The right-hand leaf, however, is almost exactly the same as that of 

 the scarlet oak, but here the texture should be noted. The leaf of the 

 black oak is likely to be coarser and thicker than that of the scarlet 

 oak and the stem stouter. Its lower surface until midsummer or 

 longer is downy, while in the scarlet oak it is smooth. The acorn is 

 of much the same size and shape as that of the scarlet oak, but the 

 scales are looser, and the cup-rim does not round inwards toward 



7. — Black oak. 



the acorn. The bark is nearly black and the inner bark is orange 

 instead of red. The shape of the tree is much the same as that of 

 the scarlet oak. The tree is useful for planting. 



