Keyed Out #071 — Quercus sadleriana

Question 1

Its flowers carry no petals at all: pollen hangs in slack {catkins} while separate seed-bearing flowers sit quietly on the same plant, leaving the wind to do the work.

Accepted Answer

beech family

Question 2

Each ripe seed is one hard-shelled {nut} set in a woody cup built from many small fused, overlapping scales that grips it only by the base.

Accepted Answer

Fagaceae

Question 3

Turn a mature leaf over and the underside is merely paler and bare, carrying no coat of tiny golden or rust-coloured scales.

Accepted Answer

Quercus

Question 4

Its winter buds crowd together in a tight cluster at the very tip of each twig instead of standing one to a shoot.

Accepted Answer

Quercus

Question 5

Its leathery blades stretch 3 to 5 inches (8 to 13 cm) long, with a dozen or more pairs of straight {veins} running unbranched from the midrib to the tip of each marginal tooth.

Accepted Answer

Quercus sadleriana

Question 6

It carries its leathery foliage on the plant right through winter rather than colouring and shedding the whole crop each autumn.

Accepted Answer

Quercus sadleriana