92 TREES OF NEW ENGLAND. 



river (L. W. Russell) ; Connecticut, common along the 

 sound, frequent northward, extending along the valley of 

 the Connecticut river to the Massachusetts line. 



South to the valley of the lower Potomac in Virginia ; west to 

 Minnesota, east Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Indian territory. 



Habit. A medium-sized tree, 40-50 feet high, with trunk 

 diameter of 1-2 feet, occasionally reaching a height of 60-70 

 feet (L. W. Eussell), but attaining its maximum of 100 feet in 

 height and upward in the basins of the Ohio and Mississippi 

 rivers ; trunk rather slender, often fringed with short, droop- 

 ing branchlets, lower tier of branches short and mostly de- 

 scending, the upper long, slender, and often beset with short, 

 lateral shoots, which give rise to the common name ; head 

 graceful, open, rounded and symmetrical when young, in 

 old age becoming more or less irregular ; foliage delicate ; 

 bright shining green in autumn, often turning to a brilliant 

 scarlet. 



Bark. Bark of trunk dark, furrowed and broken in old 

 trees, in young trees grayish-brown, smoothish ; branchlets 

 shining, light brown. 



Winter Buds and Leaves. Buds short, conical, acute. 

 Leaves simple, alternate, 3-5 inches long, bright green, smooth 

 and shining above, duller beneath, with tufted hairs in the 

 angles of the veins ; outline broadly obovate to ovate ; lobes 

 divergent, triangular, toothed or entire, bristle-pointed ; sinuses 

 broad, rounded ; leafstalk slender ; stipules linear, soon falling. 



Inflorescence. May. Appearing when the leaves are half 

 grown ; sterile catkins 2-4 inches long ; segments of calyx 

 mostly 4 or 5, obtuse or rounded, somewhat lacerate; stamens 

 mostly 4 or 5, anthers yellow, glabrous : pistillate flowers with 

 broadly ovate scales ; stigmas stout, red, reflexed. 



Fruit. Abundant, maturing the second season, short- 

 stemmed : cup saucer-shaped, with firm, appressed scales, 

 shallow : acorns ovoid to globose, about -J- inch long, often 

 striate, breadth sometimes equal to entire length of fruit. 



Horticultural Value. Probably hardy throughout New 

 England ; grows in wet soils, but prefers a rich, moist loam ; 



