XII. 



THE OAKS. 



The trees enumerated in this and the two preceding 

 sketches, as well as those in the one to follow, all be- 

 long to a natural group, which Bentham in his British 

 Flora sensibly calls by the simple name of the Catkin 

 Family. The flowers of the trees in this group, or the 

 male flowers at least, are in the form of catkins, either 

 erect as those of the pussy willow or hanging down as 

 the male flowers of the hickories and oaks. Although 

 these flowers are not conspicuous in themselves, they are 

 in the mass quite efiective and very graceful. 



Our oaks, including the one introduced species 

 which is found in this vicinity, the English oak, are 

 divided into two quite distinct classes, — the white oaks 

 and the black oaks. The leaves of the white oaks have 

 rounded lobes, and the acorns ripen the same season 

 that the flowers are developed upon the new wood. 

 The black oaks, however, require two seasons' growth 

 to ripen their acorns, and their leaves have pointed 

 lobes, usually with a little bristle terminating each lobe. 

 In all of the species of oaks as well as the hickories and 

 walnuts, the male flowers are very conspicuous, while the 

 female flowers, borne on the same tree, are little green 

 objects, often concealed in the axils of the leaves, and 

 hardly noticeable. 



The white oak (Quercus alba) which gives the name 

 to its class, is a well known tree in Essex County. 



