THE COTTON GUM.
N. aquatica, Marsh.
The cotton gum is draped in cottony white down as the new shoots start and the leaves unfold in spring. In mid summer this down persists in the leaf-linings, lightening the dark green of the tree-tops. The dark blue fruits of this species have no culinary value. The wood is used for
crating material. The tree reaches its maximum height— one hundred feet—in the cypress swamps of Louisiana and Texas, its abundant, corky roots adapting it to its habitat.