=9.= =Quercus imbricària= Michaux. Shingle Oak. Plate 48. Medium to
large sized trees; leaves on petioles generally 0.5-1 cm. long, 7-16 cm.
long, elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, narrowed or rounded at the base,
apex generally sharp-pointed and ending with a bristle, sometimes very
wide leaves are blunt at the apex, margins entire, when they first
appear the upper surface is somewhat woolly and the under surface
whitish with a dense tomentum, soon glabrous and a dark green above,
remaining more or less densely woolly or pubescent beneath; acorns
sessile or nearly so, solitary or in pairs; nuts ovoid, about 1 cm. long
and enclosed for about 1/2 their length in the cup; cup rounded at the
base; scales pubescent on the back and obtuse.
=Distribution.=--Pennsylvania, Michigan to Nebraska, south to Georgia
and west to Arkansas. Found throughout Indiana. It is essentially a tree
of low ground, but it is sometimes found near the base of slopes, and in
the knob area it is sometimes found on the crest of ridges. In all parts
of Indiana except the southwestern part it is found only locally and
then usually in colonies of a few trees. In Wells County, I know of only
two trees located at the base of a slope bordering a pond in Jackson
Township. In the southwestern part of the State it is frequent to a
common tree in its peculiar habitat. It appears that when drainage
basins decrease in size, and leave sandy river bottoms, and bordering
low sand dunes, that the shingle oak is the first oak to occupy the
area. On the sand ridges it is crowded out by the black, black jack and
post oaks. In the bottoms it is succeeded by pin, Schneck's, Spanish,
swamp white and post oaks. Special notes were made on its distribution
on a trip through Gibson, Pike, Daviess, Greene and Sullivan Counties,
going from Francisco northward through the Patoka bottoms where in many
places it forms pure stands. Usually in situations a little higher than
the pin oak zone. Thence eastward to Winslow and then north to Sandy
Hook in Daviess County, thence north to Washington, Montgomery, Odon,
Newberry, Lyons, Marco and Sullivan. In its habitat all along this route
it was a frequent to a very common tree. A few miles northeast of
Montgomery is a small area which a pioneer informed me was originally a
prairie. Typical prairie plants are yet found along the roadside and
fences in the area. I was informed that the shingle oak was the only
species found on the area, and on the border of the area. It is believed
the mass distribution of the species was in the area indicated by the
preceding route. Both east and west of this area the species becomes
less frequent.
=Remarks.=--Wood similar to red oak, but much inferior. Evidently it is
rather a slow growing tree, but it might find a use as a shade or
ornamental tree in sandy habitats where the pin oak would not thrive. It
is also called black oak, peach oak, jack oak and water oak.
[Illustration: Plate 48.