Native Trees of Kentucky 59 



No. 2. BLACK OAK GROUP. 



Of the Black Oak group there are four species of great com- 

 mercial importance in Kentucky : 



a. Red Oak Ouercus rubra. 



b. Black Oak Ouercus velutina. 



c. Scarlet Oak Ouercus coccinea. 



d. Texan ( )ak Ouercus texana. 



Between the lumber of Red Oak and Black Oak there is 

 little preference shown in the market, and between the trees, small 

 basis for a close habit classification. 



They are both found all over Kentucky in gravelly, clay soils 

 of slopes and ridges. 



The wood of each is heavy, hard and strong ; more easily 

 worked than White Oak. but inferior in quality where great 

 strength or contact with the ground is required. 



The bark of each is rich in tannic acid used for tanning leather. 

 Both have oblong leaves, more or less acute at the 3-toothed 

 apex, and wedge-shaped at the base. The 7 to 9 irregularly 

 toothed lobes are furnished with bristly points. 

 Two points of difference may be considered : 



Red Oak inner bark, red ; acorns, large, bitter ; nuts en- 

 closed only at base in shallow scaly cups, 

 often persistent after nuts have fallen. 

 Black Oak inner bark, orange yellow : acorns, smaller ; 

 nuts enclosed to one-half their size in scaly 

 cups. 



