The BARK is generally thin, gray in color, and on the old stems broken up into thin, narrow scales. The LEAVES are simple, alternate, mostly oval or wedge-shaped, notched on the edges, and usually from 2 to 3 inches long. The FLOWERS are white, some fragrant and others with a slightly unpleasant odor; they appear in early spring. The FRUIT varies from globular to oblong, from ¼ to ¾ inch in diameter; some when ripe have a pulpy, sweet, edible flesh, surrounding from 1 to 5 bony seeds. The WOOD is strong, tough, heavy, hard, but rarely used for any purpose. Many species of birds are attracted to these trees and bushes by the fruit and for the protection offered for nesting. Blueberry hawthorn, C. brachyacanthu, fruit ripens in the late summer and is valuable for deer food. The fruit of most species ripens in the fall, and one or two varieties yield a fruit highly prized for making jelly. RIVERFLAT HAWTHORN (Mayhew) Crataegus opaca Hook. and Arn. This species is a native of East Texas, being found as far west as the Trinity River. It grows along rivers at the edges of swamps and ponds, where water stands a part of the year. These trees often form extensive thickets. The FRUIT of this haw, unlike other Texas haws, matures in late April or May. After the fruit is gone, it is more difficult to distinguish it from other haws. It is of low, spreading habit, sometimes becoming a tree 20 to 30 feet high and about a foot in diameter. It usually bears a few thorns about 1 inch long on branches two years old. [Illustration: RIVERFLAT HAWTHORN (Leaves, flowers, and fruit, one-half natural size)] On old trees the BARK is deeply fissured and divided into dark brown, persistent scales. The wood has no commercial value. The LEAVES are about 2 inches long, pointed, narrowing toward the stem, finely toothed from the middle of the tip, sometimes slightly lobed, dull green, and rather downy beneath. The FLOWERS appearing in March are the largest of Crataegus, 1 inch in diameter, white, and borne in clusters of only 2 or 3. The FRUIT, an unusually large haw, is sometimes nearly an inch in diameter. When fully ripe, these haws are scarlet, lustrous, mellow, and pleasantly acid. The fruit is gathered in large quantities for making mayhaw jelly. MEXICAN PLUM Prunus mexicana S. Wats. This common wild plum is a small tree reaching 20 to 25 feet in height and 8 to 10 inches in diameter. Uncommonly it attains only large shrub size. The BARK is dark, varying from gray to nearly black. There are curling scales on young branches but on old trunks the bark becomes rough and deeply furrowed. [Illustration: MEXICAN PLUM (Leaf, three-fourths natural size; flowers and fruit, one-half natural size)]