Beech Family 105 



* Stigmas sessile or nearly so; nuts not densely tomentose on inner 

 surface; scales of the rather shallow cup thick and often 

 tuberculate. White Oak. 



-*- Acorns maturing the first year. 



1. Q. lobata Nee. (Valley Oak, Roble.) Stately tree with 

 slender, often long and pendulous branches ; leaves oblong or 

 obovate, 6-12 cm. long, deeply lobed or pinnatifid, pale green, 

 acorns subsessile; nut long-conic, 3-6 cm. long; cup deep- 

 hemispheric, strongly tuberculate. 



Chatsworth Park and San Fernando. A single tree has also been ob- 

 served near Santa Monica (Hasse) and another near Lamanda Park by the 

 author, which is the southern limit of this oak as far as known. 



2. Q. Douglasii H.& A. (Blue Oak.) Middle-sized tree with 

 rounded head, branches numerous, erect-spreading ; leaves decid- 

 uous, 5-6 cm. long, oblong, sinuate or with shallow lobes, bluish- 

 green above, pubescent beneath ; acorn sessile or short pedun- 

 cled; nut elongated-oblong, 2-3 cm. long, mostly acutish ; cup 

 hemispheric, with ovate-lanceolate, thick or somewhat tubercled 

 scales. 



Encino, San Fernando Valley, Davidson. 



3. Q,. Engelmanni Greene. A middle-sized tree, 8-15 m. 

 high, with light colored and rather smooth bark, trunk often 

 6-10 dm. thick, branches spreading to form a well rounded scarce- 

 ly depressed head; leaves short-petioled, oblong, 5-8 cm. long, 

 entire or sometimes with a few coarse teeth, obtuse or retuse at 

 the apex, rounded or slightly cordate at the base, those of young 

 shoots sometimes acutish at both ends and coarsely serrate- 

 toothed throughout, somewhat coriaceous, almost without retic- 

 ulation, downy-pubescent when young, becoming glabrous in age ; 

 acorns sessile or peduncled ; cup hemispheric, tuberculate ; nut 

 oblong, about 2 cm. long. 



Frequent from Altedena to Monrovia; also occurring at Azusa and Glen- 

 dora, as well as in the foothills of San Diego County. 



4. Q,. dumosa Nutt. Shrub 1.5-5 in. high, the slender branches 

 tomentose when young; leaves coriaceous, sometimes persistent, 

 2 cm. long or more, oblong, obtuse, sinuate or sinuate- toothed, 

 dark green above, pubescent beneath; acorns sessile; nut oval, 

 2-3 cm. long; cup deep-hemispheric, 1-2 cm. broad, usually 

 strongly tuberculate, occasionally with somewhat flattened 

 scales. 



Common in the chaparral belt of all our mountains. What seem to be 

 hybrids between this and Q. Engelmanni are not infrequent wherever the 

 range of these two approach each other. 



