Forest Trees of Illinois Part 4

One-third natural size.]

The _leaves_ resemble somewhat those of the common white oak, but have a pair of deep indentations on their border near the base, and wavy notches on the broad middle and upper portions of the leaf. They range from 6 to 12 inches long and 3 to 6 inches wide. The _fruit_, or acorn, is a nut set deeply in a fringed cup. It is sometimes 1 inch or more in diameter but varies widely in respect to size and the degree to which the nut is enclosed in the mossy fringed cup.

The _wood_ is heavy, hard, strong, tough and durable. It is used for much the same purposes as the other white oaks, lumber, piling, veneer logs, crossties and fuel.

The swamp white oak, _Quercus bicolor_ Willd., occurs scattered in swamps, through the State. The leaves are obovate, coa.r.s.ely toothed and wedge-shaped below. They are thick, dark green and shining above, pale and downy beneath. The acorns are borne in a deep rough scaly cup, on stems 2-4 inches long. The wood is like that of the white oak.

The bark is gray-brown, separating into large, papery scales which curl back.

+YELLOW CHESTNUT OAK+ _Quercus muhlenbergii_ Engelm.

THIS oak, also called the chinquapin oak, which is an excellent timber tree, occurs throughout the State. It grows on practically all cla.s.ses of soil and in all moisture conditions except in swamps, and is a very tenacious tree on shallow, dry soil. The _bark_ is light gray, and breaks up into short narrow flakes on the main trunk and old limbs. It reaches a height of 70 to 90 feet. The straight shapely trunk bears a round-topped head composed of small branches, which makes it an attractive shade tree.

[Ill.u.s.tration: YELLOW CHESTNUT OAK

One-third natural size.]

The _leaves_ are oblong, 3 to 6 inches in length, 1-1/2 to 3 inches wide, and equally toothed or notched on the edges, resembling the leaves of the chestnut oak. The _fruit_, which ripens in the fall of the first season, is light to dark brown when ripe, and edible if roasted. This acorn is from one-half to nearly an inch long, usually less than one inch in diameter, and is set in a shallow cup.

The _wood_ is like that of the white oak, heavy, very hard, tough, strong, durable, and takes an excellent polish. It is used in manufacturing lumber and timbers, crossties, fence posts and fuel. A portion of the lumber no doubt goes into furniture.

The basket oak, or swamp chestnut oak, _Quercus prinus_ L., is found in the woods in southern Illinois. It resembles the white oak in its bark and branches, but has larger acorns. The leaves resemble those of yellow chestnut oak.

The rock chestnut oak, _Quercus montana_ Willd., is an eastern oak that is rare on the hills of Union and Alexander counties.

+POST OAK+ _Quercus stellata_ w.a.n.g.

THE post oak is usually a medium-sized tree, with a rounded crown, commonly reaching a height of 50 to 80 feet and a diameter of 1 to 2 feet, but sometimes considerably larger. It occurs from Mason County south to the Ohio River being most common in the "Post Oak Flats." The soil is a light gray silt loam underlaid by "tight clay."

[Ill.u.s.tration: POST OAK

One-third natural size.]

The _bark_ is rougher and darker than the white oak and broken into smaller scales. The stout young twigs and the leaves are coated at first with a thick light-colored fuzz which soon becomes darker and later drops away entirely.

The _leaves_ are usually 4 to 5 inches long and nearly as broad, deeply 5-lobed with broad rounded divisions, the lobes broadest at the ends.

They are thick and somewhat leathery, dark green and shiny on the upper surface, lighter green and rough hairy beneath.

The _flowers_, like those of the other oaks, are of two kinds on the same tree, the male in drooping, cl.u.s.tered catkins, the female inconspicuous. The _fruit_ is an oval acorn, 1/2 to 1 inch long, set in a rather small cup which may or may not be stalked.

The _wood_ is very heavy, hard, close-grained, light to dark brown, durable in contact with the soil. It is used for crossties and fence posts, and along with other oaks of the white oak cla.s.s for furniture and other purposes.

+NORTHERN RED OAK+ _Quercus rubra_ L.

(_Quercus borealis_ Michx.)

THE red oak of the North occurs throughout the State. It usually attains a height of about 70 feet and a diameter ranging from 2 to 3 feet, but is sometimes much larger. The forest-grown tree is tall and straight with a clear trunk and narrow crown.

[Ill.u.s.tration: NORTHERN RED OAK

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

The _bark_ on young stems is smooth, gray to brown on older trees, thick and broken by shallow fissures into regular, flat smooth-surfaced plates.

The _leaves_ are simple, alternate, 5 to 9 inches long, and 4 to 6 inches wide, broader toward the tip, divided into 7 to 9 lobes, each lobe being somewhat coa.r.s.ely toothed and bristle-tipped, and firm, dull green above, paler below, often turning to a brilliant red after frost.

The _winter buds_ are small, light reddish-brown and smooth. The _flowers_, as in all the oaks, are of two kinds on the same tree, the staminate in long drooping, cl.u.s.tered catkins, opening with the leaves, the female solitary or slightly cl.u.s.tered. The _fruit_ is a large acorn maturing the second year. The nut is from 3/4 to 1-3/4 inches long, blunt-topped, flat at base, with only its base enclosed in the very shallow dark brown cup.

The _wood_ is hard, strong, coa.r.s.e-grained, with light, reddish-brown heartwood and thin lighter-colored sapwood. It is used for cooperage, interior finish, construction, furniture, and crossties. Because of its average rapid growth, high-grade wood and general freedom from insect and fungus attack, it should be widely planted in the State for timber production and as a shade tree.

This red oak, _Quercus shumardii_ Buckley, is found only in the southern counties along the borders of streams and swamps. Its leaves are dark green and l.u.s.trous, paler beneath and have tufts of pale hairs in the angles of the veins. The acorns are long-oval in shape, held in thick saucer-like cups composed of closely appressed hairy scales.

+BLACK OAK+ _Quercus velutina_ Lam.

THE black oak, sometimes farther north called yellow oak or yellow-barked oak, usually grows to be about 80 feet in height and 1 to 3 feet in diameter. It is found commonly throughout the State. The crown is irregularly shaped and wide, with a clear trunk for 20 feet or more on large trees. The _bark_ on the very young trees is smooth and dark brown but soon becomes thick and black, with deep furrows and rough broken ridges. The bright yellow color and bitter taste of the inner bark, due to tannic acid, are distinguishing characteristics.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BLACK OAK

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

The _leaves_ are alternate, simple, 5 to 10 inches long and 3 to 8 inches wide, thick leathery shallow or deeply lobed, the shape varying greatly. When mature, the leaves are dark green and shiny on the upper surface, pale on the lower, more or less covered with down, and with conspicuous rusty brown hairs in the forks of the veins.

The _winter buds_ are large, strongly angled, gray and hairy. The _fruit_ matures the second season. The light brown nut is from 1/2 to 1 inch long, more or less hemispherical in shape, and from 1/2 to 3/4 enclosed in the thin, dark brown, scaly cup. The scales on the upper part of the cup are loosely imbricated. The kernel is yellow and extremely bitter.

The _wood_ is hard, heavy, strong, coa.r.s.e-grained and checks easily. It is a bright red-brown with a thin outer edge of paler sapwood. It is used for the same purposes as red oak, under which name it is put on the market. Its growth is rather slow.

The jack oak, _Quercus ellipsoidalis_ Hill, is a smaller tree found frequently alongside black oak in the northern third of the State. The acorn is ellipsoid, small and enclosed in a deep cup, whose scales are closely appressed. The winter buds are slightly angular, smooth, and red-brown in color. Many small, drooping branches are sent out near the ground, which soon die, and the stubs or "pins" have given this oak the name of northern pin oak.

+PIN OAK+ _Quercus pal.u.s.tris_ Muench.

PIN oak is rarely found naturally except on the rich moist soil of bottom lands and the borders of swamps. It is usually not abundant in any locality, but found scattered with other kinds of trees. It more commonly attains heights of 50 to 70 feet, with diameters up to 2 feet, but sometimes larger. The tree commonly has a single, upright stem with numerous long, tough branches, the lower ones drooping, the middle horizontal, and the upper ascending. Many of the lower branches soon die and their stubs are the "pins" which give the tree its name.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PIN OAK

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 p.u.b.escent. 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.