THE WHITE OAKS 



589 



peculiar leaf form, the lobes of which are rounded or 

 square. The three terminal lobes of the leaves are the 

 largest and the basal lobes taken together are wedge- 

 shaped. These unusual features give the leaves a dis- 

 tinctive appearance. The rigid leathery texture of the 

 leaves and their shiny green upper surface and their 

 rusty lower surface, are also helpful in recognizing the 

 Post Oak. If one examines the lower leaf surface with 

 a magnifying glass it will show star-shaped rusty hairs 

 over the entire surface. 



In winter the Post Oak may be recognized by its short 

 blunt-pointed buds and its stout, rusty and hairy twigs. 

 The buds are about the same size as those of the white 

 oak, but they are bright-reddish in color. 



In the northern part of its range the Post Oak is 

 usually a small tree, but in the lower Mississippi Valley, 

 where it reaches its best development, it sometimes be- 

 comes 90 feet high and 4 feet in diameter. . Locally in 

 the Mississippi Valley it is the commonest member in 

 the oak forests. The wood is firm and very hard, which 

 may have given it the name "iron oak." It decays slowly 

 when placed in contact with soil which accounts for its 

 extensive use for fence posts, and presumably this is the 

 reason why it has the common name "Post Oak." 



No oak has more striking distinguishing characteris- 

 tics than the Bur Oak, which is one of the largest of 



THE C-HESTNUT 

 aiE.STNUT LIKE 

 ACORNS. 



OAK MAY 



LEAVES, 



BE RECOGNIZED BY ITS DISTINCTIVE 

 LONG POINTED BUDS, AND LARGE 



A BIG BUR OAK WHICH IS 24 FEET IN CIRCUMFERENCE AT THE 

 GROUND, AND OVER 200 YEARS OLD. 



our native oaks. It is also called "Mossy Cup Oak," for 

 the acorns are fringed along the margin to such an ex- 

 tent that they give an appearance of moss. The acorn 

 cups are unquestionably the most unique of all oak 

 acorn cups. Some of the thrifty bur oak trees in the 

 Mississippi Valley develop such large acorn cups that 

 they are called "bird nest" cups. This appropriate name 

 was given to them for they resemble bird nests in size, 

 form and general appearance. 



The leaves of the Rur Oak are usually as distinctive 

 and unique as the acorn cups. On each side and near the 

 middle of the leaves occurs a deep-rounded cleft which 

 extends almost to the mid-rib, and practically divides 

 the leaves in two parts. The terminal part of the leaves 

 has large square lobes and the basal part resembles a 

 triangle. The twigs are fully as distinctive as the acorn 

 cups and the leaves. Upon them are found corky 

 winged projections which stand out from the twigs for an 

 inch or more. This characteristic is found in only a few 

 other trees, such as cork elm and sweet gum. 



