Supposed Hybrid of the Black and Shingle Oaks 319 



found by Mr. Simkins several miles southeast of the Laboratory, 

 which may answer to this description. 



In 1910 Professor Jennings called my attention to another oak 

 which shows hybrid characters. The leaves resemble those of 

 velutina and have long yellowish petioles which show plainly 

 when one is approaching the tree, giving it a striking appearance. 

 Some of the leaves are less lobed than others and all show a 

 characteristic curve in the vertex of the lobe. Seedlings close 

 by indicate that its fruit which is like that of velutina is fertile. 



Since I have studied two of these trees identified as Leana more 

 closely than the others it may be well to describe them in 

 particular. One of them is on the top of a sand dune nearly 

 midway between the lake and Beimiller's cove about a hundred 

 and twenty yards north west of the State University Lake Labora- 

 tory. The tree is about twenty-five or thirty feet high, its trunk 

 at the base about sixteen or eighteen inches in diameter. The 

 tree is but little shaded, and its horizontal somewhat pendulous 

 branches arise within six or seven feet from the ground. These 

 almost touch the branches of an imhricaria just to the east. At 

 present the tree is being covered with grape "vines and a number 

 of its branches are dying. This tree we may for convenience 

 refer to as tree A. The other tree is perhaps thirty yards 

 farther northwest and is nearer the cove. It is about forty feet 

 tall, its trunk about twenty or twenty-two inches in diameter 

 at the base. Its first horizontal somewhat pendulous branches 

 arise about twelve or fifteen feet from the ground. The tree, 

 situated in an imhricaria grove, is in a lower place than tree A 

 and is in better condition. We may refer to this tree as tree B. 



The general habit, rather smooth brownish bark, branching, and 

 imbricated leaf arrangement of both trees resemble that of imhri- 

 caria. In tree B the angle between the branches and the trunk is more 

 acute and the branches more ascending for a short distance. An 

 examination of their leaves shows intermediate characters between 

 the entire oblong-lanceolate or oblong-ovate leaves of imhricaria 

 and the five to seven lobed obovate leaves of velutina. The most 

 distinctive leaf is slightly obovate and three lobed, each lobe ending 

 in a bristle. Some of the leaves are hardly to be distinguished 

 from those of imhricaria while others are quite deeply five to 

 seven lobed. Where the leaves are entire or only slightly lobed 

 their margins are often somewhat crisped. In shaded places 



