ANGIOSPERM FAMILIES 01 FAGACEAE THE BEECH FAMILY

FAGACEAE THE BEECH FAMILY Trees or shrubs Cosmopolitan except in tropical S America and tropical and south Africa About 900 species world wide Five genera and about 97 species in N America Fagus – beech Castanea – chestnut Lithocarpus – tanoak Chrysolepis – western chinkapin Quercus - oaks

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FAMILY HABIT: mostly trees; shrubs. LEAVES: deciduous or marscecent; alternate, simple; stipulate. VENATION: pinnate and netted. FRUIT: 1-3 seeded nuts partially or completely surrounded by a spiny husk. SPECIES HYBRIDS are common.

DETAILS OF THE FLOWER Usually anemophilous, rarely entomophilous. Unisexual (monoecious; imperfect). Sepals lobed and often spiny; Petals absent; Staminate flowers in catkins; in Fagus forming a head; 4-8 stamens; pendent or erect; Pistillate flowers in groups of 3, 2 or single.

GENUS QUERCUS L. LEAVES: deciduous or persistent; lobed or not; margin entire, crenate or serrate; shape and size very variable even on the same tree; stipules usually deciduous. FLOWERS: imperfect; appearing before, with or after the new growth leaves; staminate flowers in catkins; pistillate flowers solitary or in flower spikes.

GENUS QUERCUS cont. FRUIT: an acorn maturing in one or two seasons. TWIGS: stout to slender; commonly angled; straight; buds clustered at the end; terminal bud present with many scales imbricated in 5 ranks; lateral buds similar but smaller. SCARS: leaf scars semicircular; bundle scars scattered, numerous

QUERCUS OAKS sp.

INFRAGENERIC CLASSIFICATION SUBGENUS QUERCUS (Lucobalanus) white oaks Section Quercus Leaves lobed lacking bristles at the tip of the lobes; usually with stellate hairs on the underside (adaxial side) and lacking multiradiate hairs; acorns mature in one season. True white oaks, chestnut oaks and live oaks.

INFRAGENERIC CLASSIFICATION SUBGENUS QUERCUS (Erythrobalanus) red and black oaks Section Lobatae Tips of lobes with bristles; if unlobed, the margins, apices or both with spines or bristles; with multiradiate hairs, lacking stellate hairs; acorns maturing in two seasons

INFRAGENERIC CLASSIFICATION SUBGENUS QUERCUS Section Protobalanus the intermediate oaks Leaves persistent often with aristate teeth; stellate or multiradiate hairs present; acorns maturing in two seasons

QUERCUS FLOWERS Catkins or aments; maleDichasium; female

QUERCUS MACROCARPA Burr oak

QUERCUS MACROCARPA BURR OAK

LEAF COMPARISON WHITE OAK LEAVERED OAK LEAVES

TRICHOMES OR HAIRS MULTIRADIATE HAIRSSTELLATE HAIR

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF OAKS Major supplier of timber in N America after conifers. Cork from two S European species. Tannins Acorns are a major source of food for wildlife. Popular ornamentals and park species.

FAGUS GRANDIFOLIA American beech

GENUS FAGUS L. LEAVES: deciduous; elliptical to oblong-ovate; margin serrate with incurved teeth; apex acuminate; base broadly cuneate; surfaces silky at first, becoming glabrous above and various degrees of puberulent below with tufts of hairs in the vein axils. VENATION: secondary veins parallel to each other. PETIOLE: short

GENUS FAGUS L. cont. FLOWERS: appearing after unfolding of new leaves in the spring; staminate flowers clustered in a globose head; pistillate flowers in 2 to 4 flowered spikes surrounded by a cupule. FRUIT: an edible nut, triangular in cross section; in pairs or in threes within a cupule covered with weak spines.

GENUS FAGUS L. cont. TWIGS: slender, in zigzag; pseudoterminal buds ¾ to 1 inch long; slender, lanceolate, sharp; covered with imbricating scales; lateral buds similar. SCARS: leaf scars small, inconspicuous. BARK: smooth, bluish-gray, mottled.

FAGUS SYLVATICA European beech Male flowers Female flower

FAGUS GRANDIFOLIA Beech nuts

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF FAGUS European beech is an important timber tree of Europe. Beech nuts are used in Europe to fatten hogs and produce oil. An important ornamental tree with many cultivar varieties.

CASTANEA DENTATA American chestnut

CASTANEA sp. chestnut Castanea sativa; femaleCastanea mollisima; male

CASTANEA DENTATA American chestnut

CHRYSOLEPIS CHRYSOPHILLA Giant-golden chinkapin

LISOCARPUS DENSIFLORUS Tanoak

REFERENCES FLORA OF NORTH AMERICA =1&taxon_id=10338 FLORA OF MISSOURI =11&taxon_id=10338