Trees of the Northern United States Part 33

[Ill.u.s.tration: Var. tinctoria.]

Var. _tinctoria_. (Quercitron. Yellow-barked or Black Oak.) Leaves, especially on young trees, often less deeply pinnatifid, sometimes barely sinuate. Foliage much like that of Quercus rubra. Acorn nearly round, to 2/3 in. long, set in a rather deep, conspicuously scaly cup.

Bark of trunk thicker, rougher, darker-colored and with the inner color orange. Rich and poor soil. Abundant east, but rare west.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Q. pal.u.s.tris.]

13. =Quercus pal.u.s.tris=, Du Roi. (SWAMP, SPANISH, OR PIN OAK.) Leaves oblong, deeply pinnatifid, with divergent, sharply toothed, bristle-tipped lobes and rounded notches, and with both sides bright green. Acorn globular, hardly in. long, cup shallow and saucer-shaped, almost sessile, in the axils of last year's leaf-scars. A handsome, medium-sized tree; wood reddish, coa.r.s.e-grained. In low ground. Common throughout.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Q. falcata.]

14. =Quercus falcata=, Michx. (SPANISH OAK.) Leaves obtuse or roundish at base, 3- to 5-lobed above, the lobes prolonged, mostly narrow, and the end ones more or less scythe-shaped, bristle-tipped, entire or sparingly cut-toothed, soft-downy beneath. Foliage very variable. Acorn 1/3 to in. long, globose, half inclosed in the hemispherical cup; nearly sessile. A tree, 30 to 70 ft. high, large and abundant in the South; bark thick and excellent for tanning; wood coa.r.s.e-grained, dark brown or reddish. New Jersey, south and west.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Q. iliciflia.]

15. =Quercus iliciflia=, w.a.n.g. (BEAR OR BLACK SCRUB-OAK.) Leaves obovate, wedge-shaped at base, angularly about 5-lobed (3 to 7), white-downy beneath, 2 to 4 in. long, thickish, with short, triangular bristle-tipped lobes. Acorn ovoid, globular, in. long. A dwarfed, straggling bush, 3 to 10 ft. high. Sandy barrens and rocky hills. New England to Ohio, and south.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Q. aquatica.]

16. =Quercus aquatica=, Walt. (WATER-OAK.) Leaves thick, sub-evergreen, obovate-wedge-shaped, smooth, tapering at the base, sometimes obscurely 3-lobed at the tip; on the seedlings and the young rapid-growing shoots often incised or sinuate-pinnatifid, and then bristle-pointed. Acorn small, globular-ovoid, downy, in a saucer-shaped cup, very bitter; in the axils of leaf-scars of the previous year. A very variable tree, 30 to 40 ft. high, with smooth bark. Wet ground. Maryland, west and south.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Q. ngra.]

17. =Quercus ngra=, L. (BLACK OAK OR BARREN OAK.) Leaves large, 5 to 10 in. long, thick, wedge-shaped, broadly dilated above, and truncate or slightly 3-lobed at the end, bristle-awned, smooth above, rusty-downy beneath. Acorn oblong-ovate, to in. long, in the axils of the leaves of the preceding year, one third or one half inclosed in the top-shaped, coa.r.s.e-scaled cup. A small tree, 10 to 25 ft. high, with rough, very dark-colored bark. New York, south and west, in dry, sandy barrens.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Q. imbricaria.]

18. =Quercus imbricaria=, Michx. (LAUREL-OR SHINGLE-OAK.) Leaves lanceolate-oblong, entire, tipped with an abrupt, sharp point, pale-downy beneath. Acorn globular, 5/8 in. long, cup with broad, whitish, close-pressed scales, covering about one third of the nut. A stout tree, 30 to 50 ft. high, found in barrens and open woodlands. Wood extensively used in the West for shingles. New Jersey to Wisconsin, and southward.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Q. Ph.e.l.los.]

19. =Quercus Ph.e.l.los=, L. (WILLOW-OAK.) Leaves 2 to 4 in. long, thick, linear-lanceolate, narrowed at both ends, entire or very nearly so, soon smooth, light green, bristle-tipped, willow-like, scurfy when young.

Acorns about sessile, globular, small ( in.), in a shallow saucer shaped cup; on the old wood. Tree 30 to 50 ft. high, with smooth, thick bark, and reddish, coa.r.s.e-grained wood, of little value. Borders of swamps, New Jersey, south and west; also cultivated.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Q. Rbur.]

20. =Quercus Rbur=, L. (ENGLISH OAK.) Leaves on short footstalks, oblong, smooth, dilated upward, sinuately lobed, hardly pinnatifid.

Acorns in the axils of the leaves of the year, ovate-oblong, over 1 in., about one third inclosed in the hemispherical cup; sessile in var.

_sessiliflora_; cl.u.s.tered and long-peduncled in var. _pedunculata_.

Trees 50 to 100 ft. high, extensively cultivated; from Europe; the nursery catalogues name as many as a score or more varieties.

One var., _fastigiata_ (Pyramidal Oak), is a peculiar upright tree like the Lombardy Poplar; var. _pendula_ (Weeping Oak) has long, slender, drooping branches.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Q. Cerris.]

21. =Quercus Cerris=, L. (TURKEY OAK.) Leaves on very short stalks, oblong, deeply and unequally pinnatifid, hairy beneath; lobes lanceolate, acute, somewhat angular. Acorns in the axils of the leaves of the year, ovate, with a hemispherical, bristly or mossy cup. Several varieties of this species, from Europe, are cultivated in this country.

They form tall, round-headed, symmetrical trees.

GENUS =89. CASTaNEA.=

Trees or shrubs with alternate, simple, straight-veined, elongated, pointed leaves. Sterile flowers in long, drooping, conspicuous catkins, blooming in June or July; the fertile ones rather inconspicuous, but forming p.r.i.c.kly-coated burs which hang on till the frost, when they split open and let out the brown, h.o.r.n.y-coated nuts. Wood light, coa.r.s.e-grained.

* Large tree with burs having 1 to 3 nuts 1.

* Small tree with burs having 1 rounded nut 2.

[Ill.u.s.tration: C. satva.]

1. =Castanea satva=, Mill. (CHESTNUT.) Leaves oblong-lanceolate, pointed, coa.r.s.ely serrate, with usually awned teeth; smooth on both sides, 6 to 9 in. long, 1 to 2 in. wide. Burs large, very p.r.i.c.kly, inclosing 1 to 3 large, ovoid, brown nuts, ripe after frost, which opens the bur into 4 valves. A common large tree, with light, coa.r.s.e-grained wood, and bark having coa.r.s.e longitudinal ridges on the old trees. Many varieties of this species are in cultivation, varying in the size and sweetness of the nuts, the size of the trees, and the size and the margins of the leaves, some of which are almost entire. The wild species is var. _Americana_.

[Ill.u.s.tration: C. pumila.]

2. =Castanea pumila=, Mill. (CHINQUAPIN.) Leaves lance-oblong, strongly straight-veined, coa.r.s.ely serrate, usually with awned tips; whitish-downy beneath, 3 to 5 in. long, 1 to 2 in. wide. Bur small, p.r.i.c.kly, with a single small, rounded, sweet, chestnut-colored nut. A handsome small tree, or in the wild state usually a shrub, 6 to 40 ft.

high. Central New Jersey, southern Ohio and southward, and cultivated successfully as far north as New York City.

GENUS =90. f.a.gUS.=

Trees with alternate, strongly straight-veined, almost entire to deeply pinnatifid leaves. Flowers inconspicuous, appearing with the leaves.

Fruit a p.r.i.c.kly bur, inclosing 2 triangular, sharp-ridged nuts, the bur hanging on the trees during the greater part of the winter. Leaf-buds very elongated, slender, sharp-pointed.

* The straight veins all ending in the teeth; native 1.

* Margin varying from entire to deeply pinnatifid, the straight veins occasionally ending in the notches 2.

[Ill.u.s.tration: F. ferruginea.]

1. =f.a.gus ferruginea=, Ait. (AMERICAN BEECH.) Leaves thin, oblong-ovate, taper-pointed, distinctly and often coa.r.s.ely toothed; petioles and midrib ciliate with soft silky hairs when young, soon almost naked. The very straight veins run into the teeth. p.r.i.c.kles of the fruit mostly recurved or spreading. Large tree, 60 to 100 ft. high, with grayish-white, very smooth bark, and firm, light-colored, close-grained wood. Wild throughout, and frequently cultivated.

[Ill.u.s.tration: F. sylvatica.]

2. =f.a.gus sylvatica=, L. (EUROPEAN BEECH.) Leaves often similar to those of the American Beech, but usually shorter and broader; the border, often nearly entire, is wavy in some varieties, and in others deeply pinnatifid. The bark in most varieties is darker than in the American.

This Beech, with its numerous varieties, is the one usually cultivated.

Among the most useful varieties are _atropurpurea_ (Purple Beech), with the darkest foliage of any deciduous tree, and almost entire-margined leaves; _laciniata_ (Cut-leaved Beech), with very deeply cut leaves; and _argentea variegata_ (Silver Variegated Beech), having in the spring quite distinctly variegated leaves.

ORDER =XL. SALICaCEae.= (WILLOW FAMILY.)

A small order of soft-wooded trees and shrubs, abundantly distributed in the northern temperate and frigid zones.

GENUS =91. SaLIX.=

Soft-wooded trees or shrubs growing in damp places, with alternate, usually quite elongated, pointed, deciduous leaves, without lobes.

Stipules often large, leaf-like, and more or less persistent through the summer; sometimes scale-like and dropping early. The stipules are always free from the leafstalk and attached to the twig at small spots just below the leafstalk. Even if the stipules have dropped off, the small scars remain. Flowers staminate and pistillate on separate trees (dioecious), in elongated catkins in early spring. Fruit consists of catkins of small pods with numerous seeds having silky down at one end.

The seeds usually drop early. Among the Willows there are so many hybrids and peculiar varieties as to render their study difficult, and their cla.s.sification, in some cases, impossible. The following Key will probably enable the student to determine most specimens. No attempt has been made to include all the cultivated forms.

* Spray decidedly weeping 5.