Part 3

General: Bark red-brown, rough, scaly. A medium to large-sized tree. Wood used chiefly for paper pulp, boxes, crates and lumber. Frequents swamps; chiefly in northeastern parts of the State. Black spruce (P. mariana) is a similar but smaller native tree.

Leaves: Needles not evergreen; occur singly near the ends of the twigs, elsewhere in clusters of 10 or more; about 1″ long, pale green, turning yellow and falling from the tree during the autumn.

Twigs: At first covered with a bluish white coating, becoming dull brown and with numerous short spurs. Buds round, small, ¹/₁₆″ long, dark red.

Fruit: A cone, about ¾″ long, egg-shaped, upright, often remains attached for several years after ripening in the fall.

General: Bark smooth at first, later becoming scaly, dark brown. A medium-sized tree. Only cone-bearing tree native to Pennsylvania that loses its needles annually. Found locally in moist situations. Wood used chiefly for paper pulp, lumber, posts and railroad ties. European larch (L. decidua) and Japanese larch (L. leptolepis) are more commonly planted in the State. Eastern larch is also known as tamarack.

Leaves: Evergreen, opposite, two types (often on the same tree): the older more common kinds are scale-like and only ¹/₁₆″-³/₃₂″ long, while the young sharp-pointed ones may be up to ¾″ in length; whitish lines on the upper surface.

Twigs: Slender, usually 4-sided, becoming reddish brown. Buds small and not readily noticeable.

Fruit: Bluish berry-like, covered with a whitish powder, about ¼″ in diameter; flesh sweet and resinous: contains 1-2 seeds. Ripens the first year.

General: Bark reddish brown, peeling off in stringy and flaky strips. Usually has a conical crown. Prefers limestone and shale soils. A small to medium-sized tree. Wood used chiefly for fence posts and “cedar chests.” Slow of growth; long-lived.

Leaves: Simple, alternate, 6″-9″ long, 5-9 rounded lobes, not bristle-tipped, smooth above and below. Violet-purple in autumn.

Twigs: Red-gray, often with a grayish coating. Buds rounded, reddish brown, smooth, small; end bud about ⅛″ long, often with gray margins on the scales.

Fruit: A sweet acorn, ¾″-1″ long; cup bowl-like, enclosing ¼ of the nut; cup scales warty.

General: Bark gray, usually with shallow fissures and flat scaly ridges but occasionally roughly ridged without scales. A large and valuable tree. Wood uses similar to those of red oak; in addition, used extensively for liquid containers, including whiskey barrels.

Leaves: Simple, alternate, 4″-8″ long, thick; large rounded teeth, decreasing in size toward the leaf tips; dark green and smooth above, paler and occasionally downy beneath.

Twigs: Orange-brown to red-brown. Buds light brown, edges of scales lighter colored, sharp-pointed, ¼″-½″ long.

Fruit: An acorn, 1″-1½″ long. Cup thin, enclosing ⅓ of the shiny nut; cup scales knobby. Kernel moderately sweet.

General: Bark at first gray and smooth, later brownish gray to dark gray, thick, tough, deep-fissured; rich in tannin. A medium-sized tree, found mainly on poorer soils of hillsides and rocky ridges. Wood of better-formed trees has same uses as the other oaks. Also known as rock oak.

Leaves: Simple, alternate, 5″-8″ long, 7-11 lobes, bristle-tipped; smooth above and below, but occasionally with small tufts of reddish brown hair beneath.

Twigs: Greenish brown to reddish brown. Buds pointed, light brown, smooth.

Fruit: An acorn, ¾″-1¼″ long; cup usually saucer-shaped, about an inch in diameter, covers only ¼ of the nut; cup scales reddish brown, narrow, tight, sometimes fuzzy on the edges. Kernel bitter as is true of the next 3 species of oaks.

General: Bark brown and gray, with smooth flat-topped ridges separated by shallow fissures when older. A large and rapid-growing tree. Often planted for shade. Wood has many uses; principally utilized for flooring, railroad ties and construction lumber.

Leaves: Simple, alternate, 4″-7″ long, 7-9 rather narrow, bristle-tipped lobes; smooth except for small tufts of hair beneath. Very deep spaces between lobes. Generally turn scarlet in autumn.

Twigs: Reddish brown, smooth when mature. Buds blunt-pointed, usually round in cross section, dark reddish brown; upper half wooly.

Fruit: An acorn, ½″-1″ long, kernel white; cup thin, bowl-like, covering about ½ of the nut; cup scales sharp-pointed, smooth, tight.

General: Bark on young trees, smooth, light brown; on older trunks ridged, darker. Inner bark reddish. Drooping dead lower branches persist for many years. A medium to large-sized tree, commonly found on dry soils. Wood inferior to red oak, but often sold under that name.

Leaves: Simple, alternate, 5″-9″ long, 5-7 lobes, bristle-tipped; dark green and usually shiny above; paler, more or less covered with rusty-brown fuzz beneath. Yellowish brown in autumn. Often confused with those of scarlet oak.

Twigs: Reddish brown, usually fuzzy. Buds blunt-pointed, ridged, yellow-gray, wooly.

Fruit: An acorn, about ¾″ long, kernel yellow; cup bowl-like, covering from ⅓ to ½ or more of the nut; cup scales sharp-pointed, form a loose fringe at the rim, covered with whitish wooly hairs.