CUPULIFER^. (OAK FAMILY.) 407 



when old, obovate-oblong, slightly or deeply sinuate-jnnnatifid, the lobes somewhat 

 toothed ; acorn nearly spherical or depressed-globular (' - ' long). Dry woods ; 

 common. A large tree, often confounded with the next, especially the varie- 

 ties with deeper cut leaves ; but these are duller and thicker, more dilated above 

 the middle, somewhat downy aaderneath until midsummer, and turning yellow- 

 ish-brown after frost ; and the inner bark (quercitron of dyers) is very thick and 

 yellow. Wood reddish, coarse-grained, but valuable. 



16. Q. coccinea, Wang. (SCARLET OAK.) Leaves oval or oblong in 

 outline, deeply sinuate-pinnati/id, with broad and open sinuses, and divergent sparing- 

 ly cut-toothed lobes (3-4 on each side), smooth, bright green and shining both sides, 

 broad or truncate at the base ; acorn ovoid or globular ( ' - 1 ' long ) . Rich woods ; 

 common. A large tree ; the long-petioled shining leaves turning bright scarlet 

 in autumn : timber and bark less valuable than in the last. 



+ -* Cup of fine scales, sliallow and saucer-shaped, much shorter tfian the acorn. ' 



17. Q. rubra, L. (RED OAK.) Leaves oblong, smooth, pale beneath, sinu- 

 ately cut with rather narrow sinuses into short and entire or sparingly toothed acute 

 spreading lobes (4-6 on each side) ; acorn ovoid or oblong, turgid (!' long). (Q. 

 ambigua, Miehx.) Rocky woods ; common. A good-sized tree, with reddish 

 very porous and coarse-grained wood, of little value as timber. Leaves turning 

 dark red after frost : the sinuses extending scarcely half-way to the midrib. 



18. Q. palustris, Du Roi. (SWAMP SPANISH, or PIN OAK.) Leaves 

 oblong, smooth and shining, bright green both sides, deeply pinnatijid, with broad and 

 rounded sinuses ; the lobes divergent, cut-lobed and toothed, acute ; acorn globular 

 (scarcely ' long). Low grounds, along streams, S. New York to Wisconsin. 

 A very handsome middle-sized tree, with light and elegant foliage ; the sinuses 

 of the leaves reaching three fourths of the way to the midrib. The timber is 

 better than that of the Red Oak. 



2. CASTANEA, Toura. CHESTNUT. 



Sterile flowers interruptedly clustered in long and naked cylindrical catkins : 

 calyx 5-6-parted: stamens 8-15: anthers 2-celled. Eerlilfi flowers 2 or 3 to- 

 gether in an ovoid scaly prickly involucre : calyx with a 5 - 6-lobed border crown^ 

 ing the 3 - 7-celled 18 - 14-ovuled ovary : abortive stamens 5 - 12 : stigmas bris- 

 tle-shaped, as many as the cells of the ovary. Nuts coriaceous, ovoid, enclosed 

 2-3 together or solitary in the hard coriaceous and very prickly 4-valved invo- 

 lucre. Cotyledons very thick, somewhat plaited, cohering together, remaining 

 underground in germination. Leaves strongly straight- veined. Flowers ap- 

 pearing later than the (undivided) leaves ; the catkins axillary near the end of 

 the branches, cream-color ; the fertile flowers at their base. (The classical name, 

 from that of a town in Thessaly.) 



1. C. vsca, L. (CHESTNUT.) Leaves oblong-lanceolate, pointed, serrate 

 with coarse pointed teeth, smooth and green both sides; nuts 2 or 3 in each involu- 

 cre, therefore flattened on one or both sides. Rocky or hilly woods, Maine to 

 Michigan and Kentucky; common. June, July. A large tree, with light 

 coarse-grained wood The American variety bears smaller and sweeter nuts 

 than the European. (Eu.) 



