Part 11

Leaf, one-third natural size. Twig, one-half natural size.]

The bark on young stems is smooth, shining and light brown; on old trunks light gray-brown and covered by small, close scales. Because of its beauty, its hardiness, and its fairly rapid growth, pin oak makes an exceptionally fine street tree.

The leaves generally resemble those of the northern red oak, but they are smaller and much more deeply lobed. They are 3 to 5 inches long and 2 to 4 inches wide.

The flowers are of two kinds on the same tree, and appear when the leaves are about one-third grown. The fruit, taking two years to mature, is an acorn nearly hemispheric, about one-half inch long, light brown, often striped, enclosed only at the base in a thin, shallow, saucer-shaped cup.

The wood is heavy, hard, strong, and usually knotty. It is light brown, with thin, darker-colored sapwood. It is sold and has the same uses as red oak, although it is generally not so good in quality.

The scarlet oak, Quercus coccinea Muench., has deeply lobed leaves which turn brilliant scarlet in the autumn. The winter buds are reddish-brown and pubescent. The acorns are ovoid, enclosed for about half their length in a thick, deep cup. It is rarely found in the southern half of the State.

+SPANISH OAK+ Quercus falcata Michx.

THIS oak, one of the common southern red oaks, ranges from Virginia and Florida to Texas and Missouri, and appears in a dozen of the southern counties in Illinois. It is usually called the Spanish oak, or southern red oak, and has been known as Quercus rubra L. or Quercus digitata Sudw.

Leaf, one-third natural size. Twig, one-half natural size.]

It is a variable species and hence has been known under so many names. It grows to a height of 70 to 80 feet, and a diameter of 2 to 3 feet, though larger trees are not infrequently found. Its large spreading branches form a broad, round, open top.

The bark is rough, though not deeply furrowed and varies from light gray on younger trees to dark or almost black on older ones.

The leaves are of two different types: (1) irregular-shaped lobes, mostly narrow, bristle-tipped, the central lobe often the longest; or (2) pear-shaped with 3 rounded lobes at the outer end. They are dark lustrous green above and gray downy beneath, the contrast being strikingly seen in a wind or rain storm.

The flowers appear in April while the leaves are unfolding. The fruit ripens the second year. The small rounded acorn, about half an inch long, is set in a thin saucer-shaped cup which tapers to a short stem.

The wood is heavy, hard, strong, coarse-grained and is less subject to defects than most other red oaks. It is used for rough lumber and for furniture, chairs, tables, etc. It is a desirable timber tree, especially on the poorer, drier soils. The bark is rich in tannin.

Q. rubra var. pagodaefolia, called swamp Spanish oak, has been collected in four southern counties of Illinois.

+BLACK JACK+ Quercus marilandica Muench.

THE black jack oak is a tree of sandy and clayey barren lands where few other forest trees thrive. It ranges from New York to Florida and westward into Illinois, Arkansas, and Texas. It reaches its largest size in southern Arkansas and eastern Texas. It is found as one of the main species in the "Post Oak Flats" in the southern half of the State and in the sands along the Illinois River, near Havana. The tree sometimes reaches a height of 50 to 60 feet and a diameter of 16 inches, but it is usually much smaller. Its hard, stiff, drooping branches form a dense crown which usually contains many persistent dead twigs. The bark is rough, very dark, often nearly black, and broken into small, hard scales or flakes.

Twig, two-thirds natural size. Leaf, one-third natural size.]

The leaves are of a leathery texture, dark green on the upper surface, lighter, hairy, and brown-scurfy below. The leaves are wedge-shaped, 4 to 10 inches long and about the same in width. There is a considerable difference in the leaves of this oak both in size and shape.

The fruit is an acorn about three-quarters of an inch long, yellow-brown and often striped, enclosed for half its length or more in a thick light brown cup.

The wood is heavy, hard and strong; when used at all, it is used mostly for firewood and mine props. It is also used for the manufacture of charcoal.

+SHINGLE OAK+ Quercus imbricaria Michx.

THIS oak is found throughout the State with the exception of the extreme north portion. When growing alone, the tree develops a symmetrical rounded top, conspicuous on account of the good-sized, regular-shaped, oblong leaves which differ in shape from most other native oaks. It forms a handsome tree. It is sometimes incorrectly called "laurel" oak.

Leaf, one-third natural size. Twig, three-fourths natural size.]

The bark is rather thin and divided by shallow fissures into broad ridges of a dark brown color.

The leaves are alternate in arrangement along the stem, oblong in shape, 4 to 6 inches long by 1 to 2 inches wide, leathery in texture with smooth margins sometimes wavy in outline, dark green and shiny above, and thick downy or velvety below.

The fruit is an acorn about one-half inch in length, borne singly or in pairs on stout stems, full or rounded at the end and faintly streaked, enclosed for about one-half its length in a thin-walled cup. Like all members of the black oak group, the fruit requires two seasons to mature.

The wood is heavy, hard, rather coarse-grained, and used for common lumber, shingles (whence it gets its common name), posts and firewood.