1896 



ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM. 



PART III. 



(/"Inug .StriMjus). It Is found algo upon the soa shore, and In the pine bnrrcni. In the 

 latter situation, it is frequently from 18 ft. to 'J(j rt. high, with a trunk + in. or 5 in. in dia- 

 meter; with entire leaves, '2in. or .Sin. lont;, silky, anil whitish beiu-ath. In dry or 

 sandy; places, it is only 3 ft or 4 ft. hif^li, with denticulateil leaves only I in. hi leufjth, 

 which persist for 2 years. These changes are, however, not jiermanent, ;us K. A. Michaux 

 found both kinds of leaves on the same tree. The upland willow oak is aUo often 

 found in pine forests that have bi-en ileared for cultivation, and afterwards aliandnned 

 on account of their sterility. In tlieM' places, as in the pine barrens, it is about 'ioft. 

 high ; and its trunk, crookctl, and coveri'd with a thick bark, begins to ramify at about 

 a third of the height of the tree from the ground. In spring, it is distinguished by the 

 reddish colour of its leaves and male c.itkins. The acorns, which are containe<l in shal- 

 low cups, are round and blackish, with the base of a bright rose cr)lour, when freshly 

 cxposc<I. It is rare to meet with a tree that yields a quart of fruit. (Mir/ix.) The bark 

 of this tree, like that of ^^. tinctftria, dyes yellow; but the tree is so rare in America, 

 that no use is matle either of its bark or wood. 



O. P. 6 j«rtr«rwas Michx. yuer.,No. 7. ; <l. maritima H'il/d. Sp. P/., iv. p. 424., Pursh 

 Pi. Anu-r. Sept., ii. P. G2;>., N. Du Ilnm., vii. i>. l.OO., Smith in lices's Cycl,, No. 2. — A 

 low shrubby plant, from .J ft. to Sft. high, according to Pursh ; a native of the sea coast 

 of Virginia and Carolina. The leaves are shorter than those of the species, and are per- 

 sistent, it is sometimes called the evergreen willow oak. 



Description, i^c. Q. Phellos, in America, is seldom found above 50 ft. or 

 CO ft. high, with a trunk 2 ft. in diameter; but in England, according to our 

 Statistics, it attains the height of 70 ft. and upwards. The trunk, even at an 

 advanced age, is covered with a smooth bark. 

 The leaves are 2 in. or 3 in. long, of a light 

 green, smooth, narrow, entire, and very similar 

 to those of the willow; whence the name of the 

 willo%v oak, by which this species is known 

 throughout the greater part of America. The 

 shoots are straight, long, slender, wand-like, and 

 not crossing one another so much as in most of 

 the other kinds of oaks ; so that the tree is almo.st 

 as much Hke the willow, in its shoots as its leaves. 

 The acorns, which are rarely abundant, arc 

 small, round, bitter, and of a dark brown co- 

 lour: they are contained in shallow cups, slightly 

 coated with scales; and, if kept in a cool place, 

 they will preserve the power of germination for 

 several months. The most northern boundary 

 of the willow oak is Philadelphia; but it is 

 more common, and of a larger size, in Virginia, 

 the Carolinas, and Georgia, where the mild- 

 ness of the climate is evidently favourable to 

 its growth. " It is seen, however, only in the 

 maritime parts of these states, and is a stranger to the inland districts, where 

 the surface is mountainous, and the climate more severe." {Micfi.r.) The 

 willow oak generally grows in cool moist places ; and, with Njss« atinatica, 

 Magn6li« glauca, A^cer riibrum, Laurus carolinensis, and (^uercus aqu:itica, it 

 borders the swamps in the lower part of the southern states. But, though 

 the willow oak generally grows in moist places, it is sometimes fountl, along 

 with the live oak, " near the .sea, in the driest and most sandy soils. At a 

 distance, it resembles the live oak in its shape and in its foliage, which, in those 

 situations, persists during several years ; but, on a closer examination, it is 

 easily distinguished by the form of its leaves, which are shorter and narrower, 

 and "by the porous texture of its wood." (Id.) Catesby calls this oak Q. 

 /Mex marylandica, after Ray ; and mentions that, in 172.3, it was growing in 

 the garden of Mr. Fairchilil. He adds that this tree is the favourite resort 

 of the large white-billed woodpecker, which feeds upon the in.sects found in 

 its bark, and injures the tree so much in dislodging them, that the ground 

 under the tree is often covered with small chips. From this circumstance, 

 the Spaniards call the birds carpcntcros. {Catcsh. Carol., i. p. 16.) Michaux 

 adds that the wood is reddish and coarse-grained, and so porous, that its 

 staves are cla.sscd with those of the red oak. From the comparative rareness 

 of the tree, however, they are seldom in the market. In some of the lower 

 parts of Virginia, the wood of Q. /'hellos is found to possess great strength 



