THE LIVE OAK 



MANY of the Oaks in the North retain their brown, dead leaves through the winter 

 months, but the Live Oak has received its common name because it retains its 

 green leaves until the appearance of a new crop the following season. To the 

 uninitiated however, these seem not at all like Oak leaves, having rather elliptical outlines, 

 suggestive of a Willow leaf, the margins being generally smooth, though occasionally 

 broken by short teeth along the terminal half. The thick leaf-stems are very short, but 

 the pairs or larger groups of slender, sharply-pointed acorns are borne on extraordinarily 

 long stalks, sometimes reaching a length of five inches. The tree is especially remarkable 

 for its spread of branches: though it rarely reaches a greater height than fifty feet it 

 sometimes has a horizontal spread of thrice that distance. Large trees have a trunk 

 diameter of four feet, the base of the trunk commonly being swollen or buttressed in a 

 curious and characteristic manner. The wood has long been noted for its strength and 

 hardness, and in the early history of the United States was considered so necessary in 

 ship-building that large tracts in the South covered by these trees were set aside by the 

 Government for the exclusive use of the Navy. 



In a general way the Live Oak may be said to be indigenous in the South Atlantic 

 and the Gulf States. It is especially abundant along the coast, and will grow just above 

 salt water, a dwarf form found in such situations having been described by Professor 

 Sargent as bearing acorns when only a foot high. The species is justly esteemed as a 

 shade and ornamental tree in Southern cities, it having the advantages of ease of trans- 

 planting, rapidity of growth, long life, and spreading branches. It is a favorite host of 

 the famous Spanish moss of the South, which soon clothes the branches with long festoons 

 that add to the picturesque effect though it conceals to a great extent the really beautiful 

 foliage of the Live Oak. Of the effect of sudden showers upon these festooned oaks Mr. 

 J. Horace McFarland writes: "One day a walk about Savannah, which city has many 

 splendid Live Oaks in its parks and squares, involved me in a sudden shower, when, 

 presto! the Weeping Willow of the North was reincarnated before my eyes, for the falling 

 rain turned the dingy moss pendants of the Live Oak to the whitish green that makes 

 the Willow such a delightful color note in early spring. I have been thankful often for 

 that shower, for it gave me a better feeling about the Live Oak and made me admire the 

 Weeping Willow." 



(mq) 



