining attached can be prepared easily by immersing freshly cut

twigs in boiling water for a few minutes before pressing.) The cones hang down.

Hemlock {Tsuga). The needles are blunt, soft and

not stiff, have short leafstalks, and are flat or slightly

keeled. As in spruce, the older twigs have become

roughened by the stalklike projections where the needles

were shed. The cones hang down.

Fir {Ahies), The needles are flat and without leafstalks. The older twigs are not rough but smooth after

the needles are shed. The cones are uprightin the highest branches of the narrow, pointed crowns. As the

cone scales fall from the central axis at maturity, old

cones are not found on or under the trees.

Western redcedar ( Thuja plicata Donn). The scalelike leaves Ke to % inch long are flat and curved and

arranged on the flattened leafy twigs in fanlike sprays.

The small cones are clustered at ends of branches and

become turned up.

Alaska-cedar {Gharnaecyparis nootkatensis (D.Don)

Spach). The scalelike leaves %6 to % inch long are

pointed and spreading. Leafy twigs are 4-angled or

slightly flattened and form fanlike sprays. The small,

hard cones are nearly spherical.

TAMARACK {Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch)

Other names: eastern larch, hackmatack, Alaska

larch; Z. alaskensis W. F. Wight, L. laricina var. alaskensis (W. F. Wight) Eaup.

Leaves (needles) shedding in fall (deciduous), in

clusters of 12 to 20 on short spur branches or twigs (or

single on leading twigs), % to 1 inch long, narrow and

12
3-angled, blue green (fig. 2). Cones upright, rounded,

% to % inch long, brown, maturing in early fall.

Twigs dull tan in winter. Bark ashy brown, thin and

scaly. Wood light brown, hard, heavy, elastic.

Tamarack, a small tree to 30 feet in height with a

straight, tapering trunk up to 8 inches in diameter, has

a thin crown of foliage and horizontal branches which

usually extend to the ground. It grows in muskegs and

various moist soils of the interior in open stands with

balsam poplar, black spruce, alder, and willow. The

FIGURE 2.—Tamarack (Larix laricina), three-fourths natural

size.

only Alaska conifer shedding its leaves in winter, this

hardy tree can withstand great changes in temperature.

The durable, strong wood is used to some extent for

poles, railroad ties, and fence posts.

Range: Interior Alaska but absent from southeast

Alaska. Interior forests of Tanana, upper Koyukuk,

lower Yukon, and upper Kuskokwim River valleys,

extending between 63° and 67° in latitude but not north

to the limit of trees; west to Unalakleet River near

Bering Sea. East across Canada to Labrador and

Newfoundland and south in northeastern United States

to New Jersey, Illinois, and Minnesota.

LODGEPOLE PINE (Pinus contorta Dougl.)

Other names: shore pine, scrub pine, tamarack pine;

P. contorta var. latifolia Engelm., P, murrayana Grev.

& Balf.

Leaves (needles) 2 in a bundle with a sheath at base,

1 to 2 inches long, stout and often twisted, dark green

(fig. 3). Cones egg-shaped, one-sided, 1% to 2 inches

long, light yellow brown, with prickly scales, maturing

in 2 years and remaining closed on the tree many years ;

capable of withstanding heat but opening after fire to

release the seeds. Bark thin, blue brown, deeply furrowed. Woad light reddish brown, pitchy, coarsegrained, hard, brittle.

13
Alaska's only pine, lodgepole pine, is a low scrubby

tree 20 to 40 feet tall and 6 to 20 inches in diameter but

sometimes larger. Intolerant of shade, it grows in open

stands as a scrub pine, straight when young but gnarled

in age, with branches extending almost to the ground.

This dwarf coastal form of lodgepole pine is common

in open muskegs of peat moss and on benches near lakes.

FIGURE 3.—Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), three-fourths

natural size.

In Alaska the wood is used for fuel and minor purposes.

The sweet orange-flavored sap served the Indians as a

delicacy, fresh or dried. The taller, inland tree form,

or lodgepole pine of the mountains, sometimes designated as a separate variety (var. latí folia Engelm.),

does not reach Alaska from Yukon Territory.

Range : Throughout southeast Alaska north to head

of Lynn Canal at Skagway and Glacier Bay. From

Alaska and Yukon east and south to Saskatchewan,

Colorado, California, and Lower California, Mexico.

BLACK SPRUCE (Picea mariana (MilL) B. S. P.)

Other names : bog spruce, swamp spruce.

Leaves (needles) 4-angled, 14 to % inch long, pointed,

ashy blue green, standing out on all sides of the hairy

twigs (fig. 4). Twigs hairy. Cones short, % to I14

inches long, dull gray brown, with scales rigid and

14
brittle, rounded, and slightly toothed; remaining on

the trees several years, often conspicuously clustered in

the tops. Bark thin, composed of gray brown scales.

Wood yellowish white, fine-grained, lightweight, soft.

Black spruce is a small, often scrubby, tree of the

interior forests from a few feet to 15 feet in height or

rarely 20 to 30 feet. The branches are short, sparse,

and often slightly drooping at the ends. This species

is characteristic of cold wet flats, muskegs, and lake

margins in the spruce-birch interior forests up to an

altitude of 2,000 feet. The wood is ofslightimportance

for lumber because of the small size of the trees.

FIGURE 4.—Black spruce (Picea mariawa), three-fourths natural

size.

Besides the different habitat and smaller size with

more compact branching, black spruce is distinguished

from white spruce by the shorter and blunter needles,

hairy twigs, and smaller cones with brittle, slightly

toothed scales. Also the cones remain on the trees

several years instead of shedding in autumn, as in white

spruce. The twigs of black spruce are reported to be

tougher and gummier also.

Range: Interior Alaska in central Yukon and Tanana Eiver valleys west to Elim on Bering Sea ; also in

a smaller area around Cook Inlet but absent from southeast Alaska. East across Canada to Labrador and

Newfoundland, south in northeastern United States

from New Jersey to Minnesota.

WHITE SPRUCE (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss)

Other names: western white spruce, Canadian

spruce; P. glauca var. aTbertiana (S. Brown) Sarg.

Leaves (needles) 4-angled, % to % inch long, stiff,

pointed, blue green, standing out on all sides of the

twigs except near the ends where they mass on top (fig.

5). Leaves and twigs have a skunklike odor when

crushed. Twigs not hairy. Cones slender, li^ to 2l^

inches long, with scales thin and flexible, rounded,

smooth margined; red tinged, at maturity in autumn

turning light brown and falling. Bark gray or brown,

15
thin, of small scales, usually rough. Wood white, of

fine and moderately uneven texture, moderately lightweight.

White spruce, the characteristic spruce and most important tree of the spruce-birch interior forest, is a medium-sized slow-growing tree 30 to 50 feet tall with

trunk diameter commonly 6 to 8 inches or in the better

stands 12 to 24 inches. The largest individuals are 50

to 80 feet tall and 24 to 36 inches in diameter. The

maximum diameter recorded is 54 inches. The crown

FIGURE 5.—White spruce (Picea glauca), three-fourths natural

size.

is usually narrow and spirelike, composed of drooping

branches with upturned ends and numerous small,

drooping side twigs. Although not exacting as to habitat, this species grows best on sandy soils along the

edges of lakes and rivers and forms the densest forests

along the large river valleys. Itthrives under the light

shade of poplar and birch, which it often replaces after

fire or logging. White spruce is the common forest tree

of interior Alaska to its upper altitudinal limit of

2,000 to 3,000 feet and is found in open stands throughout the range of its growth, usually with paper birch or

in pure stands. In a few places, such as the Chugach

National Forest, it extends to tidewater. It supplies

most of the lumber sawed in interior Alaska and has

contributed greatly to the economic development of the

region. Chief uses here include lumber and dimension

material for buildings, flumes, sluice boxes, boats, and

ladders. A large quantity is cut for fuel also. White

16
spruce is the most important commercial tree species in

Canada and the foremost pulpwood.

Range : Interior Alaska, north and west to the limit

of tree growth but not in southeast Alaska, almost the

same as the range of the spruce-birch interior forest

shown on the map of Alaska. North to latitude 68° in

tributaries of Porcupine, Yukon, Koyukuk, Kobuk, and

Noatak Rivers, but not found on the Arctic slope. West

to upper Fish River on Seward Peninsula, Unalakleet,

Mountain Village on the Yukon River, Holitna River on

the Kuskokwim, and Nushagak. South to the Pacific

side of the Alaska range on Chitina and Copper Rivers,

Cook Inlet, and some other bays and inlets. From

Alaska east across Canada to Labrador and Newfoundland, south in northeastern United States from New

York to Minnesota, in Black Hills, and in Montana.

SITKA SPRUCE iPicea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.)

Other names : yellow spruce, tideland spruce, western

spruce, sijver spruce, coast spruce.

Leaves (needles) flattened and thin, % to 1 inch long,

sharp-pointed, slightly keeled or angled above and

rounded or slightly keeled beneath, dark green except

for 2 whitish bands on each side, standing out on all

sides of the smooth twigs (fig. 6). Cones cylindrical

and narroAV, 2 to 3^/2 inches long, light orange brown,

with long, stiff scales, rounded and irregularly toothed,

hanging down, falling at maturity. Bark dark purplish brown, thin, scaly but relatively smooth, the inner

bark whitish with brown dots. Heartwood light reddish brown and sapwood nearly white. Wood of fine

and moderately uneven texture, moderately lightweight,

moderately soft.

Sitka spruce is the largest of all spruces and the most

valuable tree species in Alaska. This common spruce

forms more than 20 percent of the hemlock-spruce

coastal forests of Alaska and also occurs in pure stands.

Sitka spruce has a tall, straight, evenly tapering trunk

above the much enlarged base and an open conical

crown. It grows more rapidly and to larger size than

western hemlock and is more light-requiring. On the

Tongass National Forest mature trees average 160 feet

in height and are 3 to 5 feet in diameter, but trees 200

feet tall and 7 feet in diameter are common. Maximum

size is more than 225 feet in height and 8 feèt in diameter on the best sites, which are deep, rich, moist, but

well-drained soils. The largest known Sitka spruce in

Alaska is 141^ feet in diameter at a point 6 feet above

the ground. This species extends from sea level to the

timber line at about 3,000 feet elevation in the mountains but grows mainly at altitudes below 1,500 feet.

The largest trees have an age of 500 to 700 years or

17
more. On the Chugach National Forest the trees are

smaller. Where they grow in bare or open areas, such

as at Glacier Bay, the bushy trees often propagate by

layering. The lowest branches touch the ground, become partly covered up, develop roots, and then turn

upward to form separate trees. Small groVes of Sitka

FIGURE 6.—Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) j three-fourths

natural size.

spruce trees were planted as early as 1805 by Eussians

at Unalaska, near the eastern end of the treeless Aleutian Islands and far outside the tree limits. These trees

are still growing and have produced cones, but younger

trees are absent, perhaps because of grazing. Both the

common and scientific names honor the southeast Alaska

town of Sitka where this species was discovered by the

German naturalist, Dr. Karl Heinrich Mertens, in 1827.

The wood produces high-grade wood pulp, the best

on the Pacific coast, and with western hemlock will be

used extensively in manufacture of newsprint in the

future. Sitka spruce is the principal saw-timber tree

of southeast Alaska and is made into all the usual

18
forms of lumber. The high-grade lumber has manyuses. Sitka spruce is the most important wood for airplane construction and in the last war was used especially in British mosquito bombers. Resonant qualities,

large size, and uniformity make the wood valuable for

piano sounding boards. Much of the low-grade lumber

is made into packing boxes for the Alaska salmon industry. About two-fifths of the total supply of this

species is in Alaska.

Range : Coastal forests throughout southeast Alaska

north to head of Lynn Canal at Skagway, Glacier Bay,

and Yakutat Bay, west to Prince William Sound, south

shore of Kachemak Bay in Cook Inlet, and Kodiak

Island; the same as the range of the hemlock-spruce

coastal forest shown on the map of Alaska. South

along the Pacific coast to northern California.

WESTERN HEMLOCK (Tsuga heterophyUa (Raf.) Sarg.)

Other names: west coast hemlock (lumber). Pacific

hemlock; formerly T, mertensiana auth.

Leaves (needles) in 2 rows, short-stalked, flat, 14 to

% inch long, rounded at tips, shiny, dark green above

and with two whitish bands on lower surface (fig. 7).

Cones small, % to 1 inch long, brown, hanging down

on tips of twigs. Bark, reddish brown, hard, furrowed,

and thick on old trees; a pocketknife will disclose the

red inner bark not found in spruce. Wood pale redFiGURE 7.—Western hemlock {Tsuga heterophyUa), threefourths natural size.

877179—50- 19
dish brown of moderately fine and even texture, nonresinous, moderately lightweight, moderately hard.

Western hemlock forms about 73 percent of the dense

hemlock-spruce coastal forests of southeast Alaska,

where it is the most abundant and one of the most important tree species. Usual size at maturity is 100 to

150 feet in height and 2 to 4 feet in diameter, but the

largjest trees are as much as 190 feet tall and 5 feet or

more in diameter. The trunk is long and slender, the

crown short and narrow, and the branches are horizontal or drooping. This species attains its largest

size'on moist flats and lower slopes, but with abundant

moisture, both atmospheric and soil, it grows well on

shallow soils. Itis very tolerant of shade.

The wood, which is stronger and more durable than

that of other species of hemlock and which is easily

worked, is used for construction lumber, paper pulp,

piling (such as for fish traps in the salmon industry),

railroad ties, and mine timbers. Principal future use

probably will be for pulpwood. The wood is admirably

suited for structural timbers, flooring, and street planking. The outer bark contains a high percentage of

tannin and is a potential source of this product.

Western hemlock is the State tree of Washington.

Range : Coastal forests throughout southeast Alaska

north to head of Lynn Canal at Skagway, Glacier Bay,

and Yakutat Bay, west to Prince William Sound and

Portlock on Kenai Peninsula ; almost the same as the

range of the hemlock-spruce coastal forest shown on the

map of Alaska. Southeast to western Montana and

northern California.

MOUNTAIN HEMLOCK (Jsuga mertensiana (Bong.) Carr.)

Other names : alpine hemlock, black hemlock.

Leaves (needles) short-stalked, rounded or slightly

angled, 14 to 1 inch long, blue green, stouter and blunter

than in western hemlock and lacking the whitish lower

surface, standing out on all sides of the twigs (fig. 8).

Cones cylindrical, li/^ to 2% inches long and % inch

thick, purplish but turning brown, usually hanging

down. Bark blue gray or brown, thick, deeply furrowed and ridged. Wood pale reddish brown, of

moderately fine and even texture, moderately heavy,

moderately hard.

Mountain hemlock is a small or medium-sized tree,

usually short and dwarfed, from 30 to 60 feet tall and

10 to 20 inches in diameter, with marked taper, and with

horizontal or drooping branches. It uncommonly

reaches a height of 100 to 125 feet and a diameter of 30 to

40 inches at Prince William Sound. It grows in low

muskegs, as well as on alpine slopes on the ocean side of

20
FIGURE 8.—Mountain hemlock {Tsuga mertensiana), threefourths natural size.

the Coast Range in southeast Alaska, where it reaches

an altitude of 3,000 to 3,500 feet, higher than other trees,

and becomes a prostrate shrub. Toward the timber line

it replaces western hemlock. In the Prince William

Sound and Cook Inlet regions it is found on better

drained slopes and near tidewater, partly losing its

dwarfed appearance. The wood is used for railroad

ties in the Cook Inlet region. However, in the higher

altitudes where itis commonly found, mountain hemlock

is largely inaccessible and is unimportant commercially. This species is named for the German naturalist. Dr. Karl Heinrich Mertens, who discovered it near

Sitka, Alaska, in 1827.

Range: Southeast Alaska from the southern end

north to head of Lynn Canal at Skagway, Glacier Bay,

and Yakutat Bay, west to Prince William Sound and

Cook Inlet. Southeast to western Montana and

California.

Douglas-fir {Pseudotsugataxifolia (Poir.) Britton),

a common and valuable large tree in the Pacific coast

and Rocky Mountain regions in western United States

south into Mexico, is not native in Alaska, though a few

trees were introduced at Sitka many years ago. It is

common in the coast region of southern British Columbia extending north almost to the northern end of Vancouver Island and slightly inland north to Gardner

Canal. In the interior it ranges north to Fort McLeod

and Tacla Lake at latitude 55°, slightly north of the

southern tip of Alaska. The foliage of Douglas-fir sug21
gests that of the true firs, but the cones hang down and

indicate relationship with hemlock. Also, the cones,

which are 2 to 3% inches long, have distinctive, prominent, 3-toothed bracts.

ALPINE FIR (Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt.)

Other names: white fir (lumber), balsam, white

balsam.

Leaves (needles) flat, % to 1% inches long, grooved

above, blue green on both sides, those on the lower

branches rounded or occasionally notched at the tip

and in 2 rows, those near the top of the tree pointed

and stiff and by twisting massed on the upper side of the

twigs (fig. 9). Cones in the highest branches, upright.

FIGURE 9.—^Alpine fir {AMes lasiocarpa) ^ three-fourths

natural size.

2^ to 4 inches long and li/¿ inches in diameter, purple.

Twigs rusty-hairy. Bark ash gray, thin, smoothish,

hard, and flinty. Wood pale brown, fine-grained, lightweight, soft, usually knotty because of the many persistent branches.

Alpine fir is a small or medium-sized tree with a long,

spirelike crown. It is an inland tree, growing in the

cool, moist subalpine slopes near timber line, although

found in the valley floors as well. At the timber line

it becomes scrubby or prostrate.

Range : Mountains of southeast Alaska northwest to

Copper Eiver valley or beyond. From the interior of

British Columbia ic crosses over the divide of the Coast

Range west to southeast Alaska at Hyder and Boca de

Quadra in the southern end and at head of Lynn Canal

22
near Skagway in the northern end, where it occurä

from sea level to timber line at 3,000 feet. North to

Yukon and Mackenzie, east to Alberta, and south to

New Mexico, Arizona, and Oregon.

PACIFIC SILVER FIR (Abies amabilis (Dougl.) Forb.)

Other names: silver fir, white fir (lumber).

Leaves (needles) fl'at, % to ll^ inches long, deeply

grooved and dark green above, silvery white beneatn,

those on the lower branches notched or rounded attips,

those toward the top of the tree shorter and sharppointed (fig. 10). A peculiar twist brings the needles

PiGUEE 10.—^Pacific silver fir {AMes amaHlis), three-fourths

natural size.

in a brushlike mass on the upper side ai the twigs.

Twigs finely hairy. Cones in the highest branches, upright, 4 to 5 inches long, bluish tinged, with the scales

falling when mature. Bark smooth, gray, characteristically splotched with white. Wood pale brown with

whitish sapwood, fine-grained, lightweight, soft.

Pacific fir is of local distribution near the southeast

end of Alaska, where it occurs on well-drained lower

slopes of canyons, benches, and flats from sea level to an

elevation of 1,000 feet. Here it is a tree as much as 75

feet tall and 2 feet in diameter. The wood is used oc23
casionally for interior finish in Washington and Oregon, where this species is more abundant.

Range : Local in southern part of southeast Alaska

at Boca de Quadra, Kosciusko Island, and latitude 56°

near northern end of Prince of Wales Island. Reported

also from Portland Canal arid Behm Canal. South

along the Pacific coast to northwestern Oregon.

WESTERN REDCEDAR iThuja plicata Donn)

Other names : giant arborvitae, canoe cedar, shinglewood, Pacific redcedar, arborvitae.

Leaves scalelike, ñattened, Vie to ^ inch long (or

pointed and % i^^^h long on leading twigs), shiny, yellow green above and dull below,* arranged on slender

twigs in flat, fanlike sprays (fig. 11). Cones clustered

near ends of branches and becoming turned up, ^2

inch long, brown, with tough, leathery scales. jBark

reddish or cinnamon brown, thin and fibrous, stringy,

becoming thick and ridged with age. Heartwood reddish brown and the narrow sapwood white. Wood with

the distinctive odor of cedars, of fine and moderately

even texture, lightweight, moderately soft, brittle.

FIGURE 11.- -Western redcedar {Thuja plicata)^ three-fourths

natural size.

24
Western redcedar is a large tree of moderately slow

growth, characterized by a swollen or buttressed base,

tapering trunk, and conical crown, and by branches

curving upward at the tips. It becomes 100 to 130 feet

or more in height and 3 to 6 feetin diameter. Itis found

from sea level to 3,000 feet elevation on the west slopes

of the Coast Kange but is of largest size below an altitude of 500 feet. Although sometimes in pure stands,

it usually is scattered or in groups in the hemlockspruce forest. Itis very tolerant of shade. The wood,

which is very durable, is used for shingles, lumber, boat

building, poles, posts, piling, and fish-trap floats. The

Indians employed the wood for totem poles, dugout

canoes, houses, and other purposes and made mats,

baskets, and ropes from the stringy bark. This is one

of the most importanttimber trees of British Columbia.

Range : Southern half of southeast Alaska, north in

decreasing numbers beyond Wrangellto Petersburg and

Frederick Sound. Southeast to northwestern Montana

and northwestern California.

ALASKA-CEDAR (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis (D. Don)

Spach)

Other names: Alaska yellow-cedar, Nootka falsecypress, yellow-cedar, Alaska cypress, Sitka cypress,

yellow cypress.

Leaves scalelike, i/ig to % inch long, pointed and

spreading, dark blue green, distinguished from western

redcedar by their bluish tinge and spreading, pointed

or prickly tips (fig. 12). Leafy twigs 4-angled or

slightly flattened, in flat, spreading sprays on drooping

branches. Cones nearly spherical, less than % inch in

diameter, hard, ashy gray, each scale with a pointed projection, maturing in two years. Bark shreddy, ash

gray and lacking the brown tinge of western redcedar.

Heartwood distinctive sulphur yellow with narrow

band of lighter sapwood. Wood with sweet odor and

taste, of fine and even texture, relatively straightgrained, moderately lightweight, moderately hard.

Alaska-cedar is a medium-sized slow-growing tree

60 to 100 feettall and 2 to 4 feetin diameter, with droop*

ing branches and twigs. It extends along the coast of

southeast Alaska from sea level to timber line but is

best developed between 500 feet and 1,200 feet in elevation. It is scattered or in small groups with western

redcedar, Sitka spruce, and western hemlock or, on

higher slopes or muskegs, with mountain hemlock.

The extremely durable wood is easily worked and takes

a beautiful finish. Itis used locally for telephone poles,

interior finish, furniture, small boat hulls, cabinet work,

and novelties. Logs cut into 13-foot lengths formerly

were exported to Japan, where they were made into

25
panels. Indians of southeast Alaska made their canoe

paddles from this wood.

Range : Southeast Alaska, north to Lynn Canal and

Yakutat Bay, and west to Port Wells on Prince William

Sound. South to Oregon and northwestern California.

FIGURE 12.—^Alaska-cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis), threefourths natural size.

Besides the 12 tree species of conifers, Alaska has 2

shrubby conifers, both junipers. These junipers have

short, scalelike or awllike evergreen leaves, and the seeds

^are in a hard, bluish "berry" about % inch in diameter.

Common juniper {Juniperus cow/munis L. ; mountain

common juniper, /. cow/mu/nis var. saœatilis Pall., syn.

/. communis var. montana Ait.) is a spreading nearly

prostrate or trailing shrub forming patches up to 10

feet in diameter, though in the United States it rarely

becomes a small tree. The awllike evergreen leaves are

in groups of 3, % to % inch long, sharp and prickly,

whitish and grooved above, shiny yellow green beneath.

Throughout most of Alaska. From southeast Alaska

north in central Alaska to Porcupine, Yukon, and

Koyukuk Rivers and west to Bering Sea (Elim) and

26
west side of Cook Inlet. Across Canada to Labrador

and Newfoundland, south in northeastern United States

to New Jersey, Georgia (mountains), and Illinois and

in western mountains to New Mexico and California.

Also across northern Europe and Asia.

Creeping juniper {Juniperus horiBontaU's Moench)

is a prostrate or trailing shrub often rooting along the

stem. The paired leaves are mostly scalelike, i/ie inch

long, blue green, making 4-angled stems %6 inch broad,

but young plants have awllike leaves less than % inch

long. Southeastern interior Alaska along Chitina and

Copper Eivers and northwest to Mount McKinley National Park. Yukon and British Columbia across

Canada to Labrador and Newfoundland south in northeastern United States to New York and Minnesota and

in western mountains to Colorado.

WILLOW FAMILY (Salicaceae)

The willow family (Salicaceae), comprising the cottonwoods, poplars, and aspens (all in the genus Populus)^ and the willows (genus Salix)^ has the following

characteristics, which are not repeated under the species

descriptions : (1) The leaves, borne singly on the twigs,

are evenly toothed or smooth but not lobed; (2) the

flowers are of two kinds on different trees, the male

flowers with pollen on some trees and on other trees the

female flowers with seeds ; (3) the small flowers in long,

narrow clusters known as catkins appear in early spring

before or with the leaves; and (4) the seeds, which are

borne in seed capsules in spring, have long, white, cottony hairs and are scattered by the wind.

Cottonwoods, poplars, and aspens usually have broad

leaves, stout twigs, and large, resinous winter buds with

several scales exposed, while willows usually have narrow leaves, slender or wiry twigs, and small winter buds

covered by a single scale. Catkins of cottonwoods hang

down, while those of willows are upright or slightly

spreading. The three Alaska species of the cottonwood

genus, all common trees, are quaking aspen, balsam

poplar, and black cottonwood.

Alaska Indians and Eskimos use the inner bark of

willows for coloring and tanning their beautifully

dressed deerskins. The "cotton" on the seeds of cottonwoods was a favorite source of tinder.

QUAKING ASPEN (Populua tremuloides Michx.)

Other names : American aspen ; P, tremuloides var.

aurea (Tidestr.) Daniels.

Leaves nearly round, 1 to 2 inches long, shortpointed, finely toothed with rounded teeth, smooth,

shiny green above, pale beneath (fig. 13). Leafstalks

1 to 3 inches long, slender, flattened at right angles to

877179—50 5 27
leaf blade and enabling the leaves to tremble in the

slightest breeze. Young twigs reddish, becoming dark

gray, with prominent, raised leaf scars. Seed capsules

less than 14 ii^ch long, smooth, in long catkins up to 4

inches long, with cottony seeds maturing in early spring.

Bark whitish or pale yellow green, smooth, thin, with

characteristic curved scars and black knots. Wood of

broad white sapwood and light brown heartwood, finegrained, lightweight, soft, and brittle.

FIGURE lo.—Quaking aspen {Populus tremuloides), three-fourths

natural size.

Quaking aspen is a small tree 20 to 40 feet tall with

straight trunk and short, irregularly bent limbs making

a narrow domelike crown. A fast-growing tree with

short life, it is common on south slopes, well-drained

benches, and creek bottoms throughout the interior of

Alaska up to an altitude of about 3,000 feet. It often

occurs in dense stands, especially following forest fires.

The wood, which is perishable, is not of commercial

importance in Alaska at present. In the United States

it is used for pulpwood, boxes and crates, and excelsior.

Range : Interior Alaska, north and west to the limits

of trees, absent along the coasts and in southeast Alaska ;

nearly the same as the range of the spruce-birch interior

forest shown on the map of Alaska. North to the

Arctic Circle and throughout Yukon Valley west to

28
Bering Sea and south to the north slopes of the coast

range and the Pacific side beyond the mountains to

Cook Inlet. The most widely distributed tree species

in North America, ranging from Alaska east across

Canada to Labrador and Newfoundland, south in northeastern United States to New Jersey and Missouri, and

south in western mountains to western Texas and California and northern Mexico.

BALSAM POPLAR (Populus tacamahaca Mill.)

Other names: tacamahac, tacamahac poplar, cottonwood ; P, ialsamifera L. in part.

Leaves ovate or broadly lance-shaped, 21/2 to 5 inches

long, long- or short-pointed, finely toothed with

rounded teeth, smooth or nearly so, shiny dark green

above, pale green and rusty brown beneath, larger and

longer than leaves of quaking aspen (fig. 14). LeafFiGURE 14.—Balsam poplar {Populus tacamahaca), threefourths natural size.

29
U. s. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FOREST SERVICE

30 31
stalks 1 to 2 inches long, not flattened. Young twigs

shiny red. Buds large, long and pointed, sticky, covered

with a pungent balsam, the odor of which permeates the

air in spring. Flowers in long cylindrical catkins

hanging conspicuously from bases of buds on twigs

of previous year's growth. Seed capsules % inch long,

pointed, smooth, splitting into 2 parts, in long catkins

up to 5 inches long, with cottony seeds maturing in early

spring. Bark deeply furrowed, gray brown. Wood

with light brown heartwood and thick, whitish sapwood,

of fine and even texture, lightweight, soft.

Balsam poplar, sometimes erroneously called balmof-Gilead, is a medium-sized, rapidly growing tree with

a straight trunk and long, thin, open crown. Although

usually not more than 50 feet tall, it sometimes becomes

80 to 100 feet in height and 2 feet in diameter. It is

common in river valleys and sandy bottoms throughout

the interior except near the coasts. In the mountains

it extends to somewhat higher altitudes than white

spruce, to 3,500 feet or more on the north and west

slopes of the Alaska range. Also, it projects farther

north to the Arctic slope in a few places. The wood is

used chiefly for boxes and crates and pulpwood in the

United States but has been of slight demand in Alaska.

Rare hybrids of balsam poplar with quaking aspen,

which has smaller and shorter leaves and flattened leafstalks, have been reported.

Range : Interior Alaska, north and w^est to the limits

of trees, south to Kodiak Island and northern end of

southeast Alaska ; nearly the same as the range of the

spruce-birch interior forest shown on the map. North

to drainages of Porcupine, Yukon, Koyukuk, Kobuk,

and Noatak Rivers and beyond Aanaktuvuk River and a

few other scattered stream bottoms on the Arctic slope.

West to Bering Sea at Igloo (longitude 165°) on

Seward Peninsula, Unalakleet, and Nushagak, and

south to Pacific coast at Katmai, Kodiak Island, and

Cook Inlet. East to northern end of southeast Alaska

at Chilkat River, head of Lynn Canal at Skagway, and

Taku Inlet near Juneau. Widely distributed across

Canada to Labrador and Newfoundland, south in northeastern United States to New Jersey and Nebraska and

in northern Rocky Mountains to Wyoming.

BLACK COTTONWOOD (Populus trichocarpa Torr. & Gray)

Other names: cottonwood, balsam cottonwood,

northern black cottonwood. Pacific poplar; P. trichocarpa var. hastata (Dode) Henry.

Leaves broadly ovate, 2% to 5 inches long, long- or

short-pointed, finely toothed with rounded teeth, smooth

or nearly so, dark shiny green above, whitish with rusty

specks beneath (fig. 15). Leafstalks li^ to 2 inches

32
long, finely hairy, not flattened. Seed capsules

rounded, hairy, splitting into 3 parts, in long, narrow

catkins up to 8 inches long, with cottony seeds maturing

in early spring. Bark gray, smooth at first, becoming

deeply furrowed with flat ridges. Wood grayish white

to light brown, of fine and even texture, lightweight,

soft.

FIGURE 15.—Black cottonwood {Populus trichocarpa), threefourths natural size.

Black cottonwood is not easily distinguished from

its close relative, balsam poplar. Both have much the

same general appearance and similar habitats. The

chief differences are in the seed capsules, which in black

cottonwood are hairy and split into 3 parts and in

balsam poplar are smooth and split into 2 parts. The

leaves of black cottonwood are broader in proportion to

length and seem to be whiter beneath. As the ranges

of the two species are separate except where they meet,

most trees or specimens without seed capsules can be

identified by locality. Black cottonwood occurs in lowlands of the coastal forests of southeast and southern

Alaska, while balsam poplar is widely distributed in the

interior. They seem to meet in the Cook Inlet area,

especially from Matanuska to Curry.

33
The largest broadleaf tree in Alaska, black cottonwood grows rapidly and at maturity is 80 to 90 feet tall

and 3 feet (maximum 4 feet) in trunk diameter. It is

best developed at lower levels on river bottoms and sand

bars. In southeast Alaska it occurs in quantity only

on the valley floors of a few large streams, such as

Stikine and Taku Rivers. Although of little present

economic importance in Alaska, the wood is used in the

United States for boxes and crates, pulpwood, and

excelsior. The small supply in Alaska is a possible

source of paper pulp.

Range : Along the Pacific coast of southeast Alaska,

scattered toward southern end, commoner from Stikine

River north to head of Lynn Canal at Skagway, Glacier

Bay, and Yakutak Bay, west to Prince William Sound,

Cook Inlet, and Kodiak Island. Southeast to Wyoming, southern California, and northern Lower California, Mexico.

WILLOWS iSalix)

Willows are well represented in Alaska, as in other

far northern lands. In habit they vary from prostrate

or creeping dwarf shrubs to erect bushes 2 to 6 feet

tall and large shrubs or small trees. Seven of the 38

Alaska species of willows (Salix) are known to attain

the size and habit of small trees, making this the largest genus of trees here. Two additional shrubby species

which become small trees southward are mentioned in

notes without figures. Numerous variations occur, and

some species seem to intergrade or hybridize. Some

botanists distinguish by name additional varieties of

Alaska tree willows based mainly on differences in

hairiness, but these are omitted.

Although field identification is difficult, especially in

winter, the willows as a group can be distinguished

by the usually slender or wiry twigs, the winter buds

covered by a single bud scale, and by the bitter, quininelike taste of the bark. The short-stalked leaves generally are long and narrow, with smooth or finely toothed

edges. The yellowish or greenish male and female flowers are borne in hairy, narrow catkins 1 to 3 inches

long, on separate trees in early spring before or as

the leaves appear. The fruits in tasselnke catkins are

pointed, thin-walled seed capsules about ^ inch long,

which split open in spring to release the numerous tiny

seeds with tufts of cottony hairs.

Shrubby willows are widely distributed almost

throughout Alaska, extending beyond the limits of trees

to the Arctic coast, Bering Sea, and Aleutian Islands.

They are the undergrowth of the open spruce-birch

forest of interior Alaska and form thickets on sand

bars and other porous soils along streams. Although

34
not suitable for lumber because of their small size,

shrubby willows are important summer and winter

browse of reindeer and caribou.

PACIFIC WILLOW iSalix lasiandra Benth.)

Other names: western black willow, yellow willow.

Leaves lanceolate (lance-shaped), 2 to 4 or 5 inches

long and i/^ to 1 inch wide, long-pointed, mostly rounded

at base, with edges finely toothed, shiny green above,

whitish to white beneath (fig. 16). Young twigs and

lower side of leaves more or less hairy in the common

variety. Older twigs stoutish, chestnut to reddish,

shiny, without hairs. Catkins on leafy stalks, appearing with the leaves, 2 to 4 inches long at maturity ; scales

FIGURE 16.—Pacific willow {Balix lasiandra), three-fourths

natural size.

35
yellowish. Seed capsules without hairs. Bark dark

brown, fissured. Wood pale brown, brittle.

Pacific willow in Alaska is a shrub or small tree to

16 feet in height. In the united States it is usually

a small tree 20 to 30 feet tall but becomes a larger tree

50 to 60 feet tall with a trunk 2 to 3 feet in diameter.

Range: Interior Alaska and southeast Alaska. In

southeast Alaska collected only inland along the Canadian boundary at Stikine Eiver and Chilkat River. In

interior Alaska from Matanuska north to central

Yukon Eiver district and Wiseman and west to Holy

Cross on lower Yukon River. Alaska and Yukon east

to Saskatchewan, south to New Mexico and southern

California.

FELTLEAF WILLOW iSalix alaxensis (Anderss.) Cov.)

Leaves elliptical or oblanceolate (reverse lanceshaped) , 2 to 4 inches long and i/¿ to 1% inches wide,

short-pointed, usually tapering to base, edges without

teeth or nearly so, above dull green and sometimes somewhat short-hairy, beneath covered with a dense white or

creamy-white feltj midrib yellowish (fig. 17). Oneyear a;nd 2-year twigs stoutish, usually white-woolly ; in

a variety the young twigs and buds are without hairs

and often with a bluish-white bloom. Catkins stoutish, not stalked, appearing before the leaves, 2 to 4

FIGURE 17.—Feltleaf wiUow (Salix alaxensis), one-half natural

size. Male catkins at upper left ; seed capsules at lower left.

36
inches long at maturity ; scales blackish. Seed capsules

long, pointed, white-woolly. Bark dark and shiny.

Feltleaf willow is a tree 20 to 30 feet or more in height,

with a trunk 4 to 7 inches in diameter, also shrubby

and in exposed places dwarfed and sometimes nearly

prostrate. This characteristic willow is widely distributed in valleys almost throughout Alaska. Extending

beyond the limits of the spruce-birch interior forest, it

is the only tree willow in many areas, such as north and

west of Kodiak Island. In many places in northern

Alaska this willow is important as the only wood available as fuel. Though feltleaf willow is not the common

"diamond-willow" from which ornamental canes are

made, the trunks sometimes have this pattern of diamond-shaped scars where the lower twigs have died.

This willow was first collected at Kotzebue Sound, beyond Bering Strait. The specific name alaxensis means

Alaskan but is from an old spelling.

Range: Widely distributed and common almost

throughout Alaska from the northern part of southeast

Alaska to the Arctic Ocean. Southeast Alaska from

Wrangell to head of Lynn Canal at Skagway, Glacier

Bay, and Yakutat Bay; north through the interior to

the Arctic coast and northwest to Cape Lisburne ; west

to Bering Sea ; southwest on Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands to Unalaska Island ; and south to Kodiak

Island, Cook Inlet, and Prince William Sound. From

northern Alaska east to northwest shore of Hudson Bay

and south to central British Columbia, but not reaching

the United States. Also in eastern Asia.

YAKUTAT WILLOW iSalix amplifolia Cov.)

Other name : bigleaf willow.

Leaves oval to broadly obovate or rarely the uppermost ovate, 1^2 to 3 inches long and % to 2 inches wide,

broadly pointed to rounded at apex, mostly rounded at

base, edges without teeth or sparsely wavy-toothed,

pale green above, whitish beneath, more or less hairy on

both sides while unfolding but becoming hairless (fig.

18). Twigs stoutish, brownish, densely white- or graywoolly for 2 or 3 years. Catkins on leafy stalks, appearing with the leaves, up to 2 to 4 inches long at maturity ;

scales brownish to blackish. Seed capsules long,

without hairs.

Yakutat willow is a shrub or small tree usually about

10 to 16 feet tall, with a trunk 3 to 4 inches in diameter

but attains a height of 25 feet and a diameter of 8 to 15

inches. This local species grows on and near the sand

dunes along the shores of Yakutat Bay. Perhaps it

was isolated here by ice sheets during the glacial periods.

Range : Local in the Yakutat Bay area at northern

end of southeast Alaska coast. Eeported farther west

37
FIGURE 18.—Yakutat willow (Saliœ ampUfoUa), three-fourths

natural size. Female catkin at lower left; male catkin at

lower right.

along the Pacific coast at Prince William Sound and

from Copper Eiver opposite Childs Glacier, but not

known elsewhere.

LITTLETREE WILLOW (Salix arbusculoides Anderss.)

Leaves narrowly elliptical-lanceolate, often oblanceolate while unfolding, 1 to 3 inches long, % to % inch

wide, usually short-pointed at both ends, with edges

finely but shallowly toothed, green and hairless above,

beneath whitish to white and finely silvery-hairy or in

an uncommon variety hairless; veins closely parallel

(fig. 19). Twigs slender, much branched, the younger

yellowish brown and sometimes thinly short-hairy, the

older reddish brown, hairless, and shiny. Catkins

small, on very short stalks, appearing slightly before

or with the leaves, 1 to 2 inches long at maturity ; scales

blackish. Seed capsules small, thinly silvery-hairy.

Bark shiny reddish brown.

38
Littletree willow is an erect shrub 5 to 10 feet tall or

sometimes a small tree as much as 20 to 25 feet in height

and 4 inches in diameter. One of the commonest willows forming dense thickets along streams in the interior but absent from southeast Alaska.

FIGURE 19.—Littletree willow {Salix arhusculoides), natural

size.

Range : Interior Alaska, widely distributed. From

Ghitina River and Mount McKinley National Park

north to Porcupine, Yukon, and Koyukuk River valleys

northwest to Kobuk River and southwest to Holy Cross

on lower Yukon River. Alaska and Yukon south to

British Columbia and Saskatchewan and east to west

side of Hudson Bay and to central Quebec. Not native

in the United States.

SITKA WILLOW (Salix sitchensis Sansón)

Other name: silky willow.

Leaves oblanceolate or narrowly obovate or sometimes elliptical, 2 to 4 inches long, usually short-pointed

at apex, mostly tapering to a narrow base, edges with39
out teeth or sparsely and inconspicuously wavy-toothed,

above dark green and with sparse short hairs when

young, beneath paler and usually with short silvery,

silky hairs or in an uncommon variety with few hairs

or none (fig. 20). Twigs slender, sometimes thinly

hairy when young but when older without hairs -and

FIGURE 20.—Sitka wiUow {Salioc sitchensis), three-fourths natural size. Female catkin at center right; male catkins at

lower right.

dark reddish brown. Catkins slender, on short leafy

stalks, appearing with the leaves, 2 to 4 inches long at

maturity; scales small, brown. Seed capsules shott,

silvery hairy. Bark red brown, thin and scaly. Wood

pale red, fine-grained, lightweight, soft.

Sitka willow is a large shrub or small tree 10 to 20

feet in height with a trimk 4 to 6 inches in diameter or

rarely 30 feet tall and 12 inches in diameter. However,

in exposed places it may be a low shrub or almost prostrate. The satiny sheen on the lower surface of the

leaves serves to distinguish Sitka willow from other

willows. This willow is fairly common in the coastal

forest region of southeast Alaska, growing in sunny

locations along streams and beaches or on the upland

where the forest is open or absent. The wood is not

40
used commercially though the Indians burn itin drying

fish, as the smoke has no bad odor. The supple twigs

have been used by the Indians in basket making and for

stretching skins, and the pounded bark has also been

applied to heal wounds. Sitka willow was named for

Sitka, Alaska, near which it was discovered by Dr. Karl

Heinrich Mertens in 1827.

Range : Pacific coast region of southeast and southern Alaska. Throughout southeast Alaska from

Ketchikan northwest to head of Lynn Canal at Skagway, Glacier Bay, and Yakutat Bay, and west to Prince

William Sound, Cook Inlet, and Kodiak Island. Alaska

and British Columbia south along the coast to northwestern California and east to western Montana.

Also in eastern Asia.

SCOULER WILLOW (Salix scouleriana Barratt)

Other names: mountain willow, black willow.

Leaves very variable, mostly oblanceolate to narrowly

obovate or sometimes oblong or elliptical, 2 to 4 or 5

inches long and % to li^ inches wide, mostly very

short-pointed at apex and tapering to base, edges withFiQURE 21.—Scouler willow (Salix scouleriana), natural size.

41
out teeth to sparsely wavy-toothed, dark green and

nearly without hairs above, beneath whitish to white

and more or less white or gray hairy or furry, or becoming rusty hairy when older (fig. 21). Twigs stoutish,

yellowish and densely hairy when young; reddish to

dark brown and nearly hairless when older. Catkins

stoutish, stalkless or on very short stalks, appearing before the leaves, at maturity 1 to 2 inches long and dense ;

scales obovate, black. Seed capsules long, slender,

gray-woolly. Bark dark brown, thin, divided into

broad flat ridges. Wood light brown tinged with red

and with thick whitish sapwood, fine-grained, lightweight, soft.

Scouler willow is a shrub or small tree with compact

rounded crown and becoming 15 feet tall and 4 inches in

diameter. It is often called "fire willow" because of its

rapid occupation of burned areas.

Range : Pacific coast region of southeast and southern Alaska. From the southern end of southeast

Alaska northwest to head of Lynn Canal at Skagway,

Glacier Bay, and Yakutat Bay. Southern coast from

Cook Inlet north to Talkeetna and Mount McKinley

National Park, and west to Takotna, Katmai, and

Kodiak Island. Also in the upper and central Yukon

Eiver districts of Yukon Territory, Canada, north to

Dawson. East to Saskatchewan, south to Black Hills,

New Mexico, and California.

BEBB WILLOW (Salix bebbiana Sarg.)

Other names : beak willow ; S. rostrata Eichards.

Leaves elliptical and pointed at both ends to broadly

oblanceolate or obovate-oval and very short-pointed at

apex and broad at base, 1 to 2i/^ or 3i/^ inches long and

% to 1 inch wide, edges withoutteeth or somewhat wavy,

dull green above, gray or whitish and roughly net-veined

beneath, more or less hairy on both sides but becoming

less hairy with age (fig. 22)*. In an uncommon variety

the smaller leaves are hairless or nearly so beneath and

often less rough. Twigs slender, branching at wide

angles, yellowish to brown, gray hairy when young but

afterward becoming hairless. Catkins on short leafy

stalks, appear before or with the leaves, at maturity 1

to 2 or 3 inches long and loose, scales narrow, yellowish

with reddish tips, hairy. Seed capsules long, very

slender, with short hairs on long, slender, sparsely hairy

stalks. Bark reddish, thin and slightly fissured.

Wood lightweight, brittle.

Bebb willow is a shrub 10 feet tall or a small, bushy

tree 15 to 25 feettall (rarely 30 feet) with a trunk diameter of 6 to 9 inches. It forms thickets along streams,

swamps, and lakes. Though of little commercial importance in Alaska, it has been used for baseball bats,

42
charcoal, gunpowder, and withes for furniture and

baskets.

Range : Widely distributed in interior Alaska, south

to Pacific coast and northern end of southeast Alaska.

From Glacier Bay north to Porcupine, Yukon, and

Koyukuk Eiver valleys, west on Yukon River to Holy

Cross, and south to Katmai, Kodiak Island, Cook Inlet,

and Prince William Sound. East across Canada to

Hudson Bay, Labrador, and Newfoundland, and south

in northeastern United States to New Jersey and Nebraska and in western United States to New Mexico and

central California. Also in eastern Asia.

FIGURE 22.—Bebb wiUow i8alix &eö&iawa), three-fourths natural

size. Male catkin at upper right.

Two species of Alaskan shrubby willows are mentioned here because southward they become small trees.

Sandbar willow {Salix interior Eowlee; syn. S. longifoUa Muhl., not Lam.), a shrub 10 to 12 feet tall in

Alaska, has long and very narrow, light green leaves

1^2 to 4 inches long and less than 14 ^^^ wide, with few

small teeth along the edges; seed capsules smooth or

hairy. Jn the United States it is usually a small tree

about 20 feet tall but attains a maximum height of 70

feet with trunk diameter of 2 feet. Found in central

interior Alaska in Yukon, Porcupine, and Tanana Eiver

Yalleys and from Alaska and Yukon across Canada to

New Brunswick, south across the United States to Virginia, Lfouisiana, New Mexico, and northern Mexico.

Serviceberry willow {Salix pseudomonticola Ball;

park willow), so named because the leaves suggest those

of serviceberry, is a shrub 3 to 10 feet tall in Alaska but

43
becomes a small tree in Saskatchewan. The leaves are

oval or elliptical, 1 to 3 inches long, usually shortpointed, finely glandular toothed, yellowish red when

young, shiny green and smooth above, pale and smooth

beneath ; seed capsules smooth. Central interior Alaska

on Yukon and Tanana Kivers, southeast to Copper

Kiver, and at Skagway near northern end of southeast

Alaska. Alaska and Yukon south to Saskatchewan,

Black Hills, Colorado, and Oregon.

BIRCH FAMILY (Betulaceae)

The Alaska tree representatives of the birch family

(Betulaceae), birches (genus Betula) and alders (genus

Alnus)^ have the following distinguishing characteristics: (1) The broad leaves, borne singly (alternate) on

the twigs, are sharply toothed, usually doubly toothed

with teeth of two sizes, and in alders usually slightly

lobed; (2) the twigs have no terminal buds at the tip;

(3) the flowers are of two kinds on the same tree in early

spring; (4) the male flowers with pollen are in long,

narrow catkins at the end of the twig, usually partly

formed the preceding summer; and (5) the female

flowers in short clusters farther down the twig develop

into cones % to 2 inches long.

The tree birches of Alaska are easily recognized by

their smooth, thin, creamy white, reddish, or brown

bark which peels ofl* in papery strips. Alders generally have smooth gray bark, which is not papery, and

usually have at all seasons some old, dead, hard, blackish cones remaining on the twigs. Alaska has three

species of tree alders, red alder, thinleäf alder, and

Sitka alder, and a fourth, low shrubby species, American green alder.

BIRCHES iBetula)

The birches of Alaska are variable and intergrade

and hybridize with one another wherever their ranges

meet. Three closely related kinds of paper birches

occur in geographically separated regions of Alaska.

Some authors interpret them as geographical varieties

of a single transcontinental species of paper birch, while

others regard them as separate species. Two species of

dwarf, shrubby birches are widely distributed in Alaska

and hybridize with the tree birches to produce intermediate forms, some of which are of tree size.

In this guide the tree birches of Alaska are treated as

a single species, paper birch {Betula papyrifera

Marsh.), represented by three geographical varieties:

western paper birch (var. cormrmtata (Keg.) Fern.),

of southeast Alaska, with leaves rounded at base and

usually reddish brown bark; Alaska paper birch (var.

44
humilis (Eeg.) Fern. & Raup), of interior forests

south to Pacific coast, with rather long-pointed leaves

usually wedge-shaped at base and usually with whitish

bark; and Kenai birch (var. kenaica (W. H. Evans)

Henry), of southern and interior Alaska, with relativelv

thick, usually short-pointed leaves and usually dark

brown bark.

PAPER BIRCH (Betula papyrifera Marsh.)

Other names: white birch, canoe birch.

The general description and range of this species are

summarized here, followed by similar notes for the three

varieties occurring in Alaska. Leaves ovate, 2 to 4

inches long, long-pointed, wedge-shaped or rounded at

base, coarsely and usually doubly toothed, dull dark

green and smooth above, light yellow green and smooth

or slightly hairy beneath. Young twigs reddish brown

with many small whitish spots. Male and female

flowers on the same twig in early spring. Male flowers

in narrow catkins partly developed the preceding summer, 3% to 4 inches long ; female flowers in clusters 1

inch long. Fruiting cones narrow, 1 to 2 inches long

and % inch wide, slender-stalked and hanging down.

Bark smooth, thin and papery, creamy white (or reddish or brown in varieties), separating into papery

strips and peeling off; inner bark orange. Wood of

light reddish brown heartwood and whitish sapwood,

of fine texture, moderately heavy and moderately hard.

Paper birch is a slow-growing hardwood tree usually

30 to Ö0 feet tall and 6 to 12 inches in diameter but becoming larger. It is the most important of the few

native hardwoods. Near cities of interior Alaska,

paper birch has been an important source of fuel. The

wood has been used locally for mine props also. Tests

indicate that it is satisfactory for furniture, cabinetmaking, veneer, handles, boxes and crates, clothes pins,

shoe pegs, spools, and bobbins. In the United States

paper birch is used for spools and other turned articles,

toothpicks, and toys. The bark was used by northern

Indians for canoes and various small articles.

Range : Widespread across northern North America

from Alaska east across Canada to Labrador and Newfoundland, south in northeastern United States to

Pennsylvania, North Carolina (high mountains), and

Minnesota and in northwestern United States to Black

Hills, Colorado (one locality), and Oregon.

ALASKA PAPER BIRCH (Betula papyrifera Marsh, var.

humilis (Reg.) Fern. & Raup)

Other names: B. papyrifera var. occidentalis auth.,

B. papyrifera subsp. occidentalis auth., not B, occidentalis Hook.

45
Leaves ovate, 3 to 4 inches long, long-pointed,

rounded at base, coarsely and doubly toothed with unequal teeth, dark green above, beneath pale yellow green

with angles of veins hairy (fig. 23). Leafstalks

slightly hairy and glandular. Young twigs with few

hairs and slightly resinous, becoming smooth and orange

brown. Male flower catkins 3 to 4 inches long, narrow.

Fruiting cones 1 to 1^^ inches long, finely hairy, spreading. Bark usually reddish brown, or whitish, papery

and peeling off.

FIGURE 23.—Western paper birch {Betula papyrifera var. commutâta), three-fourths natural size.

WESTERN PAPER BIRCH iBetula papyrifera Marsh, var.

commutata (Reg.) Fern.)

Western paper birch is found along the mainland

coastal river drainages and lakes in the northern part of

southeast Alaska, separated from the other Alaska tree

birches. Itis a tree 8 inches or more in diameter.

Range : Northern part ofsoutheast Alaska in vicinity

of Lynn Canal, from Juneau to Skagway. East to

Mackenzie and Saskatchewan and south to Montana

and Oregon and also in the East from Labrador to

Massachusetts.

Other names: Alaska white birch, Alaska birch,

canoe birch; B, neoalctskana Sarg., B. papyrifera var.

neoalaskana (Sarg.) Eaup, B, resinífera auth., not

(Reg.) Britton.

46
Leaves ovate, ll^ to 2i/^ inches long, rather longpointed, sharply to broadly wedge-shaped at base,

coarsely toothed, yellow green and smooth above, beneath pale yellow green, dotted with glands and usually

with angles of lower veins hairy (fig. 24). Leafstalks

smooth. Twigs with conspicuous resinous spots.

FiGUEE 24.—^Alaska paper birch (Betula papyrifera var. JiumiUs), three-fourths natural size.

Male flower catkins 1 inch long, thick, greenish brown.

Fruiting cones 1 to li/4 inch long, smooth, hanging

down or spreading. Bark whitish or sometimes reddish, papery and peeling off. The heartwood is light

reddish brown and the sapwood white. Wood of fine

and even texture, moderately heavy (the densest of

Alaska commercial woods), moderately hard.

Alaska paper birch, the variety of birch common

throughout the spruce-birch interior forests, is a tree

usually 30 to 50 feet tall and 6 to 12 inches in trunk

diameter, with a maximum of 75 feet in height and 2

feet in diameter. It is found near streams and on warm

slopes with moist porous soils, generally in mixture

with white spruce and other trees. The most important

birch forests in Alaska are at Cook Inlet, where the

47
interior forest reaches the coast. Here paper birch has

its best development on the rolling benchlands and

lower foothill slopes up to an elevation of about 800

feet, becoming 60 to 70 feet tall and 10 to 14 inches or

occasionally 24 inches in trunk diameter, though it

averages about 9 inches. Paper birch has been used for

ornamental and street planting in Alaska.

Range: Common in spruce-birch interior "forest almost throughout the interior of Alaska but not in southeast Alaska. From the eastern border north and west to

the limits of trees, north to central Yukon River district

to Wiseman, west to Bering Sea at Unalakleet and

south to the Pacific coast at Cook Inlet and Kenai

Peninsula. In central and southern Alaska it intergrades with Kenai birch. Alaska, Yukon, and Mackenzie, south to Saskatchewan and British Columbia.

KENAI BIRCH CBetula papyrifera Marsh, van kenaica (W. H.

Evans) Henry)

Other names: Kenai paper birch, black birch, red

birch ; B. kenaica W. H. Evans.

Leaves ovate, 1^ to 2 inches long, relatively thick,

usually short-pointed, broadly wedge-shaped or rounded

at base, coarsely and often doubly toothed, dark green

and often slightly hairy above, beneath pale yellow

green and dotted with glands, the leaf edges witn long

white hairs (fig. 25). Leafstalks usually smooth.

Young twigs reddish brown and resinous spotted.

Male flower catkins 1 inch long, narrow, dark brown.

Fruitingcones about 1 inch long, smooth, not hanging

down. Bark usually dark brown, or grayish white,

papery and peeling off.

Kenai Jbirch, named from Kenai Peninsula, is a tree

eSO to 45 feet tall and 6 to 12 inches, occasionally 18

inches, in trunk diameter. It is found in the southern

portion of the spruce-birch interior forests.

Range : Southern and interior Alaska but not in

southeast Alaska. Kenai Peninsula, Cook Inlet, Kodiak Island, and Katmai, west to Bering Sea (Nushagak, Unalakleet, and Kuzitrin Eiver), and north to central Yukon Eiver and Tanana Eiver. This variety is restricted to Alaska. In central and southern Alaska

where the ranges of Kenai birch and Alaska paper birch

overlap, intermediate trees are common.

The two Alaska species of shrubby or dwarf birches,

mentioned below, hybridize with the tree birches as well

as each other. The dwarf birches have round, roundedtoothed leaves less than % inch long.

Resin birch {Betula glandulosa Michx.; glandular

scrub birch, bog birch), a shrub li/^ to 5 feet tall, has

small, nearly round leaves % to % inch long, longer than

broad and wedge-shaped and toothless at base, and the

48
twigs densely resinous and with a gray layer of wax.

Interior of Alaska, widely distributed. East to Labrador and Greenland, south in northeastern United

States to New York and Michigan and in western

mountainsto Colorado and California.

Dwarf arctic birch {Betula nana L. ; dwarf alpine

birch, B, nana subsp. exilis (Sukatch.) Huit.), a smaller

shrub usually i/¿ to 3 feet tall, has small, rounded leaves

FIGURE 25.—Kenai birch {Betula papyrifera var. Tcenaica),

three-fourths natural size.

less than i/^ inch long, often broader than long, straight

or rounded at base, and twigs slightly resinous and

slightly hairy. Very widespread in Alaska over the

coasts and in mountains of interior from northern part

of southeast Alaska to western end of Alaska Peninsula

and Bering Sea, north to Arctic coast. Arctic regions

across northern Canada to Labrador and Greenland and

in northern Europe and Asia. Not reaching the United

States.

As the various hybrid birches have characteristics

intermediate between those of their parents growing

nearby, additional descriptions are unnecessary here.

The tree birches now interpreted as hybrids of Alaska

paper birch with the two species of dwarf birches were

originally described as distinct tree species and are

49
named as follows: xBetula eastwoodae Sarg. {B,

glandulosa X B, papyHfera var. hwmilis ; syn. B. commixta Sarg,) and XBetula heeniana A. Neis. {B, nana

X B. papyrifera var. humilis), Eeports of water birch

{Betula oGcidentalis Hook.; syn. B, fontinalis Sarg.)

from Alaska probably refer to the first cross above.

The hybrid of Kenai birch with dwarf arctic birch, first

described as a shrubby species 3 to 6 feet tall but sometimes becoming a small tree 10 to 15 feet in height, is

named "XBetida hornei Butler {B. nana X B, papyrifera var. kenaica). The bark of these hybrids is like

that of the tree parent but does not peel off.

RED ALDER (^Alnus rubra Bong.)

Other names: western alder; A, oregona Nutt.

Leaves ovate or elliptical, 3 to 5 inches long, shortpointed, both coarsely and finely toothed, shallowly

lobed, dark green and nearly smooth above, pale beneath

with rusty hairs along the veins, the leaf edges curled

under slightly (fig. 26). Young twigs slightly hairy,

FiGUKE 26.—^Red alder {Alnus rubra), three-fourths natural size.

becoming dark red with light dots. Buds dark red,

covered with scaly down. Male flowers in narrow catkins 4 to 6 inches long, in early spring, partly developed

the preceding summer ; female flower clusters less than

50
l^ inch long, developing into hard cones % to 1 inch

long, which mature and scatter the narrow-winged nutlets ("seeds") in late fall and early spring. Barii ashy,

splotched white in places, smooth and thin. Wood

nearly white when freshly cut, soon turning to light

reddish brown, of fine and even texture, moderately

lightweight, soft.

Red alder is a tree 35 to 40 feet tall with a straight

trunk to 16 inches in diameter. It is common throughout southeast Alaska on stream bottoms with rich,

rocky, moist soils and along beaches where creeks enter

the sea. On landslides it forms almost impenetrable

thickets. Of little economic importance in Alaska, red

alder is the leading hardwood in the Pacific Northwest

States, where it is made into furniture. The Indians

use it in smoking meat and fish and for wood carving.

Range: Throughout southeast Alaska northwest to

Yakutat Bay. South along the Pacific coast from

Alaska and British Columbia to southern California.

THINLEAF ALDER (Alnus tenuifolia Nutt.)

Other name : Ä, incana auth.

Leaves ovate or elliptical, 1% to 4 inches long, shortpointed, rounded at base, shallowly lobed and both

coarsely and finely toothed, dull dark green and smooth

FIGURE 27.—Thinleaf alder {Alnus tenuifolia), three-fourths

natural size.

51
above, pale green and hairy or nearly smooth beneath

(fig. 27). Young twigs gray or reddish. Male

flowers in narrow catkins 1^ to 3 inches long. Cones

% to 1/^ inch long, the nutlets ("seeds") without wings.

Bark grayish on young trees but becoming reddish

brown, thin and scaly. Wood light brown.

Thinleaf alder is a large shrub or small tree up to

30 feet in height and 8 inches in trunk diameter. With

the larger willows it commonly forms thickets along

streams. By some authors this alder is included in

Alnus incana (L.) Moench, a closely related species of

Europe and Asia.

Range: From northern end of southeast Alaska to

southern and central Alaska. From vicinity of Juneau

and Glacier Bay west along the coast to Katmai and

north to Fort Yukon and Fort Gibbon in central Yukon

Eiver district. Alaska and Yukon east to Saskatchewan, south to New Mexico, California, and Lower California, Mexico.

SITKA ALDER iAlnus sinuata (Reg.) Rydb.)

Other names: Almis crispa (Ait.) Pursh subsp.

simmta (Reg.) Huit.; A fruticosa Rupr. var. sirmatm

(Eeg.) Huit., A. sitchensis (Beg.) Sarg., A. fruticosa

auth.

Leaves ovate, 2% to 5 inches long, short-pointed, the

edges with many shallow, wavy lobes and both coarsely

and finely toothed with long-pointed teeth, sticky when

young, speckled yellow green and shiny above, beneath

lighter, shiny, and smooth (fig. 28). Young twigs

slightly hairy and with resinous specks, orange brown

and shiny. Male flowers in narrow catkins 3 to 5

inches long. Cones several in a cluster, long-stalked,

y2 to % inch long, the nutlets ("seeds") with 2 broad

wings. Bark dark blue gray, smooth and thin.

Sitka alder is a spreading shrub 4 to 6 feet tall, forming dense thickets from sea beaches to timber line but

sometimes 30 feet or more in height and as much as 8

inches in trunk diameter. Although tolerant of shade

in early life, toward maturity it thrives with overhead

light. The wood produces good fuel and charcoal, and

the larger trees furnish lumber.

Range: Southeast and southern Alaska along the

Pacific coast. Throughout southeast Alaska from

Ketchikan northwest to head of Lynn Canal at Skagway and Yakutat Bay, west along the coast to Kodiak

Island, Alaska Peninsula, and eastern Aleutian Islands; also on Bering Sea (Nushagak and Nome). Intergrades with American green alder (Alnv^ crispa

(Ait.) Pursh), a shrubby species, especially northward

in interior. Alaska and Yukon southeast to Alberta

52
and western Montana, Oregon, and northern California.

Also in eastern Asia.

The only other Alaska species of alder is a shrub

closely related to Sitka alder :

American green alder {Alnus crispa (Ait.) Pursh;

green alder), a low spreading shrub less than 2 feet

tall or becoming larger, has ovate or broadly elliptical

FIGURE 28.—Sitka alder {Alnus sinvAita), three-fourths natural

size.

leaves V/2 ^ ^ inches long, short-pointed, sharply and

finely toothed with long-pointed teeth and with the leaf

edges even and not lobed. Interior of central and

northern Alaska, widely distributed. North to Porcupine, Yukon, and Koyukuk Eivers and west to Bering

Strait. Toward the southern coast it intergrades with

Sitka alder. Alaska and Yukon across Canada to Labrador, Newfoundland, and Greenland, south to New

53
York, North Carolina (high mountains), Michigan, and

Oregon. Also across northern Europe and Asia.

ROSE FAMILY (Rosaceae)

The rose family (Eosaceae) has about 60 species

native in Alaska, nearly all of which are herbs or low

shrubs, with only 3 native genera and species and 1

naturalized species of small trees. These trees, all

members of the apple subfamily, are distinguished by

the following: (1) The leaves are toothed and borne

singly (alternate) on the twigs, in mountain-ash compound with 7 to 17 leaflets; (2) the flowers are showy

and usually white, either large or, if small, many in a

cluster; and (3) the fruits, % to % inch in diameter,

are juicy or mealy and resemble small apples.

The serviceberries (genus Amelanchier) ^ represented

in Alaska by Pacific serviceberry and the shruo. Saskatoon serviceberry, have the leaves rounded at apex and

purplish, sweet and juicy fruits, known as serviceberries. Oregon crab apple (genus Mains) ^ has pointed

leaves, sometimes 3-lobed, and yellow or red, acid crab

apples as fruits. The mountain-ashes (genus Sorbiùs)^

represented by Sitka mountain-ash, the naturalized European mountain-ash, and two shrubby species, have

compound leaves composed of 7 to 17 leaflets and clusters of many small flowers and reddish, berrylike fruits.

PACIFIC SERVICEBERRY (Amelanchier fíorida Lindl.)

Other names: western serviceberry, June-berry.

Leaves oval or oblong, 1 to 2 inches long, rounded at

apex and base, coarsely toothed above middle, dark

green and becoming smooth above, pale green and

smooth or slightly hairy beneath (fig. 29). Young

twigs reddish brown. Flowers about 1 inch across,

white, fragrant, several in a cluster, in June. Fruit

round, % to % inch in diameter, smooth and covered

with a bloom, purple, sweet and juicy, edible, ripening

in August or September. Bark brown or gray, thin,

smooth or slightly fissured. Wood light brown, finegrained, heavy, hard.

A shrub or small tree to 16 feet tall and 5 inches in

trunk diameter, occurring in open stream banks and

meadows. The sweet fruits were eaten fresh or dried

by the Indians and are sought by birds.

Range: Pacific coast of southeast and ,southern

Alaska from Hyder to Chilkat River at head of Lynn

Canal and west to Cook Inlet and Katmai region on

Alaska Peninsula. Alaska and British Columbia south

along the coast to northwestern California.

Saskatoon serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifoUa

Nutt., northwestern serviceberry), the only other

54
serviceberry native in Alaska, is a shrub 6 feet or less

in height, though it becomes a small tree southward.

It has nearly round, thick, firm leaves 1 to li/^ inches

long and smaller ñowers about i/^ inch broad. Interior

Alaska from Chitina Eiver and head of Cook Inlet north

to central Yukon Eiver ; also at Chilkat River at northern end of southeast Alaska. Yukon and British Columbia east and south to Manitoba, Nebraska, Colorado,

and Oregon.

FIGURE 29.- -Pacific serviceberry (Amelanchier florida) ^ natural

size.

OREGON CRAB APPLE (Malus diversifolia (Bong.) Roem.)

Other names: western crab apple, wild crab apple;

M, fusca (Eaf.) Schneid.^ M, rivularis (Dougl.) Eoem.,

Pyrus diversifolia Bong.

Leaves ovate or elliptical or lance-shaped, li/¿ to 4

inches long, short-pointed, sharply toothed and sometimes slightly 3-lobed, shiny green and becoming smooth

above, beneath pale and usually slightly hairy (fig. 30).

Twigs hairy when young, becoming red and shiny and

later brown or gray, stiff and almost thorny. Flowers

% inch broad, white or pink, several in a cluster, in

June. Fruit oblong, about % inch long, yellow or red,

acid, suggesting a miniature domestic apple, ripening

in September or October. Bark red gray, thin and

scaly. Wood light brown, fine-grained, heavy, hard.

Oregon crab apple is a slow-growing, much branched,

small tree rarely more than 20 feet tall or usually a

shrub forming dense thickets. It is scattered to plentiful on low slopes, river bottoms, beach fringes, and

heavy wet soils along the Pacific coast. Where the

55
trees are not too stunted to be of economic use, the wood

is suitable for tool handles. The crab apples were

eaten by the Indians and are used in jellies and preserves.

Range: Pacific coast of southeast and southern

Alaska. From Ketchikan and Hyder north to Lynn

Canal and west to Prince William Sound. Southward

along the coastto northern California.

FiGUEE 30.- -Oregon crab apple (Malus diversifoUa), one-half

natural size.

Black hawthorn {Grataegus douglasii Lindl.) has

been collected as a shrub at Hyder, on the boundary

with British Columbia near the lower end of southeast

Alaska. It becomes a small tree 25 to 40 feet tall elsewhere in its range from British Columbia east to Montana and Wyoming (also in Michigan and Ontario),

south to northern California. Leaves obovate to ovate,

1 to 3 inches long, broadest toward the short-pointed

apex, base wedge-shaped, sharply toothed and often

slightly lobed; the reddish twigs often with stout

spines; the white flowers % inch broad, several in a

cluster ; the black fruits round, % inch or less in diameter, sweetish and mealy but somewhat insipid.

SITKA MOUNTAIN-ASH iSorhus sitchensis Roem.)

Other names : western mountain-ash. Pacific mountain-ash; S, americana sitchensis (Roem.) Sudw.

Leaves compound, 4 to 8 inches long (fig. 31). Leaflets usually 9 or 11 (sometimes 7 or 13), oval or oblong,

114 to 2% inches long, rounded or slightly pointed at

apex, with edges coarsely and sharply toothed above the

middle, dull blue green and smooth above, pale and

smooth or nearly so beneath. Young twigs and winter

buds rusty-hairy. Flowers small, i^ inch across, white,

56
15 to 60 in a cluster 2 to 4 inches broad. Fruit rounded

and berrylike, % to 3/2 inch in diameter, red but becoming orange and purple, ripening in early fall, the showy

clusters remaining attached m winter. Wood pale

brown, fine-grained, lightweight.

Sitka mountain-ash is a shrub or small tree as much

as 15 to 20 feet in height and 5 inches in diameter, with

a handsome, round-topped head. In rocky alpine situaFlGUBE 31- -Sitka mountain-ash {Sorbus sitchensis),

natural size.

one-half

tions at higher elevations it is a low shrub often only

1 to 2 feet tall. It occurs sparingly in southeast Alaska

but is often cultivated as an ornamental. This species

can be distinguished easily from European mountainash by its leaflets, which are toothed only above the middle (or slightly below), somewhat rounded at the apex,

and fewer in number. Also, the fruits are slightly

larger and in narrower clusters. The form of the tree

is usually less regular than that of European mountainash. Birds eat the fruits. Sitka mountain-ash is

named for Sitka, Alaska, where it was discovered.

Range: Pacific coast of southeast and southern

Alaska. Throughout southeast Alaska from Ketchikan

and Hyder northwest to head of Lynn Canal at Skagway, Glacier Bay, and Yakutat Bay, west along the

57
coast to Prince William Sound, Cook Inlet, and Katmai

region. Alaska and Yukon southeast to southern British Columbia, Alberta, northwestern Montana, and

northern Idaho.

EUROPEAN MOUNTAIN-ASH (Sorbus aucuparia L.)

Other name : Eowan-tree.

Leaves compound, 4 to 8 inches long (fig. 32). Leaflets 9 to 17, oblong or lance-shaped, 1 to 2 inches long,

short-pointed, with edges coarsely toothed except near

FIGURE 32.- -European mountain-ash (Sorhus aucuparia), onehalf natural size.

base, dull green and becoming smooth above, pale and

whitish hairy beneath. Young twigs and winter buds

densely white-hairy or woolly. Flowers % inch across,

white, 75 to 100 in a cluster, 4 to 6 inches broad. Fruit

round and berrylike, % inch in diameter, bright red,

ripening in August in Alaska. Bark smooth and

aromatic.

European mountain-ash is a symmetrical, roundheaded tree 20 to 45 feet tall. It is planted as an ornamental tree in the towns along the coast of southeast

Alaska, where it spreads rapidly from cultivation and

is sparingly naturalized. Not a true ash, European

mountain-ash is the only exotic tree to become estab58
lished in Alaska and grow as if wild. Its specific name

refers to the use of the fruits by fowlers in making bird

lime.

Range : Naturalized in southeast Alaska, where it is

planted as an ornamental tree. Native of Europe and

Asia but widely planted and naturalized in many places

across Canada and northern United States.

Two other, shrubby species of mountain-ash are

native in Alaska :

Greene mountain-ash {Soriiis scopulina Greene;

western mountain-ash ; syns. S, dlaskana G. N. Jones,

not HoUick, S, andersonii G. N. Jones), a shrub 3 to 13

feet tall, has 11 to 15 shiny, short-pointed, oblong or

lance-shaped leaflets toothed almost to base, and the

young twigs and winter buds are more or less whitehairy. Found in southeast and southern Alaska west to

Katmai, north in interior to central Yukon River and

westward to Bering Sea. Alaska and British Columbia

southeast to Alberta, South Dakota, New Mexico, and

California.

Siberian mountain-ash {Sorhm sambvmfolia

(Cham. & Schlecht.) Roem.), an Asiatic shrub 6 feet

or less in height, occurs also on a few of the westernmost

Aleutian Islands. It has 7 to 11 shiny, long-pointed,

lance-shaped leaflets broadest at base and toothed

almost to base and the young twigs and winter buds

rusty-hairy.

MAPLE FAMILY (Aceraceae)

The maple family is represented in Alaska by Douglas maple in the southeast part, though a second species

formerly was reported also. Maples have the following

characteristics for recognition: (1) The broad, longstalked leaves are paired (opposite), 3-lobed or 5-lobed,

and toothed; (2) the flowers, male and female on the

same or different trees, are small and yellow, in clusters

appearing with the leaves; and (3) the fruits are paired,

winged, 1-seeded keys. In winter the paired (opposite), U-shaped leaf scars aid in identification.

DOUGLAS MAPLE {Acer glahrum Torr. var. douglasii (Hook.)

Dipp.)

Other names: dwarf maple. A, douglasii Hook.;

variety of ßocky Mountain maple. A, glahrum Torr.

Leaves paired (opposite), slightly heart-shaped or

ovate, 2 to 4 inches long and broad, 3-lobed with the

lobes long-pointed, deeply, sharply, and irregularly

toothed, dark shiny green and smooth above, pale beneath with yellowish veins (fig. 33). Leafstalks ll^

to 4 inches long, reddish tinged. Twigs and buds reddish, smooth. Male and female flowers on separate

59
plants, Ys inch long, greenish yellow, several in a cluster, appearing with the leaves. Fruit of paired,

winged, 1-seeded keys % to 1 inch long, usually red until

shed, then turning to light brown. Bark reddish

brown, smooth. Wood light brown, fine-grained,

heavy, hard.

FIGURE 33.—Douglas maple {Acer glabrum var. douglasii),

one-half natural size.

Douglas maple is sometimes a tree 20 to 30 feet tall

and 6 to 12 inches in trunk diameter but more often a

shrub 4 to 6 feet tall. Itis occasional in rich moist soils

on forested slopes. The trees are seldom large enough

for commercial purposes.

Range: Southeast Alaska, common all along the

coast north to the head of Lynn Canal at Skagway.

Alaska east to British Columbia and Alberta, south to

Wyoming and Oregon. Eocky Mountain maple (Acer

glabrum Torr., including this and other varieties) extends southward to Nebraska, New Mexico, and

California.

Bigleaf maple {Acer maorophyUwrn Pursh), which

is omitted in this revision, has been reported to extend

north to the southern end of southeast Alaska and is

listed from Alaska in a few references. This species,

the only large tree maple in the Pacific region, ranges

from western British Columbia south along the coast

60
to southern California. However, in the absence of

specimens and definite locality records, the occurrence

of bigleaf maple in Alaska remains doubtful. Any

specimens confirming these reports would be especially

welcome. Bigleaf maple is readily distinguished by

the paired (opposite) long-stalked, very large leaves

5 to 14 inches in diameter, which are heart-shaped,

deeply 5-lobed with additional smaller lobes, and with

few teeth. The clustered fruits are paired, winged,

1-seeded keys 1^4 to 2 inches long and % inch wide,

bristly hairy at base.

DOGWOOD FAMILY (Comaceae)

Redosier dogwood {Cornus stolonifera Michx.;

syns. G. stolonifera f. interior (Eydb.) Rickett, O.

instolonea A. ISTels.), a common shrub 6 to 10 feet or infrequently 15 feet tall in Alaska, sometimes becomes a

small tree in the United States, though usually shrubby.

It has paired (opposite), elliptical or lanceolate leaves

2 to 4 inches long with smooth edges, finely hairy or

smooth reddish twigs, many small white flowers in compact clusters, and white fruits 14 ii^^h in diameter.

Southeast and interior Alaska north and west to central and lower Yukon River districts. Alaska east to

Labrador and Newfoundland, south in northeastern

united States to Virginia and Kansas and in western

United States to New Mexico, California, and northern

Mexico.

61
SELECTED REFERENCES

ANDERSON, J. P.

FLORA OF ALASKA AND ADJACENT PARTS OF CANADA. lowa

State Col. Jour. Sei. 18:137-175, 381-445, illus. 1943 ; 19 :

133-205, illus. 1945; 20: 213-257, 297-347, illus. 1946;

21: 363-423, illus. 1947; 23: 137-187, illus. 1949.

ANDERSON, JAMES K.

TREES AND SHRUBS, FOOD, MEDICINAL, AND POISONOUS PLANTS

OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. 165 pp., iUus. Victoria, B. C.

1925.

BLACKERBY, ALVA W.

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20 pp., illus. [San Francisco.] 1925.

BRUCE, DAVID, AND COURT, ARNOLD.

TREES FOR THE ALEUTIANS. Gcog. Rcv. 35: 418-423. 1945.

CANADA, DOMINION FOREST SERVICE.

NATIVE TREES OF CANADA. Bul. 61. Ed. 4, 293 pp., illUS.

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DAVIDSON, JOHN.

CONIFERS, JUNIPERS AND YEW : GYMNOSPERMS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. 72 pp., illus. London. 1927.

ELIOT, WILLARD AYRES, AND MCLEAN, G. B.

FOREST TREES OF THE PACIFIC COAST. 565 pp., iUuS. NeW

York. 1938.

GRIFFITH, B. G.

A POCKET GUIDE TO THE TREES AND SHRUBS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. 69 pp. Victoria. 1937.

HEINTZLEMAN, B. F.

PULP-TIMBER RESOURCES OF SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA. U. S.

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HENRY, JOSEPH KAYE.

FLORA OF SOUTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA AND VANCOUVER

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FLORA OF ALASKA AND YUKON. Lunds Uuiv. Arsskr., N. p.,

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AN ILLUSTRATED MANUAL OF PACIFIC COAST TREES. 409 pp.,

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ALASKAN HIGHWAY AN ENGINEERING EPIC. Nati. GcOg. Mag.

83 :143-168, illus. 1943.

62
RAUP, HUGH M.

FORESTS AND GARDENS ALONG THE ALASKA HIGHWAY. GeOg.

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VEGETATION ALONG THE ALASKA HIGHWAY AND THE NORTH

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THE BOTANY OF SOUTHWESTERN MACKENZIE. Sargentía No. 6,

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MANUAL OF THE TREES OF NORTH AMERICA (EXCLUSIVE OF MEXICO). Ed. 2 with corrections, 910 pp., illus. Boston and

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SHARPLES, ADA WHITE.

ALASKA WILD FLOWERS. 156 PP., illus. Stanford University,

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FOREST TREES OF THE PACIFIC SLOPE. U. S. Dept. Agr., Forest

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TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST, ALASKA. 46 pp., illus. Washington [D. C] 1940.

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FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. 2 V., illus. New York and

London. 1923.

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For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office

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