BEECH FAMILY 67 



smooth, coriaceous, shining leaves are very different from 

 the leaves of northern oaks. 



The most beautiful of our oaks is the majestic live oak, 

 Quercus virginiana, with great spreading branches, deeply 

 furrowed pale gray bark, evergreen elliptical or oblong 

 leaves, one to four inches long, and narrow, dark acorns 

 nearly an inch in length. 



The scrub live oak, Q. geminata, is a smaller tree, whose 

 leaves, one to three inches long, are very scurfy or pubescent 

 beneath, and have strongly recurved margins. The acorn 

 is half to three-fourths of an inch long. 



The myrtle-leaved oak, Q. myrtifoUa, is a shrub or small 

 tree with short, dark green leaves that are oval or are 

 broadened upward, and are only an inch or two long. The 

 acorn is about half an inch long. This oak is found 

 chiefly in dry sandy places. 



Several dwarf oaks, closely allied to the above species, 

 and evergreen like them, form miniature thickets, only 

 two to three feet in height, in sandy soil. 



The laurel oak, Q. laurifolia, is a symmetrical but rela- 

 tively short-lived tree that is often planted along streets, 

 and is incorrectly called water oak. It has a very dark 

 bark that is never deeply furrowed. The narrowly oblong 

 or elliptical leaves, two to four inches long, fall in Febru- 

 ary and March, when the new growth starts. The some- 

 what globose acorns are barely half an inch long, in a 

 shallow, saucer-shaped cup. 



The water oak, Q. nigra, has leaves broadened upward 

 from a wedge-shaped base, and more or less toothed toward 

 the apex. The acorn resembles that of the laurel oak. 



^The upland willow oak, or turkey^ oak, Q. hrevifolia (Q. 

 cinerea), is recognized from a distance by its gray -green 

 foliage. The oblong or elliptical leaves, two to five inches 

 long, are pale above and are grayish-pubescent beneath. 

 The acorn is about half an inch long. This species is 

 common in the high pineland country. 



