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Tn. forest of The University of the South is dominated by oaks and hickories; as such, it is a forest of nut- producing trees. Here, too, there is plenty ofwildlife: nuts and acorns are a food source for many birds, such as wild turkeys, ruffed grouse, bluejays, woodpeckers, and grackles. In addi- tion, mammals, including raccoons, deer, mice, and the ubiquitous gray squirrels, count them asan important part of their diet.

BroorvnnsrrYoN rne MouNrnrx Dr'penrlaENror Bror.ocv Tttr UNnnnstryoF TrrE Soulrr Late-autumn hikers on the Do- ghpgfurl OaAp main cannot help but notice a vari- ety of acorns and hickory nuts scat- L s.*urr.e, the mostcommon red oaks scarlet, tered over the forest floor. Most know are Northern red, black, The that oaks produce acorns-and and blac\iack. acorn ofscarletoak (Qumts hickory nuts must come from hicko. cucirwaMuenchh. ) is probably the easiest to distinguish: the nut ries-but beyond that, how can one usu- ally has concentric rings is determine the species of tree that around tip. The tree's relatively produces each of these? slender twigs and deeply divided leavesare good diagnos %hnt OahW,lJ %rb, tic features. Itcan be found on some of the drier sites on the Domain, often in @econe? -tfun.n the company of black or chestnut oaks. Ouf. treesare of two main types: Tn. oak whose acorn has the red andwhite. The simplestway to dit- shallowestcup is Northern red oak ferentiate between the two groups is (Q. rubral.). This saucer-shapedcup to look at the leaf lobes: those of red encasesonly the very baseof the nut. oaks are bristle-tipped, while those of The leavesare not very deeply di- white oaks are smooth. The oak's fruit vided,the sinusesextending only half- is the acorn, seated in a scaly cup. It way to the midrib. Northern red oak takes two years for red oak acorns to prefers the moist slopes along the mature, whereas those of white oaks sidesof the plateau.Lookfor itwhere mature injust one season.Because of you find shagbark hickory or black their higher tannin content, red oak walnut. acorns are not as palatable to mam- mals as are those of white oaks. A shiny-leafed oak growing in very poor soil may well be blackjack e [-ook for rings here oak ( Q. marilandicaMuenchh.). The sandstone outcrops around Piney Point are its typical habitat. The cup, made of long-pointed scales, covers about half of the nut. Another lus- trous-leafed tree is black oak ( Q. aelutina Lam.). It can be found on Scarlzt Oah moderately moist to dry sites. Note Nortfum@ Rzd Oak that the relatively thin scales of this cup are free from each other for nearly their entire length.

Chzstnut OakOah Whitz Oak

\Mni," oak ( Q. albal.) is a gen- eralist although it does not frequent the driest ridges, it seems at home both on the dry plateau top and in the moist coves. The acorn cup is gIE, %rte OaAs, made of tightly appressed scales and covers approximately one-fourth to \Mhi,. oak acorns germinate one-third of the nut. The leaf shape soon after they fall-maybe in hopes isvery variable, the sinusessometimes of evading hungry squirrels! Given shallow,often deep. the choice, a squirrel will probably eat a white oak acorn and bury the more Tn" more-or-lesscruciform leaf bitter red oak acorn for later. In of post oak ( Q stellataWangenh.) is Sewanee, the most common species sometimes compared to a Maltese in the white oak group are chestnut, cross. The cup is shaped like a top, post, and white. covering about a third of the nut. Look for post oak growing on poor Atong the Perimeter Trail, chest- or sandy soil, often in the company nut oak (Q prinus L.), so named of blackjack oak. because its leaves somewhat resemble those of the chestnut tree, is frequently encountered. In many places, massive chestnut oaks grow out over the sand- stone cliffs, anchored by their sturdy roots. This acorn is long and lustrous; the cup coversabouta third of the nut. Posl Oak 91e'{Cr6arrc*, but sweet-nut. Mockernuthickory is anil ar@elnltt e common on top of the plateau.

Ou hickories have compound leaves,composed of five to I I leaflets, depending on the species.The fruit is a nut, covered by a four-part husk. It is a real challenge to distinguish Pignut Hickory among the hickories. Most people recognize two groups: the shagbarks in one group and all the rest in the Tn" elongatedbase of a pignut other. It is possible to do better than hickory nut ( C. glahra var. glabra (P. that! Mill.) Sweet)may somewhat resemble the snout of a pig. This thin-shelled Dhagbark-l hickory (Caryaouata (P. fruit can vary in sizeand shape quite Mill.) K Koch), with its loose (yes, a bit, however,as can the flavor. The shaggy)bark, is the easiestto recog- nutof pale hickory (C. pallida (Ashe) nize. Frequently, the bark strips are Engl. & Graebn.)has a husk which is free and curling awayfrom the trunk covered in short hairs and yellow at both ends.Look for it in the moist scales.It hasbeen saidthat only squir- coves.Its nut, encasedin a husk that rels, boys,and botanistsknow to seek splitsopen nearly to the base,is sweet out the sweetnut of this lesser-known and good to eat. hickory.A good recommendation! Another hickorv whose nut's husk splis nearly to the base is mocker- nut ( C. alba (L.) Nutt. ex Ell.). This tree's common

name refers to the Biumtut Hickory very thick husk which belies the presenceofadisap Bi,,"rn..t hickory (C. card,ifomis pointingly small- (Wangenh.)K Koch)has a thin husk which enclosesan inedible nut, easy to crack, but not worth the effort. In contrast, black walnut (fuglans nigra L.), a close relative of the hickories, has a fleshy, thick husk that is almost impossible to break open. But the re- wards are sweet!Because of theircom- mercial value, large blackwalnut trees are becoming rare. They thrive in the moist forests of Shakerag Hollow and Dick Cove where they are often among the tallest trees.

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The Biodiversityon the Mountain seriesis produced by the Biology Departmenr of the University of the South. This guide was written by Mary Priestley of the Sewanee Herbarium. For more complete information on these and other trees, Comparathte Descriplion of tlu Natiae Treesol tlu Sattarue Area by Stephen E. Puckette is an excellent resource. The Sewanee Herbarium web site gives a more complete listing of the oaks and hickories located on the Domain of the University of the South. The address is: http:,/,/ biology.sewanee.edu/herbarium.

Taxonomy follows Kartesz, John T. 1994. A Synonomiz.ed,Checklist of tlw VasculnrFkna of thz United States,Canada, and Gnmland. Timber Press. OR.

All Sdphi.r (*id, th. c!.eprioo of rhc whirc o.k a(ott1l ..e tro$ tunt dnd tu16: t.76t tltLilmhot, l@Aturt dnd tu\igtG.dil.d by Alan E. &s(e znd willianr K chapnran. crprriSlr o 1992by Dokr

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