HABITAT.—Pastures; hillsides; glacial drift; well-drained, gravelly or rocky soil.
NOTES.—A rapid grower and living to a great age. Difficult to transplant. Subject to a disease which threatens extermination in this country.
SUMMER KEY TO THE SPECIES OF QUERCUS
| a. | Leaves deeply cut or lobed. | |||||
| b. | Leaf-lobes acute, bristle-tipped; fruit maturing in thesecond season. | |||||
| c. | Lower surface of leaves more or less pubescent, | |||||
| d. | Leaf-lobes usually 7; buds hoary-tomentose; bark oftrunk deeply furrowed and scaly; inner bark yellow;cup-scales of acorn hoary-pubescent; nut ovoid;large tree, common in Michigan | Q. velutina, p. [117]. | ||||
| dd. | Leaf-lobes usually 3 (at apex of the leaf only); budsrusty-hairy; bark of trunk divided into nearly squareplates; inner bark not yellow; cup-scales of acornrusty-tomentose; nut subglobose; shrubby tree, rarein Michigan | Q. marilandica, p. [119]. | ||||
| cc. | Lower surface of leaves glabrous or nearly so. | |||||
| d. | Cup of acorn top-shaped or cup-shaped, inclosing one-thirdto one-half of the nut. | |||||
| e. | Kernel of nut yellow; buds glabrous, lustrous,slightly angular; inner bark of trunk yellow; trunkprovided with pins or stubs of dead branches nearthe ground | Q. ellipsoidalis, p. [115]. | ||||
| ee. | Kernel of nut whitish; buds pubescent above themiddle, not angular; inner bark of trunk red; trunknot provided with pins or stubs of branches nearthe ground | Q. coccinea, p. [113]. | ||||
| dd. | Cup of acorn saucer-shaped, inclosing only the baseof the nut. | |||||
| e. | Upper surface of leaves usually lustrous, especiallyon the lower branches; lowermost branches of treesgrowing in the open drooping nearly to the ground;nut about 1/2 inch long. | Q. palustris, p. [111]. | ||||
| ee. | Upper surface of leaves usually dull; lowermostbranches of trees growing in the open not drooping;nut about 1 inch long | Q. rubra, p. [109]. | ||||
| bb. | Leaf-lobes rounded, not bristle-tipped; fruit maturingin the first season. | |||||
| c. | Leaves cut nearly to the midrib by a pair of deep sinusesnear the middle of the leaf; branches corky-ridged; nut1/2-1-1/2 inches long, deeply seated in a large, conspicuouslyfringed | Q. macrocarpa, p. [103]. | ||||
| cc. | Leaves not cut by a pair of deep sinuses; branches notcorky-ridged; nut about 3/4 inch long, about one-fourthcovered by a thin, tomentose, warty cup | Q. alba, p. [101]. | ||||
| aa. | Leaves not deeply cut nor lobed. | |||||
| b. | Margin of leaf entire to sinuate-crenate, but not toothed;acorns on stalks 1/2-4 inches long. | |||||
| c. | Margin of leaf entire, or only slightly undulate; acornson peduncles 1/2 inch long, the nut about 1/2 inch long;bark on branches not breaking into large, papery scales | Q. imbricaria, p. [121]. | ||||
| cc. | Margin of leaf sinuate-crenate, rarely lobed; acorns onstems 1-4 inches long, the nut about 1 inch long; barkon branches breaking into large, papery scales whichcurl back | Q. bicolor, p. [105]. | ||||
| bb. | Margin of leaf coarsely toothed; acorns sessile or onstalks less than 1/2 inch long | Q. muhlenbergii, p. [107]. | ||||
WINTER KEY TO THE SPECIES OF QUERCUS
| a. | Terminal buds usually about 1/8 inch long. | |||||
| b. | Twigs thick-tomentose; entire bud pale-pubescent;branches corky-ridged; cup of acorn conspicuously fringedat the rim. | [1][G] Q. macrocarpa, p. [103]. | ||||
| bb. | Twigs glabrous; buds glabrous, or only slightly or partiallypubescent; branches without corky ridges; cup ofacorn not conspicuously fringed at the rim. | |||||
| c. | Bark on branches breaking into large, papery scaleswhich curl back; buds pilose above the middle; acornson pubescent stems 1-4 inches long. | [1] Q. bicolor, p. [105]. | ||||
| cc. | Bark on branches not breaking into large, papery scales;buds glabrous; acorns sessile or very short-stalked. | |||||
| d. | Bark of trunk ash-gray or nearly white, flaky; acornsmaturing in autumn of first season; kernel of nutsweet. | |||||
| e. | Buds conical, acute; bud-scales scarious on the margins;nut white-downy at the apex. | [1] Q. muhlenbergii, p. [107]. | ||||
| ee. | Buds broadly ovoid, obtuse; bud-scales not scariouson the margins; nut not white-downy at the apex. | [1] Q. alba, p. [101]. | ||||
| dd. | Bark of trunk light to dark brown, smoothish or onlyslightly fissured; acorns maturing in autumn of secondseason; kernel of nut bitter. | |||||
| e. | Lateral buds widely divergent; bud-scales scariouson the margins; lowermost branches of trees growingin the open not drooping nearly to the ground. | [2] Q. imbricaria, p. [121]. | ||||
| ee. | Lateral buds more or less appressed; bud-scales notscarious on the margins; lowermost branches oftrees growing in the open drooping nearly to theground. | [2] Q. palustris, p. [111]. | ||||
| aa. | Terminal buds usually about 1/4 inch long (slightly smallerin Q. ellipsoidalis). | |||||
| b. | Buds conspicuously hairy or tomentose. | |||||
| c. | Buds rusty-hairy, acute at the apex; cup-scales of acornrusty-tomentose; inner bark of trunk not yellow; shrubbytree, rare in Michigan. | [2] Q. marilandica, p. [119]. | ||||
| cc. | Buds hoary-tomentose, obtuse at the apex; cup-scales ofacorn hoary-pubescent; inner bark of trunk yellow;large tree, common in Michigan. | [2] Q. velutina, p. [117]. | ||||
| bb. | Buds glabrous, or pubescent only above the middle. | |||||
| c. | Buds strictly glabrous throughout, lustrous; inner barkof trunk yellow or whitish. | |||||
| d. | Buds obtuse at the apex; trunk provided with pins orstubs of dead branches near the ground; inner barkof trunk yellow; nut 1/2-3/4 inch long, inclosed forone-third to one-half of its length in a top-shapedcup; kernel of nut yellow. | [2] Q. ellipsoidalis, p. [115]. | ||||
| dd. | Buds acute at the apex; trunk not provided with pinsor stubs of branches near the ground; inner bark oftrunk whitish; nut about 1 inch long, inclosed onlyat the base by a shallow, saucer-shaped cup; kernelof nut white. | [2] Q. rubra, p. [109]. | ||||
| cc. | Buds pale-pubescent above the middle, but usually glabrousbelow, not lustrous; inner bark of trunk red. | [2] Q. coccinea, p. [113]. | ||||