38 HOUGH'S AMERICAN WOODS. 



into Lower California, and, mostly in its shrubby form, on the 

 mountains of southern Arizona and New Mexico. In its tree form it 

 is never found in any considerable numbers together, forming groves 

 or exclusive tracts of forests, but rather as isolated trees or interspersed 

 among other species. 



PHYSICAL PROPERTIES. Wood heavy, very hard, strong, tough and 

 close-grained, with open ducts, small (for an oak) and distributed, as 

 is the case generally with the evergreen oaks, in bands parallel with 

 the large medullary rays, and not distinctly indicating the annual 

 rings. It is of a light-brown color, with abundant lighter sap-wood. 

 Specific Gravity, 0.8493; Percentage of Ash, 0.60; Relative 

 Approximate Fuel Value, 0.8442; Coefficient of Elasticity, 119810; 

 Modulus of Rupture, 1268; Resistance to Longitudinal Pressure, 

 545; Resistance to Indentation, 317; Weight of a Cubic Foot in 

 Pounds, 52.93. 



USES. The wood of this tree is said to be the most valuable of the 

 Calif ornian Oaks, and indeed of all the broad -leaved trees of Cali- 

 fornia. It is very useful in the manufacture of agricultural imple- 

 ments, wagon-wheels, tool-handles, etc. 



MEDICINAL PROPERTIES are not known of this species, though doubt- 

 less the astringency of the bark common to the genus might be of 

 some avail. 



162. QUERCUS CALIFORNICA, COOP.* 

 CALIFORNIA BLACK OAK, MOUNTAIN BLACK OAK, KELLOGG'S OAK. 



Ger. , Californische Schwarzeiche ; Fr. , Chene noir de Calif ornie; Sp. , 

 Roble negro de California. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS: Leaves deciduous, oblong or obovate in outline, from 

 3 to 6 inches long, truncate rounded or wedge-shaped at base, pinnately and more 

 or less deeply sinuate-lobed, with sinuses oblique and rounded at base, and the 

 lobes usually repand-dentate with three or four acute bristle-pointed teeth. When 

 the leaves first appear they are tomentose, but, at maturity, thick, firm and 

 lustrous dark green, lighter and glabrous or pubescent beneath (exceptionally the 

 leaves and petioles are pubescent at maturity) ; stipules scarious, about in. long 

 and caducous; petioles terete, yellow and from one to two inches long; branchlets 

 rather stout, furnished with a pale tomentum at first, but which soon disappears, 

 and marked with minute pale lenticels; winter buds about in. long, with scales 

 ciliate-margined and pubescent near the apex. Flowers appear when the leaves 

 are about half grown, the staminate in hairy aments 4 or 5 in. long; calyx pube- 

 scent, with five or six broad-ovate acute lobes; stamens of the same number, 

 longer and with ovate apiculate anthers; pistillate flowers tomentose, on short 

 peduncles and with ovate involucral scales; stigmas recurved dark red. Fruit, 

 acorns maturing the second year, solitary or two or three together, with thick, 



* Quercus Kellogyii. Newb. 



