Other characters: The fruit is berry-like, with a hard pit. The fleshy outer part is sweet.
Other common names: Nettle tree; sugarberry.
[Group VIII. The Oaks and Chestnut]
How to tell them from other trees: The oaks are rather difficult to identify and, in studying them it will often be necessary to look for more than one distinguishing character. The oaks differ from other trees in bearing acorns. Their leaves have many lobes and their upper lateral buds cluster at the top of the twigs. The general contour of each oak presents a characteristic branching and sturdiness uncommon in other trees.
The chestnut differs from other trees in bearing burs and its bark is also distinctly characteristic.
How to tell them from each other: There are two groups of oaks, the white oak and the black oak. The white oaks mature their acorns in one year and, therefore, only acorns of the same year can be found on trees of this group. The black oaks take two years in which to mature their acorns and, therefore, young acorns of the present year and mature acorns of the previous year may be found on the same tree at one time. The leaves of the white oaks have rounded margins and rounded lobes as in [Fig. 57], while those of the black oaks have pointed margins and sharp pointed lobes as shown in Figs. [60], [62] and [64]. The bark of the white oaks is light colored and breaks up in loose flakes as in [Fig. 58], while that of the black oaks is darker and deeply ridged or tight as in Figs. [59] and [61]. The white oak is the type of the white oak group and the black, red and pin oaks are types of the other. For the characterization of the individual species, the reader is referred to the following pages.
Fig. 57.—Leaf and Fruit of White Oak. (Quercus alba.)