Handbook of the Trees of New England Part 17

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 s.h.i.+ning 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 s.h.a.ggy 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 s.h.i.+ning green above, slightly to conspicuously whitish-downy beneath, in autumn brownish-yellow; obovate, coa.r.s.ely 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 st.u.r.dy, rugged habit and rich dark green foliage make it a valuable tree for ornamental plantations or even for streets.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE XL.--Quercus bicolor.]

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 sh.o.r.e of Lake Erie.

Maine,--Saco river and Mt. Agamenticus, near the southern coast (York county); New Hamps.h.i.+re,--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 alt.i.tude of 1300 feet, and along the western flank of the Green mountains, at least in Addison county; Ma.s.sachusetts,--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, a.s.suming n.o.ble 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 s.p.a.cious, 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 l.u.s.trous; 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 p.u.b.escent; 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, k.n.o.bby-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.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE XLI.--Quercus Prinus.]

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.

=Quercus Muhlenbergii, Engelm.=

_Quercus ac.u.minata, Sarg._

CHESTNUT OAK.

=Habitat and Range.=--Dry hillsides, limestone ridges, rich bottoms.

Ontario.

Vermont,--Gardner's island, Lake Champlain; Ferrisburg (Pringle); Connecticut,--frequent (J. N. Bishop, 1895); on the limestone formation in the neighborhood of Kent (Litchfield county, C. K. Averill); often confounded by collectors with _Q. Prinus_; probably there are other stations. Not authoritatively reported from the other New England states.

South to Delaware and District of Columbia, along the mountains to northern Alabama; west to Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, Indian territory, and Texas.

=Habit.=--A medium-sized tree, 30-40 feet high, with a trunk diameter of 1-2 feet, attaining much greater dimensions in the basins of the Ohio, Mississippi, and their tributaries; trunk in old trees enlarged at the base, erect, branches rather short for the genus, forming a narrow oblong or roundish head.

=Bark.=--Bark of trunk and large branches grayish or pale ash-colored, comparatively thin, flaky; branchlets grayish-brown; season's shoots in early summer purplish-green with pale dots.

=Winter Buds and Leaves.=--Buds ovate, acute to obtuse, brownish. Leaves simple, alternate; in the typical form as recognized by Muhlenburg, 3-6 inches long, 1-1/2-2 inches wide, glossy dark green above, pale and minutely downy beneath; outline lanceolate or lanceolate-oblong, with rather equal, coa.r.s.e, sharp, and often inflexed teeth; apex ac.u.minate; base wedge-shaped or acute; stipules soon falling. There is also a form of the species in which the leaves are much larger, 5-7 inches in length and 3-5 inches in width, broadly ovate or obovate, with rounded teeth; distinguishable from _Q. Prinus_ only by the bark and fruit.

=Inflorescence.=--May. Appearing with the leaves; sterile catkins 2-4 inches long; calyx yellow, hairy, segments 5-8, ciliate; stamens 5-8, anthers yellow: pistillate flowers sessile or on short spikes; stigma red.

=Fruit.=--Maturing the first season, sessile or short-peduncled: cup covering about half the nut, thin, shallow, with small, rarely much thickened scales: acorn ovoid or globose, about 3/4 inch long.

=Horticultural Value.=--Hardy in New England; grows in all good dry or moist soils, in open or partly shaded situations; maintains a nearly uniform rate of growth till maturity, and is not seriously affected by insects. It forms a fine individual tree and is useful in forest plantations. Propagated from seed.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE XLII.--Quercus Muhlenbergii.]

1. Winter buds.

2. Flowering branch.

3. Sterile flower.

4. Fertile flowers.

5. Fruiting branch.

=Quercus prinoides, Willd.=

SCRUB WHITE OAK. SCRUB CHESTNUT OAK.

More or less common throughout the states east of the Mississippi; westward apparently grading into _Q. Muhlenbergii_, within the limits of New England mostly a low shrub, rarely a.s.suming a tree-like habit. The leaves vary from rather narrow-elliptical to broadly obovate, are rather regularly and coa.r.s.ely toothed, bright green and often l.u.s.trous on the upper surface.