FACACE^E 



THE FLOWERS: appear when leaves are one third grown; 

 staminate catkins from one to two inches long or longer, 

 hairy; the pistillate on short peduncles; the scales covered 

 with silvery white matted wool. 



THE FRUIT: "acorns." The nut, pale chestnut brown, 

 one half to three quarters of an inch long, oval, rounded 

 or obtuse at the apex which is covered with white down; 

 near the deep cup enveloping one half to one third of the 

 nut is light brown, downy on the inside and covered on 

 the outside with dense, white hairs. The scales loosely 

 over-lapping, red-tipped, acute, thickened toward the base 

 of the cup. 



Another of the commonest Scrub Oaks on Nantucket, 

 of which the chief mark of individuality is the chestnut- 

 like leaf and the deep cup of the acorn densely covered on 

 the outside with white and matted wool. 



FAGACE^E BEECH FAMILY 



Quercus velutina, Lam. 



May Quercitron, 



Yellow-barked Oak, 



Acorns ripe Black Oak, 



August-September Dyer's Oak. 



Quercus: for derivation see alba. 

 Velutina: Latin meaning shaggy hairs. 



THE PREFERRED HABITAT: woodlands. 



THE TREE: sometimes twenty feet high; the outer bark 

 rough, in low ridges, very dark brown; the inner, bright 

 orange. 



THE LEAVES: alternate; firm; oblong to lanceolate; above, 



at first bright crimson and covered with white hairs ; below, 



at first Covered with silvery-white, matted wool; when full 



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