OAK. 207 
form, vigorous growth and fine autumn coloring make it es- 
pecially desirable. No oak of the Northern States is more 
easily transplanted. The wood, which in trade is not distin- 
guished from that of the Scarlet Oak, is used for interior finish- 
ing, furniture and in construction, and has a beautiful grain for 
finishing. It is often used for fuel, but is generally though not 
universally considered much inferior to the White Oak for this 
purpose. 
Quercus coccinea. Scarlet Oak. Black Oak. 
Leaves oblong or obovate, deeply pinnatifid with broad 
rounded sinuses and slender lobes divergent and divided at the 
apex into several teeth which are bristle-pointed. When the 
leaves unfold they are bright red and covered with pubescence, 
but towards maturity they become shining green and generally 
glabrous above, the lower side in this section often furnished 
with tufts of hair in the axils of the veins. The leaves turn a 
brilliant red or scarlet in autumn, remain on the trees in this 
section all winter and fall in the spring. The buds are often 
slightly pubescent, and are smaller and very different from the 
large tomentose buds of Quercus velutina. The fruit, which 
ripens in the autumn of the second year, is sessile, or on a stalk 
which is sometimes an inch long. It is oval or globular ovoid, 
with a bitter kernel. A common and often large tree in this 
section, where it is generally termed Black Oak, and is found 
on gravelly ridges and sandy land interspersed with Bur and 
Red Oak. 
Distribution—From Maine to the District of Columbia and 
west to Minnesota and Nebraska. 
Propagation.—By fall-sown seeds. 
Properties of wood.—Heavy, hard, strong, coarse grained, light 
or reddish brown with thick darker colored sapwood. Specific 
gravity 0.7¢95; weight of a cubic foot 42.20 pounds. 
Uscs.—The Scarlet Oak is not planted to so great an extent 
as the Red Oak for ornamental purposes, but is fully as desir- 
able because of its beautiful scarlet autumn coloring and rapid 
growth. The wood is largely used in the manufacture of furni- 
ture, for interior finishing and for fuel, and is not distinguished 
commercially from that of Red Oak. 
