Flowers:
Yellow (Pale yellow or creamy monoecious catkins; appear in late May; release unpleasant odor)
Foliage:
Red (Leaves emerge reddish in spring); Green (Dark, lustrous green leaves in summer); Yellow (Shades of yellow to bronze in fall)
Fruit:
Brown (Edible nuts enjoyed by both man and animal)
Soil:
Prefers well drained, loamy soils
Diagnostic Characteristics:
Leaves are alternate, simple (3-8" long by 2-2.5" wide) elliptic-oblong to oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, cuneate at base, teeth triangular or aristae, lustrous dark green above, whitish tomentose or green and soft-pubescent beneath. Petioles are usually hairy and rough (0.5"). Bark is gray brown to brown and strongly ridged and furrowed. Fruits are edible, chestnut brown in color, and enclosed in a prickly involucer which splits at maturity.
