The sylva americana; or, A description of the forest trees indigenous to the United States, practically and botanically considered . more tenaciousthan those species, it is little esteemed for durability. It is usedfor the axletrees of mill wheels when white oak of sufficientdimensions cannot be procured; it is also sometimes, thoughrarely, made into staves, as the species is little multipliedcompared with the scarlet, red and black oaks. Willow Oak. Quercvs phellos. This species which isremarkable for its foliage,makes its first appearance inthe environs of Philadelphia;but it is more common
The sylva americana; or, A description of the forest trees indigenous to the United States, practically and botanically considered . more tenaciousthan those species, it is little esteemed for durability. It is usedfor the axletrees of mill wheels when white oak of sufficientdimensions cannot be procured; it is also sometimes, thoughrarely, made into staves, as the species is little multipliedcompared with the scarlet, red and black oaks. Willow Oak. Quercvs phellos. This species which isremarkable for its foliage,makes its first appearance inthe environs of Philadelphia;but it is more common andof a larger size in Virginia,the Carolinas and Georgia,where the milder temperatureof the winter is evidentlyfavorable to its growth. Itis seen, however, only in themaritime parts of those states,where the surface is moun-tainous and the climate moresevere. From the analogyof soil and climate, it isprobably found in Lower Louisiana. It commonly grows in cool, moist places on the borders of swamps. The willow oak, in favorable situations, attains the height of 50 or 60 feet with a diameter of 20 or 24 inches. The trunk, even. Fig. 1. PLATE LXXXIV. A leaf. Fig. 2. Tlie fruit. 280 SYLVA AMERICANA. at an advanced age, is covered with a smooth bark, remarkablefor the thickness of its cellular integument. The leaves are twoor three inches long, of a light green, smooth, narrow, entire,and similar to those of the willow, whence is derived the nameof Willow Oak, which is used in every part of North Americawhere the tree is known. This tree fructifies once in two flowers in May and bears acorns of a dark brown color, whichare small, bitter and contained in shallow cups slightly coatedwith scales. The wood is reddish and coarse-grained. It is too porous tocontain wine or spirituous liquor, and its staves are classed withthose of red oak. The quantity, however, is small, as thetree is so little multiplied that alone it would not supply theconsumption for two years. It possesse
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1800, booksubjectforestsandforestry, bookyear1832
