i30 Fagace^. 



THE CHESTNUTS. Genus CASTANEA Adams. 



Trees and shrubs of the iiurtheni hemisphere, with astringent watery juice, ediiile nuts 

 and very porous wood and of great economic value. Four or five species are known and of 

 these two are trees of eastern United States and on'e a shrub of the southern states. 



Leaves convolute in the bud, ovate to oblong-lanceolate, coarsely serrate and with straight 

 veins terminating in the teeth. Floivcrs appearing after the leaves, monoecious; the staminate 

 in interrupted erect axillary ameuts, several fiowers together in the axils of small caducous 

 bracts; calyx campanulate, pale yellow, puberulous, with G lobes imbricated in the bud; 

 stamens l(l-2(). with long exserted filiform filaments and small yellow anthers, pistillate flowers 

 mostly at the bases of the upper staminate (androgynous) aments, sessile, and usually 2 or 3 

 together, surrounded with an involucre of many acute green bracts ; calyx urn-shaped and 

 with 6 minute sterile stamens ; ovary G-celled, with G spreading white linear styles and 2 

 ovules in each. Fruit maturing in autumn, nuts 1-3 together, with a globose mostly 4-valved 

 woody burr-like involucre, very prickly witli stiff branching spines outside and velvety pubescent 

 inside; nut flattened by mutual cdniprcssion. slioi-t. oxoid. pointed and tipped with the remnants 

 of the style, with chestnnt-lirown cDrinccous shell, lustrous below, pubescent above and with 

 large pale scar at base; seed solitary by abortion and marked by the abortive ovules at apex, 

 large, starchy and of delicious flavor. 



Castanea is the classical name of the Chestnut-tree. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



Xuts 2-3 in an involucre, compressed: leaves green and glabrous both sides. ... C. dentata. 



Xuts solitary, not compressed ; leaves pale tomentose beneath C. puinila. 



For species see pp. I3'f-J37. 



THE OAKS. Genus OUERCUS L. 



Trees and shrubs of nearly 300 species of the north temperate regions and high altitude^; 

 of the tropics. From its representatives come some of our best hard woods, barks extensively 

 used for tanning purposes and the corks of commerce. The acorns of many species are an 

 important article of food for hogs, etc., and in some countries also for man. Oak-galls of 

 commerce develop on the branches of certain species and many dyes and other products may 

 also be recorded among the products of the genus. About fifty Oaks are natives of tlie United 

 States and more than half of these are found in the Atlantic states. 



Leaves deciduous or persistent, arranged in five ranks, pinnately veined and often pinnately 

 lobed, sometimes entire and sometimes variable on the same branch ; stipules scarious and 

 caducous or occasionally iicrsisti'ut. Flowers appearing with or before the leaves; t!ie 

 staminate in clustered slender ditidping catkins, from axils of the leaves or bud-scales of the 

 previous year or leaves of the iinscut year, a single flower in the axil of each caducous scale of 

 the ament ; calyx yellowish green, campanulate, deeply G-lobed ; stamens 4-12, with filiform 

 exserted filaments and yellow anthers ; pistillate flowers solitary or in few-flowered spikes 

 from the axils of the leaves of the year, each flower subtended by a caducous bract and two 

 bractlets ; calyx urn-shaped, with tube adnate to the ovary, and limb of G short lobes ; ovary 

 mostly 3-celled with 2 ovules in each cell and 3 short or elongated styles, each flower nearly 

 enveloped by a scaly imbricated accrescent involucre. Fruit and ovoid-oblong or subglobose 

 1-celled nut (acorn) maturing in 1 or 2 years, with coriaceous shell having large circular scar 

 at base. I'.'.ch uiit snbti iidcd (ir more or less enveloped in a woody cup of imbricated and more 

 or less united scales; seed solitary and bearing abortive ovules at base or apex; cotyledons 

 usually plano-convex and entire. 



Qucrcus is the ancient Latin name of the Oak-tree. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



a Acorns maturing in autumn of the second year; shells hairy inside; abortive ovules at 

 apex ; stamens 4-6 ; styles elongated ; leaves or their lobes bristle-tipped, deciduous 

 (Black Oaks) 

 b Leaves pinnately lobed. convolute in the bud and 

 c Green both sides ; cup of acorn 



d Saucer-shaped, shallow and wide ; cups 



e %-l in. wide, rather thi<k and not more than 14 investing the acorns: leaves 



Dull green alxive and lobes widest at base Q. rubra. 



Lustrous gre<'n. lobes wide at apex Q. Texana. 



e' %-% in- wide, thin; leaves lustrous with lobes spreading and wide towards apex; 



acorn short-globose Q. palustris. 



d' Turbinate with 



e Small closely appressed scales 



f Acorn elliptical : cup i/i-Vs in. wide, leaves lustrous Q. ellipsoidalis. 



f- Acorn ovoid ; cups mostly more than l'^, in. wide ; leaves dull green and 



