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 pubescent. 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.
+SPANISH OAK+ _Quercus falcata_ Michx.
THIS oak, one of the common southern red oaks, ranges from Virginia and
Florida to Texas and Missouri, and appears in a dozen of the southern
counties in Illinois. It is usually called the Spanish oak, or southern
red oak, and has been known as _Quercus rubra_ L. or _Quercus digitata_
Sudw.
[Illustration: SPANISH OAK