The Trees and Shrubs of Hingham. 153 



The Oak tribe is very fully represented in all the woods and 

 fields of the township. 



The White Oak (Quercus alba, L.) is a noble tree, very com- 

 mon, some of the finest specimens being found on the easterly 

 slopes of Old Colony Hill and thereabouts. Its light bark, the 

 bluish-green of its rounddobed leaves, and the purplish crimson 

 of their fall colors easily distinguish it. 



The Swamp White Oak {Quercus bicolor, Willd.), scraggy 

 branched, and with a deep rich green leaf with rounded lobes, 

 grows everywhere in swamps and low lands. 



The Chestnut Oak (Quercus prinus, L.). This tree, with its 

 variety the Rock Chestnut Oak (a separate species with some 

 botanists), is very rare, growing only in Third Division woods. 

 It is a imc tree, although not so large or imposing in appear- 

 ance as others of the family. Its leaves resemble those of the 

 Chestnut, hence its name. 



Chinquapin Oak (Quercus prinoides, Willd.). This little shrub, 

 the smallest of the family, rarely reaches five feet in height. It 

 grows on the bank at Broad Cove, and on the border of the salt 

 meadow on Otis Street south of Broad Cove, and is also found on 

 the sandy bank on the northerly border of that portion of the mill- 

 pond which lies east of Water Street. Its leaves are round-lobed, 

 verv irregular, and its small acorns are beautifully striped with 

 black. 



The Bear Oak (Quercus illicifolia, Wang.), a shrub usually 

 five to ten feet high, rarely becomes a small tree of fifteen feet in 

 height. It grows east of the Old Colony Hill, on Lasell Street, in 

 the woods near Weymouth, in the south part of Hingham, and 

 in some other localities. It has leaves with not very prominent 

 sharply pointed lobes terminated with bristles. The acorns are 

 quite small and symmetrical. 



The Scarlet Oak (Quercus eoccinea, Wang.) grows in all parts 

 of the town. This species probably crosses with the Black Oak, 

 in many cases, the typical Black Oak leaf being often found upon 

 the Scarlet, and that of the Scarlet (which is much more deeply 

 cut and more highly polished) very often appears upon Black 

 Oak trees. The only certain way of determining the species in 

 many cases is to cut into the bark. The inner bark of the Scarlet 

 is pinkish. That of the Black is bright orange or yellow. The 

 Scarlet is not one of our largest oaks, but is an elegant tree, its 

 delicate, shining, sharply lobed leaves, often cut almost down to the 

 midrib, turning brilliant red or scarlet in autumn. 



The Black or Yellow-barked Oak (Quercus tinctoria, Bartram) 

 is a noble, sturdy tree, growing everywhere in Hingham. The 

 crevices in its bark are black, which gives it the name. The 

 leaves, sharp-lobed and more or less deeply cut, turn red or crim- 

 son in the fall. 



The Red Oak (Quercus rubra, L.) is quite common with us. 

 Some of the noblest trees of this species growing in New England 



