286 TREES OF NORTH AMERICA 



largest size on the Atlantic and east Gulf coasts on rich hummocks and ridges a few 

 feet above the level of the 3ea; abundant in Texas, in the coast region near the banks 

 of streams, and westward toward the valley of the Rio Grande often forming the 

 principal part of the shrubby growth on low moist soil ; in sandy barren soil in the 

 immediate vicinity of the seacoast or on the shores of salt water estuaries and bays 

 often a shrub, sometimes bearing fruit on stems not more than a foot high (var. 

 maritima, Sarg., and var. minima, Sarg.). 



Often planted as a shade and ornamental tree in the southern United States. 



47. Quercus Emoryi, Torr. Black Oak. 



Leaves oblong-lanceolate, acute and mucronate at the apex, cordate or rounded 

 at the slightly narrowed base, entire or remotely repand-serrate, with 1-5 pairs of 



acute rigid oblique teeth, when they unfold thin, light green more or less tinged 

 with red and covered with silvery white tomentum, at maturity thick, rigid, coria- 

 ceous, dark green, very lustrous and glabrous or coated with minute stellate hairs 

 above, pale and glabrous or puberulous below, usually with 2 large tufts of white 

 hairs at the base of the slender midrib, obscurely reticulate-venulose, l'-2^' long, 

 \'-V broad, falling gradually in April with the appearance of the new leaves; their 

 petioles stout, pubescent, about \' long. Flowers: staminate in hoary-tomentose 

 aments; calyx light yellow, hairy on the outer surface, divided into 5-7 ovate acute 

 lobes; pistillate sessile or short-stalked, their involucral scales covered with hoary 

 tomentum. Fruit ripening irregularly from June to September, sessile or short- 

 stalked ; acorn oblong, oval, or ovate, narrowed at the base, rounded at the narrow 

 pilose apex, '-f long, about \' wide, light dull green when fully grown, dark chest- 

 nut-brown or nearly black at maturity, with a thin shell lined with thick white 

 tomentum, inclosed for one third to one half its length in the deeply cup-shaped or 

 nearly hemispherical cup light green and pubescent within and covered by closely 

 imbricated broadly ovate acute thin and scarious light brown scales clothed with short 

 soft pale pubescence. 



A tree, usually 30 -40 high, with a short trunk 2-3 in diameter, stout rigid 

 rather drooping branches forming a round-topped symmetrical head, and slender 

 rigid branchlets covered at first with close hoary tomentum, bright red, pubescent or 



