43(i XEW EXGLAXD TREES IX WIXTER. 



BUR OAK 



Mossy-cup or Over-cup Oak. 



Quercus macrocarpa Miciix. 



HABIT — Althougrh one of our largest Oaks in the central states, in 

 New England of medium size only 40-60 ft. in heigiit with a trunk 

 diameter of l-Z ft.; in the open forming- a broad, round top with thick 

 spreading limbs and n u m f r li n s ei f t e n d r o o p i n y b r a n l' li 1 e t s. 



RARK — Flaky, resembling that of Wliite Oak but rather darker and 

 with ridges rather lirmer. 



TAVIGS — Stout, yellowish-brown, smooth or downy, twigs on some 

 trees after the first year developing corky ridges. LEXTICELS — minute, 

 pale, raised dots, inconspicuous. LEAVES — whicli sometimes persist, 

 obrivate-ijblrtng", di^'ided b\' deep indentations into 5-7 rounded lobes, tlie 

 terminal lube the largest. PITH — 5-poinied. star-shaped. 



B"L"U!!» — Conical to broadly ovate, sharp-pointed or blunt, o-o mm. 

 long, reddish-brown, covered with pale wool; lateral buds more or 

 less strongly appressed and flattened against the twig. Stipules often 

 persisting at tips of twigs, long, downy thread-like. BUD-SCALES — 

 relatively few tu a bud. 



FRVIT — Maturing" in autumn of first year, very variable, sessile or 

 stalked, generally single. NUT — 0"\-ate to oval, 2-5 cm. long, apex 

 rounded or depressed, covered with pale down. CUP — thick hemis- 

 pherical to top-shaped enclosing from ^. ;'i to the entire nut ; scales vf 

 cup. pale, ■n^oolly, thickened at base with pointed tips, tips of upper 

 scales prolonged into a more or less distinct fringe. 



COMPARISOXS — The Pur Oak is sharply distinguished from o\]r 

 other e>aks b>- a number of well-marked characters such as the presen^-e 

 of cork\" ridges on the >'0ung branch lets, the copious fringe to tlie 

 large acorn, the appressed and" downy buds. These characters however 

 are not always present in a gi\'en specimen : thus the corky ridges 

 may fail to appear throughout an entire tree; the acorns may he 

 reduced in size and in the distinctness of the fringe; and the lateral 

 buds may be more or less divergent. 



DISTRIRrTIOX— Low rieh bottom lands. Nova Scotia to Manitoba; 

 south to Pennsyl\-ania and Tennessee; west to Montana, Nebraska, 

 Kansas, Indian Territory and Texas. 



IN NEA\' ENGLAND — Maine — known only in the valleys of the middle 

 Penobsc'it and the Kennebec; Vermont — lowlands, about Lake Cham- 

 plain, especially in Addis-m County, not common; Massachusetts — vallev 

 of the "Ware river. Stockbridge and towns south along the Plousatonic 

 river; Rhode Island — no station reported. 



IN CONNECTICUT — Rich bottom lands or swampy places; rare or 

 local and confined to the northwestern part of the state; reported 

 from Canaan and Salisbury-. 



AVOOD — Similar to that of Wliite Oak from which it is not generally 

 distinguished commercially, altliough superior in strength. 



