66 BEECH FAMILY 



upward, and are toothed toward the apex. Like those of 

 the dwarf species, they are minutely dotted with yellow 

 resin, and have a slight brownish tinge. 



The tiny blossoms, which lack calyx and corolla, are 

 borne in late winter in short green or reddish catkins from 

 the axils of the leaves, and are followed by small, globose, 

 one-seeded fruit, thinly coated with gray wax. Blossoms 

 with stamens are borne on one tree, and those with pistils 

 on another. The catkins with stamens are one-fourth to 

 one-half inch long, the pistillate catkins are smaller. 



The common bayberry of northern states, M. caroUnen- 

 sis, belongs to this genus.. An Asiatic species is cultivated 

 for its edible red fruit. 



BEECH FAMILY (Fagaceae) 



Trees or shrubs. Leaves alternate. Flowers minute. Fruit 

 an acorn. 



Oaks (Genus Quercus) 



Oaks are notoriously hard to identify. The species are 

 numerous, leaves of diverse forms appear on the sterile 

 branches and new growth, and hybrids arise which puzzle 

 the most expert. Attention must be given the bark and 

 the acorns, as well as to other characteristics, if one would 

 be sure of the exact species, but our common oaks described 

 below are among those most easily identified. 



The minute flowers of the oaks lack petals. The stamens 

 and pistil are in separate flowers. The staminate flowers 

 are in drooping, string-like catkins; the fertile flowers 

 are solitary or clustered in the leaf axils, and each is partly 

 enclosed by a scaly involucre which becomes the cup 

 around the base of the acorn. 



The South has a number of laurel-leaved or willow- 

 leaved oaks, whose relatively small, entire, or nearly entire. 



