76 STUDIES OK TREES 



deep, scaly cups the inner margins of which are downy. 

 The kernels are yellow and bitter. 



Form and size: The tree grows in an irregular form 

 to large size, with its branches rather slender as compared 

 with the white oak and Avith a more open and narrow 

 crown. 



Range: Eastern North America. 



Soil and location: It will grow in poor soils but does 

 best where the soil is rich and well drained. 



Enemies: None of importance. 



Value for planting : The black oak is the poorest of the 

 oaks for planting and is rarely offered by nurserymen. 



Commercial value : The wood is heavy, hard and strong, 

 but checks readily and is coarse grained. It is of little 

 value except for fuel. The bark is used for tannin. 



Other common names: Yellow oak. 



Comparisons: The black oak might sometimes be 

 confused with the red and scarlet oaks. The yellow, bitter 

 inner bark will distinguish the black oak from the other 

 two. The light-colored, smooth ])ark of the red oak and 

 the dark, ridged bark of the black oak will distinguish 

 the two, while the bark of the scarlet oak has an appear- 

 ance intermediate between the two. The l)uds of the three 

 species also show marked differences. The buds of the 

 black oak are covered with hairs, those of the scarlet oak 

 have fewer hairs and those of the red are practically free 

 from hairs. The leaves of each of the three species are 

 distinct and the growth habits are different. 



RED OAK {Quercus rubra) 



Distinguishing characters: The bark is perpendicularly 

 fissured into long, smooth, light gray strips giving the trunk 



