The Oaks 



Spanish oak by the greater size and breadth of its leaves, and 

 by the teeth that generally adorn the tapering, triangular lobes. 

 The leaves are thick and stiff; those of Spanish oak are thin and 

 flexible. 



The Spanish Oak (Quercus digiiaia, Sudw.), of the Southern 

 States, is a distinguished-looking tree, with tall trunk and broad, 

 open head covered with downy-lined leaves of peculiar forms. 

 The lobes are elongated, often curved, sickle-like, rarely toothed, 

 and separated by deep, wide sinuses. From this extreme they 

 often vary widely, showing broadly obovate blades, often with 

 no lobes at all. The leaves droop from the twigs, giving the tree 

 an unique expression. 



It is a pity that this tree is not hardy north of lower New 

 Jersey and Missouri. It is one of the handsomest of shade trees. 

 The old plantations of the South are likely to show a few aged 

 Spanish oaks. There are two forms of the tree. Beside the 

 upland type, a white-barked one abounds in swampy land. 

 This tree has leaves very deeply cut, which turn a splendid yellow 

 in autumn. Lumbermen count its wood nearly equal to white 

 oak. The upland form yields far less durable timber. 



The range of the Spanish oak is from New Jersey to Florida 

 and west to Missouri and Texas. It is most common in the 

 South Atlantic and Gulf States, on the hills back from the coast. 



The Bear, or Scrub Oak {Q. nana, Sarg.), is a shrubby 

 tree that creeps in thickets over rocky barren ledges from. Maine 

 to Virginia and Kentucky. Its downy-lined leaves vary greatly 

 in their size and Icbing. They are obovate, with the three largest 

 lobes at apex, and tapering to the base, with at least one pair of 

 lesser lobes below the broad middle sinuses. There is a resem- 

 blance between these and the leaves of the post oak, although the 

 sharp, holly-like spines that tip each lobe and the two sizes of 

 acorns each tree shows in summer prove this species to belong 

 in the black-oak class. The little acorns, which are bitter and 

 set in shallow saucers, are abundantly produced, and bears fatten 

 on them. The species is often effectively planted to adorn 

 rocky areas in parks. 



The Black Jack, or Barren Oak (Q. Marilandica, Muench.), 

 is a black-trunked, contorted, spreading shrub, or a tree reaching 

 the height of 50 feet. Its leaves are leathery, with brown fuzzy 

 linings, and the upper surfaces are set with rough, stellate hairs. 



218 



