398 OAK FAMILY. 



towards the top, grayish or yellowish-downy beneath, the lobes mostly 

 narrow and entire or sparingly toothed and somewhat curved ; acorn 

 globular, hardly i,' long, 



Q. ilicif61ia, Wang. Bear or Black Sckub Oak. Sterile hills and 

 barrens, mostly N. and ^Y. ; shrub 3°-8° high, straggling ; leaves obovate 

 with wedge-shaped base, above angularly 3-7-lobed, whitish-downy be- 

 neath ; acorn ovoid, barely ^' long. 



* * Thickish-leaved Oaks, some of them almost or quite evergreen at 

 the South, coriaceous but deciduous N., entire, sparingly toothed, or 

 barely S-lobed at the sum^nit. 



■*- Leaves widening upwards, where they are sometimes moderately 3-5- 

 lobed ; acorns globular, ovoid, small. 



Q. aqu^tica, Walt. Water Oak. A small tree, with very smooth 

 and glossy, obovate-spatulate, oblanceolate, or wedge-oblong leaves, 

 long-tapering at base ; cup saucer-shaped. Wet ground, from Del., S. 



Q. nigra, Linn. Black-jack or Barren Oak. Barrens, from N. Y., 

 S. and W. ; low tree (8°-25° high), with wedge-shaped leaves widely 

 dilated and mostly 3-lobed at summit, but often rounded at the narrow 

 base, rusty-downy beneath, smooth and glossy above ; cup top-shaped, 

 coarse-scaly. 



f- -t- Leaves generally entire, not widened upwards; acorns spherical, 



small. 



Q. imbric^ria, Michx. Laurel or Shingle Oak. A middle-sized 

 tree, with laurel-like, lance-oblong leaves glossy above, more or less downy 

 beneath ; cup saucer-shaped or top-shaped. Rich soils, Penn., W. 

 and S. 



Q. cin^rea, Michx. Upland Willow Oak. Dry pine barrens, N. 

 Car., S. ; small tree or shrub ; resembles Live Oak, but more downy, nar- 

 rower-leaved, the cup shallow, and small acorn globular. 



Q. Ph^llos, Linn. Willow Oak. Sandy low woods from N. Y., S. 

 and W. ; a middle-sized tree, remarkable for its linear-lanceolate, smooth, 

 willow-like leaves narrowed at both ends. 



7. CASTANEA, CHESTNUT. (Classical name, taken from that of 

 a town in Thessaly.) Flowers in summer, appearing later than the 

 elongated strongly straight-veined and merely serrate leaves. 



C. saf?/a. Mill. European Chestnut. Large tree, with oblong-lance- 

 olate leaves, which are abruptly pointed or not long-petioled, the teeth 

 rather small but ending in a prominent, generally somewhat incurved 

 spine ; when mature smooth and green both sides ; nuts large, 2 or 3 in 

 each involucre. Several varieties are cult, for the large nuts. 



Var. Americana, Watson. American C. Larger freer-growing tree, 

 with mostly larger and broader and thinner leaves, which are prominently 

 taper-pointed, the teeth large and crowned with longer and more spread- 

 ing spines ; nuts smaller but better. Also cult, in a few named varieties. 

 Rocky woods. Me. to Mich., and S. 



C. Japdnica, Blume. Japanese C. Small tree, with narrow (oblong- 

 lanceolate) small leaves which are truncate or cordate at the base, and 

 white-tomeiitose beneath, mostly long-pointed, the teeth small and sharply 

 awn-pointed. Somewhat planted for its very large nuts. 



C. ptiinila, Mill. Chinquapin. Sandy dry soil chiefly Penn., S. and 

 W. ; shrub or small tree, with lance-oblong leaves, whitish-downy beneath, 

 and very sweet nut, solitary in the involucre, and therefore terete. 



