184 IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



obovate or oblong-obovate, deeply sinuate-lobecl or pin- 

 natificl, grayish, downy beneath; fruit sessile or short- 

 peduncled; cup deep, one-half to quite enclosing the ovoid 

 acorn, the scales thick, pointed, the upper subulate tipped, 

 giving a fringed border. 



This species is common in rich woods where it reaches 

 its maximum development. It, however, persists in small 

 groves on the exposed prairie where the trees are often 

 little more than shrubs. It is a hardy tree, and gives val- 

 uable timber, though not held in so high esteem as the 

 white oak. Primeval trees are now infrec| uent, but many are 

 100 to 150 feet high and four to five feet in diameter. The 

 settlers drew heavily from this oak for rails, posts, lumber, 

 framing timber, and fire wood. The young generation of 

 trees would bid fair in time to equal or surpass their pred- 

 ecessors were it not that far too many find the ever need- 

 ful woodpile an early resting place. 



Specimens before us are from Johnson, Van Buren, 

 Decatui-, Ringgold, and Fremont counties. We have 

 observed the species in Winneshiek, Allamakee, Clayton, 

 Dubuque, Scott, Muscatine, Jefferson, Appanoose, Taylor, 

 Page, Union, Adams, Montgomery, and Pottawattamie 

 counties. The State University herbarium has specimens 

 from Emmet, Winnebago, Floyd, Cass, Hancock, Webster, 

 Dallas, Delaware, Louisa, Lee, Jasper, Dickinson, Wood- 

 bury, and Lyon counties. Professor Fink reports the spe- 

 cies from Fayette county; Professor Bessey, from Story 

 and Des Moines counties; Professor Pammel, from Hamil- 

 ton, Hardin, and Boone counties; Professor Macbride, from 

 Humboldt county; Mr. Gow, from Adair county; Mr. J. 

 P. Anderson, by note, from Lucas county; and Mr. Mills, 

 by letter, from Henry county, a total of forty-three coun- 

 ties. Doubtless there is not a county in the state that has 

 not this species. 



White, Geol. Sur. of Iowa, Vol. 1, p. 138; Bessey, Contr. 

 to the Flora of Iowa, p. 119; Arthur, Contr. to the Flora 

 of Iowa, p. 29; Hitchcock, Trans. St. Louis Acad, of Sci- 

 ence, Vol. 5, p. 517; Nagel and Haupt, Proc. of the Daven- 

 port Acad, of Nat. Sciences, Vol. 1, p. 163; Pammel, Proc. 



