PIN OAK 



form but as they do not resemble those of any other oak, 

 the tree may be readily recognized. It is recommended as 

 a shade tree for cities in the south Atlantic and Gulf states. 



PIN OAK. SWAMP SPANISH OAK 



Quercus palustris. 



Usually fifty to seventy feet high, maximum height one hundred 

 and twenty, with pyramidal head and somewhat pendulous branches. 

 Loves a moist rich soil and is found on the borders of swamps and 

 in river bottoms ; attains its greatest size in the valley of the Ohio. 

 Ranges from Massachusetts to Kentucky and westward to Arkan- 

 sas and Indian Territory. Roots deep and also spreading. Bark 

 filled with tannic acid. 



Bark. Pale, steel brown, generally smooth, sometimes scaly ; 

 young stems and branches smooth, pale brown, shining. Branch- 

 lets slender, tough, dark red at first, tomentose, later becoming 

 reddish brown and finally gray brown. 



Wood. Pale brown with dark colored sapwood ; heavy, hard, 

 strong, coarse-grained. Sometimes used in construction. Sp. gr., 

 0.6938 ; weight of cu. ft., 43.24 Ibs. 



Winter Buds. Chestnut brown, ovate, acute, one-eighth of an 

 inch long. 



Leaves. Alternate, four to six inches long, two to four inches 

 wide, obovate or broadly oval in outline, base wedge-shaped, five 

 to seven-lobed, sinuses wide and deep, rounded at bottom ; termi- 

 nal lobe three-toothed toward apex, or entire lateral lobes spread- 

 ing or oblique or falcate, tapering and acute at apex or obovate 

 and broad at apex. The middle pairs are longer than the others, 

 dentate-lobed ; lobes and teeth ending in long slender bristles. 

 They come out of the bud, convolute, pale reddish green, shining 

 and hairy above, covered with whitish scurfy down below ; when full 

 grown are dark, shining green above, pale green below, bearing 

 tufts of pale hairs in the axils of the primary veins ; midribs stout, 

 rounded above, primary veins conspicuous. They turn a deep 

 scarlet in autumn and fall late. Petioles yellowish, one-half to two 

 inches long. Stipules red, one-half of an inch long, become brown 

 before falling. 



Flowers. May, when leaves are half grown. Staminate flowers 

 are borne in hairy catkins from two to three inches long ; pistillate 

 flowers on short tomentose peduncles. Calyx of staminate flower is 

 hairy, divided into four or five oblong rounded segments, cut at the 

 margins, shorter than the four or five stamens ; anthers oblong, yel- 

 low. The involucral scales of the pistillate flower are ovate, 



365 



