FAGACE^ 



243 



generally much elongated, often falcate, acute, entire or repand-dentate at the apex, 

 the lateral lobes oblique and spreading or often falcate, gradually narrowed from a 

 broad base, acute, and entire ; or oblong-obovate and divided at the broad apex by 

 wide or narrow sinuses broad and rounded at the bottom into 3 rounded or acute 

 entire or dentate lobes, and entire and gradually narrowed below into an acute or 

 rounded base, the two forms usually occurring on different but sometimes on the 

 same tree; hanging closely appressed against the stem when they unfold, when fully 

 grown thin and firm, dark green and lustrous above, coated below with soft close 

 pale or rusty pubescence, 6'-7' long and 4'-5' wide, obscurely reticulate-venulose, 

 with stout tomentose midribs and primary veins, turning brown or dull orange color 

 in the autumn before falling; their petioles slender, flattened, l'-2' long. Flowers: 

 staminate in tomentose aments, 3-5' long; calyx thin and scarious, pubescent on the 

 outer surface, divided into 4 or 5 ovate rounded segments; pistillate on stout tomen- 

 tose peduncles, their involucral scales coated with rusty tomentum, as long or rather 



shorter than the acute calyx-lobes; stigmas dark red. Fruit sessile or short-stalked; 

 acorn subglobose to ellipsoidal, full and rounded at the apex, truncate and rounded 

 at the base, about ^' long, bright orange-brown, inclosed only at the base or some- 

 times for one third its length in a thin saucer-shaped cup flat on the bottom or 

 gradually narrowed from a stalk-like base, or deep and turbinate, bright red-brown 

 and puberulous on the inner surface, covered by thin ovate-oblong reddish scales 

 acute or rounded at the apex and pale-pubescent except on the margins. 



A tree, usually 70-80 high, with a trunk 2-3 in diameter, stout spreading 

 branches forming a broad round-topped open head, and stout branchlets coated at 

 first, like the young leaves, with a thick rusty or orange-colored clammy tomentum 

 of articulate hairs, dark red or reddish brown and pubescent or rarely glabrous 

 during their first winter, becoming in their second year dark red-brown or ashy 

 gray. Winter-buds ovoid or oval, acute, ^'-\' long, with bright chestnut-brown 

 puberulous or pilose scales ciliate, with short pale hairs. Bark |'-1' thick, dark 

 brown, and divided by shallow fissures into broad ridges covered by thin closely 

 appressed scales. Wood hard, strong, not durable, coarse-grained, light red, with 

 thick lighter colored sap wood ; sometimes used in construction, and largely as fuel. 

 The bark is rich in tannin, and is used in tanning leather and occasionally in medicine. 



Distribution. Southern New Jersey southward to central Florida, through the 

 Gulf states to the valley of the Brazos River, Texas, through Arkansas and south- 



