oke, a genus of hardwood trees, found extensively in the north temperate zone. They belong to the cup-bearing family, so called because the fruit appears in the form of a nut held in a cup, like the acorn. Oaks are characterized by widely-branching tops, by leaves that are usually deeply indented at the margins, by small, inconspicuous flowers, which appear in catkins, and by having acorns for fruit. The bark is dark gray or almost black, the wood is hard, coarse-grained and strong. The ilex of Europe and the live oak of the United States are evergreens. All the other species shed their leaves. In size the species range from trees 100 feet or more in height to small shrubs. The oak has always been recognized as one of the noblest trees, and it has often been styled the "Monarch of the Woods." In the traditions of Europe and a great part of Asia the oak appears as an important element in religious and civil ceremonies. Large oak forests are found in England, France, Germany and most of the other countries of northern Europe. In the United States the oak is common from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico and as far west as the Mississippi River. The most common species in this country are the white oak, the red oak, the bur oak and the live oak. The white oak is found from Lake Winnipeg, in Canada, to the Gulf of Mexico. It is a large tree, with a stout trunk, and when growing in open spaces it has large, spreading branches. The wood is tough and hard and of a reddish-brown color and is extensively used for numerous purposes where strong wood is required. The red oak rivals the white oak in size. When the leaves appear in the spring they are pink, and in the autumn they change to a deep purple. It is from this characteristic that the tree takes its name. It is found in about the same localities as the white oak, and its timber is of equal value. The bur oak is a small species, characterized by its rough bark, irregular branches and dark-colored, coarse-grained wood. The tree is of but little value except for fuel. The live oak is found in the Southern states and along the Atlantic coast as far north as Virginia. It often grows to a large size and has oval, dark green leaves, which remain on the tree through the year. It is a valuable timber tree. Among the foreign species the British oak in England and in the forests of other European countries closely resembles the white oak. Cork oak, common to Spain and Portugal, is valuable for its bark, which is the source of cork (See CORK). Oak lumber is used in finishing interiors, in the manufacture of furniture, in shipbuilding, in making frames for machinery and carriages and in basketry, especially in the manufacture of baskets for packing fruit and vegetables. The bark is valuable for tanning. About 1,005,000,000 board feet of oak lumber are made in the United States every year. See FORESTS; LUMBER; TANNING.