BUR (»\K 

 mi macrocorpa Mick 



The Oak Famih 



- \(, u \ u 



Habit and Habitat: A large tree, much like the white oak, with a 



height of 60-80 feet or even of LOO feel and ■ trunk diameter of l 1 - I 

 feet; the great, Bpreading branches forming ■ broad, open, ragged crown; 



in very dry upland soils becoming dwarfed to the stature of shrub, then 

 called ".-i-rub oak". Prefers the moist, rich, loam soils <>( river botto 

 lands anil wooded slopes, but Lfl tolerant o\" many different conditions 



of soil and climat 



Leaves and Buds: Leaves alternate, simple, 6-10 inches long, 



inches wide; obovate to oblong - , wedge-shaped at the base, coarsel} 



ply lobed, sometimes almost to the midrib, thick and firm, dark gT< 

 and shiny above, pale and hairy beneath; lobes 5-7, rounded, indentations 

 rounded, the terminal lobe largest, oval or obovate in outline. Petioles 

 short, stout, flattened and grooved, enlarged at the base. Leaves falling 

 in the autumn. Terminal bud x » inch long, broadly conical, hairy, light 

 reddish-brown. 



Flowers and Fruits: Flowers produced in May when the lea\ 

 are about one-third grown; staminate in long, slender, drooping, hairy, 

 catkins 4-5 inches long, in loose clusters from last season's twigs; 

 calyx yellow-green, 4-6-lobed, downy; stamens 4-6, yellow; pistillate 



flowers inconspicuous, short-stalked or stalkless, in groups of 1-4 from 

 buds upon the young shoots, reddish, hairy; stigmas bright red. Acorns 

 commonly in pairs, short-stalked or stalkless, very variable in size and 

 shape, ripening in the fall of the first year; cup typically deep, hairy, 

 fringed with coarse, tortuous bristles, inclosing one-third to two-thirds 

 of the acorn or nut; nut broad, ovoid, 1&-1H inches long, brownish, e 

 hairy; kernel or seed white, sometimes sweetish and edible. 



Bark, Twigs and Wood: The young twigs are at first grayish or 

 yellowish-brown, very hairy, becoming ashen or brownish; branches 

 often with corky flanges; bark on the old branches and main trunk thick, 

 deeply furrowed, grayish-brown and often more or less scaly, commonly 

 a fine habitat for lichens. Wood brown with pale brown sapwood, hard, 

 heavy, tough, strong, close-grained, coarse, very durable in contact with 

 the soil. 



Distribution in the State: Bur oak has entered our state in the 

 .theast and has migrated more than half-way across the state. This 

 is by far our commonest and most abundant native oak. It probabU 

 is more widely distributed than any other American oak. Map 12. 



Remarks: The bur oak is without doubt the finest and - of 



native oaks for wide planting in this state. It produces a magnificent 



tree, long-lived and very »■ :t to the rather trying conditions im- 



hy our climate. It may be planted in practically all parts of the 



te, but in the extreme west it may need some water during the 



driest summer weeks. It is not only a fine ornamental but it is also one 



of the finest timber trees of the United States. The wood of the bur 



- commonly not distinguished from that of the white oak in com- 

 merce and it is widely OS4 porpOB The tn 



ur in pairs, due to the production of scorns in pair.-. This 18 one of OUT 



very best post and fuel v 



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