114 



and principal veins may be more or less rough pubescent, the under 

 surface at maturity is a gray-green, and remains more or less densely 

 covered with fascicles of hairs; acorns single or in clusters, sessile or 

 nearly so; nuts small, ovoid 10-15 mm. long and 6-10 mm. wide, in- 

 closed for about Yi their length in the cup; scales ovate, gray or reddish 

 brown, tomentose on the back, blunt except those near the top of the 

 cup which are sometimes acute; kernel sweet. 



Distribution. Massachusetts, Indiana, south to Florida, and west 

 to Oklahoma and Texas. In Indiana it is confined to the southwestern 

 part of the State. In our area it is found on the crest of ridges in the 

 knob area where it is generally associated with black, and black jack 

 oaks, hence in our poorest and thinnest soils. West of the knob area 

 it takes up different habitats. From Vigo County southward it is 

 found on sand ridges associated with black and black jack oaks. West 

 of the knob area it is frequently found in black oak woods and in War- 

 rick County about two miles southwest of Tennyson it is a frequent 

 tree in the Little Pigeon Creek bottoms which are a hard light clay 

 soil. Here it is associated with pin oak and cork elm ( Ulmus alata). 

 In the Lower Wabash Valley, especially in Point Township of Posey 

 County in the hard clay of this area it is a frequent to a common tree, 

 associated with Spanish, pin, swamp, white and shingle oaks, and 

 sweet gum. In this area it grows to be a large tree. 



This species has been reported for Hamilton County by Wilson, but 

 I regard this reference a wrong identification which will relieve Hamilton 

 County of the reputation of having "post oak" land. It was reported, 

 also, by Gorby for Miami County. Since Gorby's list is wholly un- 

 reliable, it is best to drop this reference. Higley and Raddin 1 reported 

 a single tree near Whiting. Nieuwland 2 reported this species from near 

 Mineral Springs in Porter County, the report being based on his num- 

 ber 10,207 which I have not seen. There is no reason to doubt these 

 references, because it is not an unusual thing to find a southern form 

 jump from southern Indiana to a congenial habitat about Lake Michi- 

 gan. 



Remarks. Wood is similar but tougher than white oak, and its uses 

 are the same as white oak. Since in our area the tree is usually medium 

 sized, most of the trees are worked up into crossties. A tree in 

 a black oak woods 4 miles east of Washington in Daviess County 

 measured 2.22 meters (87}/ inches) in circumference breast high. 

 This species in some localities is called iron oak, and in Gibson County 

 on the sand dune area it is called sand bur oak. 



iHigley and Raddin: Flora of Cook County Illinois, and a part of Lake County 

 Indiana. Bui. Chicago Acad. Sci. Vol. 2: 106:1891. 



zNieuwland: Notes on our local flora. Amer. Mid. Nat. Vol. 3:230:1914. 



