Handbook of Tkebs of the Kokthern States and Ca 



147 



The Scarlet Oak attains the lioight of 70 or 

 80 ft. with trunk diameter of 2 or 3 ft., cov- 

 ered with a dark brown shallow-ridged bark; 

 reddish internally. Its habit of growth when 

 isolated from other trees is to form a rounded 

 or oblong head often quite irregular and always 

 beautiful in summer on account of its hand- 

 some deeply-lobed leaves. But it is not until 

 it takes on its brilliant autumnal colors thai 

 its beauty and individuality are especially pro- 

 nounced. Then the appropriateness of its name 

 is at once evident, as it assumes a brilliant 

 scarlet color, and' other tints of red, and re- 

 tains them until late in the autumn after the 

 leaves of many of its associates have withered 

 and fallen. It is an abundant tree over a 

 large portion of its range, particularly in the 

 coast region, growing in sandy soil and on 

 gravelly slopes and uplands in company with 

 the Red, Black and other Oaks, the Pig-nut 

 and Shag-bark Hickories, the Sweet Birch, Red 

 Cedar, etc. 



Its wood is not distinguished from that of 



the Red Oak in commerce or in uses. A cu. ft. 



■when absolutely dry weighs 46.15 Ibs.i 



Leaves broad obovate or oval in outline, trun- 

 cate or obtuse at base, deeply pinnatifld with wide 

 rounded sinuses and .5-9 spreading lobes, repand- 

 dentate, with few spreading bristle-pointed teeth 

 at the ends, reddish and pale pubescent at first, 

 then light green and at maturity glabrous, lust- 

 rous above, paler and soniPtimes hairy tufted in 

 the axils of the veins beneath ; petioles long, 

 slender. Flowers staminate aiuents slender, glab- 

 rous ; calyx 4-r)-lobed : styles slender, recurved. 

 Fruit sessile or short-stalked, solitary or in pairs 

 with usually short ovoid brown and occasionally 

 striated acorns about half enveloped in a deep 

 large turbinate cup with thin closely imbricated 

 pointed scales. 



1. A. W., Ill, 69. 



