Did You Know

• Willows and Cottonwoods belong in the same plant family, Salicaceae.

• Leitneria floridana, is a small thicket-forming shrub native to Southeast Texas.  Corkwood is the only member of its family and is the only native tree in North America with its own family.  The wood of this tree is unique because it is so light.  A cubic foot of wood only weighs 13 pounds.  It is used in certain floating devices and bottle stoppers.

• Colonists referred to Sweetbay, Magnolia virginiana, as “Beaver Tree”.  Beaver traps were baited with fleshy roots from this tree.

• Mountain Laurel, Kalmia latifolia, is a beautiful flowering shrub in the eastern half of the United States.  It is said that the honey made from the flowers of this tree is poisonous.  The foliage is poisonous to livestock if browsed.  This is not the same plant as the Texas Mountain Laurel, Sophora secundiflora, which we grow in our landscapes.  However, the seeds of the Texas Mountain Laurel are poisonous.

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