Subclass Hamamelidae (Artificial class Amentiferae)

Fagaceae (Beech Family)
	9 Genera (3 on Campus)
	800 species

I. Leaves
	A. Deciduous or (Persistent - some Quercus)
	B. Alternate
	C. Simple
	D. Stipulate
	E. Usually pinnate venation

II. Flowers
	A. Monoecious
	B. Axillary staminate aments or heads (Fagus)
	C. Axillary pistillate spikes 
		1. Alone (Fagus, Quercus) 
		2. At base of staminate ament (Castanea)

II. Fruit
	A. Nut with basal involucre (cupule)

IV. Economic Importance
	A. # 1 Hardwood Lumber (Floors, Furniture, Veneer)
	B. Bark ->tannins
	C. Edible fruits
	D. Ornamental
	E. Cork from Quercus suber bark

V. Range
	A. Fagus & Castanea = Eastern N. America
	B. Quercus Most of USA & S. Canada
	C. Lithocarpus & Castanopsis Western N. America



Generic comparison

I.  Fagus (Beech)
	Latin for Beech

	A. Triangular Nut enclosed in friendly spiney involucre

II. Castanea (Chestnut/Chinkapin)
	Latin for Chestnut

	A. Round Nut(s) enclosed in very unfriendly spiney involucre

III. Quercus (Oak)
	Latin for Oak

	A. Round/Ellipsoidal Nut enclosed entirely or partially in scaley 
		involucre



Species comparison

Fagus (Beech = “book” ;Gutenberg )

I. Shared characteristics

	A. Smooth blue/gray bark (graffiti tree)
	B. Acuminate apex; cuneate base; elliptical to oblong-ovate
	D. Long spindle shaped bud on slender zigzag twig
	E. Wood: red/brown; medium density; fine texture; uneven 	
		figure

II. F grandifolia (American beech)
	[probably because at maturity its crown is grandious]
	it rots from the inside, so don’t grow it next to your house	

	A. Serrate margins
	B. > 10 pairs of lateral veins

III. F. sylvatica (European beech)
	[of the forest- watch out for wild pigs]

	A. Serrulate/Repand/Entire margins
	B < 10 pairs of lateral veins
	C. Leaves?, Buds? , Bark is darker



Castanea (Chinkapin/Chestnut)

I. C. dentata (American Chestnut R.I.P)
	[toothed]

	A. Chestnut Blight (Cryphonectria parasitica) 1904
	B. Light brown, light, course texture, even figure wood

II. C. molissima (Chinese Chestnut)

	A. Coarsely & sharply serrate leaf margins
	B. Acuminate apex
	C. Acute base
	D. Nut enclosed in valved involucre covered with long very 	
		sharp prickles


Quercus 

Two Subgenera 

I. Cyclobalanopsis (Cycle-cup oaks in Asia)

II. Quercus (Scale-cup oaks in Northern Hemisphere)

Three sections within Quercus (2 on campus)

I. Quercus = Leucobalanus (White Oaks)
	A. No bristle tips on leaves
	B. Glabrous inner surface of acorn shell
	C. Sweet seeds
	D. Whitish brown, dense, fine texture, uneven figure wood
	E. Tyloses in vessels

II. Lobatae = Erythrobalanus (Red/Black Oaks)
	A. Bristle tips on leaf lobes/teeth (mucronate)
	B.Tomentose inner surface of acron shell
	C. Bitter seeds
	D. Reddish brown, dense, course texture, uneven figure wood 
	E. No tyloses in vessels



White Oaks

I. Lobed leaves

	A. Glabrous

		1. Q. alba (White oak)
			a. cuneate leaf base
			b. ovoid-oblong nut with warty 1/4 cupule
				with short/sessile peduncle
			c. light gray bark subdivided into rectangular plates

		2. Q. robur (English oak)
			a. auriculate leaf base
			b. elongated oblong nut with scaley 1/3 cupule
				with long slender peduncle
			c. dark gray ridge/furrow bark

	B. Pubescent

		1. Q. macrocarpa (bur oak)
			a. obovate leaf
			b. big nut with 1/2 or more fringed cupule
			c. dark gray vertical ridge/furrow bark
			d. twigs often have corky ridges

		2. Q. lyrata (overcup oak)
			a. oblong-ovate leaf with wide middle lobes 
				[lyre-shaped]
			b. cupule almost completely covers nut - no fringe
			c. brownish gray rough irregular plate bark


II. Toothed leaves

	A. 5-8 pairs of lateral veins not all ending in teeth

		1. Q. cerris (Turkey oak)
			a. terminal & lateral buds with thread like stipules
			b. elongated nut 1/2 fringed cupule sessile or with 	
				short peduncle

		2. Q. bicolor (Swamp white oak)
			a. stipules not thread like
			b. oblong-ovate nut 1/3 scale cupule on erect
				 2-6 cm peduncle, often paired

	B. 9-13 pairs of lateral veins all ending in teeth

		1. Q. Muehlenbergii (Chinquapin oak)
			a. sharp teeth curving toward apex
			b. light gray, thin, fissured, scaly  bark

		2. Q. prinus (Chestnut oak) {Q. montana}
			[Grk = oak]
			a. blunt teeth, slightly or not curving toward apex
			b. dark gray, thick, deeply furrowed into broad and 	
				narrow ridges with orange inner bark visible in 
				fissures


Red Oaks

I.  Entire Leaves

	A. Q. imbricaria (Shingle oak)
		[overlapping]
		1. 2-5 cm wide
		2. pubescent on underside
		
	B. Q. phellos (Willow oak)
		[corky]
		1. 0.5-2 cm wide
		2. glabrous on underside



II. Lobed leaves

	A. Conspicuous axillary tufts of hairs

		1. Q. palustris (Pin oak)
			[swampy land]
			a. reddish-brown twigs
			b. reddish-brown buds

		2. Q. Shumardii (Shumard oak)
			a. gray -> grayish-brown twigs
			b. gray ->grayish-brown buds

	B. Inconspicuous axillary tufts of hairs

		1. Dull above, glaucous below, 7-11 lobes

			a. Q. rubra (Northern Red oak)
				1. shallow saucer shaped cupule

		2. Shiny above, light yellowish-green below, 5-9 lobes

			a. Q. velutina (Black oak)
				[velvety]
				1. yellowish orange inner bark
				2. angled pentagonal 6-12 mm terminal buds

			b. Q. coccinea (Scarlet oak)
				1. reddish inner bark
				2. rounded pentagonal 3-6 mm terminal buds
				3. conspicuous concentric rings around 
					acorn apex