Chestnut Oak (local and common name).
Rock Oak (N. Y., Del., Pa.).
Rock Chestnut Oak (Mass., R. I., Pa., Del., Ala.).
Tanbark Oak (N. C.).
Swamp Chestnut Oak (N. C).
Mountain Oak (Ala.).
Locality.
Maine to Georgia, westward intermittently to Kentucky and Alabama. Best development in southern Alleghany Mountain region.
Features of Tree.
Seventy-five to eighty feet in height, three or four feet in diameter. Leaves resemble those of chestnut.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood dark brown, sapwood lighter, close-grained, medullary rays conspicuous.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Heavy, tough, hard, strong, and durable in contact with soil.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Largely used for railway ties. Bark rich in tannin.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
46.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,780,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
14,600.
Remarks.
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Post Oak (local and common name).
Iron Oak (Del., Miss., Neb.).
Box White Oak (R. I.).
Chêne étoilé (Quebec).
Overcup Oak (Fla.).
White Oak (Ky., Ind.).
Box Oak (Md.).
Brash Oak (Md.).
Locality.
East of Rocky Mountains—Massachusetts to northern Florida, westward intermittently to Nebraska and Gulf States.
Features of Tree.
Fifty to seventy feet in height, two to three feet in diameter. Low shrub in Florida. Blunt lobes or projections to leaves. Leaves clustered at ends of branches. Fine tree with rounded top.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood light or dark brown with lighter sapwood. Close-grained, annual rings well marked. Numerous and conspicuous medullary rays.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Heavy, hard, strong, checks badly in drying. Durable in contact with soil.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Largely used, particularly in Southwest, for fencing, railway ties, and fuel; also for cooperage, construction, etc.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
50 (U. S. Forestry Div.).[18]
52.
Modulus of Elasticity.
2,030,000 (average of 49 tests by U. S. Forestry Div.).[18]
1,180,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
12,300 (average of 49 tests by U. S. Forestry Div.).[18]
12,900.
Remarks.
Most common and widely distributed oak in Gulf States west of the Mississippi River. Obtusiloba, the Latin for blunt-lobed, refers to the shapes of the leaves. Wood seldom commercially distinguished from white oak. [p017]
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Bur Oak (local and common name).
Overcup Oak (R. I., Del., Pa., Miss., La., Ill., Minn.).
Mossycup White Oak (Minn.).
Mossycup Oak (Mass., Pa., Del., Miss., La., Tex., Ark., Ill., Iowa, Neb., Kan.).
Scrub Oak (Neb., Minn.).
Overcup White Oak (Vt.).
Locality.
New Brunswick, New England, westward intermittently to Montana and Texas.
Features of Tree.
Seventy to one hundred and thirty feet in height, five to seven feet in diameter. Deep opposite depressions to leaves. Mossy, fringed border at top of acorn-cup. Corky wings on young branches.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood rich brown, sapwood lighter, close-grained, broad conspicuous medullary rays.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Heavy, hard, strong, tough, very durable in contact with ground.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Similar to those of Quercus alba.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
46.00.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,320,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
13,900.
Remarks.
Extends farthest west and northwest of any other Eastern oak. Especially recommended for prairie planting. [p018]
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
White Oak (Cal., Oreg.).
Pacific Post Oak (Oreg.).
Western White Oak (Oreg.).
Oregon White Oak (Cal.).
California Post Oak.
Locality.
Pacific coast, British Columbia into California.
Features of Tree.
Sixty to ninety feet high, one and one half to two and one half feet in diameter. A small shrub at high elevations.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood light brown or yellow. Sapwood lighter, often nearly white. Compact structure. Distinctly marked annual rings. Medullary rays often conspicuous.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Heavy, strong, hard, tough.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Ship-building, carriages, furniture, indoor decoration, fuel.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
46.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,150,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
12,400.
Remarks.
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Red Oak (local and common name).
Black Oak (Vt., Conn., N. Y., Wis., Ia., Neb., So. Dak., Ont.).
Spanish Oak (Pa., N. C.).
Locality.
East of Rocky Mountains, Nova Scotia to Georgia, westward intermittently to Nebraska and Kansas, best in Massachusetts.
Features of Tree.
Ninety to one hundred feet in height. Three to six feet and over in diameter, brownish-gray bark smooth on branches. Leaves have sharp-pointed lobes, very large acorns in flat shallow cups. A fine complete tree.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood light brown or red, sapwood darker, coarse-grained, well-marked annual rings, medullary rays few but broad.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Heavy, hard, strong, inclined to check in drying, acid, inferior to white oak.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Works of secondary importance, clapboards, cooperage, fuel.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
45 (U. S. Forestry Div.).[19]
40.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,970,000 (average of 57 tests by U. S. Forestry Div.).[19]
1,600,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
11,400 (average of 57 tests by U. S. Forestry Div.).[19]
140,000.
Remarks.
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Pin Oak (local and common name).
Swamp Spanish Oak (Ark., Kan.).
Water Oak (R. I., Ill.).
Swamp Oak (Pa., Ohio, Kans.).
Water Spanish Oak (Ark.).
Locality.
Minnesota to Kansas, eastward intermittently to Massachusetts and Virginia.
Features of Tree.
Fifty to eighty feet in height, two to four feet in diameter. Full-rounded or pyramidal top, smooth thin bark, numerous small pin-like branches.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood variegated light brown, sapwood nearly white, coarse-grained, medullary rays numerous and conspicuous.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Heavy, hard, strong, checks badly in seasoning.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Shingles, clapboards, construction, interior finish, cooperage.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
43.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,500,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
15,400.
Remarks.
Palustris, the Latin for swampy, refers to favorite location of tree. The numerous slender secondary branches suggesting pins cause tree to be easily recognized, particularly in winter. [p021]
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Spanish Oak (local and common name).
Red Oak (N. C., Va., Ga., Fla., Ala., Miss., La., Ind.).
Spanish Oak (La.).
Locality.
New Jersey and Florida, westward intermittently to Illinois and Texas.
Features of Tree.
Thirty to seventy feet in height, two and one half to four feet in diameter. Variable foliage. Globular to oblong acorns.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood light red, sapwood lighter, coarse-grained, annual layers strongly marked, medullary rays few but conspicuous.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Hard, heavy, strong, not durable, checks badly in drying.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Somewhat used for cooperage, construction, etc. Bark very rich in tannin.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
43.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,900,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
16,900.
Remarks.
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Black Oak, Yellow Oak (local and common names).
Yellow Bark, Yellow-bark Oak (R. I., Minn.).
Dyer's Oak (Tex.).
Tanbark Oak (Ill.).
Spotted Oak (Mo.).
Quercitron Oak (Del., S. C., La., Kans., Minn.).
Locality.
East of longitude 96 degrees, Maine and Florida, westward intermittently to Minnesota and Texas. Best in North Atlantic States.
Features of Tree.
Ninety to one hundred and thirty feet in height, three to five feet in diameter. Dark gray to black bark, yellow inner bark. Acorns have bitter yellow kernels. Foliage turns handsomely in autumn.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood light reddish brown, sapwood lighter, coarse grain, annual layers strongly marked, thin medullary rays.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Heavy, hard, strong, liable to check in drying, not tough.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Cooperage, construction, furniture, and decoration.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
45 (U. S. Forestry Div.).[20]
44.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,740,000 (average of 40 tests by U. S. Forestry Div.).[20]
1,470,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
10,800 (average of 40 tests by U. S. Forestry Div.).[20]
14,800.
Remarks.
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Live Oak (Va., N. C., S. C., Ga., Fla., Miss., Ala., Tex., La., Calif.).
Chêne Vert (La.).
Locality.
Southern States—coast from Virginia to Florida, westward to Texas and Lower California, southern Mexico, Central America, and Cuba. Best in south Atlantic States.
Features of Tree.
Fifty to sixty feet high, diameter three to six feet. General resemblance to apple-tree. Evergreen foliage.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood light brown or yellow, sapwood nearly white, close-grained, compact structure, pronounced medullary ray, annual layers often hardly distinguishable.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Heavy, strong, tough, hard, difficult to work, splits easily. Receives high polish, very durable.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Ship-building.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
59.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,600,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
14,000.
Remarks.
Trunk and branches furnish small straight pieces, but principally knees, crooked or compass timbers. Virens refers to evergreen foliage. Splits so easily that it is better fastened with bolts or trenails than spikes. Now scarce, grows rapidly. [p024]
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Coast Live Oak (Cal.).
California Live Oak (Cal.).
Encena (Cal.).
Evergreen Oak (Cal.).
Locality.
California.
Features of Tree.
Forty to seventy-five and occasionally more feet in height, three to six feet in diameter. Evergreen foliage, leaves spiked like those of holly. Shape resembles that of apple tree.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood creamy white, but darkens on exposure. Compact structure, annual layers hardly distinguishable.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Heavy, hard, but brittle.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Fuel.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
51.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,350,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
13,200.
Remarks.
Agrifolia is from the Latin acer, sharp, and folium, leaf, alluding to the spinous toothed leaves. [p025]
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Live Oak (Cal., Oreg.).
Canyon Live Oak, Black Live Oak, Golden-cup Oak (Cal.).
Canyon Oak, Iron Oak, Maul Oak, Valparaiso Oak (Cal.).
Locality.
West of Rocky Mountains, canyons, and high elevations.
Features of Tree.
Fifty to eighty feet in height, three to six feet in diameter. Often low shrub. Impressive appearance. Evergreen foliage.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood light brown, sapwood lighter, small pores in wide bands parallel to conspicuous medullary rays. Close-grained.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Hard, heavy, strong, tough, difficult to work.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Implements, wagons, tool-handles.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
52.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,700,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
18,000.
Remarks.
Said to be the most valuable of the California oaks. Grows at elevations of 2000 to 5000 feet. Highland Oak (Quercus wislizeni) is an evergreen and a Pacific Coast variety. [p026]
Nomenclature.
English Oak.
British Oak.
Common Oak.
Locality.
Widespread throughout northern and central Europe.
Features of Tree.
Seventy to one hundred feet in height, eight to ten feet in diameter. Crooked branches, stalkless leaves, long-stalked acorns.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood light brown, darker spots frequent, sapwood lighter. Compact structure.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Hard, tough, strong, durable, difficult to work, liable to warp in seasoning.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Ship-building, beams, cabinet-work, formerly carpentry.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
51 (Laslett).
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,170,000 (Thurston).
Modulus of Rupture.
10,000 (Thurston).
Remarks.
The English, Chestnut, Durmast, or Red Oak, Q. robur var. sessiliflora, distinguished by long leaf stalks and short acorn stalks, affords practically similar but lower-rated wood. The two varieties supply the British Oak of commerce. Dantzic, Rigi, and some other European oaks take names from port of shipment. Rubrus is red, but robur is a noun meaning strength; the adjective robustus means "oaken" or vigorous. [p027]
Ash is widely distributed over the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, and occurs in the tropics, on the island of Cuba. The tree has occupied a position second only to that of oak. Our Teutonic forefathers relied upon its wood for boats and weapons. Their ancient faith connects it with the creation of the original man. It is often associated with oak in country proverbs.[21] Europeans regard the trees for ornamental purposes, but Americans value them for wood.
Ash and oak woods resemble one another in that there are bands of open pores in both woods, but the pith-rays of the ash are thinner and scarcely discernible. Ash is coarser, less attractive, easier to work, tough, elastic, and somewhat lighter than oak. It seasons well, but does not last when exposed to the weather. Lumbermen separate the woods into white and black ash, the former including the lighter-colored and more desirable pieces. This commercial division is also a botanical one in the North, where the only species of any note are the white ash and black ash (F. americana and F. nigra). The Southern green ash (F. lanceolata) is usually classed as white ash. The trees that grow up after the cutting of the virgin forest afford tougher, more pliable, but not necessarily stronger pieces, known as "second-growth" ash. Although not relied upon for out-of-door construction, ash is one of the most important of the cheaper cabinet woods and is used in stairs, furniture, and similar works. [p028]
One half of the thirty known species of the genus Fraxinus inhabit North America. [p029]
[21] A tradition, old in Pliny's time, is that serpents avoid ash trees; another is that ash is particularly liable to be struck by lightning. (Keeler.)
The name ash is also applied to several species of the genus Pyrus or Sorbus, to which the apple, pear, quince, and some other trees belong. "Mountain Ash" is either Pyrus americana or Pyrus sambucifolia. Both species, with their bright red berries, are to be classed as shrubs rather than trees; their light, soft, weak, close-grained woods having no economic importance, save perhaps for fuel. The series is partially as follows:
The Toothache Trees, Xanthoxylum americana and Xanthoxylum clava-herculis (Linn.), are known as ash and prickly ash. The gopher wood, Cladrastis tinctoria, is yellow ash. These woods are not important.
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Locality.
Nova Scotia to Florida, westward intermittently to Minnesota and Texas. Greatest development in the Ohio River basin.
Features of Tree.
Forty-five to ninety feet in height, occasionally higher. Three to four feet in diameter. Usually smooth leaves, have whitish under surfaces. Gray furrowed bark, long-winged seed.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood reddish brown, usually mottled; sapwood much lighter or nearly white. Coarse-grained, compact structure. Layers clearly marked by large open ducts. Medullary rays obscure.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Heavy, hard, strong, elastic, becoming brittle with age, not durable in contact with soil.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Agricultural implements, carriages, handles, oars, interior and cheap cabinet-work.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
39 (U. S. Forestry Div.).[22]
40.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,640,000 (average of 87 tests by U. S. Forestry Div.).[22]
1,440,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
10,800 (average of 87 tests by U. S. Forestry Div.).[22]
12,200.
Remarks.
Economically valuable. Rapid growers, preferring low, rather moist soil. Not apt to form in forests, but found mingled with other varieties. Large trees sometimes have large heart-cracks. [p030]
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Red Ash (local and common name).
River Ash (R. I., Ont.).
Brown Ash (Mo.).
Black Ash (N. J.).
Ash (Nebr.).
Locality.
New Brunswick to Florida, westward intermittently to Dakota and Alabama. Best developed in North Atlantic States.
Features of Tree.
A small tree, rarely over forty-five feet high, one and one-half feet in diameter. Downy-covered young twigs and leaves.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood rich brown, sapwood light brown streaked with yellow, coarse-grained compact structure.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Heavy, hard, strong, brittle.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Agricultural implements, handles, boats, oars, paper-pulp.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
38.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,154,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
12,300.
Remarks.
Grows on borders of streams and swamps in low ground. Often confused with and substituted for the more valuable white ash. Pubescens is in allusion to the downy covering of the new twigs (those of white ash usually smooth). Pennsylvanica refers to locality in which it is well developed. [p031]
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Blue Ash (Mich., Ill., Ky., Mo., Ala.).
Locality.
Central States, Mississippi Valley, Michigan, and southward, cultivated in Pennsylvania. Best in low Wabash Valley.
Features of Tree.
Fifty to seventy-five feet in height, occasionally higher, one to two feet in diameter. Slender. Blue properties in inner bark, smooth square twigs.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood light yellow, streaked with brown, sapwood lighter, close-grained, compact structure satiny.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Hard, heavy, brittle, not strong, most durable of ash woods.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Largely used in floorings, carriage-building, pitchfork-and other tool-handles.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
44.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,100,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
11,500.
Remarks.
Has no superior among ash woods. Blue Ash pitchfork-handles are very fine. Prefers limestone formations. Inner bark colors water blue, whence name. [p032]
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Locality.
Northern and Northeastern States—Newfoundland to Virginia, westward intermittently to Manitoba and Arkansas.
Features of Tree.
Seventy to eighty feet in height, one to one and one-half feet in diameter. Leaves resemble those of Elder. A thin tree. Excrescences or knobs frequent on trunk. Dark, almost black, winter buds.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood dark brown, sapwood light brown, often nearly white, coarse-grained, compact structure, medullary rays numerous and thin.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Separates easily in layers, rather soft and heavy, tough, elastic, not strong or durable when exposed.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Largely used for interior finish, fencing, barrel-hoops, cabinet-making, splint baskets, chair-bottoms.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
39.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,230,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
11,400.
Remarks.
Excrescences known as burls; their distorted grain causes them to be prized for veneers. The most northerly of ash-trees; one of the most slender of trees. [p033]
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Green Ash (local and common name).
Blue Ash (Ark., Iowa).
White Ash (Kans., Neb.).
Ash (Ark., Iowa).
Swamp Ash (Fla., Ala., Tex.).
Water Ash (Iowa).
Locality.
East of Rocky Mountains. Vermont and northern Florida intermittently to Utah and Arizona.
Features of Tree.
Forty to fifty feet in height, one to two feet in diameter. Bright green upper and lower surfaces of smooth leaves.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood brownish, sapwood lighter, rather coarse-grained, compact structure.
Structural Qualities.
Hard, heavy, strong, brittle.
Representative Uses.
Similar to those of White Ash.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
39 (U. S. Forestry Div.).[23]
44.
Modulus of Elasticity.
2,050,000 (average of 10 tests by U. S. Forestry Div.).[23]
1,280,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
11,600 (average of 10 tests by U. S. Forestry Div.).[23]
12,700.
Remarks.
Nomenclature.
Oregon Ash (Calif., Wash., Oregon).
Locality.
Pacific coast, Washington to California. Best developed in bottom lands, southwestern Oregon.
Features of Tree.
Fifty to occasionally seventy-five feet in height, one to one and one-half feet in diameter. Dark grayish-brown, bark exfoliates in thin scales.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood brown, sap wood lighter, coarse-grained, compact structure, numerous thin medullary rays.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Rather light, hard, not strong.
Representative Uses of Wood.