II. 1. THE BLACK OR YELLOW-BARKED OAK. 141 



seeds of the pitch pine, the red cedar, the larch, or some of the 

 valuable oaks, were placed, at the right season, an inch or less 

 beneath the surface of the soil, — they would spring up under 

 its shade, and be protected by it from sun and wind, until they 

 were large enough to need no further protection ; after which it 

 might be grubbed up, or left to die gradually in the shade. 



Sp. 8. The Black or Yellow-barked Oak. Quercus tinctoria. 



Bartram. 



Leaf figured in Michaux ; Sylva, Plate 24 ; fruit, Plate 25. One variety is 

 figured in Abbot's Insects of Georgia, II, Plate 56. By A. Michaux ; His- 

 toire des Chenes, Plates 24, 25 ; and poorly in Audubon's Birds, Plate 82 ; 

 the two most common forms are figured in Plates 7 and 8 of this volume. 



This oak is distinguished from all others, by the rich yellow 

 or orange color of its inner bark, and the same color, less deep, 

 in the fruit. It is, usually, also remarkable for the black color 

 of the external bark on the lower part of the trunk. But this 

 characteristic often fails in young trees ; the two oaks which 

 follow being often dark in almost an equal degree. 



The trunk, even in rather small trees, is excessively rough 

 towards the base. In old trees, this extreme ruggedness extends 

 throughout the trunk, and the bark is always remarkably free 

 from the larger lichens. 



The recent branchlets are brownish, or bronze red, somewhat 

 channelled, and usually downy, closely dotted with minute gray 

 dots, — with brilliant black dots, when seen under a magnifier. 

 The older branchlets are of a grayish or pearly green, dots not 

 much enlarged, surface soon clouded with pearly, membrana- 

 ceous lichens. The buds are large, ovate, or pyramidal, reddish 

 brown, or grayish, and pointed. 



The staminate flowers are on a long pendulous thread, closely 

 covered with down. Perianth downy, deeply divided into two 

 to four fringed pieces ; stamens four to six ; anthers opening on 

 the sides, to the base. 



The fertile flowers nearly sessile, one, two, or three together, 

 in the axil of a leaf; cup formed of several fleshy scales, the 

 outer ones narrow and pointed, the inner, broader ; styles three, 



