BLACK OAK; YELLOW OAK; YELLOW BARK OAK (Quercus 

 velutina, Lam.)- 70 to 90 feet; rarely 150 feet. Irregular, 

 rugged oak with narrow head of slender branches, ending 

 in velvety, stout twigs, with large, hoary tomentose winter 

 buds. Bark black, or nearly so, thick, deeply furrowed, 

 with inner layers deep r>- ^age-yellow, rich in tannin, which 

 extends to the twi^. Wood light reddish brown, coarse- 

 grained, hard, heavy, not tough, used in general construction, 

 furniture, and cooperage. Bark for tanning. Leaves 4 to 10 

 inches long, coarse, harsh, leathery in texture, dark green 

 above, brownish with short velvet or tufts of hair in angles 

 of veins. Lobes 7 to 9, deeply cut, broad, with rounded si- 

 nuses and bristly points not inclining toward apex of leaf. 

 At first, red, velvety with silvery sheen; in autumn brownish 

 yellow. Flowers May, profuse or scant, with red forked 

 stigmas and yellow catkin fringes. Acorns biennial, solitary 

 or paired, short-stalked; nut ovoid, smooth, in cup of loose 

 scales, fringed at rim, which is not incurved. Kernel bitter, 

 yellow. Dist.: Rich soil, Maine to Florida; west to Minne- 

 sota, Kansas, and Texas. 



