Handbook of Teees of the Nortuekn States and Canada. 



The Burr Oak has been known to attain tlie 

 great iieight of 170 ft. anil U or 7 ft. in diame- 

 ter of trunk, in the magnilieent forests of the 

 W abash Ki\'er basin — dimensions which make 

 this one of the very largest Anieriean Oaks, 

 but such trees are very uneouinion. When 

 isolated it develops an ovoiil or rounded top 

 with large brandies and stcnit branclilets. As- 

 sociate with its majestic stature the beauty of 

 its party-eobired foliage and its large acorns 

 with mossy-fringed cn)is and \\ e liave one of 

 the most interesting trees of its genus. It in- 

 habits almost exclusively ricli liottom-lands, 

 excepting tlie western part of its range, in 

 company ^\itli tlie Swamp White Oak, the 

 Black ami Silver Maples. Big Shelbark Hick- 

 ory. Ilackberry, I'dms. etc. 



Its wnoil is heavy, a euliic foot when abso- 

 lutely dry, weighing 4li.4."i lbs., tough and 

 si rung. 1 It is Fully ct|ual in ])roperties to that 

 of the White Oak and usually not distin- 

 guished from it in commeree. It is higlily 

 valued for ship building, furniture, interior 

 finishing, agricultural implements, baskets, 

 riilway ties, fuel, etc. 



Lcarcs ohovate to oblong, a-O in. long, mostly 

 WPdge-sliaped at base, deeply l.vrate-pinnatifid. 

 with .5-7 lobes the terminal one tlie largest and 

 irregularly crenate dentate, sometimes nearly en- 

 tire, lustrous dark green above and whitish pubes- 

 cent beneath: petioles short. 7*7o/ecr.s.' staminale 

 aments slender. 2-(; in. long ; eaj.vx .vellowish witli 

 4-6 lacinately-toothed lobes. Fruit solitary or in 

 pairs, sessile or with stall; shorter than the 

 petioles: acorn hroad-ovoid. usually rounded or 

 depressed at apex from Va in. in Imgih on northern 

 trees to 2 in. on southern trees, ^\■illl nsnally tbie'; 

 tomentose cups, tubercalate below and with scales 

 near the rim prolonged into awn-like tips forming 

 a fringed border. 



1. A. \V., 11, .■;!!. 



I (iy 



