90 Journal of the Mitchell Society [August 



Q. pohistris and Q. coccinea are alike in their coarse wood pene- 

 trated by many black knots, or pins. For this reason the name pin 

 oak prevailingly applied to palustris is sometimes transferred to 

 coccinea; and palustris is sometimes called (see Gray's Manual, etc.) 

 swamp Spanish oak, as in southeastern Ohio. 



Q. coccinea also resembles in its foliage and smooth bark Q. shu- 

 mardii which, however, yields a superior timber free from pin knots. 

 Where shumarclii is common, as in the lower part of the Mississippi 

 Valley, it is on account of its smooth gray, usually spotted or striped 

 bark generally called spotted oak (or for the same reason leopard 

 oak). Spotted oak is a name sometimes applied to coccinea in those 

 sections where shumardii is not abundant. 



In central Texas occurs Que reus texana Buckl. (Proc. Acad. Sci. 

 Phil., 444, 1861, not Q. texana Sarg.), a small tree of limestone moun- 

 tains with leaf and bark much like those of Q. coccinea, and it was in- 

 teresting to find that the name Spanish oak has been transferred to it. 

 It is in fact the Texas Spanish oak- and it seems should be so-called. 

 The true Spanish oak does not occur west of the Mississippi River. 



Another name which has caused confusion is pignut^ hickory. 

 Michaux in 1810 used as a specific name for a hickory porcina which 

 is translated into pig (nut) hickory. Carija amara similarly was trans- 

 lated into bitter (nut) hickor3^ Nuttall in 1918 gave prominence to 

 these names in his Genera as well as in the edition of Michaux 's 

 Sylva with Nuttall's • supplemental volumes. As Nuttall's scientific 

 names were long in use the translations of these binomials acquired 

 a certain standing in botanical and dendrological literature. They 

 apparently do not conform, however, to vernacular usage. 



C. amara Nutt. {Hicoria cordiformis) is the tree which is prevail- 

 ingly known as pignut. Canja porcina (H. glabra), which on account 

 of this transposition of common names has frequently been maligned 

 in its descriptions as having bitter fruit, as well as yellow buds, is now 



- Another tree closely related to the Texas Spanish oak is Quercus stellapila n. c. Q. 

 fe.vann var. Sarg., Bot. Gae. 65: 424. 1918. This is a small tree of the mountains of south- 

 western Texas and while related to Quercus texana, its fruit being; somewhat similar, it is 

 separated from all forms of texana by its pubescent twigs and folfage. The name of these 

 trees in literature is Texas red oak. The only local name seems to be Spanish oak and this 

 preferably should be their group designation. 



