WINTER KEY TO THE SPECIES OF QUERCUS 



a. Terminal buds usually about % inch long, 

 b. Twigs thick-tomentose ; entire bud pale-pubescent ; 

 branches corky-ridged ; cup of acorn conspicuously, fringed 



at the rim [i]* Q. macrocarpa, p. 103. 



bb. Twigs glabrous; buds glabrous, or only slightly or par- 

 tially pubescent; branches without corky ridges; cup of 

 acorn not conspicuously fringed at the rim. 

 c. Bark on branches breaking into large, papery scales 

 which curl back; buds pilose above the middle; acorns 



on pubescent stems 1-4 inches long 



. [i] Q. bicolor, p. 105. 



cc. Bark on branches not breaking into large, papery scales ; 

 buds glabrous; acorns sessile or very short-stalked, 

 d. Bark of trunk ash-gray or nearly white, flaky; acorns 

 maturing in autumn of first season; kernel of nut 

 sweet 



e. Buds conical, acute ; bud-scales scarious on the mar- 

 gins ; nut white-downy at the apex 



[i] Q. muhlenbergii, p. 107. 



ee. Buds broadly ovoid, obtuse ; bud-scales not scarious 

 on the margins; nut not white-downy at the apex.. 



[i] Q. alba, p. 101. 



dd. Bark of trunk light to dark brown, smoothish or only 

 slightly fissured; acorns maturing in autumn of sec- 

 ond season ; kernel of nut bitter. 



* [i] means that the acorns mature in the autumn of the 

 first season, hence mature acorns will not be found on the tree, 

 but on the ground beneath the tree. 



[2] means that the acorns mature in the autumn of the 

 second season, hence immature acorns will be found on the last 

 season's twigs, and mature acorns on the ground beneath the 

 tree, 



