MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 29 
the sinuses of which are shallow and give the leaf a broad 
appearance, by the bark on the younger branches which peels 
off into thin, large plates, as in the sycamore, and by the long- 
stalked acorns, about one-third of which is enclosed by the 
eups. The wood is used commercially for the same purposes 
as the white oak. The swamp white oak is a picturesque tree 
for waterside planting and does well in any rich moist soil. 
Habitat: swamps, Maine to southern Iowa, south to Mary- 
land, Kentucky and Arkansas. 
Quercus Muhlenbergii (chinquapin or yellow oak).—This 
oak, locally, sometimes attains a height of 75 feet and a trunk 
diameter of 3 feet, but it is usually smaller. Its lateral 
branches are relatively short, forming a narrow, round-topped 
erown. The leaves are oblong to lanceolate, equally and rather 
sharply toothed, closely resembling those of the chestnut. The 
bark is thick, rough, fissured into long irregular ridges which 
break up into grayish or brownish scales. The wood is not 
equal in importance to that of the white oak but is utilized 
for similar purposes. This is a good tree for ornamental 
planting, but it is of rather slow growth. 
Habitat: limestone glades and rich north hillsides, Ver- 
mont to Delaware, along the mountains to Alabama, west to 
Minnesota, Nebraska and ‘l'exas. 
2. THE BLACK-OAK GROUP 
Acorns requiring two seasons in which to mature; lobes of 
leaves bristle-pointed; bark usually dark and furrowed. 
Quercus rubra (red oak).—The red oak usually attains a 
height of from 70 to 90 feet, with a trunk diameter of 3-4 
feet, but occasionally it grows to 150 feet with a trunk diam- 
eter of 5 feet. When grown in the open it has a short trunk 
and a broad symmetrical crown. It may be recognized by the 
flat-topped ridges of the bark, its straight-ascending clean 
branches, its dull green leaves with red midribs, its light 
reddish inner bark, its large acorns with broad yellow cups, 
borne in pairs on short stalks, and its smooth, sharp-pointed, 
light brown buds. The red oak is the most rapid grower of 
all the oaks. It is desirable for ornamental planting on this 
account, also because of its smooth bark, straight branches, 
