White Oak Group: _Fruit requires 1 year to mature; leaves without
sharp points to lobes_ (_except chinquapin oak leaves_). Bark:
_usually lighter gray than on black or red oaks_.
212. POST OAK (_Quercus stellata_ Wang) most abundant tree of dry,
sandy, upland woods. Leaves: 3 to 5 inches long, with 5 rounded lobes
wider toward the outer end; like bur oak but smaller; dead leaves often
cling in winter, especially on young trees. Flowers: as in other oaks,
male in catkins, female inconspicuous, both kinds on same tree. Fruit:
an oval acorn, ½ to 1 inch long in a rather shallow cup. Bark: rough,
with deep grooves. Twigs: very fuzzy when young. Wood: hard, durable in
soil but difficult to season, used mainly for fuel, fence posts and
crossties.
213. SCRUB OAK: or dwarf post oak (probably a variety of _Q. stellata_).
Habitat: on limestone hills where common. Leaves: similar to post oak
but less than 3 inches long and less deeply lobed. Bark: thin, light
gray, with loose scales. Sometimes attains tree size though usually
shrubby and growing in dense thickets, typically not over 20 feet high.
214. BUR OAK or mossy-cup oak (_Quercus macrocarpa_ Michx.) common large
tree of lowlands; heavy, thick branches make it the sturdiest looking of
our oaks. Leaves: 6 to 12 inches long, deeply 5 to 7 lobed with the
lobes rounded and larger toward the tip, upper lobe largest and wavy
margined or shallowly lobed. Acorns: large, 2 inches or more in
diameter, the cup usually deep and heavily fringed. Wood: for
cabinetmaking and all sorts of construction, shipbuilding, etc.
215. SWAMP CHESTNUT OAK or basket oak (_Quercus prinus_ L.) Habitat:
rich bottomlands, not common. Leaves: obovate, margins deeply wavy or
with small, regularly rounded notches, downy beneath, 3 to 8 inches
long. Bark: light gray, with broad flakes. Acorns: about 1½ inches long
by 1 inch wide, shiny brown, with a shallow cup, eaten by cows (cow
oak). Wood: used for lumber, veneer, cooperage, wheels, implements, and
baskets.
216. CHINQUAPIN OAK or chestnut oak (_Quercus muehlenbergii_ Engelm.)
Habitat: various, prefers limestone soil, common. Leaves: similar to
preceding species but more sharply notched. Bark: thick, usually silvery
gray, large, loose scales on surface. Acorns: smaller than preceding and
have very short stems. Branches: typically fewer, larger and more
irregular than preceding. Wood: hard, strong, close-grained, durable,
used for cooperage, furniture, crossties, fuel.
Black or Red Oak Group: _Fruit requires two years to mature, leaves
have sharp points on lobes._
217. WATER OAK, duck oak, or pin oak (_Quercus nigra_ L.) Habitat: low,
sandy land, rare. Leaves: usually about 2½ inches long and 1½ wide,
narrow toward base, usually broader toward tip, shallowly lobed toward
tip or entire, smooth and dark green above, tardily deciduous. Bark:
rather smooth, reddish brown. Fruit: acorns usually solitary, very
short-stalked, light brown, ½ to ⅔ inch long. Wood: heavy, hard, strong,
little used except for fuel and crossties.
218. BLACK JACK OAK (_Quercus marilandica_ Muench.) Habitat: dry, upland
woods, sandy soil, with post oaks where few other trees grow, common.
Leaves: 4 to 10 inches long, very wide at tip, narrow toward base, only
very shallowly lobed, dark above, leathery, dead leaves often clinging
to young trees in winter. Bark: rough, dark, broken into small, hard
flakes. Fruit: an acorn about ¾ inch long with a cup enclosing about
half the nut which is yellowish brown and often striped. Wood: heavy,
hard and strong but little used except as fuel.
219. RED OAK (_Quercus_ species). Several species of red oak are not
easily distinguished except by specialists and the problem is
complicated by the fact that many species interbreed readily, thus
producing many variations from the typical forms. Probably _Q.
shumardii_ var. _schneckii_ is the most common red oak around Dallas.
The leaves are similar in shape to the black oak but are thinner and
lack the prominent rusty hairs in the forks of the veins; lobes are
usually from 5 to 7 and vary greatly as to length and width. The Texas
red oak (_Q. texana_ Buckley) is a closely related smaller tree of dry
uplands. The Spanish oak (_Q. rubra_ L.) is another red oak of dry
uplands; it is easily recognized when the leaves assume one typical form
which is narrow and rounded at the base with the three or more narrow
lobes occurring near the tip. For more complete descriptions of these
trees the reader is referred to the latest edition of Sargent’s “Manual
of the Trees of North America.”