430 



The Black Oaks. 



The Black Oaks form a difficult group in the identification of spe- 

 cies. Numerically, the individuals in members of this group are many 

 and well distributed over White County. 



Quercus hnhricaria Michx. Shingle Oak, Lea, Jack or Laurel Oak. 

 (Hist. Chen. Am. 9 pi. 15, 16. 1801.) 

 This oak has been reported from 25 counties in Indiana and no 

 doubt occurs in many others. It is the only entire-leaved oak in White 

 County, and in our area it is a medium-sized tree. Specimens were 

 found east of Monon, northwest of Reynolds, up in Princeton township, 

 also southwest and east of Reynolds, at Norway, east of Chalmers near 

 Big Creek, and east of Brookston. In a small grove just northwest of 

 Brookston it forms an almost pure stand of fair-sized trees. It occurs 

 in rich, moist soils or near the edges of low sand ridges. 



Quercus palustris Muench. (and DuRoi?) Pin Oak, Swamp Oak, Swamp 

 Spanish Oak. (Harbk 2:268 pi. 5-14. 1772.) 

 Q. palustris has been reported from 26 counties. It is said to be 

 less frequent in the northern tier of counties. In White County it is 

 frequent in low places, associated with other black oaks, but occupying 

 the borders of former swamps rather than higher soil of the other 

 nearby oaks. It is readily distinguished by its small acorns, small, thin, 

 shallow cups, smoother bark than other indigenous oaks, wide divergent 

 leaf lobes, and tardy pruning deflexed dead branches. (See pp. 421-423, 

 428.) 



Quercus coccinea Wang. Scarlet Oak. (Amer. 44 pi. 4 f. 9. 1787.) 



Though common throughout Indiana, the published records of this 

 oak include but 16 counties. It is more or less common in White County. 

 The fairly large top-shaped cup (2.5 cm. or more broad), with its glab- 

 rous, glossy, closely appressed brown scales or bracts about half enclos- 

 ing the oblong-ovoid nut with its white keinel, makes this species readily 

 recognizable. 



Quercus valutina Lam. Black Oak, Quercitron, Yellow-bark Oak. (En- 

 cycl. 1:721. 1783. Q. tinctoria Bartram. Name only, 1791. Q. 

 coccinea var. tinctoria A. Gray, 1867.) 

 Velutina is a very common species of oak in White County. It is 



