MASSACHUSETTS FOREST TREES 



YELLOW OAK (Quercus velutina Lam.) 



THE Yellow Oak, or, as it is more frequently called, 

 the Black Oak, occurs in all parts of Massachu- 

 setts and is really abundant in the eastern sections. 

 Its usual home is on poor soil, particularly on gravelly 

 uplands and ridges. 



As to habit, it is intermediate between the Red Oak 

 and the Scarlet Oak. The trunk commonly attains a 

 height of fifty to sixty feet and a diameter of two to 

 three feet. The branches are stouter than those of 



YELLOW OAK 

 Leaf and fruit. One-third natural size. 



the Scarlet Oak, yet not so stout as those of the Red. 

 The head is narrow and roundish. 



The bark on young stems is smooth and dark gray 

 or brown. On old trunks it is dark, almost black, and 

 is deeply divided into broad, rounded ridges. In this 

 last respect it differs from the Red Oak, the bark of 

 which has flat ridges and is never quite so rough. 



The winter buds are large, strongly angled and 

 covered with a matted, woolly growth. 



The leaves are very variable, sometimes resembling 

 those of the Scarlet and sometimes those of the Red 

 Oak. They are simple, alternate, egg-shaped or ob- 



