W HI II. OAK 



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The Oak I amil\ 



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Habit and Habitat: A large tree, 60-80 feet tall, or even taller, 



with a trunk diameter of 1 _-•"-•; inches; trunk usually short and thick. 



with stout, spreading limbs and coarse branches which often become 



gnarled and twisted in old age; crown usually broad and open. I* 



very well in many sites except in very wet soils. 



LeaYes and Buds: Leaves alternate, simple, 5-9 inches long, :'>-! 

 inches wide, obovate to oblong, 7-9-lobed, commonly 7-lobed. with rounded 

 lobes and rounded indentations, sometimes the indentations are deep, 

 sometimes shallow; lobes usually entire, thin and firm, smooth and bright 



en above, pale or grayish beneath, often remaining upon the t' 

 throughout the winter, turning deep red in late autumn; petioles short, 

 stout, grooved, flattened. Buds reddish-brown, obtuse. OVOld, ' s inch 

 long, terminal bud x 4 inch long; scales smooth. 



Flowers and Fruits: Flowers produced in May when the leaves 

 are about one-third grown; staminate in hairy catkins 2-3 inches lonu:: 

 calyx bright yellow, hairy. 6-8-lobed; stamens (>-S, yellow; pistillate 

 flowers borne on short, stout stalks, reddish, hairy; calyx bell-shaned; 

 stigmas bright red. Fruit a short-staiked or stalkless acorn, with a 

 shallow cup; cup with small, brown-hairy scales, inclosing about one- 

 fourth of the nut, nut or acorn oblong-ovoid, rounded at the tip, about 

 inch long, light brown; kernel sweet and edible, ripening in the autumn 

 of the first year. 



Bark, Twigs and Wood: Bark on large branches and the main 

 trunk gray, varying to dark gray and to almost white in some cases, 

 broken into broad flat ridges by shallow fissures; twigs at first bright 

 green, hairy, later reddish-green and finally light gray. The wood is 

 very heavy, hard, strong, tough, close-grained, durable, light brown 

 with thin light brown sapwood. durable in contact with the soil, 

 but likely to check unless carefully seasoned, 

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Distribution in the State: The white oak occurs throughout east- 

 ern United States except in eastern Florida and has extended its range 

 westward in the forests of Missouri and Kansas from which it has 

 entered Nebraska in the extreme southeastern corner, and has followed 

 the Missouri river northward as far as Cass county. However, it is not 

 abundant in any portion of its narrow range in our state. Map 14. 



Remarks: The white oak is the most highly prized of all of the 

 many species of North American oaks. It is esteemed as an ornamental 

 tree on account of its sturdiness, its magnificent spreading form, its 

 beautiful autumn tints, and its long life. The wood of white oak is of 

 great value because of its adaptability to a great many diverse uses 

 where a tough, strong and beautifully grained wood is demanded. The 

 od is largely used in shipbuilding, construction, furniture, interior 

 ♦rim, cooperage, casks, barrels, kegs. tubs, agricultural implement 

 riaees, flooring, cabinet making, tool handles, railway ties, fence p. 

 and fuel. 



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