330 



The Oaks 



pointed, 5 to 10 mm. long, and light brown. The leaves are oblong, oblong-lan- 

 ceolate, or obovate, 1.5 to 2 dm. long, sharp, sometimes taper-pointed, or rarely 

 rounded at the apex, variously wedge-shaped, rounded or heart-shaped at the 

 base, margined with coarse rounded teeth. They are thick, almost leathery, dark 

 green, smooth and slightly shining, with impressed yellowish midrib above, pale 

 grayish, finely ha.lry and prominently veined beneath, turning dull orange or yel- 

 low-brown before falHng in the autumn; the leaf-stalk is short and slender, i to 

 3 cm. long. The flowers appear in spring when the leaves are about one third 

 unfolded, the staminate in hairy catkins 5 to 7 cm. long; calyx pale yellow, deeply 

 7- to 9-lobed; stamens little exserted, their anthers broadly oblong, notched, smooth 

 and yellow. The pistillate flowers are few together on stout sHghtly hair\^ stalks; 

 involucre pale hair}^; styles very short, broad, spreading, and reddish. The fruit 

 is on stout short stalks, solitary or in pairs; nut ovoid or oblong-ovoid, 2.5 to 3.5 

 cm. long, light brown and shining; seed insipid but edible; cup hemispheric, 1.2 to 

 3.5 cm. across, light brown and hairy inside, thin, embracing about one third of 

 the nut, covered by rather small thin-tipped scales with thickened bases, smallest 

 near the rim. 



The wood is hard, strong, tough, close-grained and dark brown; its specific 

 gravity is about 0.75. It cures with difficulty, is quite durable in the soil, and is 

 used for railroad ties, fencing, and for fuel. The bark is used in tanning, being 

 valued next to that of the White oak for this purpose. 



It is also known as Chestnut oak, Rock oak, Tanbark oak. Swamp chestnut oak, 

 and Mountain oak. 



50. BRAY'S OAK Quercus Brayi Small 



A rather large tree, occurring in canons of cen- 

 tral Texas, where it is called White oak and attains 

 a height of 20 meters. 



The bark is pale and flakes ofif easily. The 

 leaves are cuneate-obovate, i to 2 dm. long, abruptly 

 taper-pointed, tapering at the base; the slightly revo- 

 lute margin is coarsely wavy-toothed nearly to the 

 base; they are thin, deep green, smooth with im- 

 pressed midrib above, somewhat paler beneath, 

 with prominent whitish midrib and relatively few 

 strong regular prominent lateral veins; they are 

 numerous and fall off at the end of the first season ; 

 leaf-stalk 1.5 to 2.5 cm. long, short, thickened at the 

 base. The fruit ripens at the end of the first sea- 

 son, and is short-stalked; nut oblong to ovoid, 2.5 

 to 3 cm. long, brown and smooth with a sweetish 

 seed; shell thin; cup hemispheric, 2 to 2.5 cm. across embracing about one third 

 of the nut, covered by numerous small ovate, somewhat warty scales. 



Fig. 287. Bray's Oak. 



