Part 53

Growth Form: Large tree up to 100 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 4 feet; crown oblong or rounded, with many branches; trunk straight, columnar, buttressed at the base.

Bark: Pale gray, with scaly ridges.

Twigs: Slender, yellow-brown or reddish-brown; pith star-shaped in cross-section; leaf scars alternate but clustered near the tip, half-round, with several bundle traces; pith star-shaped in cross-section.

Buds: Pointed, smooth, chestnut-brown, up to ¼ inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades narrowly to broadly lanceolate, pointed at the tip, narrowed or rounded at the base, coarsely toothed along the edges, smooth and yellow-green on the upper surface, paler and usually finely hairy on the lower surface, up to 8 inches long and 5 inches broad; leafstalk up to 1½ inches long, slender, usually smooth.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately, but on the same tree, minute, without petals, the staminate crowded into long, slender catkins, the pistillate few in a group, with red stigmas.

Fruit: Acorns borne in groups of 1 or 2, usually on a short stalk, the nut ovoid, chestnut-colored, up to ¾ inch long, the cup covering about ½ the nut, the scales of the cup hairy and usually with a short fringe.

Wood: Heavy, strong, durable, close-grained.

Uses: Fence posts, fuel, railroad ties.

Habitat: Low rich slopes; wooded hillsides; dry cliffs.

Range: Vermont across to southern Minnesota, south to eastern Nebraska and eastern Texas, east to northern Florida.

Distinguishing Features: The Yellow Chestnut Oak is distinguished from the other coarsely toothed oaks by its usually sharper pointed teeth and by the size and shape of its acorns.

CHERRYBARK OAK Quercus pagodaefolia Ell.

Other Name: Swamp Spanish Oak.

Growth Form: Large tree up to 100 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 4 feet; crown broadly rounded; trunk straight, columnar.

Bark: Dark gray, broken by narrow ridges into small scales.

Twigs: Rather stout, reddish-brown or gray, usually hairy when young, becoming smooth; pith star-shaped in cross-section; leaf scars alternate but clustered near tip of the twigs, half-round, slightly elevated, with several bundle traces.

Buds: Ovoid, pointed, angular, hairy, chestnut-brown, up to ¼ inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades divided into 5-11 pointed lobes, the sinuses cut about half-way to the midvein, up to 10 inches long, up to 7 inches wide, dark green, smooth and shiny on the upper surface, pale and hairy on the lower surface; leafstalks up to 2 inches long, stout, hairy.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately, but on the same plant, appearing when the leaves begin to unfold, minute, without petals, the staminate in slender, drooping catkins, the pistillate few together.

Fruit: Acorns solitary or 2 together, with or without a stalk, the nut ellipsoid, about ½ inch long, brown, enclosed for less than ⅓ its length by the cup, the cup finely hairy.

Wood: Strong, hard, coarse-grained, light reddish-brown.

Uses: Interior finishing, furniture, cabinets.

Habitat: Bottomlands and river banks.

Range: Southeastern Virginia to southeastern Missouri, south to Texas, east to Florida.

Distinguishing Features: The shape of the leaf is distinctive for this oak.

PIN OAK Quercus palustris Muench.

Growth Form: Medium tree up to 75 feet tall; trunk diameter usually less than 3 feet; crown narrowly rounded or oblong, but with the lower branches drooping; trunk straight, with pin-like stubs developing rather low on the trunk.