The beech family. 127 



obovate, of oblong, pinnatiful, widening towards the middle and forming from 

 three to seven long, slender lobes; the terminal one often somewhat scythe-shaped; 

 entire or sparingly loolhed and bristle tipped; the base wedge-shaped or rounded, 

 frequently one-sided. Eventually dark green and glabrous above, rusty grey and 

 pubescent underneath. Acoi-tis : small; almost sessile. Ciif : shallow with close 

 scales. Nut: rounded and very slightly hollowed at the apex. A'cincl : bitter, 

 orange-yellow. 



By their angular, crisp ctit the leaves of the Spanish oak prcsi;nt in ilic 

 forest an outline distinctive enough to mark the species even amid an abund- 

 ant growth of other things. They also hang downward from the ends of 

 the branches and so produce a plume-like effect. The young shoots, as well 

 as the under side of the leaves, are moreover noticeably covered with a 

 greyish down. In North Carolina where this oak grows freely it is often 

 and quite inappropriately called red oak, while by the mountaineers it is 

 again one of the genus known as the turkey oak, a name suggested by 

 the fancied resemblance of the leaf's outline to that of the bird's footprint. 

 In tannin the bark of the tree is unusually rich. 



Sometimes on the side of an oak branch, a tiny exuberance will excite 

 the curiosity, ' Probably it is the acorn just starting on its young life, for 

 the Spanish oak and the group to which it belongs, do not mature their fruit 

 until the autumn of their second year. 



O. pagodicfolia, an inhabitant mostly of swamps, is peculiar to the south- 

 ern states and the Mississippi Valley. In April its very slender, staminate 

 aments cling to the trees with the young and then purple tinted leaves. 

 These latter are pinnately seven to eleven lobed, the segments being broadly 

 lanceolate and entire, or having one or two coarse teeth with bristle tipped 

 apices. A close grey tomentum covers their under surfaces and slight 

 traces of it as well appear on their lustrous upper sides. The rather small 

 acorns are sessile or grow on short peduncles while their cup which is 

 broad and saucer-shaped covers to nearly its middle the dull brown and 

 striped nut. It differs chiefly from the Spanish oak by its greater size and 

 smoother bark. 



Q. Catcsbo'i, turkey oak, or scrub oak, is noticeable through the very 

 highly polished upper sides of its leaves and the yellowish tomentum which 

 clings to their under surfaces. In outline they are obovate with a wedge 

 shaped base. The sinuses of the falcate and bristle-tipped lobes are broadly 

 rounded and deep. In the large top-shaped cups the acorns are imbedded to 

 above their middle and show at their apices a slight depression. They grow 

 on thick peduncles. Although known to occur at various heights from 

 twenty to sixty feet, Quercus Catesbaei is also shrubby in habit. In dry, 

 sandy barrens it grows rapidly and while not at all handsome produces a 

 good stretch of foliage. 



Q. Maryldndica, black Jack or barren oak which is quite as often shrubby 



