V
somewhat elongated, similarly rounded at both end.s, and very sweet.
Highly ornamental when in full bloom, and most prolific in acorns
even when only 3 or 4 feet high.
¥ Q. P . 5 tomentosa Michx. Quer. No. 5. t. 9 f. 2. Q. P . discolor
Michx. N . Amer. SyL I p. 43. t. 7. (o u r Jig. 1580.); Q. bicolor
Widd. Sp. P l.iv . p. 440. ; Q. Michaúxz N u t t .; th e Swamp white
Oak. — Leaves almost sessile, obtusely oval, bluntly toothed ; downy
beneath. (M ic h x .) A large deciduous tre e. LTuited States ge,K>
rally. Height 60 ft. to 70 ft. In troduc
ed in 1800. The leaves are
from 6 in. to 8 in. long, and 4 in.
broad ; entire towards the base,
which is a tten u a ted and wedge-
shaped ; b u t dilated and coarsely
to o th ed for two thirds o f their
length. T h e tre e is distinguished,
when full grown, by th e remarkable
appearance o f its leaves; which are
on th e u n d er side silky and o f a
silvery whiteness, while th e upper
side is smooth and o f a bright ^
green. T h e acorns (fig . 1566. / ) are
long, o f a clear che stnut brown, and
contained in ra th e r shallow scaly
cups, edged with sh o rt slender fila- isso. q. p. tomentósa,
ments. These cups are more downy
within than those o f any oth e r o a k ; and they are borne in pairs, on
peduncles o f from 1 in. to 2 in. in length. T h e bark is scaly, as in
all th e preceding varieties, aud o f a greenish white.
§ V. Rtihroj. R e d American Oaks.
Sect. Char. Leaves deeply lobed, sinuated, multifid, and mucronated. Bark
dark, and n o t scaling o ff Fructification biennial. N u t ovate, with a persistent
style. Cup imbricate, large in proportion to th e nut. — Trees, varying
from 80 o r 90 feet to 15 o r 20 feet in height ; remarkable for th e bright
red, deep scarlet, o r dark purple, o f the ir foliage, when it dies off in autumn.
Perh ap s most o f th e kinds in this section might be reduced to two or three
species ; bnt, as th ey come up tolerably tru e from seed, we have, for the
cultivator, considered it more convenient to tre a t them as distinct. The
hardiest and most rapid-growing, and a t th e same time th e most elegant and
ornamental, tre e o f th e section is Q. palustris, which, with its spreading
drooping branchCvS, and its straight e re c t tru n k and spiry top, is, independently
o f its lively scarlet, orange, and red colours in spring and autumn, in
o u r opinion th e most graceful o f all oaks, eith er E urope an o r American.
¥ 14. Q. r u ' b r a L . T h e red, or Champion, Oak.
I d e n ti fic a tio n . L in . S p . P I . , 1413. ; P u r s h F l . A m e r . S e p t . , 2 . p . 630. ; M ic h x . Q u e r ., N o .
S y n o n y m e . Q. E 's c u l i d iv i s u r á , & c ., P l u k . P h y t . t. 5 4 . 1. 4.
E n g r a v in g s . P l u k . P h y t . , t . 54. f . 4 . ; M ic h x . N . A m e r . S y l ., 2. t . 2 8 . ; t h e p l a t e s o f t h i s sp e c ie s in
A rb . B n t . , 1 s t e d i t . , v o l. v iii . ; a n d o u v / ^ « . 1581. a n d 1582.
Spec. Char.,4c. Leaves smooth, oblong, sinuated, on long s ta lk s : lobes acute,
sharply to o th ed , bristle-pointed. Calyx o f th e fru it flat underneath.
N u t ovate. (W id d .) A large deciduous tre e . Canada and th e whole of
th e N o rth o f th e U n ited States. Height 80 ft. to 90 ft. Introduced in
1739. Flowers greenish w h ite ; May. Acorns brown, occasionally
ripened in England in October.
Varieties. Aiton, in th e Hortus Kewensis, 2d ed., mentions two forms of this
species : Q. ru b ra latifòlia, th e champion oak, which is th e Q. rubra of
The bark is comparatively smooth, o f a dark colour, ver) thick ; and, though
in old trees it cracks, y et it never scales off a.s in th e sections A'lbæ and
Frinus. The wood is reddisii and coarse-grained ; and its pores are often so
large as to admit th e entrance o f a hair. Th e leaves, when they first come
out in spring, are o f a f in e sulphur colour ; when fully expanded, they are
smooth and shining on both sides, large, deeply laciniated, and sometimes
slightly rounded a t th e base, especially on old tre e s ; and, before they fall, they
tiini of a deep purplish red. According to th e younger Michaux, th e leaves
on old trees often nearly resemble those o f Q. falcàta. T h e leaves o f Q.
falcata are, however, always downy beneath ; while those o f Q. riibra are
smooth. The leaves o f Q. rubra die off o f a more purplish red than those o f
most of the oth e r kinds in this section ; b u t they often become yellow before
they fall. They vary much in shape, from th e age o f th e plant, o r th e soil and
situation in v/hich it has grown. Fig. 1581., copied from th e elder Michaux’s
Histoire des Chênes, shows th e leaves o f a seedling a year old ; fig , 1582., from
the same work, those o f a tre e bearing acorns.
¥ 15. Q. c o c c i ' n e a Widd. T h e scarlet Oak.
Id e n tific a tio n . W i lld . S p . P l . , 4 . 4 4 6 . ; M ic h x . F l . B o r . A m e r . , 2. p . 199. ; P u r s h F l . A m e r . S e p t . , 2.
p . 630.
S y n o n ym e . Q. r ù b r a 0 A i t . e d . 1. 3, p . 357.
E n g r a v in g s . W a n g , F o r s t . , t . 9. ; M ic h x . Q u e r ., t . 31 , 32. ; N . A m e r . S y l ., 1. t . 2 5 , ; t h e p l a t e o f
th is t r e e in A rb . B r i t . , 1 s t e d i t . , v o l. viii. ; a n d o u r J ig s . 1583. a u d 1584.
Spec, Char., Leaves smooth, oblong, deeply and widely sinuated, on
long stalks : lobes divaricated, acute, sharply toothed, bristle-pointed. Calyx
of the fruit turbinate, h a lf as long as th e n u t. (W id d J A large deciduous
tree. Pennsylvania to Georgia. Height 80 ft. In tro d u c ed in 1691.
The leaves, which are chiefly distinguished from th o se o f Q. rubra by
iiaving longer petioles, are o f a beautiful green, shining on both sides ; and,
on old trees, laciniated in a very remarkable manner, having iisnally four deep
sinuses on each side, very broad at bottom. Th e leaves begin to change with
the first cold ; and, after several sucessive frosts, tu rn to a brilliant scarlet,
instead of th e dull red o f those o f Q. rubra. These leaves differ very greatly
in shape at different stages in th e growth o f th e tre e. When (jiiite young,
they are scarcely lol)ed a t all, as may be seen by fig . 1583., which is taken
from Michaux’s Histoire des Chênes, aud represents a seedling a year o ld ; and
fig, 1584., a sprig and acorn from an old tre e, copied from Michaux. Amidst
ail the varieties, however, in th e shape o f th e le a f o f th e scarlet oak, it may
always be distinguished from th a t o f Q. rù b ra by th e different hue which it
assumes in autumn ; th e colour o f Q. coccínea being always a b right scarlet,
or (ellowish red, o f more o r less in ten s ity ; and th a t o f Q. rù b ra a dull
3 K S