OAK FAMILY. 



315 



f f Mature leaves glabrous on both sides, or nearly so. 



11. Q,. tincto'ria, Bartr. Leaves obovate-oblong, sinuate-lobed, more 

 or less rusty-puberulent beneath when young ; cup scaly, thick ; 

 acorn ovoid. 



Dyer's Qtjercus. Black Oak. Quercitron. Yellow-barked Oak. 



stem 60-80 or 90 feet high, and 2-3 or 4 feet in diameter, with a thickish deeply- 

 furrowed, dark-colored epidermis, and a spongy yellow inner bark. Leaves Q-8 inches 

 long, obovate in their outhne, more or less deeply sinuate-lobed (usually 3 principal lobes 

 on each side), the base obtuse or sometimes cuneately tapering, smoothish above, the 

 under surface clothed with short steelate or fasiculate "hairs which present a pulverulent 

 appearance ; petioles 1-2 inches long. Acoi'ti rather small, ovoid, seated in a subsessile 

 cup, which is tapering at base. 



Rich upland forests : common. 



Obs. The wood of this species is not very durable, — neither is it much 

 esteemed for fuel ; yet, in consequence of its abundance, it is, or has been, 

 very extensively used for fencing, firewood and shingles. The straight 

 fibres, and facility of splitting the wood, no doubt recommended it for 

 shingles. The inner bark is an article of commerce, under the name of 

 Quercitron ; and is exported in large quantities to Europe, where it is 

 employed in dyeing yellow. It has nearly superseded the use of iVeld 

 (Reseda luteola, L.) in calico printing. The prevalence of this fine tree, 

 in woodlands, is an indication of a good soil for Agriculture. 

 2. Q,. COCCi'nea, Wang. Leaves oval in outline, deeply sinuate- 

 pinnatifid, with broad open sinuses, smooth and shining green on both 

 sides ; cup conspicuously scaly ; acorn roundish-ovoid or globular. 



Fig. 213. The Black Oak or Quercitron (Quercus tinctoria). 214. An acorn. 

 Fig. 215. The Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea). 216. An acorn. 



