130 THE TREE BOOK 



ward the top into a pyramid, something after 

 the fashion of the evergreen. Near by are 

 sports from the red oak and the pin oaks, caused 

 by the exchange of pollen. These trees differ 

 from either parent, yet they have certain char- 

 acteristics of each. 



A little farther on we find a great open, 

 loosely headed species, called the black oak. 

 Its leaves are coarse and thick and a dark, shiny 

 green, with a faint tinge of doAvn in the lining. 

 The twigs are stout and stocky, and if we had 

 happened this way in early spring, we would 

 have found them covered with pointed brown 

 buds, protected by a rusty wool. In the autumn 

 the leaves turn to russets and dull reds. The 

 pointed acorn sets deep in a scaly cup. 



Other well-known members of the black oak 

 group are the scarlet oak, the scrub oak, the 

 laurel oak, and the willow oak. You wiU know 

 the scarlet oak at once, for it flaunts its name 

 in bark, flowers, and foliage — scarlet is written 

 plainly aU over it. The scrub oak is the dwarf 

 of the family. You wiU. find it growing in colo- 

 nies in poor rocky soil. The laurel or shingle 

 oak is a handsome, wayward tree, which often 

 grows to a large size. Its leaves resemble those 

 of the mountain laurel, hence the name laurel 

 oak. The willow oak gets its name from its 



