in moister ground,
generally bordering swamps.

[Illustration: FIG. 60.--Leaf and Fruit of Black Oak. (Quercus
velutina).]

BLACK OAK (_Quercus velutina_)

Distinguishing characters: The *bark* is black, rough and cut up into
firm *ridges* especially at the base of the tree, see Fig. 59. The
_inner bark_ has a _bright yellow color_: the *leaves* have _sharp
points_ and are wider at the base than at the tip as shown in Fig.
60. The buds are _large, downy_ and _sharp pointed_. The acorns are
small and have deep, scaly cups the inner margins of which are
downy. The kernels are yellow and bitter.

Form and size: The tree grows in an irregular form to large size, with
its branches rather slender as compared with the white oak and with
a more open and narrow crown.

Range: Eastern North America.

Soil and location: It will grow in poor soils but does best where the
soil is rich and well drained.

Enemies: None of importance.

Value for planting: The black oak is the poorest of the oaks for
planting and is rarely offered by nurserymen.

Commercial value: The wood is heavy, hard and strong, but checks readily
and is coarse grained. It is of little value except for fuel. The
bark is used for tannin.

Other common names: _Yellow oak_.

Comparisons: The black oak might sometimes be confused with the _red_
and _scarlet oaks_. The yellow, bitter inner bark will distinguish
the black oak from the other two. The light-colored, smooth bark of
the red oak and the dark, ridged bark of the black oak will
distinguish the two, while the bark of the scarlet oak has an
appearance intermediate between the two. The buds of the three
species also show marked differences. The buds of the black oak are
covered with hairs, those of the scarlet oak have fewer hairs and
those of the red are practically free from hairs. The leaves of each
of the three species are distinct and the growth habits are
different.

RED OAK (_Quercus rubra_)

Distinguishing characters: The *bark* is perpendicularly fissured into
long, _smooth, light gray strips_ giving the trunk a characteristic
*pillar effect* as in Figs. 61 and 94. It has the straightest trunk
of all the oaks. The leaves possess _more lobes_ than the leaves of
any of the other species of the black oak group, see Fig. 62. The
acorns, the largest among the oaks, are semispher