137 



CHESTNUT OAK. 



Quercus Prinus, Linnaeus. 



FORM A medium-sized tree usually attaining a height of 60-70 ft., occasionally 100 ft., with a 

 diameter 6-7 feet. In dense stands the trunk is straight and continuous while in open stands it 

 is low and divided, forming a very broad open crown. 



BARK On young stems and smaller branches smooth, thin, yellowish-brown. On older 

 branches and trunk rough, thick, brown to black, rich in tannin, divided into long, broad and 

 continuous fissures. Ridges are very solid, sharp-angled, not scaly. Base of the fissures often 

 cinnamon -led, especially on the larger branches and smaller trunks. See Fig. 75. 



TWIGS First summer greenish-purple; first winter orange or reddish-brown; stout, smooth; 

 bitter; with inconspicuous lenticels and star-shaped pith. 



BUDS Alternate, ovate-ccnical, distinctly sharp-pointed, i-l of an inch long. Bud-scales light 

 chestnut-brown, imbricated, slightly hairy towards apex and along margin. 



LEAVES Alternate, simple, obovate, thick, stiff, 5-9 inches long, 2-4 inches wide, usually 

 wedge-shaped at base, coarsely dentate with rounded teeth on margin; green and smooth on upper 

 leaf-surface, pale green and at first hairy on lower. 



LEAF-SCARS See "Leaf Scars" under White Oak, page 132. 



FLOWERS Appear about May when leaves are about i developed. Staminate flowers are 

 yellow and borne in hairy aments 2-3 inches long. Pistillate flowers have a short divergent, red- 

 dish style, and occur in small groups upon stout stalks. 



FRUIT Solitary or in pairs; matures in one season on short stalks. Nut 4/5-1* inches long, 

 2-3 times as long as broad, smooth, glossy, oval, chestnut-brown, acute or round-pointed, and 

 contains a sweet kernel. Cup thin, deep, hemispheric, covers J of nut, hairy inside. Scales of 

 cup are thin-tipped, reddish-brown, rather knobby near the base. 



WOOD Ring-porous; with prominent medullary rays; heavy, strong, close-grained, durable in 

 contact with soil, dark brown with lighter sapwood. Weighs 46.73 Ibs. per cubic foot. Used 

 for railroad ties, fencing, fuel and construction. Ranks close to White Oak. 



DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS In summer the Chestnut Oak, also known as Rock 

 Oak, can be distinguished by its oblong leaves margined with course rounded teeth and the 

 roughly fis&ured and non-scaly bark. In winter one can readily recognize it by its characteristic 

 bark, its sharp-pointed conical buds and its distinctive fruit. The persistent leaves often aid in 

 recognizing it in winter, as well as the absence of 1-year old developing acorns. The slender, 

 angular, orange-brown twigs terminated by a cluster of light brown sharp-pointed buds with a 

 slight apical pubescence will always determine this species with certainty. 



RANGE Maine to Ontario, south to Alabama and Tennessee. 



DISTRIBUTION IN PENNSYLVANIA Common In the mountainous region of the State. 

 Locally it becomes a prevailing tree. 



HABITAT Usually found on dry hillsides and towards the south in the mountains. It reaches 

 its best development in the mountains of western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee and Ken- 

 tucky upon rich rnoist soil. It is light-demanding and unless crowded will develop often into a 

 crooked tree. 



IMPORTANCE OF THE SPECIES The Chestnut Oak belongs to the White Oak group. Its 

 wood is used practically for the same purposes as that of the White Oak. The wood is valuable 

 and in addition the bark is very valuable because it is richer in tannin than that of any other 

 Oak. Large quantities of this bark are harvested annually at the present time in the southern 

 Appalachians. This species deserves to be regenerated extensively, especially by natural seed 

 regeneration methods and admixed with the well known Chestnut. In case of artificial regenera- 

 tion it may be advisable to sow the seeds rather than plant seedlings since this species is rather 

 sensitive to transplanting. 



