312 



The Oaks 



pointed, about 5 mm. long and covered by hairy scales. The leaves are ovate to 

 oblong-lanceolate, rounded or wedge-shaped at the base, with thick-tipped teeth 



or quite entire on the 

 strongly revolute margia. 

 They are thick and leath- 

 erj'^, dark green, smooth 

 and shining above, pale 

 and stellate-hairy, with a 

 stout midrib and prominent 

 venation beneath, persisting 

 for two or more years, the 

 leaf-stalk stout, flat, hairy 

 and about 12 mm. long. 

 The flowers appear from 

 April to June, the stami- 

 nate in hairy catkins 7 to 

 12 cm. long; the calyx is 

 hairy, 5 to 7-lobed, hght 

 yeUow; stamens 8 to 10, ex- 

 serted; anthers oblong, 

 sharpjpointed, yellow. 

 The pistillate flowers are 

 nearly sessile or few together in spikes, their involucral scales and calyx hairy; 

 styles short, flat, spreading and red. The fruit, ripening at the end of the second 

 season, is nearly sessile or on short, stout stalks; nut ovoid-oval, 4 cm. long, its 

 shell thick, somewhat scurfy hairy inside; the cup is hemispheric, about 2 cm. 

 across, thin, hght brown and hairy inside, thin-rimmed, embracing only about 

 one fourth of the nut, covered by ovate, sharp-pointed, brown and very hairy 

 scales. 



The wood is hard, close-grained, yellowish brown; its specific gravity is about 

 0.72. It is used for fuel. The species is closely related to Q. chrysolefis. 



Fig. 264. — Island Oak. 



30. LIVE OAK — Quercns viiginiana Miller 

 Quercus virens Aiton. Quercus Rolfsii Small 



This characteristic evergreen tree of low, sandy soil, mostly near the coast, 

 occurs from Virginia to Florida and westward into Texas, also in Mexico, and it 

 is- abimdant in western Cuba. It is a large and handsome wide-spreading round- 

 topped tree, having a maximum height of 30 meters, a trunk diameter of 2.5 m., 

 and sometimes a spread of 45 m. 



The trunk is much buttressed at the base, short, and usually divided into 

 several large outspreading branches, old trees almost globular in outh'ne. The 

 bark is up to 2.5 cm. thick, sparingly furrowed, and broken up into sm-'Jl, close 



