WOOLY BUCKTHORN OR THE GUM BELLY

Bumelia lanuginose (Michx.)

Kingdom-Plantae (Plants) Subkingdom- Trachebionta (Vascular) Superdivision- Spermatophyta (Seed) Division- Magnoliophyta (Flowering) Class-Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledons) Subclass- Dilleniidae Order- Ebenales Family- Sapotaceae (Sapodilla) Genus- Sideroxylon L. (bully) Species-Sideroxylon lanuginosum Michx.

(gum belly)

Shape, Form, Type

Decuiduous tree.Can grow 25’ to 40’ tall.10’ to 30’ in width.Can have a trunk diameter of 1’.Branches reach close to the ground.

fig. 1

Bark

Rough and scaly bark.Usually a brown-ish color.Cut Bark exudes a milky sap.

fig. 2 fig. 3

Twig

Young twigs are light brown.Old twigs turn a blackish gray.The twig ends with a thorn.Thorn is usually straight or slight curved about 2 cm.

fig. 4

Leaf

Leaves are oblong and between 1” to 3” long.Leaves are alternate.Whorled on a spur shoot.Rounded tip but come to a point at the bottom.An evergreen color on top with a white fuzzy underside.Leaves turn a yellow-green in the fall.

fig. 5

Bud

Buds grow in a whorled pattern on lateral spur shoots.

fig. 6

Flower

Flowers bloom in early summer.Small white flowers.2 to 3 mm long.Bundle into cluster of sometimes twenty.

fig. 7

Fruit

Blue or black berries that ripen in the fall.Oval in shape.On a stem about .5” long.Fruit is edible by deer, birds, small animals, and humans.

fig. 8

Habitat and Range

Native to the south eastern US.Also found in eastern parts of Texas and Oklahoma. Can grow in dry or open rocky areas.It can also grow along streams and in swamps.

fig. 9

Uses

Little ornamental use.More likely to be used along property lines. Settlers children use to eat the sap from cut bark.

fig. 11

ResourcesFigure reference-fig. 1-Tree. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/bio406d/images/pics/spo/Bumelia%20lanuginosa%20habitlarge.jpg fig. 2-Bark. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus2/picts/Sideroxylon_lanuginosum_bark.jpg fig. 3-Bark. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=21636fig. 4-Twig. [Web]. Retrieved from http://swbiodiversity.org/images/vasc_herbarium_images/Sapotaceae/photos/Sideroxylon_lanuginosum_s_0.JPG fig. 5-Leaf. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.biosurvey.ou.edu/shrub/silal3.htm fig. 6-Bud. [Web]. Retrieved from http://swbiodiversity.org/images/vasc_herbarium_images/Sapotaceae/photos/Sideroxylon_lanuginosum_s_0.JPG fig. 7-Flower. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.biosurvey.ou.edu/shrub/silal3.htmfig. 8-Fruit. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus2/picts/Sideroxylon_lanuginosum_fruit.jpg fig. 9-Map. [Web]. Retrieved from http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SILAL3 fig. 10-Leaves. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/images/low/M830-0701051gk.jpg

All information gathered June 24, 2010

Website references-Missouri plant finder. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=M830 -Plants for a future. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Bumelia+lanuginosa -Sideroxylon lanuginosum michx. ssp. lanuginosum . (1999, September 9). Retrieved from http://www.biosurvey.ou.edu/shrub/silal3.htm -Southwest environmental information network. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=610&taxauthid=1 -Texas a&m university system. (2010). Retrieved from http://uvalde.tamu.edu/herbarium/sila.htm-Texas native plants database. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/natives/bumelialanuginosa.htm -Usda plants. (2010, May 19). Retrieved from http://plants.usda.gov/java/ClassificationServlet?source=profile&symbol=SILAL3&display=31 -Virginia tech. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=929

All references found June 24, 2010