224 AMERICAN FOREST TREES 



covered with thin scales. On the branches it becomes much thinner, and 

 lighter in color, the branchlets being unfissured and glabrous in the 

 second year, although fuzzy at first. They are rather heavy and 

 rounded and terminate in short round buds with conspicuous scales. 

 A noticeable feature of the tree is the peculiar branching. The limbs 

 are heavy and crooked, separating often, with wide angles, forming 

 knees which when big enough, have a commercial value. 



When the tree is in foliage the tufted appearance of the leaves 

 grouped on the ends of the twigs gives it a distinctive look. They bear 

 some resemblance to a star, and for that reason some botanists have 

 named the species stellata. The leaves are five or seven inches long 

 usually, but in some cases, especially on young specimens, they are ten 

 or more inches long. They are dark, shiny-green and on a short petiole, 

 the veins and midrib being heavy and conspicuous. The identification 

 of these leaves is easy as they are heavy in texture, are bilaterally 

 developed with a large, obtuse lobe on each side about in the middle, 

 giving them a maltese cross effect. They are very persistent, staying on 

 the tree until the new leaves push them off in the spring. 



The form of post oak is not ideal from the lumberman's viewpoint. 

 The tree does not prune itself well. Straggling limbs adhere to the trunk 

 and prevent the clean bole which often makes white oak so attractive. 



The wood weighs 52.14 pounds per cubic foot. The name iron 

 oak referred to the weight as well as the strength of the wood. It is 

 rather difficult to season, and is inclined to check badly. The medullary 

 rays are broad and numerous, and checking is apt to develop along the 

 rays. The summerwood occupies about half of the annual ring, and is 

 dense and dark colored. Large pores are abundant in the springwood, 

 and smaller ones in the summerwood. 



Formerly this tree was known in some sections as turkey oak, 

 though the name is no longer heard, but is now applied to another oak 

 in the South. The acorns are small enough to be eaten by turkeys, 

 and when those game birds were wild in the woods they frequented 

 parts of the forests where post oaks grew, and hunters knew where to 

 find them. The uses of post oak for building and manufacturing pur- 

 poses are the same as for white oak as far as they go, but post oak is not 

 so extensively employed. 



The earliest railroads in America were built in the region where 

 post oak of excellent quality grew, and it saw service from the first as 

 crossties, and car and bridge timbers. It is still used for those purposes. 

 Its other important uses are as furniture material, both as solid stock 

 and veneer; ulterior finish and fixtures for offices, banks, and stores; 

 musical instruments, including frames, braces, and veneers; baskets, 



