Dendrology Final Flashcards
What is the scientific name for the Beech Family?
Fagaceae
Worldwide, how many genera and species are in the Fagaceae family?
9 genera and about 800 species
In North America how many genera and species are in the Fagaceae?
5 genera and 97 species
In NC how many genera and species are in the Fagaceae family?
3 genera and 35 species
Which tree family is the most importance family in NA relative to hardwood lumber production?
Fagaceae
Also importance ornamentals and for mast production (wildlife food)
What are the five Fagaceae genera found in the USA?
Fagus - Beech Castanea - Chestnut Chrysolepis - Western Chinkapin Lithocarpus - Tanoak Quercus - Oak
Describe the leaves and fruit of the Fagus genus.
Leaves: Deciduous, thin
Fruit: Nut with a bur with weak spines; 2 nuts per bur; matures in one season
Describe the leaves and fruit of the Castanea genus.
Leaves: Deciduous, thin
Fruit: Nut in a bur with stiff, sharp spines; 1-3 nuts per bur; one season to mature
Describe the leaves and fruit of the Quercus genus.
Leaves: Deciduous or persistent, thin or leathery
Fruit: Nut is an acorn; one or two seasons to mature
This tree is one of the ten species of Fagus in the northern hemisphere but the only one found in NA.
American beech - Fagus grandifolia
Is American beech shade tolerant?
Yes, American beech is highly shade tolerant. It is also slow-growing.
Where is American beech found in North Carolina?
From sea-level to 6000’ in elevation.
Is the fruit of American beech edible?
Yes, the nut is edible and it is an important wildlife food.
What are some of the uses of American beech wood?
Flooring and furniture.
Creosote made from wood was historically taken internally as a medicine to treat diarrhea.
What disease is associated with American beech?
Beech bark disease - it is an insect/fungal disease complex
Insect: Cryptococcus fagisuga
Fungus: Nectria coccinea
Both the insect and the disease were introduced to NA, but how does the tree contract the disease?
The insect inserts its stylet through the bark to suck sap - fungus gains entry to vascular tissue via wound and eventually girdles the tree
Epiphytes? Beech gap?
not sure
Castanea dentata
American chestnut
dentata = dentate margins
What is the largest species in the Castanea in NA?
American chestnut
American chestnut grew on a wide range of sites, but where did it grow the largest?
Grew largest (to 90’) on mesic slopes of So. Appalachians.
The American chestnut was probably the most important eastern hardwood. In So. Appalachains, up to 50% of standing timber was chestnut, but why was it the most important?
Fast-growing
Good coppice tree
Durable wood - can still find log cabins make of chestnut in the mtns
High tannin concentration in bark - most important tree for tanning industry
Edible fruit - People collected nuts for sale in cities - superior in flavor to other chestnut species and important wildlife food
Why do we no longer see American chestnuts?
Chestnut blight
blight was caused by an Asian fungus (Cryphonectria parasitica) brought to US on Asian chestnuts.
Where was the chestnut blight first observed?
In NYC in 1904
By mid-1940s all chestnuts were infected (an estimated 4 billion chestnut trees died), but how did so many get infected so quickly?
Fungus has both airborne, and sticky spored
Spread an estimated 50 miles per year
Does the chestnut blight kill the roots?
No
What are the three main restoration methods currently being used to save the American chestnut?
- Cross-breeding with resistant species
- Finding and propagating “hypovirulent” fungi
- Genetic engineering - insert gene for resistance in American chestnut
Castanea pumila
Chinkapin
Describe a few characteristics of a chinkapin
A small tree on dry sites with edible nuts that are important food source for wildlife.
They are less susceptible to chestnut blight than C. dentata
Some consider Ozark chinkapin a distinct species
Common name for the genus Quercus?
Oaks
The genus Quercus has about this many species of primarily temperate trees - can extend into the tropics only at high- elevations
400 species
This genus is the most important genus of hardwoods both ecologically, and economically in NA and possibly all of the northern hemisphere.
Quercus: oaks
Why are oaks so important, what do they provide?
Important for wildlife food, for tannins, and as ornamentals, human food, and specialty products (true cork, ink from insect galls)
Do oaks hybridize?
Yes, oaks hybridize extensively: recall that our example of “introgression” was that of NA oak species
Oak is Elon’s symbol and the state tree of this state.
Iowa
Oaks are classidied into two subgenera, what are they
Subgenus Cyclobalanus - cycle cup oaks: Asian
Subgenus Quercus - scale-cup oaks: northern hemisphere
Within subgenus Quercus there are three subsections and two of these have subsections, what are the three main sections?
Section Quercus (ie. leucobalanus - white oaks) Section Lobatae (ie. erythrobalanus - red oaks) Section Protobalanus: intermediate oaks
What are the three subsections of section Quercus and the sections defining characteristics?
True white oaks
Chestnut oaks
Live oaks
Acorns mature in one season; leaves lobed but lack bristle tips; acorn cup scales basally thick; seed “sweet”
All white oaks have closed pores due to “tyloses” - good for cooperage
What are the three subsections of section Lobatae and the sections defining characteristics?
True red and black oaks
Willow, laurel, and water
Western live oaks
Acorns usually mature in two seasons; leaves usually with bristle tipped lobes; cup scales rarely thick; seed is bitter
Which of the main Quercus subsections has no eastern species?
Section Protobalanus: intermediate oaks
These are balloon-like outgrowths of xylem cells that close them and help convert sapwood to heartwood.
Tyloses
Q. alba, Q. macrocarpa, Q. lyrata, Q. stellata are apart of this subsection of section Quercus?
Subsection true white oaks
Quercus alba is found throughout most of eastern US from sea-level to 5500’ elevation but where does it grow best?
Grows to 100’ tall on best sites: mesic slopes with deep soil and good drainage
Q. alba is the most important species of the white oak ground - ____ percent of lumber sold as “white oak” is from this species.
75%
Q. alba is the state tree of these states.
CT, IL, and MD
Quercus macrocarpa is primarily a northeast and north-central species to an elevation of 3000’ but where does it grow best?
Dry to mesic sites, ridgese, bottomlands, or uplands
What growth characteristics are unique to Q. macrocarpa.
Grows to 80’ tall with broad crown and is drought resistant because its taproot can grow to 14’ deep
It is a good ornamental tree because of its broad crown and resistance to pollution.
Which coastal plain and river valley species in the Quercus family has the ability to grow on poor bottomland sites which makes it a good tree for timber production where other trees won’t grow?
Q. lyrata
Q. lyrata can be distinguished from other white oaks by its?
Relatively narrow leaves and acorn cup that covers 2/3 to almost all of the acorn.
Q. stellata is a southeastern species found from sea-level to 3000’. It is a medium sized tree on good sites but what is it like on very dry sites?
Shrubby on very dry sites
Name for cross-shapes leaves.
Cruciform
Q. michauxii, Q. montana, Q. meuhlenbergii, Q. bicolor, are apart of this subsection of section Quercus?
Subsection chestnut oaks
This shade intolerant southeastern oak is found from sea-level to 1000’ on well-drained sites in bottomlands is also known as “basket oak”.
Q. michauxii
Called that because its wood splits cleanly into thin strips
Which species in the chestnut oak is probably the most important species?
Q. michauxii
This is a northeastern chestnut oak species found on upper slopes and dry sites to 5000’ and has leaves like those of Q. michauxii.
Q. montana
What are the differences between Q. michauxii and montana?
Their habitats are very different and their bark is different.
Q. michauxii bark is flaky and white-oak-like
Q. montana bark tends to be darker gray and ridged
This chestnut oak species has a wide range but is rare over its range because it is restricted to limestone outcrops and alkaline soils.
Q. meuhlenbergii
Q. bicolor has a wide range but is only abundant on swamp margins and stream banks. How is it identifiable?
Velvety white leaf underside.
Is Q. bicolor a glacial refuge/relic?
Yes
Q. virginiana is the only economically important member of the live oak subsection true or false?
True
Native Americans made an olive-oil like substance from the acorns of this tree?
Q. virginiana
Q. virginiana is the state tree of which state?
GA
The “big tree” on Goose Island in TX, is a live oak thought to be this many years old!
1000
The “Emancipation” oak tree is a live oak under which slave children were taught in 1861 and the first reading of the emancipation proclamation was read to slaves. Where does this tree stand?
It now stands on the campus of Hampton University in Hampton, VA
The first planting of native trees in the US was of this tree for ship-building
Live oak
The wood of live oaks is dense: hard heavy and strong which helped the frame of this boat get the nick name old ironsides.
USS Constitution
It could withstand a cannon shot due to the strength of the frame.
US navy still owns extensive track of live oaks
Angle oak near Charleston, SC demonstrates the spreading form of an _____ live oak.
Open-grown
Q. rubra, Q. velutina, Q. shumardii, Q. falcata, Q. pagoda, Q. coccinea, Q. marilandica, are a part of this subsection of Quercus?
Subsection true red and black oaks
This is the most important species of the subsection true red and black oaks.
Q. rubra
Q. rubra can grow on a wide variety of sites but best on mesic sites. Forms almost pure stands in high-elevation of the S. Appalachains
True
Can exist at high elevations and become dominant species
Q. rubra has good seed crops that occur at __ - __ year intervals.
2-5
This species most likely co-occured with American Chestnut and when it disappeared it filled the niche gap and expanded.
Q. rubra
What is the definition of masting?
The synchronous production of seed in time and in number by a population of plants.
Mast refers specifically to nuts of forest trees
Organisms that give birth once and then die.
Semelparous organisms
Organisms that give birth throughout their adult lives.
Iteroparous organisms
Why do trees often alternate good and mast years?
Mast seeding is a predator satiation strategy
Mast seeding has both intra and interspecific components
Some years are good seed years and some at not as good - adaptation for energy efficiency due to insects and wildlife predations
Masting Synchronization is greatest among close populations but can be detected at distances up to ___ km
1000 km away
What is quercitron?
A brilliant yellow dye that can be derived from the inner bark of Q. velutina
Q. velutina is a common upland oak with a deep taproot, it produces good seed crop on 2-3 year intervals and can grow to ___’
60’
Q. shumardii is one of the largest southern red oaks, it grows to 125’. Its wood is of high quality, but is the tree a good shade tree?
Yes, on appropriate sites it makes for a great shade tree.
Q. falcata is a common southern red oak that grow to 80’. What sites does it grow best on?
Grows best on mesic sites but does well on upland ones.
Q. pagoda is a very large oak that can grow up to 130’ tall on bottomlands and poorly drained soils. Its high quality wood is used like that of?
Q. rubra
Q. coccinea is a medium sized oak found on dry sites. This species is a poor pruner and tolerant of droughts but is it tolerant of shade?
No, this species is intolerant of shade
Q. marilandica is a short (50’), relatively short-lived oak that can be found on very dry sites with poor soils. This tree has a poor growth form and bad at pruning so what is it good for?
It has extremely thick twigs and its dense wood is good for fuel
But not fuel for campfires as it tends to pop.
When was sudden oak death discovered and how many trees has it kill to date?
Discovered in 1995 when tanoaks started dying
It has killed over 1 million trees to date
What causes sudden oak death and where did it come from?
Caused by an oomycete (a fungus-like protist) - Phytophthora ramorum
Recent work identifies that it came from Asia
Why is SOD a concern?
It is currently killing oaks in the west and has over 70 different host species.
If it makes it to the east - red oak and pin oak will struggle because they are highly susceptible
SOD disperses locally via wind driven rain but how do humans aid in the dispersal?
Humans can disperse long-distances in firewood, transplanting of ornamentals, and feet, clothing, etc.
This is one of the biggest factors for introducing fatal diseases like SOD to new territories.
International trade
Phytophthora is a protist, a water mold that are often specialists in plant disease.
True
They cause the Irish potato famine
Q. phellos, Q. nigra are a part of this subsections?
Subsection willow, water, and laurel oaks.
Trees in this subsection are alternate hosts of fusiform rust - a fungal disease of southern pines.
Subsection willow, water, and laurel oaks.
Q. phellos are large trees with good quality wood that are commonly planted landscape trees because of their rapid growth and good form but what is their native habitat?
Bottomlands
Q. nigra are medium-sized oaks found on wetlands, swamps and moist uplands, but are they a good ornamental?
Yes, they are a common ornamental with rapid growth and good quality wood
What is the scientific name for the birch family?
Betulaceae
The birch family has __ genera and about __ species world wide.
6 genera and 120 species
5 genera and 33 species in NA
What are the botanical features of the birch family? (leaves, flowers, fruit)
Leaves: alternate, simple
Flowers: imperfect (plants monoecious)
Fruit: a small to medium-sized nut or nutlet
Are birches good decorative trees?
Yes, because of their bark
Betula allegheniensis grows to 80’ in association with other northern hardwoods, but where does it not grow well?
Does not do well in areas where average summer temperatures are greater than 70 F
Which birch tree is the most important member of the genus commercially?
Betula allegheniensis
Why is B. allegheniensis bark particularly helpful in identification?
Its color and horizontal peely texture
Bark peels will burn even when wet
Betula lenta grows to 60’ in deep mesic soils where it co-occurs with mesic slope species. What can be extracted from its twigs?
Oil of wintergreen can be extracted from twigs which is very aromatic
Betula nigra can grow to 80’ tall but it is usually smaller. What two traits make this species different from the rest?
It is the only member of genus Betula to occur at low elevations in the south
Also the only birch that matures its seed in late spring, when spring flood waters would typically be receding leaving bare soil for seed to germinate
Scientific name for alders?
Alnus
Alders have root nodules of N-fixing bacteria and play a crucial role in succession in some ecosystems. What are the N-fixing bacteria called?
Actinomycetes