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LIVE OAK 



{Quercus virginiana Mill.) 



TTHE live oak extends from southeastern Virginia 

 through the lower Coastal Plain of North Caro- 

 lina and southward. It is a tree of striking char- 

 acter from its wide-spreading habit ; sometimes 

 reaching more than 100 feet in spread ; with a short, 

 stout trunk, 3 to 4 feet in diameter, dividing in 

 several large limbs with nearly horizontal branches, 

 forming a low, dense, 

 round-topped head. Its 

 height is commonly 

 from 40 to 50 feet. The 

 bark on the trunk and 

 large branches is dark 

 brown tinged with red, 

 and slightly furrowed. 

 It grows to largest size 

 on the rich hammocks 

 and low ridges near 

 the coast and only a 

 few feet above the 

 water level. It is one 

 of the most desirable 

 trees for roadside and 

 ornamental planting in 

 the Coastal Plain. It 

 is of moderately slow growth but long-lived and 

 handsome. 



The leaves are simple, evergreen, thick, leathery, 

 oblong, smooth above, pale and silvery white be- 

 neath ; from 2 to 4 inches in length and 1 to 2 inches 

 in breadth. 



The fruit is an acorn about an inch long and one- 

 third inch wide, borne on a long stem or peduncle ; 

 it is oblong, dark brown and lustrous, and set in a 

 top-shaped, downy cup of a light reddish-brown 

 color. 



The wood is very heavy, hard, strong and tough, 

 light brown or yellow, with nearly white, thin sap- 

 wood. It was formerly largely used, and still is 

 occasionally, for ships' knees in building wooden 

 ships. 



LIVE OAK 



Two-thirds natural size. 



38 



