FAGACE.E 



257 



to the midrib or pointed toward the apex of the leaf, when they unfold coated with pale 

 tomentum, thickest on the lower surface, and dark red on the upper surface, at maturity 

 dark green and very lustrous above, pale and tomentose below, 6'-8' long and 5'-6' wide, 

 with a stout midrib usually puberulous on the upper side, slender primary veins arched to 

 the points of the lobes, and conspicuous reticulate veinlets; turning bright clear yellow 

 before falling; petioles stout, pubescent or tomentose, 1^-2' in length. Flowers and Fruit 

 as in the species. 



A tree, sometimes 120 high, with a trunk 4-5 in diameter, heavy branches forming in 

 the forest a short narrow crown, or in more open situations wide-spreading or ascending 

 and forming a great open head, and slender branchlets hoary tomentose at first, tomentose 

 or pubescent during their first winter, and dark reddish brown and puberulous during their 

 second year. Winter-buds ovoid, acute, often prominently 4-angled, about 3' long, with 



Fig. 235 



light red-brown puberulous scales sometimes ciliate at the apex. Bark about 1' thick 

 and roughened by small rather closely appressed plate-like light gray, gray-brown or dark 

 brown scales. Wood light reddish brown, with thin nearly white sap wood; largely manu- 

 factured into lumber in the Mississippi valley, and valued almost as highly as white oak. 



Distribution. Rich bottom-lands and the alluvial banks of streams; Maryland (Queen 

 Anne County) and coast of Virginia to northern Florida, and through the Gulf states and 

 Arkansas to southern Missouri, western Tennessee and Kentucky, and southern Illinois 

 and Indiana; most abundant and one of the largest and most valuable timber-trees in the 

 river swamps of the Yazoo basin, Mississippi, and of eastern Arkansas. Differing chiefly 

 from the type in the more numerous and more acuminate lobes of the usually more elon- 

 gated leaves usually paler on the lower surface, and in the generally paler bark of the 

 trunk; passing into Quercus rubravar. leucophylla Ashe with leaves on upper branches 

 nearly as broad as long thickly covered below with brownish pubescence and deeply 

 divided into 5-7 lobes, and on lower branches slightly obovate, less deeply divided, thin, 

 dark green, sometimes pubescent becoming glabrous above and often covered below with 

 pale or brown pubescence. 



A tree sometimes 120 high; in low rich soil; coast region of southeastern Virginia, south- 

 ward to western Florida and through the Gulf states to the valley of the Neches River, 

 Texas, and northward to northern Arkansas; in southern Illinois (near Mt. Carmel, Wa- 

 bash County) and southwestern Indiana (near Hovey Lake, Posey County) ; abundant in 

 low woods about River Junction, Gadsden County, Florida, and in central Mississippi. 



X Quercus Willdenoviana Zabel is believed in Europe to be a hybrid of Quercus rubra 

 and Quercus velutina. 



