Highland Oak 



307 



mm. across, yellow and hairy inside, thick and embracing about one third of the 

 nut, covered by the thin, close brown white-hairj' scales. 



The wood is very hard and strong, close-grained and dark brown; its specific 

 gravity is about 0.80. The white under sides of the leaves make this oak a very 

 interesting and conspicuous tree. 



24. HIGHLAND OAK — Quercus Wislizeni A. de CandoUe 



A tree of the Coast Mountains to the western slope of the Sierra Nevada extend- 

 ing from northern Cahfomia southward into Lower California. Its maximum 

 height is 24 meters, with a trunk diameter of 1.8 m., but often shrubby, especially 

 toward the southern part of its range, and forming most of the oak chaparral. 

 It is also known as Live 

 oak, Highland live oak, 

 and Wislizenus' oak. 



The trunk is usually 

 short. The branches are 

 stout and spreading, the 

 tree mostly round-topped. 

 The bark is up to 7.5 cm. 

 thick, deeply fissured into 

 wide rounded more or 

 less confluent ridges, cov- 

 ered with close dark 

 brown or reddish brown 

 scales; on younger stems 

 it is much thinner, quite 

 smooth and lighter in 

 color. The twigs are 

 slender, stiff, more or less 

 hairy, becoming quite 



Fig. 259. — Highland Oak. 



smooth, light reddish or grayish brown, finally dark brown. The winter buds are 

 ovoid or oval, sharp-pointed, 3 to 6 mm. long, and dark brown. The leaves are 

 oblong-lanceolate, lanceolate or oval, 2.5 to 4 cm. long, sharp or rounded, usually 

 bristle-tipped at the apex, rounded, subcordate or narrowed at the base, entire, or 

 toothed with bristle-tipped teeth ; they are thick and leathery, dark green, smooth 

 and shining, with a strong yellowish midrib above, bright yellow-green beneath, 

 persistent until the second season, when they fall off gradually ; leaf-stalk slender, 

 nearly round, more or less hairy, 3 to 18 mm. long. The flowers appear from 

 March to May with the leaves, the staminate in hairy catkins 7.5 to 10 cm. long; 

 their calyx is deeply 5-lobed ; stamens 3 to 6, exserted, their anthers oblong, sharp- 

 pointed, smooth and yellow. The pistillate flowers are sessile or nearly so, hairy; 

 styles sometimes more than 3, slender and recurved. The fruit ripens in the 



