434 



NEW ENGLAND TREES IN "WINTER. 



POST OAK 

 Box White Oak, Iron Oak. 



Quercus stellata Wang. 

 Q. minor Sai-g.; Q. ohtusiloba Michx. 



HABIT — In New Eng"land a small tree with heig-ht in southern 

 section up to 60 ft., with trunk diameter of 3 ft.; ai northern limit 

 a shrub 10-35 ft. higrh with trunk diameter of I2-I ft.: in the open 

 forming a broad dense, round-topped head with stout spreading 

 branches, 



BARK — Flaky: similar to that of White Oak but rather darker, 

 rougher, corresponding more to type of White Oak bark with sliort 

 oblong ridges; ^-1 Inch In thickness. Twigs when 1,2 inch to 1 inch 

 in diameter begin to acquire a flaky bark with loose, dark gray scales 

 lifting at sides and ends. 



TAVIGS — Stout, light orange, reddish-brown; the younger growth by 

 its light color, in striking contrast with darker, older growth which is 

 often almost black: young twigs covered, at least in part, with short, 

 dense orange- bru wn down, rough to the touch, often not easily noticed 

 without a hand-lens. Late in season down may become almost black 

 and disappear from the more exposed parts of twig. Bosi s of leaf- 

 scars projecting with a sudden curve from the twig. LENTICELS — • 

 pale, minute. LEAVES — often persistent, oblong, obovate, thick with 

 generally 5 rounded lobes, the middle pair much the largest. PITH — 

 5-pointed, star-shaped. 



Bl'DS — Broadly ovate, often as broad as long and hemispherical, 

 blunt, rarely acute, generally under 3 mm. long, sometimes up to 6 mm. 

 in length. BUD-SCALES — bright reddish-brown, sparingly downy. 



FRVIT — Maturing in autumn of first year, single or in pairs or 



clustered; sessile or short-stalked. NUT — o\'ate, to oblong l.ri-2 cm. 

 long, generally covered with pale down at apex. CUP — covering 

 M'.-y2 the nut, top-shaped or cup-shaped, scales rather thin and flat, 

 only slightly knobby, pale, woolly. Meat sweet. 



COMPARISOXS — Readily distinguished from White Oak which it most 

 nearly resembles by rough. dirt>' orange -bro'wn down \Yhh. h is to be 

 founa more or less completely covering twigs. Buds are blunter, 

 shorter, generally more nearly hemispherical and of a brighter reddish 

 tinge. 



DISTRIBrTIOX — Doubtfully from southern Ontario; south to Florida; 

 west to Kansas, Indian Territory and Texas. 



IN NEW ENGLAND — Mostly In sterile soil near the sea- coast; 

 Massachusetts — southern Cape Cod from Falmouth to Brewster, the most 

 northern station reported, occasional; the islands of Naushon.IMartha's 

 Vine3''ard where it is rather common, and Nantucket ^■^'here it is rare; 

 Rhode Island — along the shore of the northern arm of Wickford harbor. 



IN CONNECTICUT — Local. Usually in rocky ground on and near the 

 coast : East Lyme and Old Lyme, Bran ford. New tlaven. Orange and 

 Milford, and westward; extending inland as far as Hamden; on Mt. 

 Carmel and Huntington at 350 ft. elevation. 



AA'OOD — Very heavy, hard, close-grained, durable in contact with 

 soil, dithcult to season, light or dark brown, with thick lighter colored 

 sap wood; used for fuel, fencing, railroad ties and sometimes in the 

 manufacture of carriages, for cooperage and in construction. 



