=Distribution.=--Maine, southern Ontario, southern Minnesota, southern
Nebraska south to Florida and west to Texas. Found throughout Indiana.
It was no doubt found in every county or nearly every county of the
State. It of course would be a rare tree throughout the rich black loam
soils of the central Indiana counties. The black oak is confined to the
poorer soils of the State, such as clay and gravelly ridges, sand dunes,
sand ridges, and the hills of southern Indiana that are not covered with
beech or white oak. It is a frequent to a common tree in the
southwestern part of the State in the bottom lands where it is
associated with Schneck's, shingle, and post oaks. In the northern part
of the State it is generally associated with the white oak and if the
soil is very poor it will form almost pure stands. On the poor ridges of
southern Indiana it is generally associated with the white, and scarlet
oaks, and invades habitats still poorer which are occupied by post,
black jack, or chestnut oaks. Wherever the black oak is found it is
generally more than a frequent tree and is usually a common tree or
forms the principal stand. While the black is not so uniformly
distributed over the State as the white oak, yet in point of numbers it
nearly equals it, or may even exceed it.
In Floyd and Harrison Counties are certain small areas which were known
to the early settlers as the "barrens." These areas were treeless. They
were covered with a growth of some sort of oak which the natives call
"scrub" oak, hazel, and wild plum. The height of the growth in any part
would "not hide a man on horse back." These areas are now all under
cultivation, and are no longer distinguished from the forested areas.
However, many parts of the barrens are now covered with forests, but
these forests are a complete stand of black oak. Last year one of these
areas was cut off, and the age of the trees were ascertained to be about
65 years old. The barrens of southern Indiana and adjacent States offer
a good problem for ecologists.
=Remarks.=--Wood similar to that of red oak, but often much inferior.
The uses of the best grades of black oak are practically the same as red
oak.
Where the black and scarlet oaks are associated, the scarlet oak is
rarely separated from it. The two species superficially much resemble
each other. The black oak is always easily distinguished by cutting into
the inner bark which is yellow, while that of scarlet oak is gray or
reddish. The inner bark imparts a yellow color to spittle, and the
scarlet does not. When mature fruiting branches are at hand they may be
separated by the appearance of the acorns. The scales of the cups of
the black oak are dull, and loosely imbricated near the top while those
of the scarlet oak are rather glossy and closely imbricated. The scales
of the scarlet oak, however, become somewhat loose after the acorn has
matured, and fallen for some time.
This species is sometimes called yellow oak. Since the chinquapin oak is
also often called yellow oak, it is best to always call this species
black oak.
=15.= =Quercus coccínea= Muenchhausen. Scarlet Oak. Plate 54. Medium
sized trees with bark resembling the black oak, inner bark gray or
reddish; twigs reddish by autumn; winter buds reddish-brown and
pubescent; leaves on petioles 2.5-6 cm. long, broadly oval to obovate,
blades 7-15 cm. long, truncate or wedge-shape at the base, the blade
divided into 5-7 lobes by deep and wide sinuses which cut the blade more
than half the distance to the midrib, sinuses rounded at the base, the
lobes variable in size and shape, usually the lowest are the shortest
and smallest, the middle lobes the largest and longest, the lobes widest
either at the base or the apex, the terminal part toothed or lobed, the
terminal lobe generally 3-lobed or 3-toothed, both surfaces of the
leaves at first pubescent, soon smooth and a dark glossy green above,
and paler and smooth beneath except tufts of hairs in the axils of the
principal veins; acorns sessile or nearly so, solitary or in pairs; nuts
ovoid to oblong, 1.5-2 cm. long, enclosed for about half their length in
the thick cup-shape cup; scales triangular but blunt, closely appressed,
pubescent on the back except the center which is generally elevated and
smooth and shiny, giving the cup a glossy appearance which easily
separates it from its nearest ally the black oak whose cup is a dull,
ash or reddish gray color; kernel white within, and less bitter than the
black oak.
=Distribution.=--Maine, southern Ontario to southern Nebraska, south to
North Carolina, Alabama and Arkansas. It has been reported for the
northwest counties and the southern part of Indiana, but we have no
records for the east-central portion of the State. Clark reports it as
common about Winona Lake, but does not report _Quercus velutina_ which
is a common tree of the vicinity, and it is believed that Clark has
confused the two species. In the northern part of the State its habitat
is that of sand and gravel ridges associated with black oak. In the hill
part of southern Indiana it is intimately associated with the black oak
on the poorer ridges. We have no authentic records for the southwestern
counties. The author has Schneck's specimens on which the record for
Gibson and Posey County was based. I determined the specimens as
belonging to the Spanish oak, and William Trelease verified the
determination. I have no doubt that scarlet oak occurred on the sand
ridges of that area.
[Illustration: Plate 54.