Trees of New York State 199 



FAGACEAE 



Quercus phellos L. 



Willow Oak 



Habit — A tree under optimum forest conditions occasionally 70-80 feet in 

 height with a trunk diameter of 2-4 feet and a restricted crown. In the 

 open the trees are usually 50-60 feet tall at maturity witii narrow, usually 

 open, round-topped pyramidal crowns. 



Leaves — Alternate, linear-lanceolate to linear-oblong, 2-.") inches long, i^-l 

 inch wide, sharply acute and bristle-pointed at the apex, acute at the 

 base, entire or slightly undulate and revolute on the margin, at maturity 

 thick, firm, light green, glabrous and lustrous above, paler and smooth 

 or rarely pubescent below, borne on stout petioles Vs-Vi of an inch long. 



Flowers — In New York State appearing in May when the leaves are about 

 one-fourth grown, monoecious. Staminate flowers in interrupted filiform, 

 pendulous, hairy ameuts 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. Caly-x campanulate, yellow, pubescent, deeply cut into 4-5 

 ovate, acute lobes. Stamens 4—5, the anthers oblong, hairy, slightly 

 apiculate. Pistillate flowers solitary or paired, pedunculate, borne in 

 the axils of the leaves of the season, each subtended by the broadly ovate, 

 brown, hairy involucral scales. Calyx adnate to the ovary, the lobes 

 shallow and acute. Styles elongated, spreading, strap-shaped, bright red, 

 stigmatic on the inner surface. 



Pruit — An acorn, borne solitary or in pairs, sessile or short-pedunculate, 

 ripening the second season. Nut globose or globose-ovoid, pale yellowish 

 browTi and pubescent at maturity, round-pointed at the apex, about % 

 of an inch long. Cup saucer-shaped, thin, silky-pubescent within, reddish 

 brown and pubescent without. 



"Winter characters — Twigs slender, dark-lenticellate, glabrous, lustrous, red- 

 dish brown, at length dark reddish or grayish bro\vn. Buds alternate, 

 those near the branch-tip clustered about the terminal bud, ovate, acute, 

 chestnut-brown, about % of an inch long. Mature bark reddish brown, 

 thin, di\'ided by shallow fissures into irregular plates, scaly on the surface. 



Habitat — Chiefly a bottom-land species preferring moist sites along stream 

 courses and swamp borders, more rarely in well-drained, sandy, upland 

 situations. 



Range — Staten Island, N. Y., south through the maritime belt to Florida, 

 west through the Gulf states to eastern Texas, northward to southern 

 Missouri, western Tennessee and Kentucky. Zone A. 



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

 coarse-grained, pale reddish bro-mi with lighter sapwood. Used locally 

 for construction, railroad ties and wagonrj-. The importance of the 

 species lies more in its value as an ornamental and shade tree. 



