P. aquática.P. aquática.
P. aquática.
1.Plánera aquática, Gmel. (American Planer-tree.) Leaves ovate-oblong, small, 1 to 1½ in. long, on short stems, sharp-pointed, serrate with equal teeth, smooth, green above and gray below, not oblique at base. Flowers minute, in small heads, appearing before the leaves. Fruit a scaly, roughened nut, ¼ in., raised on a stalk in the calyx; ripe in September. A small tree, 20 to 50 ft. high; wet banks, Kentucky and southward; hardy as far north as Philadelphia.
P. acuminàta.P. acuminàta.
P. acuminàta.
2.Plánera acuminàta.(Kiaka Elm or Japan Planer-tree.) Leaves large, glossy, smooth, deeply notched, on red stems; young shoots also red. This is a larger, more hardy, and finer tree than the American Planer-tree, and should be more extensively cultivated.
The Caucasian Planer-tree (Planera parvifolia), with very small leaves, is also occasionally cultivated.
Genus76. CÉLTIS.
Trees or shrubs with alternate, simple, 2-ranked, oblique, serrate leaves. Flowers inconspicuous, greenish, axillary. Fruit berry-like, sweet, edible drupes, about the size of a currant, with one seed; color dark; ripe in autumn.
C. occidentàlis.C. occidentàlis.
C. occidentàlis.
1.Céltis occidentàlis, L. (Sugarberry. Hackberry.) Leaves ovate, obliquely subcordate to truncate at base, long-acuminate, serrate (at least near the apex), rough above and hairy beneath. Fruit a single-seeded, ¼ in., globular drupe, solitary on a peduncle, 1 in. long, in the axils of the leaves; purple when ripe in autumn.
Shrub (var.pumila) to large tree, 6 to 50 ft. high; throughout; rare north, abundant south. Sometimes cultivated. The branches are numerous, slender, horizontal, giving the tree a wide-spreading, dense top.
C. Mississippiénsis.C. Mississippiénsis.
C. Mississippiénsis.
2.Céltis Mississippiénsis, Bosc. Leaves almost entire, with a very long, tapering point, a rounded and mostly oblique base, thin and smooth. Fruit smaller than that of the preceding species. A small tree with rough, warty bark. Illinois and southward.
Genus77. MACLÙRA.
Trees or shrubs with milky juice and simple, alternate, entire, deciduous leaves, generally having a sharp spine by the side of the bud in the axils. Flowers inconspicuous; in summer. Fruit large, globular, orange-like in appearance.
M. aurantìaca.M. aurantìaca.
M. aurantìaca.
Maclùra aurantìaca, Nutt. (Osage Orange. Bow-wood.) Leaves rather thick, ovate to ovate-oblong, almost entire, smooth and shining above, strong-veined and paler beneath, 4 in. long by 2 in. wide; spines simple, about 1 in. long. Fruit as large as an orange, golden-yellow when ripe. A medium-sized tree, 20 to 50 ft. high; native west of the Mississippi. Extensively cultivated for hedges, and also for ornament, throughout.
Genus78. MÒRUS.
Trees with milky juice and alternate, deciduous, exstipulate, broad, heart-shaped, usually rough leaves. Flowers inconspicuous; in spring. Fruit blackberry-like in shape and size; in summer.
M. rùbra.M. rùbra.
M. rùbra.
1.Mòrus rùbra, L. (Red Mulberry.) Leaves broad, heart-shaped, 4 to 6 in. long, serrate, rough above and downy beneath, pointed; on the young shoots irregularly lobed. Fruit dark red, almost purple when ripe, cylindrical; not found on all the trees, as the flowers are somewhat diœcious; ripe in July. Wood yellow, heavy and durable. Usually a small tree, 15 to 60 ft. high; wild throughout, also cultivated.
M. álba.M. álba.
M. álba.
2.Mòrus álba, L. (White Mulberry.) Leaves obliquely heart-ovate, pointed, serrate, smooth and shining; lobed on the younger growths; 2 to 7 in. long. Fruit whitish, oval to oblong; ripe in July. A small tree from China, planted for feeding silkworms, but now naturalized throughout.
Var.multicaulishas large leaves, and is considered better for silkworm food than the usual form. It is not very hardy, as it is frequently winter-killed in the latitude of New York City.
Var.Downingii(Downing's everbearing Mulberry) has large leaves and very large, dark red or black fruit, of excellent flavor, which does not ripen all at once as most Mulberries do.
Genus79. BROUSSONÈTIA.
Trees with milky juice and alternate, deciduous, stipulate, broad, very hairy leaves. Flowers diœcious. Fruit (only on a portion of the plants) similar to the common Mulberry.
B. papyrífera.B. papyrífera.
B. papyrífera.
Broussonètia papyrífera, L. (Paper-mulberry.) Leaves ovate to heart-shaped, variously lobed, deeply so on the young suckers, serrate, very rough above and quite soft-downy beneath; leaves on the old trees almost without lobes; bark tough and fibrous. Flowers in catkins, greenish; in spring. Fruit club-shaped, dark scarlet, sweet and insipid; ripe in August. Small cultivated tree, 10 to 35 ft. high, hardy north to New York; remarkable for the great variety in the forms of its leaves on the young trees.
OrderXXXVII. PLATANÀCEÆ.
(Plane-tree Family.)
A very small order, containing but one genus:
Genus80. PLÁTANUS.
Trees with alternate, simple, large, palmately lobed leaves. The base of the petiole is hollowed to cover the bud. Flowers inconspicuous; in early spring. Fruit a large, dry ball, hanging on a long peduncle, and remaining on the tree through the winter. Large tree with white bark separating into thin, brittle plates.
P. occidentàlis.P. occidentàlis.
P. occidentàlis.
1.Plátanus occidentàlis, L. (American Sycamore. Buttonwood.) Leaves large (6 to 10 in. broad), roundish heart-shaped, angularly sinuate-lobed, the short lobes sharp-pointed, scurfy-downy till old. Fruit globular, solitary, 1 in. in diameter, hanging on long, 4-in. peduncles; remaining on the tree through the winter. A large, well-known tree, 80 to 100 ft. high; found on river-banks throughout; also cultivated. Wood brownish, coarse-grained; it cannot be split, and is very difficult to smooth. The marking of the grain on the quartered lumber is very beautiful.
P. orientàlis.P. orientàlis.
P. orientàlis.
2.Plátanus orientàlis, L. (Oriental Plane.) Leaves more deeply cut, smaller, and sooner smooth than those of the American Sycamore. Fruit frequently clustered on the peduncles. This tree is similar to the American Sycamore, and in many ways better for cultivation.
OrderXXXVIII. JUGLANDÀCEÆ.
(Walnut Family.)
A small order of useful nut-and timber-trees.
Genus81. JÙGLANS.
Trees with alternate, odd-pinnate leaves, of 5 to 17 leaflets, with 2 to 4 axillary buds, the uppermost the largest. Flowers inconspicuous, the sterile ones in catkins. May. Fruit a large, bony, edible nut surrounded by a husk that has no regular dehiscence. The nut, as in the genus Carya, has a bony partition between the halves of the kernel.
J. cinèrea.J. cinèrea.
J. cinèrea.
1.Jùglans cinèrea, L. (Butternut. White Walnut.) Leaflets 11 to 17, lanceolate, rounded at base, serrate with shallow teeth; downy, especially beneath; leafstalk sticky or gummy. Buds oblong, white-to-mentose. Fruit oblong, clammy, pointed. A thick-shelled nut, deeply sculptured and rough with ragged ridges; ripe in September. A widely spreading, flat-topped tree, 30 to 70 ft. high, with gray bark and much lighter-colored wood than that of the Juglans nigra.
J. nìgra.J. nìgra.
J. nìgra.
2.Jùglans nìgra, L. (Black Walnut.) Leaflets 13 to 21, lanceolate-ovate, taper-pointed, somewhat heart-shaped and oblique at base, smooth above and very slightly downy beneath. Fruit globular, roughly dotted; the thick-shelled nut very rough; ripe in October. A large handsome tree, 50 to 120 ft. high, with brown bark; more common west than east of the Alleghanies; often planted. Wood dark purplish-brown.
J. règia.J. règia.
J. règia.
3.Jùglans règia, L. (Madeira Nut. English Walnut.) Leaflets 5 to 9, oval, smooth, obscurely serrate. Fruit oval, with a thin-shelled oval nut not nearly so rough as that of Juglans cinerea, or of Juglans nigra. When ripe the husk becomes very brittle and breaks open to let out the nut. Tree intermediate in size, 40 to 60 ft. high, hardy as far north as Boston in the East, but needs protection at St. Louis. It should be more extensively cultivated. Introduced from Persia.
Genus82. CÁRYA.
Hard-wooded trees with alternate, odd-pinnate leaves having straight-veined leaflets. The leaflets are opposite each other, and the terminal pair and end leaflet are usually much the largest. The sterile flowers are in hanging catkins, the fertile ones minute, forming a large, rounded, green-coated, dry drupe, with a roughened nut having a bony partition. The drupes hang on till frost, when they open more or less and usually allow the nut to drop out. Wood hard and tough.
C. álba.C. álba.
C. álba.
1.Cárya álba, Nutt. (Shellbark or Shagbark Hickory.) Leaflets 5, the lower pair much smaller, all oblong-lanceolate, taper-pointed, finely serrate, downy beneath when young. Fruit globular, depressed at the top, splitting readily into 4 wholly separate valves. Nut white, sweet, compressed, 4-angled. Husk quite thin for the Hickories. Tree 70 to 90 ft. high, with very shaggy bark, even on quite small trees. Wild throughout, and cultivated.
C. sulcàta.C. sulcàta.
C. sulcàta.
2.Cárya sulcàta, Nutt. (Big Shellbark. Kingnut.) Leaflets 7 to 9, obovate-acuminate, sharply serrate, the odd one attenuate at base and nearly sessile; downy beneath (more so than Carya alba). Fruit large, oval, 4-ribbed above the middle, with 4 intervening depressions. Husk very thick, entirely separating into 4 valves. Nut large, 1¼ to 2 in. long, dull-whitish, thick-shelled, usually strongly pointed at both ends. Kernel sweet and good. Tree 60 to 90 ft. high, with a shaggy bark of loose, narrow strips on large trees. Quite common west of the Alleghanies.
C. tomentòsa.C. tomentòsa.
C. tomentòsa.
3.Cárya tomentòsa, Nutt. (Mockernut. White-heart Hickory.) Leaflets 7 to 9 (mostly 7), lance-obovate, pointed, obscurelyserrate or almost entire, the lower surface as well as the twigs and the catkins tomentose when young. Fruit globular or ovoid, usually with a very hard, thick husk slightly united at base. Nut somewhat hexagonal, with a very thick shell and well-flavored kernel. A tall, slender tree, 60 to 100 ft. high, with a rough deeply furrowed, but not shaggy bark. Common on dry hillsides throughout.
C. microcárpa.C. microcárpa.
C. microcárpa.
4.Cárya microcárpa, Nutt. (Small Mockernut.) Leaflets about 5 (5 to 7), oblong-lanceolate, long-pointed, finely serrate, smooth, glandular beneath; buds small, ovate. Fruit small, subglobose, with a thin husk; nut not sharply angled, with a thin shell; edible. A large tree, 70 to 90 ft. high; New York, Pennsylvania, and westward.
C. porcìna.C. porcìna.
C. porcìna.
5.Cárya porcìna, Nutt. (Pignut. Broom-hickory.) Leaflets 5 to 7 (usually 7), oblong-ovate, acuminate, serrate, smooth. Fruit pear-shaped to oval, somewhat rough, splitting regularly only about half-way. Nut large (1½ to 2 in. long), brownish, somewhat obcordate, with a thick, hard shell, and poor, bitter kernel. Tall tree, 70 to 80 ft. high, with dark-colored heart-wood, and rather smooth bark. Common on ridges.
C. amàra.C. amàra.
C. amàra.
6.Cárya amàra, Nutt. (Bitternut. Swamp-hickory.) Leaflets 7 to 11, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, serrate with deep teeth. Fruit roundish-ovate, regularly separable only half-way, but friable at maturity. Nut small, white, subglobose, with a very thin shell and an extremely bitter kernel. Large tree with orange-yellow winter buds, and firm, not scaly, bark. Wild throughout, and sometimes cultivated.
C. olivæfórmis.C. olivæfórmis.
C. olivæfórmis.
7.Cárya olivæfórmis, Nutt. (Pecan-nut.) Leaflets 13 to 15, ovate-lanceolate, serrate; lateral ones nearly sessile and decidedly curved. Fruit oblong, widest above the middle, with 4 distinct valves. Nut oblong, 1¼ in., nearer smooth than the other edible Hickory-nuts, the shell thin, but rather too hard to be broken by the fingers. The kernel is full, sweet, and good. A tall tree, 80 to 90 ft. high. Indiana and south; also cultivated, but not very successfully, as far north as New York City.
OrderXXXIX. CUPULÌFERÆ.(Oak Family.)
This order contains more species of trees and shrubs in temperate regions than any other, except the Coniferæ. The genus Quercus (Oak) alone contains about 20 species of trees in the region covered by this work.
Genus83. BÉTULA.
Trees or shrubs with simple, alternate, mostly straight-veined, thin, usually serrate leaves. Flowers in catkins, opening in early spring, in most cases before the leaves. Fruit a leafy-scaled catkin or cone, hanging on till autumn. Twigs usually slender, the bark peeling off in thin, tough layers, and having peculiar horizontal marks. Many species have aromatic leaves and twigs.
B. populifòlia.B. populifòlia.
B. populifòlia.
1.Bétula populifòlia, Ait. (American White or Gray Birch.) Leaves triangular, very taper-pointed, and usually truncate or nearly so at the broad base, irregularly twice-serrate; both sides smooth and shining, when young glutinous with resinous glands; leafstalks half as long as the blades and slender, so as to make the leaves tremulous, like those of the Aspen. Fruit brown, cylindrical, more or less pendulous on slender peduncles. A small (15 to 30 ft. high), slender tree with an ascending rather than an erect trunk. Bark chalky or grayish white, with triangular dusky spaces below the branches; recent shoots brown, closely covered with round dots.
B. papyrífera.B. papyrífera.
B. papyrífera.
2.Bétula papyrífera, Marsh. (Paper or Canoe Birch.) Leaves 2 to 4 in. long, ovate, taper-pointed, heart-shaped, abrupt or sometimes wedge-shaped at the base, sharply and doubly serrate, smooth and green above, roughly reticulated, glandular-dotted and slightly hairy beneath; footstalk not over 1/3 the length of the blade. Fruit long-stalked and drooping. A large tree, 60 to 75 ft. high, with white bark splitting freely into very thin, tough layers. A variety, 5 to 10 ft. high (var.minor), occurs only in the White Mountains. Young shoots reddish or purplish olive-green deepening to a dark copper bronze. New England and westward, also cultivated.
B. álba.B. álba.
B. álba.
3.Bétula álba, L. (European White Birch.) Leaves ovate, acute, somewhat deltoid, unequally serrate, often deeply cut, nearly smooth; in var.pubescenscovered with white hairs. Fruit brown, cylindric, drooping. A tree, 30 to 60 ft. high, with a chalky-white bark; from Europe, extensively cultivated in this country, under many names, which indicate the character of growth or foliage; among them may be mentionedpendula(weeping),laciniata(cut-leaved),fastigiata(pyramidal),atropurpurea(purple-leaved), andpubescens(hairy-leaved).
B. lénta.B. lénta.
B. lénta.
4.Bétula lénta, L. (Sweet, Black or Cherry Birch.) Leaves and bark very sweet, aromatic. Leaves ovate or ovate-oblong, with more or less heart-shaped base, very acute apex, and doubly and finely serrate margin, bright shining green above, smooth beneath, except the veins, which are hairy. Fruit 1 to 1¼ in. long, cylindric, with spreading lobes to the scales. A rather large tree, 50 to 70 ft. high, with bark of trunk and twigs in appearance much like that of the garden Cherry, and not splitting into as thin layers as most of the Birches. Wood rose-colored, fine-grained. Moist woods, rather common throughout; also cultivated.
B. lùtea.B. lùtea.
B. lùtea.
5.Bétula lùtea, Michx. f. (Yellow or Gray Birch.) A species so like the preceding (Betula lenta) as to be best described by stating the differences. Leaves and bark are much less aromatic. Leaves 3 to 5 in. long, not so often nor so plainly heart-shaped at base, usually narrowed; less bright green above, and more downy beneath; more coarsely serrate. Fruit not so long, and more ovate, with much larger and thinner scales, the lobes hardly spreading. A large tree, 50 to 90 ft. high, with yellowish or silvery-gray bark peeling off into very thin, filmy layers from the trunk. Wood whiter, and not so useful. Rich, moist woodlands, especially northward; also cultivated.
B. nìgra.B. nìgra.
B. nìgra.
6.Bétula nìgra, L. (River or Red Birch.) Leaves 2½ to 3½ in. long, rhombic-ovate, acute at both ends, distinctly doubly serrate, bright green above; glaucous beneath when young; on petioles only 1/6 their length. Twigs brown to cinnamon-color, and downy when young. A medium-sized tree, 30 to 50 ft. high, usually growing on the edges of streams, the old trunks having a very shaggy, loose, torn, reddish-brown bark. Wild in Massachusetts, south and west; often cultivated.
Genus84. ÁLNUS.
Shrubs or small trees with deciduous, alternate, simple, straight-veined leaves with large stipules that remain most of the season. Flowers in catkins. Fruit a small, scaly, open, woody cone, remaining on the plant throughout the year.
A. incàna.A. incàna.
A. incàna.
1.Álnus incàna, Willd. (Speckled or Hoary Alder.) Leaves 3 to 5 in. long, broadly oval or ovate, rounded at base, sharply serrate, often coarsely toothed, whitened and mostly downy beneath; stipules lanceolate and soon falling. Fruit orbicular or nearly so. A shrub or small tree, 8 to 20 ft. high, with the bark of the trunk a polished reddish green; common along water-courses north of 41° N. Lat.; sometimes cultivated.
A. serrulàta.A. serrulàta.
A. serrulàta.
2.Álnus serrulàta, Willd. (Smooth Alder.) Leaves 2 to 4½ in. long, thickish, obovate, acute at base, sharply and finely serrate, green both sides, smooth or often downy beneath; stipules yellowish green, oval, and falling after 2 or 3 leaves have expanded above them. Fruit ovate. Rather a shrub than a tree, 6 to 12 ft. high, common along streams south of 41° N. Lat. In the Southern States it sometimes forms a tree 30 ft. high.
A. marítima.A. marítima.
A. marítima.
3.Álnus marítima, Muhl. (Seaside Alder.) Smooth; leaves oblong-ovate to obovate, with a tapering base, sharply serrulate; petiole slender; color bright green, somewhat rusty beneath. Flowering in the autumn. Fruiting catkin large, ¾ to 1 in. long, ½ in. thick, usually solitary, ovoid to oblong. A small tree, 15 to 25 ft. high. Southern Delaware and eastern Maryland, near the coast.
A. glutinòsa.A. glutinòsa.
A. glutinòsa.
4.Álnus glutinòsa, L. (European Alder.) Leaves roundish, wedge-shaped, wavy-serrated, usually abrupt at tip, glutinous; sharply and deeply incised in some varieties. Fruit oval, ½ in. long. A medium-sized tree, 25 to 60 ft. high, of rapid growth, often cultivated under several names; the most important being vars.laciniata(cut-leaved),quercifolia(oak-leaved), andrubrinervis(red-leaved).
A. cordifòlia.A. cordifòlia.
A. cordifòlia.
5.Álnus cordifòlia, Ten. (Heart-leaved Alder.) Leaves heart-shaped, dark green and shining. Flowers greenish-brown, blooming in March and April, before the leaves expand. A large and very handsome Alder, 15 to 20 ft. high, growing in much dryer soil than the American species. Cultivated from southern Europe. Hardy after it gets a good start, but often winter-killed when young.
Genus85. CÓRYLUS.
Low trees and large shrubs with simple, alternate, deciduous, doubly serrate, straight-veined leaves. Flowers insignificant, in catkins in early spring. Fruit an ovoid-oblong bony nut, inclosed in a thickish involucre of two leaves with a lacerated frilled border; ripe in autumn.
C. Americàna.C. Americàna.
C. Americàna.
1.Córylus Americàna, Walt. (Wild Hazelnut.) Leaves roundish heart-shaped, pointed, doubly serrate; stipules broad at base, acute, and sometimes cut-toothed; twigs and shoots often hairy. Involucre of the fruit open to the globose nut, the two leaf-like bracts very much cut-toothed at the margin and thick and leathery at the base. Merely a shrub, 5 to 6 ft. high; quite common throughout.
C. rostràta.C. rostràta.
C. rostràta.
2.Córylus rostràta, Ait. (Beaked Hazelnut.) Leaves but little or not at all heart-shaped; stipules linear-lanceolate. The involucre, extending beyond the nut in a bract like a bottle, is covered with stiff, short hairs. Shrub, 4 to 5 ft. high. Wild in the same region as Corylus Americana, but not so abundant.
C. Avellàna.C. Avellàna.
C. Avellàna.
3.Córylus Avellàna, L. (European Hazel. Filbert.) Leaves roundish-cordate, pointed, doubly serrate, nearly sessile, with ovate-oblong, obtuse stipules; shoots bristly. Involucre of the fruit not much larger than the large nut (1 in.), and deeply cleft. A small tree or shrub, 6 to 12 ft. high, from Europe; several varieties in cultivation.
Genus86. ÓSTRYA.
Slender trees with very hard wood, brownish, furrowed bark, and deciduous, alternate, simple, exstipulate, straight-veined leaves. Flowers inconspicuous, in catkins. Fruit hop-like in appearance, at the ends of side shoots of the season, hanging on through the autumn.
O. Virgínica.O. Virgínica.
O. Virgínica.
1.Óstrya Virgínica, Willd. (Iron-wood. American Hop-hornbeam.) Leaves oblong-ovate, taper-pointed, very sharply doubly serrate, downy beneath, with 11 to 15 straight veins on each side of the midrib; buds acute. The hop-like fruit 2 to 3 times as long as wide; full grown and pendulous, 1 to 3 in. long, in August, when it adds greatly to the beauty of the tree. A small, rather slender tree, 30 to 50 ft. high, with the bark on old trees somewhat furrowed; wood white and very hard and heavy; common in rich woods, and occasionally cultivated.
O. vulgàris.O. vulgàris.
O. vulgàris.
2.Óstrya vulgàris, Willd. (European Hop-hornbeam.) This species from Europe is much like the American one, but has longer, more slender, more pendulous fruit-clusters. Occasionally cultivated.
Genus87. CARPÌNUS.
Trees or tall shrubs with alternate, simple, straight-veined leaves, and smooth and close gray bark. Flowers in drooping catkins, the sterile flowers in dense cylindric ones, and the fertile flowers in a loose terminal one forming an elongated, leafy-bracted cluster with many, several-grooved, small nuts, hanging on the tree till late in the autumn.
C. Caroliniàna.C. Caroliniàna.
C. Caroliniàna.
1.Carpìnus Caroliniàna, Walt. (American Hornbeam. Blue or Water Beech.) Leaves ovate-oblong, pointed, sharply doubly serrate, soon nearly smooth. Fruit with the scales obliquely halberd-shaped and cut-toothed, ¾ in. long, nuts 1/8 in. long. A tree or tall shrub, 10 to 25 ft. high, with a peculiarly ridged trunk; the close, smooth gray bark and the leaves are much like those of the Beech. The wood is very hard and whitish. Common along streams; sometimes cultivated.
C. Bétulus.C. Bétulus.
C. Bétulus.
2.Carpìnus Bétulus, L. (European Hornbeam.) This cultivated species is quite similar to the American, but can be distinguished by the scales of the fruit, which are wholly halberd-shaped, having the basal lobes nearly equal in size, as shown in the cut; while the American species has scales only half halberd-shaped.
Genus88. QUÉRCUS.
Large trees to shrubs, with simple, alternate, deciduous or evergreen, entire to deeply lobed leaves. The leaves are rather thick and woody, and remain on the tree either all winter or at least until nearly all other deciduous leaves have fallen. Flowers insignificant; the staminate ones in catkins; blooming in spring. Fruit an acorn, which in the White, Chestnut, and Live Oaks matures the same year the blossoms appear; while in the Red, Black, and Willow Oaks the acorns mature the second year. They remain on the tree until late in autumn. The Oaks, because of their large tap-roots, can be transplanted only when small. Most of the species are in cultivation. The species are very closely related, and a number of them quite readily hybridize; this is especially true of those of a particular group, as the White Oaks, Black Oaks, etc.
There is no attempt in the Key to characterize the hybrids, of which some are quite extensively distributed.Quercus heterophylla, Michx. (Bartram's Oak), supposed to be a hybrid betweenQuercus PhellosandQuercus rubra, is found quite frequently from Staten Island southward to North Carolina.
Q. álba.Q. álba.
Q. álba.
1.Quércus álba, L. (American White Oak.) Leaves short-stemmed, acute at base, with 3 to 9 oblong, obtuse, usually entire, oblique lobes, very persistent, many remaining on the tree through the winter; pubescent when young, soon smooth, bright green above. Acorns in the axils of the leaves of the year, ovoid-oblong, 1 in., in a shallow, rough cup, often sweet and edible. A large tree, 60 to 80 ft. high, with stem often 6 ft. in diameter; wood light-colored, hard, tough and very useful. Common throughout.
Q. stellàtaQ. stellàta
Q. stellàta
2.Quércus stelláta, Wang. (Post-oak. Rough or Box White Oak.) Leaves 4 to 6 in. long, sinuately cut into 5 to 7 roundish, divergent lobes, the upper ones much larger and often 1- to 3-notched, grayish-or yellowish-downy beneath, and pale and rough above. Acorn ovoid, about ½ in. long, one third to one half inclosed in a deep, saucer-shaped cup; in the axils of the leaves of the year. A medium-sized tree, 40 to 50 ft. high, with very hard, durable wood, resembling that of the White Oak. Massachusetts, south and west.
Q. macrocárpa.Q. macrocárpa.
Q. macrocárpa.
3.Quércus macrocárpa, Michx. (Bur-oak. Mossy-cup.) Leaves obovate or oblong, lyrately pinnatifid or deeply sinuate-lobed or nearly parted, the lobes sparingly and obtusely toothed or entire. Acorn broadly ovoid, 1 in. or more long, one half to almost entirely inclosed in a thick and woody cup with usually a mossy fringed border formed of the upper awned scales; cup very variable in size, ¾ to 2 in. across. A handsome, middle-sized tree, 40 to 60 ft. high. Western New England to Wisconsin, and southwestward.
Q. lyràta.Q. lyràta.
Q. lyràta.
4.Quércus lyràta, Walt. (Swamp Post-oak.) Leaves crowded at the ends of the branchlets, very variable, obovate-oblong, more or less deeply 7- to 9-lobed, white-to-mentose beneath when young, becoming smoothish; the lobes triangular to oblong, acute or obtuse, entire or sparingly toothed. Acorn about ¾ in. long, nearly covered by the round, ovate, thin, rugged, scaly cup. A large tree with pale flaky bark. River-swamps in southern Indiana to Wisconsin, and southward.