(n6) 



Willow Oak Quercus Phellos 



The popular name willow oak is truly descriptive of this 

 tree. It has the leaves of a willow and it is the only Hudson 

 Valley bristle-tipped oak that is entirely without lobing in 

 the leaves. The tree prefers rich bottom lands and its 

 northern limit of growth is in the southern extremity of the 

 Hudson Valley. On Staten Island there are some big trees 

 of the willow oak. 



The lance-shaped leaves closely resemble a typical willow 

 leaf, and are from 2 to 5 inches from the sharp-pointed base 

 to the bristle-tipped apex. In texture the leaf-blade is thick 

 and leathery. Soon after the leaves unfold the flowers ap- 

 pear, followed in the second season by the acorns. These 

 are mostly solitary, almost round and not more than J / 2 inch 

 in diameter. Only the base of the acorn is enclosed by the 

 reddish-brown cup, which is hairy on the inside. 



The wood is used sparingly in the manufacture of wagons, 

 but the tree is valuable for ornamental planting from Phila- 

 delphia southward. 



Yellow Oak Quercus Muhlenbergii 



The chestnut oak is also one of the names used for this 

 tree and it is well chosen for the leaf is something like the 

 chestnut leaf. In the most favorable situation the tree may 

 be as high as 160 feet, but in the Hudson Valley it is never 

 so tall as this. The bark is light brown and the twigs, at 

 first green, become dark brown in age. The oblong, lance- 

 shaped leaf-blades are from 4 to 8 inches long, sharp-pointed 

 at both ends, and with several small marginal lobes or 

 roundish teeth. The lobes and tip of the blade are not 

 bristle-tipped. In the spring, appearing with the leaves, the 

 flowers come out, followed in the succeeding autumn by the 

 acorns. These are practically stalkless, solitary or two in a 

 cluster. The nut is ovoid, ]/ 2 to ^4 i ncn l° n g an d its lower 

 half enclosed by the woolly cup. 



The wood of the yellow oak is very hard, not easily 

 seasoned, and is mostly used for rough construction work, 



