Handbook of Trees of the Xorthern States 



145 



This interesting and distinct Oak has only 

 recently been made known to science, through 

 tlie keen observation of its discoverer whose 

 name it bears. It is an Oak of medium size 

 attaining the height of CO or 70 ft., with 

 short trunk 2 or 3 ft. in thickness vested in 

 smoothish or closely ribbed bark similar to 

 that of the Pin Oak. Similar to the Pin Oak. 

 too, is its habit of developing an oblong top 

 of many upright and horizontal upper branches 

 and drooping lower brandies, sending out many 

 small branches near the ground. As these 

 lowermost die in consequence of too much shade 

 from those above, they break off and their 

 bases persist for some time as stubs or pins 

 about the trunk and, as Mr. Hill suggests, it 

 is doubtless due to these that this and the 

 southern Q. palustris are commonly called the 

 Pin Oaks. 



Unlike the southern species, which inhabits 

 mainly moist low-lands, this tree is rather an 

 inhabitant of well-drained uplands, though 

 sometimes found on the borders of ponds and 

 in low woods. As its habitat is north of that 

 of the other tree, the two ranges overlapping in 

 the latitude of northern Indiana and Illinois. 

 and this is already known as the Pin Oak, I 

 suggest the name Northern Pin Oak as appro- 

 priate to distinguish it from the more southern 

 tree. 



Leaves oval to obovate-orbicular in outline, 3-7 

 in. long, wide-cuneate or truncate at base, deeply 

 pinnately lobed with mostly 5-7 narrow repand- 

 dentate bristle-tipped lobes and wide roundcri 

 sinuses, lustrous green above, paler and glabrous 

 or nearly so beneath : petioles slender, glabrous. 

 1-2 in. long. Flowers with spreading recurved 

 styles. Fruit maturing the second year, solitary 

 or in pairs, short-peduncled or sessile with mostly 

 elliptical chestnut-brown acorns %-% in. long and 

 half invested by the thick turbinate cup of thin 

 Email puberulous closely appressed scales. 



