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, clustered 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 class 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.
[Illustration: NORTHERN RED OAK