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PLANTS AND MAN 



woods and the uses to which they are put, the oaks may be 

 divided into two large groups, the white oaks and the red oaks. 

 Members of these groups range throughout the United States. 

 The hardwood forests of the midwestern United States are so 

 conspicuously populated with oaks that they are often thought of 

 as being primarily oak forests. 



The WHITE OAK GROUP (fig. 207) contains the largest and most 

 valuable of the oaks. They are distinguished by their generally 

 white or light colored wood, and by their leaves which are lobed, 



The white oak group of trees includes white (B), chestnut (A), and 

 live (C) oaks. 



notched, or toothed, but never bristle- tipped. The wood is 

 extremely close grained, heavy, hard and durable. To this group 

 belong, as eastern representatives, four species often referred to as 

 the "white oaks proper" and five species known collectively as 

 chestnut oaks. The former contains the large sized and common 

 WHITE and BUR oaks, and the medium sized overcup and post 

 OAKS, all of which range widely over the eastern United States. 

 Also eastern are the chestnut oaks which include the chestnut, 



SWAMP WHITE, SWAMP CHESTNUT, CHINQUAPIN, and LIVE OAKS. The 



first named is a small tree, the remaining four are medium sized 

 trees and the last named is an evergreen oak which retains its 

 leaves over the winter. The latter species is confined to the south 



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