Handbook of Tresis of the ^N^ortiiern States and Canad.' 



170 



The Cliinqunpin Onk is an alMimlant tn-P 

 west of tlie All(',i;li('ny Maintains, and in tlic 

 luxuriant forests of tlic W abasii River Valley 

 of southern Indiana and Illinois has been 

 known to attain tlic exceptional height of 100 

 It., with >trai;;ht cuhininar trunk 3-5 ft. in 

 thickness above tlie wide buttressed base, but 

 it is generally a much smaller tree and in the 

 eastern part of its range uncommon and local 

 in its distribution. Wlien growing apart from 

 other trees it develops an oblong or rounded 

 top of many branches, and its trunk is vested 

 in a pale gray scaly-ridged bark. Its leaves 

 very much resemble those of the Chestnut and 

 in autumn turn to various tints of orange 

 and red. 



Tlie wood is heavy, a cubic foot when thor- 

 oughly dry weighing 53.63 lbs., strong and 

 hard and is extensively used in cooperage, the 

 construction of agricultural implements, furni- 

 ture, etc., and for posts and railway ties. 2 



Leaves lanceolate-oblon,?, to obovate, 4-S in. 

 long, wedge-shaped or rounded at base, acute or 

 acuminate at apex, etpially and coarsely serrate, 

 with glandnlar-mucronatp teeth, dark green above, 

 whitish pubescent beneath, the straight prominent 

 veins terminating in the teeth : petioles slender. 

 Flotcer.s: staminate aments pilose, 3-4 in. long, 

 with yellow .5 fi-lobed calyx : stigmas short, red. 

 Fruit sessile or short-pedunclate with lustrous 

 brown short ovoid acorn %-% in. long and half 

 invested by the hoary-tomentose hemispheric cup 

 covered with small appressed scales : seed some- 

 times edible. 



A division of this species has recently been 

 suggested, and the name Q. Alexanderi Britt ap- 

 plied to cover trees with leaves broader above the 

 middle and acorns with rather shallow cups. but. 

 inasmuch as both forms of leaves and acorns 

 are often found on the same tree, the propo.sed 

 new species would hardly seem to be valid. 



1. Syn. Q. Muhlenbergii Engelm. 



2. A. W., Ill, 68. 



