FOREST TREES. 141 
This species of oak grows principally in open situ- 
ations, and is very common on the skirts of the 
Hlinois prairies. It is seldom found in the midst of 
dense forests. It is a middle-sized tree, reaching the 
height of fifty or sixty feet, with a diameter of two 
feet. Its foliage is handsome, resembling that of the 
Mountain Laurel, whence its name. The wood is 
coarse-grained, and not valuable. Itis split into rails 
—is sometimes used in the frames of houses, and was 
formerly manufactured into shingles, for which it is 
an indifferent material. 
12. Quercus nigra—Black Jack Oak. 
Leaves, broadly wedge-shaped, rounded at the base, 
slightly three to five-lobed at the end, rusty beneath, 
shining above, large; cup, top-shaped, covering half 
the acorn. 
The Black Jack Oak is commonly found in poor 
soils. It is a small tree, seldom exceeding thirty feet 
in height. The trunk is generally crooked. The 
wood is more esteemed for fuel than that of any other 
species of oak; and this is almost the only use to 
which it is applied. 
13. Quercus falcata—Spanish Oak. 
Leaves, grayish, downy beneath, obtuse, or rounded 
at the base, three to five-lobed above; the lobes pro- 
longed, mostly narrow, and more or less scythe-shaped, 
especially the terminal one; cup, saucer-shaped ; 
acorn, spherical. 
