Trees of New York State 189 



FAGACEAE 



Quercus palustris Muench. 



Pin Oak, Swamp Spanish Oak 



Habit — At matui-ity a tree usually 60-80 feet in height with a trunk 

 diameter of 2-3 feet, under optimum conditions occasionally 120 feet tall. 

 Crown in young trees symmetrical, conic, at length broader and open, 

 the lower branches pendulous and shorter than those above. Bole straight, 

 clean, continuous into the crown. 



Leaves — Alternate, broadly oval to obovate, 4-6 inches long, 2-4 inches wide, 

 acute at the apex, cuneate or truncate at the base, 5-9-lobed, the lobes 

 dentate and bristle-tipped and separated by wide, rounded sinuses which 

 extend more than half way to the midrib. At maturity the leaves are 

 thin, firm, dark green and lustrous above, and paler below. Petioles 

 slender, %-2 inches long. 



Flowers — Appearing in May in our range when the leaves are about one- 

 third grown, monoecious. Staminate flowers in interrupted, filiform, 

 pendulous, hairy aments 2-3 inches long, which are borne on the growth 

 of the preceding season or from the axils of the inner scales of the ter- 

 minal bud. Calyx broadly campanulate, yellowish green, puberulous, 

 deeply cut into 4-5 oblong, rounded, slightly sinuate lobes. Stamens 4-5, 

 the yellow anthers slightly emarginate and glabrous. Pistillate flowers 

 in groups of 2-3 (occasionally solitary), borne on short tomentose pedun- 

 cles from the axils of the leaves of the season, each subtended by the 

 broadly ovate, tomentose involucral scale. Calyx adnate to the ovary, 

 the lobes acuminate. Pistil consisting of a 3-celled (rarely 4-5 celled) 

 ovary surmounted by 3 elongated, spreading, strap-shaped red styles stig- 

 matic on the inner surface. 



Fruit — An acorn, borne solitary or in pairs, sessile or short stalked, ripening 

 the second season. Nut nearly hemi-spherical, light brown and often 

 striate, round-pointed at the apex, about Y2. of an inch long, enclosed for 

 about two-fifths of its length in the cup. Cup thin, shallow, saucer- 

 shaped, dark reddish brown and puberulous within, pale reddish brown 

 without, the scales thin and closely appressed. 



Winter characters — Twigs slender, tough, pale-lenticellate, lustrous, dark 

 reddish or grayish brown. Buds alternate, those near the branch-tip 

 clustered about the terminal bud, ovate, acute, light chestnut-bro^vn, 

 about % of an inch long. Mature bark light grayish brown, quite smooth, 

 with low scaly ridges and shallow fissures. 



Habitat — A bottom-land species, preferring deep, rich, moist, soil, more rarely 

 on moist upland sites. Transplants thrive well in dry situations. 



Range — Central New England west through southern Michigan and Missouri, 

 southward to Virginia, Tennessee and Oklahoma. Zones A and B. 



Uses — Not an important timber species. Wood hard, heavy, strong, close- 

 grained, pale brown with lighter sapwood. Used for railroad ties, cheap 

 construction and fuel. The tree is planted extensively for shade and 

 ornament because of its symmetrical form, beautiful foliage, rapidity of 

 grovrth, and the ease with which it may be transplanted. 



