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, coarsely 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 classes
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.
[Illustration: YELLOW CHESTNUT OAK