Maple Family April 29, 2005 This small tree grows in the Smokies and blooms in late April and early May. The light green flowers hang like pendants, usually below the large leaves. Most maple flowers don't have petals, so these are much more showy and pretty! I found this tree blooming along the Little River Trail while I was leading a hike for the Gatlinburg Wildflower Pilgrimage. Perennial - tree Where seen: Great Smoky Mountains, Fall Creek Falls SP
? Family April 17, 2005 According to this website, https://entweb.clemson.edu/caps/pestalrt/onpfir/onpfirs.htm , Oilnut is a semiparasitic shrub. The "haustoria" on the roots attach to other trees to take in nutrients. Later in the year "nuts", called drupes, will form. The early settlers used the oil from these nuts for lamp oil. Perennial - shrub Where seen: Frozen Head State Park
Cashew Family Looks can be deceiving, this is NOT, I repeat, NOT: (a.)Poison Oak (b.)Poison Ivy (c.)Poison Sumac! In fact, it is not poisonous at all! It is related to all of the above, however it does not contain the poisonous oil, called urushiol, that causes the itchy rash in many people. Notice that the middle leaflet does not have the long, reddish petiole (stem) that Poison Ivy has. The flowers had already bloomed and were gone when I found this at Norris Dam State Park in mid-May. The hairy berries of Fragrant Sumac are bright red in the fall. Perennial - Shrub Where seen:Norris Dam SP, Great Smoky Mountains NP, Warriors' Path SP
