80 



FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 



Family Fagaceae. Beech Family. Contains 5 genera and about 

 375 species, of very wide geograpliic distribution. Tlie involucral 

 bracts around the pistillate flower in this family, ripen into a "bur" or 

 cup, well seen in the oak and chestnut. The largest and most im- 



FiG. 65.— A Native Californian Oak (Quercus densiflora), showing fruit. Original. 



portant genus is Quercus, the oak, which is represented by numerous 

 species in North America, the mountains of Mexico and South Ameri- 

 ca, and in Asia, southern Europe and Africa. Oak is probably used 

 for a greater variety of purposes than any other wood; it is hard and 

 very durable, and difl'erent species exhibit considerable diversity in 



