The Oaks 



BBB. Leaves entire, elongated, rarely toothed. 



C. Foliage willow-like, shining. (Q. Phellos) willow oak 

 CC. Foliage laurel-like, shining. 



D. Tree pyramidal, pendulous. 



(Q. imhricaria) shingle oak 

 DD. Tree round, thick topped. 



{Q. laurijolia) laurel oak 



Mountain Live Oak, Maul Oak, Gold-cup Oak (Quer- 

 cus chrysolepis, Liebm.) A low, broad tree, with drooping limbs, 

 scrubby in high altitudes, 40 to 50 feet high, rarely 100 feet, and 

 100 to 1 50 feet across; trunk 2 to 6 feet through. Bark pale grey 

 or reddish brown, flaky. IVood pale brown, close grained, tough, 

 strong, hard to \voi"k. Buds broadly ovate, small, scaly. Leaves 

 evergreen, oblong, entire, acute, i to 2 inches long, bright green, 

 shining above, yellowish pubescent below. Flowers, ]\inQ; stami- 

 nate catkins profuse; pistillate, sessile, solitary or few in a cluster; 

 scales golden tomentose. Fruits solitary, ^ to i-| inches long; 

 cups shallow, thick, of triangular scales, concealed by yellow 

 tomentum. Preferred habitat, caiion sides and rocky gulches. 

 Distribution, southern Oregon to Lower California, on western 

 slopes of Sierra Nevada and coast mountains, mountains in south- 

 ern Arizona and New Mexico. Uses: Most valuable timber oak 

 of the Pacific coast. Used for wagons and farm implements. 



The mountain live oak is not a horticultural tree, beautiful as 

 it would be in the broad, rolling valleys of California. It is a wild 

 thing, untamable as the mountain goat, loving the rocky caiion 

 sides and the high terraces on which earthquake and avalanche 

 have left mighty indelible scars. Two thousand feet above sea 

 level these trees begin to appear. On these heights they rear 

 their sturdy, buttressed trunks which soon break into limbs that 

 spread into broad, low domes. The width of these trees is often 

 twice their height, and their resemblance to the live oak of the 

 Southeastern States is striking. Instead of the Spanish moss that 

 decks these Southern trees and gives them such a funereal look, 

 here is nothing to droop but the tree's own long, flexible twigs clad 

 in leaves all yellow-green and shining, which brighten the sun- 

 shine that sifts 'through them. They are lined all summer with 

 yellow down, and the spring catkins and autumn acorn cups 

 give an extra Midas touch to the tree at both ends of the growing 

 season. 



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