304 



The Oaks 



21. SHINGLE OAK Quercus imbricaria Michaux 



A tree of rich woods from Pennsylvania to Michigan and Nebraska southward 

 to Georgia and Arkansas, attaining its largest dimensions, 30 meters high with a 

 tnmk diameter of 1.2 m., in the central States. It is also known as Laurel oak, 

 Jack oak, and Water oak. 



The trunk is straight, often free of branches for half its height, with a round- 

 topped crown; when young the lower drooping or spreading branches often touch 



the ground. The bark is up to 4 cm. thick, 

 shallowly and sparingly fissured into wide flat 

 ridges, covered with close light reddish brown 

 scales; that of younger stems is thinner, light 

 brown and shining. The twigs are dark green 

 and shining, becoming dark brown. The winter 

 buds are ovoid, acute, 3 mm. long, shghtly 

 angular, light brown and shining. The leaves 

 are oblong to lanceolate or oblanceolate, 6 to 20 

 cm. long, bristle-pointed, wedge-shaped or 

 rounded at the base, entire, wavy, or rarely 

 3-toothed near the apex; they are thin and 

 firm, dark green and very shining above, with 

 a conspicuous broad yellow midrib, pale green 

 or brownish and coated with soft hairs beneath, 

 becoming bright red before falling in late au- 

 tumn. The leaf-stalk is stout, flattened and grooved, 0.5 to 2 cm. long. The 

 flowers appear in April and May when the leaves are one third unfolded. The 

 staminate catkins are loosely hairy, 5 to 8 cm. long; calyx 4-lobed, hair}' and fight 

 yellow; stamens 4 or 5, exserted; anthers oblong, notched, smooth and yellow. 

 The pistillate flowers are on stout woolly stalks, their involucral scales as long as 

 the sharp haiiy calyx-lobes; styles rather short, reflexed and yellow. The fruit, 

 ripening in the autumn of the second season, is solitar}% or two together, on short 

 stalks; nut ovoid or subglobose, i to 1.5 cm. long, dark brown, its shell thin with 

 brownish hairs inside; cup nearly hemispheric to saucer- shaped, 1.5 to 2 cm. 

 across, brown and shining inside, embracing one third to one half the nut, covered 

 by ovate bluntish red-brown hairy scales. 



The wood is hard, rather coarse-grained, light reddish brown; its specific 

 gravity is about 0.75. It checks badly on drying and is used in construction work, 

 and to a considerable extent for shingles, whence the common name. 



This oak, distinct in its shining unlobed leaves, with deep red autumnal tints, 

 aff"ords opportunity to add pleasing variety to the shade-trees of our northern 

 parks; it is of rather rapid growth. 



A number of hybrids are credited to this species. Lea's oak, Q. Leana Nuttall, 

 first seen near Cincinnati, Ohio, and reported from several other widely separated 



Fig. 256. 



Shingle Oak. 



