OAK FAMILY 



Wood. — Pale reddish brown, sapwood lighter : heavy, hard, 

 coarse-grained, checks badly in tlrying ; used for si'.ingles and 

 sometimes in construction. Sp. gr., 0.7529; weight of cu. ft., 

 46.92 lbs. 



Wiii/cr Buds. — Light brown, ovate, acute, one-eighth inch long. 

 J-cdVfs. — Alternate, oblong or obo\ate, four to six inches long, 

 one to two niches wide, wedge-shaped or rounded a; base, acute or 

 rounded .it ape.\, sometimes entire or with undulated margins, some- 

 times more or less three-lol)e(.i. Tliey con;e out of the butl involute, 

 bright red, covered with rusty down abo^ e and white tonientum be- 

 low. When full grown are d.irk green, smooth 

 and shining above, pale green or ])ale brown, 

 downy l)elow ; snidribs stout yellow, grooved 

 above, primary veins slender. In atUumn they 

 become dark red above, paie beneatii, midribs 

 darken, then the leaf. I'etioles stout, hairy, 

 llattened, i^rooved. Stipules about one-half 

 inch long, cadlucous. 



Flii-.ccis. — May. when leaves are h.ilf grown. 

 Slaminale llowers borne on tomentose aments 

 two to three inches long. Hracts linear-lanceo- 

 late. Caly.K pale yellow, downy, four-lobed ; 

 stamens four to ti\e; anthers yellow. Pistillate 

 flowers borne on slender totnento.>e ]>eduncles. 

 Involucral scales .are downy, about as long as 

 the caly.x lobes ; stigma.s short, rellexed, green- 

 ish-yellow. 

 Acorns. — l\ipcn in autumn of second year; sl;ilked, sniitary or in 

 pairs ; nut ahnost spherical, one-h.alf to two-thirds incli long ; cup 

 etnbraces one-half to on.e-third niit, is cup-shaped co\'ered with light 

 red brown, downy scales, rounded or acute at ajiex. Kernel very 

 1)itter. 



S;!ir!-lc 



The Shin:;]c Oak has .a ■.nxjutl; b.-irkand f(*r ;;ir<-c-foarThs of its rx-ight is laden 

 \v:th branr;n>. ll !i:is aa lauuial: lorn) wLri'. iir-ru in uinlcr, 'i)r.t i- beautiful in 

 saniURr ulirn c!;i'l ni i*..s uack ;i:l:cd foiia:;^;. 'J!ir Itravcj.^ roe Inn'.;, lanceolate, 

 entire, antl K>i \\ saining,' l^ri en. — MlCHAOX. 



Tin- leaves ot Laurel Oak or Siiinule ^):ik are verv narrow, p.lniost linear at 

 IM->[ wii;i ti-.eir e(i.Lt^"s >'i >;!.ii,t;:.!l\ re\<,ar.e ;:i.a ;iie\- .iwe.ost tcueh each other. 

 They are sai;li'.l\ h;'.ir\ , '.lie er<, ;;[;<! inlor \ ellcv. i^j; ^Tv-en. w ilii :l [larple tinge. 

 Tile tresl; '^\i^s are f.ushed \\\i\\ re*'; t.n ihr a;;j>e:- >i{i^' '.\-iere most exposed to 

 the h.i;ht. 'J'he vnnnt; h.n\ars st;u!i; (ju: >;irfiv tVon) llu- entU (»f [lie branchlets, 

 sLuddini; titeni \s;;;i sh:Lr|ily onthned sU'llna- eiuster^. Kein'^ s<' narrow the 

 !ol:n;;e is \-er\ (i[H-n ana, one can see ;h:oai;h tiie tre'e rop in nirnost any direc- 

 tion so tiia.L tiie tree has :in ajjpearauee (iuite distinct tVon; o'.lier oaks. 



— ii.irden .md Forest. 



374 



