Michigan Trees Part 27

WOOD.--Heavy, hard, strong, coa.r.s.e-grained, light red-brown, with thick, darker brown sapwood.

DISTRIBUTION.--Lower Peninsula, southern half.

HABITAT.--Prefers a light, dry, sandy soil.

NOTES.--Rapid of growth. Desirable for ornamental planting.

[Ill.u.s.tration: +Hill's Oak. Northern Pin Oak. Black Oak+

1. Winter twig, 1.

2. Portion of twig, enlarged.

3. Leaf, 1/2.

4. Flowering branchlet, 1/2.

5. Staminate flower, enlarged.

6. Pistillate flower, enlarged.

7. Fruit, 1.]

+f.a.gACEAE+

+Hill's Oak. Northern Pin Oak. Black Oak+

_Quercus ellipsoidalis E. J. Hill_

HABIT.--A tree 50-60 feet high, with a short trunk 2-3 feet in diameter; forming a rather narrow, oblong crown of upright and horizontal branches. Many small, drooping branches are sent out near the ground, which eventually die; and it is to the stubs or pins which persist about the trunk that the appelation Pin Oak is due.

LEAVES.--Alternate, simple, 3-7 inches long and about as broad; oval to nearly orbicular; narrowly 5-7-lobed by deep, wide, rounded sinuses, the lobes few-toothed, bristle-tipped; thin and firm; l.u.s.trous, bright green above, paler beneath, both sides glabrous except for the tufts of hairs in the axils of the veins beneath; petioles slender, glabrous.

FLOWERS.--May, with the leaves; monoecious; the staminate in p.u.b.erulous catkins 2-3 inches long; the pistillate red, tomentose, borne on stout, tomentose, 1-3-flowered peduncles; calyx 2-5-lobed or-parted, glabrous except at the apex, which is fringed with long, twisted hairs; corolla 0; stamens 2-5, with short filaments; stigmas 3, recurved, dark red.

FRUIT.--Autumn of second season; short-stalked or nearly sessile acorns; cup top-shaped, with scales thin, p.u.b.erulous, inclosing one-third to one-half of the nut; nut ellipsoid, 1/2-3/4 inch long, light brown, p.u.b.erulous; kernel yellow, bitter.

WINTER-BUDS.--Terminal bud 1/8-1/4 inch long, ovoid, rather obtuse, slightly angular, l.u.s.trous, red-brown.

BARK.--Twigs bright red-brown, covered with matted, pale hairs, becoming glabrous, dark gray or brown; thin, dull gray to dark brown, rather smooth or closely ribbed on the trunk; inner bark yellow.

WOOD.--Heavy, hard, strong, coa.r.s.e-grained, red-brown, with thin, paler sapwood.

DISTRIBUTION.--South-western part of the Lower Peninsula, but limits not definitely known.

HABITAT.--Well-drained uplands, especially on clays; occasionally on the borders of ponds and in low woods.

NOTES.--A new and comparatively little known species.

[Ill.u.s.tration: +Yellow Oak. Black Oak+

1. Winter twig, 1.

2. Leaf, 1/2.

3. Flowering branchlet, 1/2.

4. Staminate flower, enlarged.

5. Pistillate flower, enlarged.

6. Fruit, 1.]

+f.a.gACEAE+

+Yellow Oak. Black Oak+

_Quercus velutina Lam._

HABIT.--A medium-sized tree 50-60 feet high and 1-3 feet in trunk diameter; slender branches and stout branchlets form a wide-spreading, rounded crown.

LEAVES.--Alternate, simple, 5-10 inches long, 3-8 inches broad; ovate to oblong; usually 7-lobed, some with shallow sinuses and broad, rounded, mucronate lobes, others with wide, rounded sinuses extending half-way to the midrib or farther and narrow-oblong or triangular, bristle-tipped lobes, the lobes more or less coa.r.s.e-toothed, each tooth bristle-tipped; thick and leathery; dark green and s.h.i.+ning above, pale and more or less p.u.b.escent beneath; petioles stout, yellow, 3-6 inches long.

FLOWERS.--May, when the leaves are half grown; monoecious; the staminate in p.u.b.escent catkins 4-6 inches long; the pistillate reddish, on short, tomentose peduncles; calyx acutely 3-4-lobed, reddish, hairy; corolla 0; stamens usually 4-5, with acute, yellow anthers; stigmas 3, divergent, red.

FRUIT.--Autumn of second season; sessile or short-stalked acorns; cup cup-shaped or turbinate, inclosing about one-half of the nut; scales thin, light brown, h.o.a.ry; nut ovoid, 1/2-3/4 inch long, red-brown, often p.u.b.escent; kernel yellow, bitter.

WINTER-BUDS.--Terminal bud 1/4 inch long, ovoid to conical, obtuse, strongly angled, h.o.a.ry-tomentose.

BARK.--Twigs at first scurfy-p.u.b.escent, later glabrous, red-brown, finally mottled gray; thick and nearly black on old trunks, deeply furrowed and scaly; inner bark thick, yellow, very bitter.

WOOD.--Heavy, hard, strong, coa.r.s.e-grained, bright red-brown, with thin, paler sapwood.

DISTRIBUTION.--Southern half of the Lower Peninsula.

HABITAT.--Prefers glacial drift; dry or gravelly uplands; poor soils.

NOTES.--Rapid of growth. Undesirable for street use.

[Ill.u.s.tration: +Black Jack+

1. Winter twig, 1.

2. Portion of twig, enlarged.

3. Leaf, 1/2.

4. Flowering branchlet, 1/2.

5. Staminate flower, enlarged.

6. Pistillate flower, enlarged.

7. Fruit, 1.]

+f.a.gACEAE+