3i6 The Oaks 



is very heavy, its specific gravity being a trifle over i.oo. It checks badly on drying, 

 is very difficult to split and is utiUzed only as fuel. 



^^. NET LEAF OAK Quercus reticulata Humboldt, Bonpland & Kunth 



In Mexico this tree attains much greater dimensions than in our area, wherein 

 it occurs in the mountains of southern New Mexico and Arizona, seldom attaining 

 a height of 9 meters, with a trunk diameter of 3 dm., but is usually a shrub. 



The bark is about 6 mm. thick, close, thin, scaly, of various shades of brown. 

 The twigs are stout, densely hairy at first, becoming less so, orange colored, ulti- 

 mately hght brown. The winter buds are ovoid, 3 mm. long, reddish or brown. 



The leaves are broadly obovate or 

 oblong-obovate, 3 to 12 cm. long, 

 blunt, rounded or sometimes sharp- 

 pointed at the apex, heart-shaped or 

 sometimes rounded at the narrowed 

 base, somewhat toothed above the 

 middle with sharp or bristle-tipped 

 teeth or entire, the margin shghtly 

 revolute; they are thick, firm, and 

 stiff, dark green with scattered hairs 

 but shining when old above, paler 

 and thickly hairy with stout midrib 

 and prominently reticulate venation 

 beneath, persistent until the new 

 leaves form; the petiole is stout, 5 

 to 10 mm. long. The flowers appear 



from April to June, the staminate in 



Fig. 269. Net Leaf Oak. i ^ r r ^ ^i i ^ 



clusters of a tew hairy catkms about 



3 cm. long; calyx 5- to 7-lobed, hairy and yellow; stamens exserted, their anthers 

 oblong, notched, smooth and yellow. The pistillate flowers are in spike-Hke clusters 

 on long stalks which, Uke the involucral scales, are woolly; styles short, spread- 

 ing, and dark red. The fruit is in spikes or only 2 together, rarely sohtar}^; nut 

 oblong, 12 to 15 mm. long, hairy at the apex; cup deeply saucer-shaped or hemis- 

 pheric, ID to 12 mm. across, dark brown and hairy inside, embracing one fourth to 

 one third of the nut, covered by ovate, bluntish, hairy scales. 



The wood is hard, close-grained and brown; its specific gravity is about 0.95. 



34. E:M0RY'S oak Quercus Emoryi Torrey 



An elegant tree of the mountains of southwestern Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, 

 and adjacent Mexico, attaining a maximum height of 21 meters, with a trunk 

 diameter of 1.5 m. in the canons, but on the higher mountain sides reduced to a 

 shrub. It is also called Black oak. 



