Tiiri Trees of Vermont 113 



WINTER KEY TO THE SPECIES OF QUERCUS 



a. Terminal buds usually about y^ inch long. 



b. Twigs thick-tomentose ; entire bud pale-pubescent ; branches 

 corky-ridged ; cup of acorn conspicuously fringed at the rim, 



[1]^ Q. macrocarpa, p. 117. 

 hb. Twigs glabrous ; buds glabrous, or only slightly or partially 

 pubescent; branches without corky ridges; cup of acorn not 

 conspicuously fringed at the rim. 



c. Bark on branches breaking into large, papery scales which 

 curl back; buds pilose above the middle; acorns on stems 1-4 



inches long [ 1 ] Q. bicolor, p. 1 19. 



cc. Bark on branches not breaking into large, papery scales ; buds 



glabrous ; acorns sessile or very short-stalked. 



d. Buds conical, acute ; bud-scales scarious on the margins ; nut 



white-downy at the apex. ... [1] Q- muhlenbergii, p. 121. 



dd. Buds broadly ovoid, obtuse ; bud-scales not scarious on the 



margins ; nut not white-downy at the apex, 



[1] Q. alba, p. 115. 

 aa. Terminal buds usually about 34 ""^ch long. 



b. Buds strictly glabrous throughout ; bark of trunk smoothish or 

 only sHghtly fissured, inner bark not bitter-tasting; nut inclosed 

 only at the base by a shallow, saucer-shaped cup, 



[2]- Q. rubra, p. 125. 

 bb. Buds more or less pubescent or tomentose ; bark of trunk deeply 

 furrowed and roughish, inner bark bitter-tasting; nut inclosed 

 for about one-half of its length by a deep, cup-shaped or turbin- 

 ate cup. 



c. Buds hoary-tomcntose, obtuse at the apex, strongly angled ; 

 inner bark of trunk yellow ; acorns maturing in autumn of 

 second season; nut ^-^ inch long, with bitter kernel, 



[2] Q. velutina, p. 127. 

 cc. Buds slightly hairy, sharp-pointed, not strongly angled ; inner 

 bark of trunk not yellow ; acorns maturing in autumn of first 

 season; nut 1-1^ inches long, with sweet kernel. 



[1] Q. prinus, p. 123. 



' [1] means that the acorns mature in the autumn of the first season, hence 

 mature acorns will not be found on the tree, but on the ground beneath the tree. 



- [2] means that the acorns mature in the autumn of the second season, hence 

 immature acorns will be found on the last season's twigs, and mature acorns on the 

 gi'ound beneath the tree. 



