8 7 4 AKBOUETUM ET FR U T IC E TUM BU ITAN NIC CM .
.ÎW
IS y i. Ç. Catesbrti'i.
p re tty large, o f a blackish colour, and partly covered with a fine grey dust,
which is easily rubbed o ff between th e fingers : they are contained in thick
cups, swollen towards th e edge, with th e upper scales b en t inwards. The
leaves vary very little, as will be seen by fig . 1592., in which a represents a
seedling o f one y e a r’s growth, and b a le a f from a p lan t two years old.
§ vi. N u jroe . B la ck /Im e rican Oaks.
Sect. Char., cÿc. Leaves wedge-shaped, or ini[)erfectly lobed ; mucronated, but
th e mucros generally dropping o ff when th e leaves have attain ed th e ir full
size. Leaves dying o ff o f a blackish green, and in America frequently persistent.
B a rk black, and n o t scaling off. Fructification biennial. Nut
ovate, with a persi.stent style, and sometimes marked with dark lines. — Trees
from 2 0 ft. to 40 ft. h ig h ; and one o f them, a miniature tre e, often not
exceeding 3 ft. in height. R a te o f growth less rapid than in th e preceding
sections.
¥ 21. Q. ni'gra L . Th e Bla ck Ja c k Oak.
I d e n t i f i c a t io n . L in . S p . P l., 14)3. ; M ic h x . Q u e r . , N o . 12. ; P u r s h F l. A m e r . S e p t ., 2 . p . 629.
S y n o n y m e s . Q.. m a ry l iin d ic a , & c ., R a i i ; Q . f e r r u g i n e a M ic h x . N . A m e r . S y l , 1. p . 79. t . 20. ; (?.
a q u à t i c a L o d d . C a t. e d . 1836 ; B a r r e n s O a k , A m e r .
E n g r a v i n g s . M ic h x . Q u e r . , t . 2 2 , 2 3 . ; a n d o m f i g . 1593.
Spec. Char., Leaves wedge-shaped, somewhat hea rt-sh ap ed a t th e base;
d ilated, abrupt, and very slightly 3-
lobed a t th e end ; th e middle lobe
sh o rte st, smooth above, ru sty ben
ea th. Calyx hemispherical, with
membranous scales. N u t roundish
ovate. ( W i l l d . ) A low deciduous
tre e . New Jersey , Maryland, and
Virginia. H e ig h t 20 ft.' to 30 ft.
In tro d u c ed before 1739.
T h e Black J a ck Oak, according to
Michaux, is sometimes 30 ft. high, and
8 o r 10 in. in diameter, b u t commonly
does n o t exceed half these dimensions.
Its tru n k is generally crooked ; an d it
is covered with a very hard, th ick , and
deeply furrowed bark, which is black
on tlie outside , though th e inner bark
is o f a dull red. T h e head o f th e tre e
is broad and spreading, even in th e
midst o f th e woods. T h e leaves ai-e of a very
remarkable shape, being dilated towards th e
summit, like a pear, and armed, when young,
with 3 or 5 bristle-like points, which fall off
when th e leaf has attained its full size. Fig.
1594., from Michaux’s Histoire des Chênes,
shows these mucros on seedlings o f one year’s
ancl two years’ growth. T h e leaves are yellowish,
and somewhat downy a t th e ir first
unfolding in spring ; but, when fully expanded,
they become o f a dark green above, and rusty
beneath ; they a re also thick and leathery in
their tex tu re. In autumn, they tu rn o f a
blackish red, and fall with th e first frost. The
acorns (fig. 1566, g ) are large, and half-covered
with very scaly cups. T h e specific name o f
nigra was given to this oak, by Linnæus, on
account o f th e blackness o f its bark, and its 1591. « .n ig r a ,
general dark appearance.
Ï 22, Q. a q u a 't i c a Soland. T h e W a te r Oak.
Iikn tHio aUo n . S o l a n d . in A it. H o r t . K ew ., e d ! . . 3. p . a.W. l M ic h x . Q u e r . , N o . 1 1 .; P u r s h Fl.
a C ^ à f iis ^M n e l fó rm ib u s , k c . , G r o n . V ir g . ; S . l id i o n o n s e r r à t o , Src ., C a t. C a r o l. 1 . 1. 20. ;
a . n ig r a W illd . S p . P L , 1413. ; Ü. u lig i n h s a W a n g h . f i l e r \ f . [g .
E n g r a r tn g s . M ic h x . Q u e r . , t. 19, 20, a n d 2 1 . ; a n d o u r J ig . 1595.
Spec. Char., f r . Leaves wedge-shajied, smooth ; tapering a t th e b a s e ; dilated
and obscnrely 3-lobed a t th e end ; th e middle lobe largest. Calyx nearly
hemispherical. N u t roundish. (W illd .) A middle-sized deciduous tre e.
Virginia, Carolina, and Florida. Height 40 ft. to CO ft. Virgi In tro d . before 1723.
Varieties.
Ì Q. a. 2 nàna. Q aquàtica Smith and Abb. In s. ii. p. 117. t. 59. ; Q. a.
elonnàta Ait. Hort. Kern. v. p. 290. ; Q. d en tà ta Ba rt. Trav . p. 14.
and %8. ; Q. nàna Willd. Sp. Pl. iv. p. 443. ; th e Dwa rf jagged
O f much lower sta tu re than th e sp e c ie s ; and th e leaves
nearly sessile, and more distinctly lobed.
¥ Q. a. 3 marítima Michx. Quer. No. 11. t. 20. f. 2. Q. hemisphifi nca
WUld. Sp. P l. iv. p. 443 — Leaves persistent.
1596. «.aqxjftHoa. 1590- «• aquaUca.
Other Varieties. T h e re is no American oak, n o t even Q. fa lck a , o f which
the foliage is so variable as o f this tre e. On full-grown trees, th c leaves
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