Oaks of the World

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  Quercus ellipsoidalis
Author E.J.Hill 1899 Bot. Gaz. 27: 204
Synonyms ellipsoidalis var. kaposianensis J.W.Moore 1950
ellipsoidalis var. coccinioides Farw. 1930
Local names jack oak; northern pin oak ; Hill’s oak ;
Range Canada (Ontario); USA (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin); 150-500 m; introduced in Europe in 1902;
Growth habit reaches 18 m; short trunk, narrow crown; the lowest part of the trunk bears often dead branches;
Leaves 7.5-13 x 6-10 cm; elliptic to oboval; 3 deep lobes each side, lobes lobulate; lobes and lobules bristle-tipped; median lobes longer than other lobes; shiny green above, paler beneath; glabrous both sides except axillary tufts of hairs underneath; 3-4 pairs of lateral veins ; red at fall; petiole glabrous, 2-5 cm;
Flowers in May;
Fruits acorn 1.2-2 cm; brown, ellipsoid to rounded, sessile or nearly so; enclosed 1/3 or 1/2 by deep cup with appressed, narrow scales; maturing in 2 years in September;

Bark, twigs and
buds

bark smooth, brown, becoming slightly rough; twigs dark brown, covered with pale, dense hairs at first, becoming glabrous; bud red brown, ovoid, pentagonal in cross section, 3-5 mm long;
Hardiness zone, habitat hardy; prefers dry, sandy, lime-free soils;
Miscellaneous -- A. Camus : 428;
-- Sub-genus Quercus, section Lobatae, Series Coccineae;
-- Close to
Q.palustris, but in dry sites; resembles Q.coccinea, but darker green;
-- Often treated as variety of Q.coccinea;
-- Hybrid with Q.velutina : Q.x paleolithicola;

Subspecies and
varieties

--- f. incurva and f. heterophylla Trel.

-- the variety kaposianensis describes trees from Minnesota, with cup enclosing 2/3 of acorn;

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