RED <> VK 

 Qn. rubra L, 



The (>ak Famllj 



PAG v« i m 



Habit and Habitat: A large tree, feet high, sometime! ]' 



110 feel high, with a trunk diameter of :' I feet, with Btout, balky, 

 horizontal brand rating a narrow or bri ad, rounded crown 



wide-spreading branches ami Bleu ler, flexible branchlel lerant <>t 



many soils, and varied situations, bat prefers rich, moisl loam or glacial 



drift along stream courses ami in deep woodlands; keeps close to the 



streams in our state. 



Leaves and Buds: Leaves alternate, Bimple, ">-:> inches long, 

 inches wide, oval to obovate, 5-11-lobed, with coarse-toothed, n.i^iie- 

 tipped lobes, tapering from bread rounded indentations, thin ami firm. 



dull, dark green and smooth above, paler beneath, turning rich red 



in autumn or often brown. Petioles stout. 1-2 inches long, often red. 

 Buds light chestnut-brown, Vk-^4 inch long, ovoid, acute, smooth. 



Flowers and Fruits: Flowers produced hi May when the leaves are 



about half grown; Btaminate in drooping, slender, hairy catkins, 4-5 

 inches long; calyx 4-5-lobed, greenish; corolla 0; stamens ■!-•>. yeilow; 

 pistillate flowers borne on short, smooth stalks, singly or commonly in 

 pairs in the axils of the immature leaves; Stigmas long, spreadimr, green, 

 The acorns ripen in the autumn of the second year, that is, taking t 

 full summers for their full development, solitary or in pairs, short- 

 stalked or stalkless; cup shallow, saucer-shaped, usually inclosing only 

 the base of the acorn or nut; scales of the cup appressed, more or 1 

 glossy, reddish-brown, somewhat downy within; nut or acorn oblong- 

 ovoid with a broad base, 1 inch lone:, often nearly as thick, reddish-brown, 

 kernel white or pinkish, very bitter, not edible. 



Bark, Twigs and Wood: Young twigs shiny, green, becoming re 

 dish and finally dark brown; bark on young trunks smooth, grayish- 

 brown, on old branches and the main trunk darker, shallowly fissured 

 into thin, firm, broad ridges which rarely become more or le i!v: 



inner bark light red, rich in tannic acid. Wood heavy, hard, strong, 

 coarse-grained, liable to check badly in drying, light reddish-brown, 

 with thin darker colored sap wood. 



Distribution in the State: Very common in the forests of north- 

 eastern United States and southeastern Canada from which it has cx- 



I westward to Minnesota. Iowa. Nebraska and Kansas. In N 

 braska the species is quite commonly seen in the woods along the M 

 souri river and the lower courses of its tributaries from Richardson 

 county northward to Dixon county and westward to Gage and Lancaster 

 counties. Map 13. 



Seamarks: The red < ak 18 the second most common and abundant 

 nat ik in Nebraska, bur oak being the commi md most abu 



dant. The leaves come out of the buds a beautiful pink and white, 

 but become deep, shining green by midsummer and in the fall they 



turn to a rich dark purplish-red. 'I he large acorns and the large, very 

 .corn will always serve to identify this species among 



Other Nebraska oaks. Since the acorns require two summers 



their maturation we may almost always find small, immatur 



on the hi I 's twigs, and nature acorns on the ground beneath 



the trees. The wood of red oak is very valuable for the manufacture 

 of furniture and also for interior trim. The tree is also an rit 



ornamental. 



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