QUERCUS 263 



cup top-shaped, narrowed at the base, about 18 mm. wide, covering one- 

 third to one-half the acorn, its scales appressed, slightly puberulent ; 

 c o c c i n e a, scarlet, referring to the autumn foliage. 



Dry sandy soil, Maine to Minnesota, Nebraska, Illinois and North 

 Carolina. In Minnesota its distribution is uncertain owing to confusion 

 with the previous species, it is known to occur in the southeastern part of 

 the state and in the vicinity of Minneapolis, where however it is not 

 abundant. Flowers in late April and May, fruit ripe a year from the 

 following September. 



Easily grown from seed and transplanted. A useful ornamental 

 tree on account of its beautiful autumn foliage. 



Wood reddish brown, hard, strong, coarse, weight 42 lbs., used for 

 construction, cheap furniture, etc., little used except for fuel. 



Quercus alba Linne 1753 White Oak 



Large tree 15-20 m. (50-65 ft.) high, 1-1.5 m. in diameter, (in the 

 Ohio valley sometimes 30 m. high, and 2-3.5 m. in diameter) ; bark pale 

 gray, scaly but not deeply cracked ; buds ovate, blunt, slightly hairy, 

 about 3 mm. long; leaves crowded towards the ends of the twigs, lobed 

 more than half way to the midrib into about seven nearly regular rounded 

 lobes, tip rounded, base wedge-shaped, when young densely downy, at 

 maturity smooth, upper surface light green, usually dull, lower surface 

 pale, veiny, leaves turning purplish red in autumn, and usually remain- 

 ing on the tree all winter, 7-16 cm. long, 3.5-12 cm. wide, petioles 1-2 cm. 

 long ; flowers opening when the young leaves are about half grown ; 

 staminate catkins 7-8 cm. long, very slender, flowers scattered, about 2.5 

 mm. in diameter, pistillate flowers in clusters of two or three on a peduncle 

 about 5 mm. long, or nearly sessile ; acorns ripening the first season, 

 sessile or on slender peduncles 1-3 cm. long, acorn 22-30 mm. long, 14-20 

 mm. wide, pale brown, glossy, seed sweet and edible ; acorn cup finely 

 downy, one-third to one-fourth as long as the acorn, its scales firm and 

 broad, the lower ones much thickened, the upper thin, not forming a 

 fringe : a 1 b a, white, referring to the pale leaves and bark. 



Heavy, well-drained, but usually acid soils, Maine to Minnesota, south 

 to Florida and Texas. In Minnesota abundant in the southeastern part 

 and as far north as the Twin Cities, often forming considerable wood- 

 lands almost to the exclusion of other trees, northern limit unknown but 

 it appears to be absent from the northern part of the state. Flowers in 

 May, acorns ripe in September. 



Grown from seed, the acorns germinate within a few weeks of their 



