Shape broad topped, 60-90 ft. tall. Bark light grayish brown, scaly. Leaves white down beneath, turning yellow brown or orange red in autumn. Range: s. N. E. to Gt. Lakes region and Minn., s. to Tex. and Fla. The wood is valuable like that of the White Oak but the tree is not so handsome. It is easily distinguished by its bark and the numerous twigs. ROCK CHESTNUT OAK (Quercus montana) is a massive tree with dark brown, ridged bark and foliage similar to the above but larger, glossy above and not downy beneath except in youth. Acorn large, lustrous, and handsome. Foliage in autumn yellow to dull orange. Throughout the Appalachian range from the Catskills and mts. of N. J. to Ala. and in the upper Ohio valley and w. N. Y. This noble tree forms stately groves in the southern mountains.
Southern Live Oak
SOUTHERN LIVE OAK
(Quercus virginiana)
Shape short trunked, the very broadly spreading branches making a crown wider than high; 40-50 ft. tall. Bark dark brown, rough, deeply furrowed, the ridges a grayer brown. Leaves evergreen, thick, 2-4 in. long, paler beneath with very fine down. Range: Coast plain from Tex. (and far up the Rio valley) to the Gt. Dismal Swamp and Mobjack Bay, Va. The wood is light golden brown, beautiful, very hard to work, used for ornamental interior finish on ships. With the immense spread of its branches this noblest, most picturesque tree of the far South forms gracious park-like groves. The Spanish Moss dripping from its boughs adds to its dreamy charm. CANYON LIVE OAK (Quercus chrysolepis) is similar but has pendulous branches, the leaves bluish rather than olive green. This is the finest evergreen oak from Ore. to Calif.
Willow Oak
WILLOW OAK
(Quercus Phellos)
Shape with a conical crown; to 80 ft. tall. Trunk stocky. Bark deep ruddy brown, shallowly seamed. Leaves glossy above, lighter beneath. Range: Gulf States and n. in the Gt. Valley to Ky., around the coast to Long Island. But for its acorns, small as they are, they would scarcely be recognized as an oak from its leaves. A favorite shade tree in S. cities. LAUREL OAK (Quercus imbricaria) is very similar, with larger, broader leaves, the under surface downy. Pa. to Ga., w. to s. Wisc., e. Neb., and Ark. COAST LIVE OAK (Quercus agrifolia) is a striking tree with evergreen, holly-like leaves and very long, slender little acorns in shallow cups. Grows 90 ft. tall or may be a mere shrub. Centr. and s. Calif. DESERT LIVE OAK (Quercus hyopleuca) differs from Coast Live Oak in having leaves white downy beneath, the margins not spiny-toothed. W. Tex. to s. Ariz.
