Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XII.djvu/568

 554: OAK ing upon rocky hillsides, in situations which can never be cultivated. Another variety is the yellow chestnut oak (var. acuminata), which is the quercus castanea of Muhlenberg Kock Chestnut Oak (Quercus prinus, var. monticola). and other authors. It has leaves more like the chestnut than the others, as they are on slender petioles and oblong or lanceolate from a rounded base, equally and sharply toothed and with very straight veins. The acorns are rather small, very sweet, with a thin hemi- spherical cup, having appressed scales. This variety is a handsome tree 60 to TO ft. high ; it is more abundant in the middle states than northward, and ex- tends to Florida. Its wood is very yellow, strong, and durable. Not only is there some confusion in the botanical nomen- clature of oaks, but the common names are carelessly applied ; in the western states the yellow chestnut oak is called chinqua- pin oak, a name that belongs to the variety humilis mentioned below. Another va- riety of Q. prinus is Michaux's. oak (var. MicTiauxii of Chap- man), a large tree found in low grounds from South Carolina to Florida ; it has smaller and more rigid leaves than the rock chestnut oak, velvety underneath, and obtuse or slightly cordate at base, with a nut 1 in. long. The small- est variety of this species, the chinquapin oak (var. humilis), is sometimes called the dwarf chestnut oak. It is the smallest of the northern oaks, being usually 2 or 3 ft. high, and seldom above 5 ft. Some botanists Live Oak (Quercus virens). regard this as a distinct species, and it has several different botanical names. It is found from southern New England and New York south and westward in sandy barrens, where it often forms the sole vegetation of many acres. It produces its small acorns very abundantly, and affords food for animals. The live oak (Q. mrens) also belongs to the annual-fruited oaks, and is distinguished from all the eastern Live Oak Tree. species of this section by its thick, evergreen leaves, which are entire, or in one variety with spiny teeth. Its leaves are 2 to 4 in. long, oblong, obtuse, smooth and shining above, and