— '? = 
BEECH FAMILY. 519 
9. Quercus nigra L. Water Oak. (Fig. 1236.) 
Quercus nigra I,. Sp. Pl. 995. 1753. 
Quercus nigra var. aquatica Lam. Encycl. 1: 721. 1783. 
Quercus aquatica Walt. Fl. Car. 234. 1788. 
A tree, with maximum height of about 80° and trunk 
diameter of 4°; bark gray, rough in ridges. Leaves 
spatulate or obovate, 1-3-lobed at the apex, or some of 
them entire and rounded, coriaceous, short-petioled, 
rather bright green and shining on both sides, finely 
reticulate-veined, glabrous when mature except tufts 
of hairs in the axils of the veins beneath, 114/—3/ long, 
the lobes low, usually obtuse and bristle-tipped; styles 
recurved; fruit maturing the second autumn; cup sau- 
cer-shaped with a rounded base, 5’’—7’’ broad, its bracts 
appressed; acorn globose-ovoid, 2-3 times as high as 
the cup. 
Along streams and swamps or sometimes on the up- 
land, Delaware to Kentucky, Missouri, Florida and Texas. 
Wood hard, strong, cross-grained, light brown; weight per 
cubic foot 45 lbs. April-May. Acorns ripe Sept.—Oct. 
Leaves of seedlings and young shoots incised or pinnatifid, 
very bristly. 
1o. Quercus Phellos L. Willow Oak. 
(Fig. 1237.) 
Quercus Phellos I,. Sp. Pl. 994. —1753- 
A tree, with slightly roughened reddish-brown 
bark, attaining a maximum height of about 80° and 
a trunk diameter of 3°. Leaves narrowly oblong or 
oblong-lanceolate, entire, acute at both ends, very 
short-petioled, bristle-tipped, glabrous or very 
slightly pubescent in the axils of the veins beneath 
when mature, 2/-4/ long, 4/’-12/’ wide; styles slen- 
der, recurved-spreading; fruit maturing in the au- 
tumn of the second season; cup saucer-shaped, 
nearly flat on the base, 4’/-6’’ broad; acorn subglo- 
bose, 4’’-6’’ high. 
In moist woods, Long Island, N. Y. to Florida, 
Missouri and Texas. Wood strong, rather soft and 
close-grained, reddish-brown; weight per cubic foot 
46 lbs. April-May. Acorns ripe Sept.—Oct. 
Quercus heterophylla Michx. f. Hist. Am. 2: 87, f/. 76, the Bartram Oak, probably a hybrid of O. 
Phellos with O. rubra, but perhaps a distinct species, intermediate in leaf and fruit characters between 
the two, occurs from Staten Island to North Carolina. Q. Phellos hybridizes also with Q. nana. 
11. Quercus laurifolia Michx. Laurel 
Oak. (Fig. 1238.) 
Quercus laurifolia Michx. Hist. Chenes Am. no. Io. 
pl.17. ‘8or. 
Trunk sometimes roo° tall, reaching 4° in diam- — 
eter at the base; bark nearly black, with flat ridges. 
Leaves oblong or oblong-obovate, often somewhat 
faleate, very green and shining above, paler be- 
neath, glabrous when mature, 114/-6’ long, 5/’-2/ 
wide, entire, or those of young shoots, undulate- 
lobed, the apex bristle-tipped; styles rather short, 
recurving; fruit maturing in the autumn of the sec- 
ond season; abortive ovules in the summit of the 
acorn; cup saucer-shaped, 4//-6’’ wide, its base 
somewhat rounded, its scales ovate, rounded, ap- 
pressed; acorn ovoid or nearly hemispheric, 3-4 
times as long as the cup. 
Along streams and swamps, southeastern Virginia to 
Florida and Louisiana, mostly near the coast. Wood 
dark reddish-brown, strong; weight per cubic foot 48 lbs. 
