Part 28

1. Winter buds. 2. Flowering branch. 3. Sterile flower, back view. 4. Sterile flower, front view. 5. Fertile flowers. 6. Fruiting branch.

=Quercus bicolor, Willd.=

Quercus platanoides, Sudw.

SWAMP WHITE OAK.

=Habitat and Range.=--In deep, rich soil; low, moist, fertile grounds, bordering swamps and along streams.

Quebec to Ontario, where it is known as the blue oak.

Maine,--York county; New Hampshire,--Merrimac valley as far as the mouth of the Souhegan, and probably throughout Rockingham county; Vermont,--low grounds about Lake Champlain; Massachusetts,--frequent in the western and central sections, common eastward; Rhode Island and Connecticut,--common.

South to Delaware and along the mountains to northern Georgia; west to Minnesota, Iowa, east Kansas, and Arkansas.

=Habit.=--A medium-sized tree, 40-60 feet high, with a trunk diameter of 2-3 feet; attaining southward of the Great Lakes and in the Ohio basin much greater dimensions; roughest of all the oaks, except the bur oak, in general aspect; trunk erect, continuous, in young trees often beset at point of branching with down-growing, scraggly branchlets, surmounted by a rather regular pyramidal head, the lower branches horizontal or declining, often descending to the ground, with a short, stiff, abundant, and bushy spray; smaller twigs ridgy, widening beneath buds; foliage a dark shining green; heads of large trees less regular, rather open, with a general resemblance to the head of the white oak, but narrower at the base, with less contorted limbs.

=Bark.=--Bark of trunk and larger branches thick, dark grayish-brown, longitudinally striate, with flaky scales; bark of young stems, branches, and branchlets darker, separating in loose scales which curl back, giving the tree its shaggy aspect; season's shoots yellowish-green.

=Winter Buds and Leaves.=--Buds brown, roundish-ovate, obtuse. Leaves simple, alternate, 3-8 inches long, 2-4 wide, downy on both sides when unfolding, at maturity thick and firm, smooth and dark shining green above, slightly to conspicuously whitish-downy beneath, in autumn brownish-yellow; obovate, coarsely and deeply crenate or obtusely shallow-lobed, when opening sometimes pointed and tapering to a wedge-shaped base, often constricted near the center; leafstalk short; stipules linear, soon falling.

=Inflorescence.=--May. Sterile catkins 2-3 inches long, thread hairy; calyx deeply 3-7-parted, pale yellow, hairy; stamens 5-8; anthers yellow, glabrous: pistillate flowers tomentose, on rather long, hairy peduncles; stigmas red.

=Fruit.=--Variable, on stems 1-3 inches long, maturing the first season, single or frequently in twos: cup rounded, rather thin, deep, rough to mossy, often with fringed margins: acorn about 1 inch long, oblong-ovoid, more or less tapering: meat sweet, edible.

=Horticultural Value.=--Hardy throughout New England; grows in any good soil, wet or dry, but prefers a position on the edge of moist or boggy land, where its roots can find a constant supply of water; growth fairly rapid; seldom affected by insects or disease; occasionally offered by nurserymen and rather less difficult to transplant than most of the oaks. Its sturdy, rugged habit and rich dark green foliage make it a valuable tree for ornamental plantations or even for streets.

1. Winter buds. 2. Flowering branch. 3. Sterile flower, side view. 4. Sterile flower, front view. 5. Fertile flowers. 6. Fruiting branch.

=Quercus Prinus, L.=

CHESTNUT OAK. ROCK CHESTNUT OAK.

=Habitat and Range.=--Woods, rocky banks, hill slopes.

Along the Canadian shore of Lake Erie.

Maine,--Saco river and Mt. Agamenticus, near the southern coast (York county); New Hampshire,--belts or patches in the eastern part of the state and along the southern border, Hinsdale, Winchester, Brookline, Manchester, Hudson; Vermont,--western part of the state throughout, not common; abundant at Smoke mountain at an altitude of 1300 feet, and along the western flank of the Green mountains, at least in Addison county; Massachusetts,--eastern sections, Sterling, Lancaster, Russell, Middleboro, rare in Medford and Sudbury, frequent on the Blue hills; Rhode Island,--locally common; Connecticut,--common.

South to Delaware and along the mountains to Georgia, extending nearly to the summit of Mt. Pisgah in North Carolina; west to Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama.

=Habit.=--A small or medium-sized tree, 25-50 feet high, with a trunk diameter of 1-2-1/2 feet, assuming noble proportions southward, often reaching a height of 75-100 feet and trunk diameter of 5-6 feet; trunk tall, straight, continuous to the top of the tree, scarcely tapering to the point of ramification, surmounted by a spacious, open head.

=Bark.=--Bark of trunk and large branches deep gray to dark brown or blackish, in firm, broad, continuous ridges, with small, close surface scales; bark of young trees and of branchlets smooth, brown, and more or less lustrous; season's shoots light brown.

=Winter Buds and Leaves.=--Buds ovate to cylindrical, mostly acute, brownish. Leaves simple, alternate, 5-8 inches long, 2-5 inches wide, dark green and smooth above, paler and more or less downy beneath; outline obovate to oval, undulate-crenate; apex blunt-pointed; base wedge-shaped, obtuse or slightly rounded, often unequal-sided; veins straight, parallel, prominent beneath; leafstalk 1/2-1-1/2 inches long; stipules linear, soon falling.

=Inflorescence.=--May. Sterile catkins 2-3 inches long; calyx 5-9-parted, yellow, hairy; divisions oblong, densely pubescent; stamens 5-9; anthers yellow, glabrous: pistillate flowers with hairy scales and dark red stigmas.

=Fruit.=--Seldom abundant, maturing the first season, variable in size, on stems usually equal to or shorter than the leaf-stems: cup thin, hemispheric or somewhat top-shaped, deep; scales small, knobby-thickened at the base: acorns 3/4-1-1/2 inches long, ovoid-conical, sweet.

=Horticultural Value.=--Hardy throughout New England; prefers a light gravelly or stony soil; rapid-growing and free from disease; more easily and safely transplanted than most oaks; occasionally offered by nurserymen, who propagate it from the seed. Its vigorous, clean habit of growth and handsome foliage should give it a place in landscape gardening and street use.

1. Winter buds. 2. Flowering branch. 3. Sterile flower, back view. 4. Sterile flower, front view. 5. Fertile flowers. 6. Fruiting branch. 7. Variant leaf.