56 



Common Trees 



WHITE OAK 



Quercus alba. Linnaeus 



THE White Oak is the most important hardwood forest 

 tree native to North America. It has held this front 

 rank place since the earliest days of colonization. The 

 original forests of the rich agricultural areas of Ohio were 

 largely made up of this great tree. 



The leaves are simple, 

 alternate, 5 to 9 inches 

 long, 2 to 4 inches 

 wide. They arc di- 

 vided into 3 to 9, us- 

 ually 7, blunt-pointed, 

 finger-like lobes. Ma- 

 ture leaves arc deep 

 green above and light 

 green beneath. 



The flowers appear 

 about May and are of 

 two kinds. The pol- 

 len-bearing occur on the 

 old growth in drooping 

 tassels 2 or 3 inches 

 long. The acorn-pro- 

 ducing occur in small 

 clusters on the new 

 growth. 



The fruit is a sessile 

 or short-stalked acorn 

 maturing in one season. 

 The light brown nuts 

 arc about Ya of an inch long, seated in a warty cup, enclos- 

 ing about 54 of nut. The nuts are relished by wild animals. 



The bark is grayish-white and peels off in numerous loose 

 scales. The early settlers made it into a tea, used in the 

 treatment of tonsilitis. The twigs are smooth, light-gray, 

 dotted with light lenticcls. 



The buds are alternate, egg-shaped, blunt-pointed, red- 

 dish-brown, clustered at end of twigs. 



The wood is heavy, hard, strong, close-grained, light- 

 brown, durable. Its uses are interior finish, flooring, furni- 

 ture, general construction, implements and fuel. 



The White Oak is found from Maine to Minnesota and 

 south to Florida and Texas. It is common to abundant 

 throughout Ohio. This tree reaches its best development 

 on rich, moist soil, where it attains a height of 75 to 100 

 or more feet and 2 to 6 feet in diameter. It should be favored 

 in the farm woodlot. 



WHITE OAK 



One-fourth natural size. 



Single flowers and twig sections, enlarged. 



