OAK FAMILY 



U'ooii. — Light brou-n ; hard, strong. 



Winter Buds . — Dark chestnut brown, ovate, obtuse, one-eighth 

 of an inch long. 



Leaves. — .Alternate, two to five inches long, one and one-half to 

 two and one-hall inches wide, wedge-shaped at base, usually hve- 

 lobed, sometimes three, sometimes se\en-lol3ed ; every lobe bristle- 

 tipped ; sinuses wide and shallow ; form ot lobes variable. They 

 come out of the bud convolute, dull red and coated with tomentum, 

 when half grown are pale green ; when lull grown thick, dark green 

 and shining above, cov ered with pale or sih ery pubescence below ; 

 midribs stout, yellow, primary veins conspicuous. In autumn 

 they turn dull red or yellow. Petioles slender, terete, downw one 

 to one and one-half of an inch long. Stipules linear, caducous. 



Flowers. — May, when leaves are half grown. Staminate flowers 

 are borne in reddish, hairy aments four to five inches long which often 

 remain until midsummer. Caly.x is red or reddish green, hairy, 

 three to five rounded lobes, shorter than the stamens. Stamens 

 three to fi\'e ; filaments short ; anthers bright red, becoming yellow. 

 Bracts linear, red. hair\'. Pistillate flowers borne on stout tomen- 

 tose peduncles. Involucral scales red, as long as the calyx lobes, 

 tomentose ; stigmas dark red. 



.Icorns. — Abundant, ripen in autumn of second year, sessile or 

 stalked, in pairs or solitary. Xut somewhat variable in form, ovoid, 

 broad, acute or rounded at apex, one-half inch long, light brown, 

 shining, sometimes striate ; cup cup-shaped, embracing half the nut. 

 thick, light reddish bi'own, the free tips of upper scales forming a 

 fringe-like border. Kernel deep yellow. 



This little, straggling, shrubby oak loves rockv hillsides 

 and dry sandy barrens. Wherever it grows it indicates 



the sterilitv of' the soil. The 

 name Scrub Oak follows it every- 

 where, bnl the early settlers of 

 Xew England called it Hear Oak 

 as well, because the bears loved 

 its bitter little acorns. It pro- 

 duces these in great numbers ; 

 a fruiting branch is often verv 

 picturesque because of them. It 

 rarelv rises more than si.x or 

 eight feet and its stem is usuallv one or twci inches in diam- 

 eter. Moth leaves and acorns are variable in form. 



This is one of the gregarious trees, it is never found as a 



368 



Bear Oak, Qu.-r; 

 Acorns ^2' 



tli.-! foU.i. 



