Part 12

Twigs: Slender, smooth, buff-colored; pith star-shaped in cross-section; leaf scars alternate, but clustered near the tip of the twig, half-round, slightly elevated, with several bundle traces.

Buds: Nearly round, smooth, pale brown, up to ⅛ inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades divided into 5-7 rounded lobes, the sinuses shallow to deep, up to 10 inches long, up to 4½ inches broad, dark green and smooth on the upper surface, pale and softly hairy to nearly smooth on the lower surface; leafstalk up to 1 inch long, smooth or hairy.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately, but on the same plant, appearing when the leaves begin to unfold, minute, without petals, the staminate in slender, yellow, drooping catkins, the pistillate few in a group.

Fruit: Acorns solitary or 2 together, with or without a stalk, the nut nearly spherical, up to 1 inch in diameter, pale brown, often nearly entirely enclosed by the cup, the cup finely hairy, with some of the scales forming a ragged rim near the base.

Wood: Hard, heavy, strong, dark brown.

Uses: Interior finishing, cabinets, fuel, fence posts.

Habitat: Bottomland woods; swamps.

Range: Southern Virginia across to eastern Texas, north up the Mississippi Valley to southern Missouri, southern Illinois, and southern Indiana; also in Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey; southward to Florida.

Distinguishing Features: The best identifying characteristic of this plant is the acorn in which the nut often is nearly enclosed by the cup.

BUR OAK _Quercus macrocarpa_ Michx.

Other Name: Mossy-cup Oak.

Growth Form: Large tree up to 120 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 5 feet; crown rounded, with stout branches; trunk straight, stout, sometimes slightly buttressed at the base.

Bark: Dark brown or yellow-brown, rather deeply furrowed.

Twigs: Stout, dark brown, often with corky ridges; pith star-shaped in cross-section; leaf scars alternate but clustered near the tip, half-round, slightly elevated, with several bundle traces.

Buds: Rounded or slightly pointed at the tip, yellowish-brown to reddish-brown, finely hairy.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades broader at the upper end, coarsely round-toothed, usually with a pair of deep sinuses just below the middle, often with as many as 5-7 lobes, the lobes not bristle-tipped, dark green and smooth or slightly hairy on the upper surface, paler and softly hairy on the lower surface, up to 14 inches long and 7 inches wide; leaf stalks up to 1 inch long, stout, smooth or finely hairy.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately, but on the same tree, appearing as the leaves begin to unfold, minute, without petals, the staminate in slender, drooping catkins, the pistillate few in a group, with red stigmas.

Fruit: Acorn usually solitary, with or without a stalk, the nut ovoid to ellipsoid, dark brown, up to 1¾ inches long, the cup covering half to nearly all the nut, hairy, the lowermost scales long-fringed.

Wood: Heavy, hard, durable, close-grained, brown.

Uses: Cabinets, ship-building, fenceposts, fuel, tight cooperage.

Habitat: Dry ridges to bottomland woods.

Range: Vermont across to North Dakota, south to Texas, east to Arkansas, Tennessee, and Maryland.

Distinguishing Features: The leaves of the Bur Oak are distinctive because they are very broad in the upper half with a pair of deep sinuses a little below the middle. The large, fringed cups are also distinctive.

BLACKJACK OAK _Quercus marilandica_ Muench.

Other Name: Scrub Oak.

Growth Form: Relatively small tree, at most attaining a height of 50 feet, usually much shorter and often very gnarled; trunk diameter up to 1½ feet; crown exceedingly round-topped, with numerous lower branches hanging downward.

Bark: Dark brown, shallowly ridged.

Twigs: Moderately stout, brown, more or less hairy; pith star-shaped in cross-section; leaf scars alternate but clustered near the top, half-round, slightly elevated, with several bundle traces.

Buds: Angular, from ¼-½ inch long, somewhat hairy.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades about 4-8 inches long, leathery, very much broader near the apex than the base, mostly rounded or even somewhat heart shaped at the base, more or less 3-lobed and bristle-tipped nearer the apex, the upper surface hairy at first, becoming shiny dark green at maturity, the lower surface permanently hairy; leafstalks less than 1 inch long.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate on the same tree, appearing as the leaves unfold, inconspicuous, the staminate crowded in a catkin, the pistillate solitary or 2-3 together.

Fruit: Ripening in October of the second year, on very short stalks, or the stalks sometimes lacking; acorns nearly round, usually at most only ½ inch in diameter, the cup enclosing ½ the acorn, with rather loosely arranged scales.

Wood: Hard, strong, heavy, dark brown.

Uses: Excellent as a source of charcoal and fuel.

Habitat: Poor soil, particularly on dry, exposed rocky cliffs.

Range: New York across to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and southern Iowa to southeastern Nebraska, south into eastern Kansas, eastern Oklahoma, and eastern Texas, then east to northern Florida.

Distinguishing Features: The 3-lobed leaf, much broader at the apex, is the most distinctive characteristic of this oak.

SWAMP CHESTNUT OAK _Quercus michauxii_ Nutt.

Other Names: Basket Oak; Cow Oak.

Growth Form: Medium to large tree up to nearly 100 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 6 feet; crown rounded.

Bark: Gray or silvery-white, scaly.

Twigs: Stout, reddish-brown to gray, smooth or nearly so; leaf scars alternate but crowded near the tip, half-round, slightly elevated, with several bundle traces; pith star-shaped in cross-section.

Buds: Pointed, finely hairy, reddish-brown, up to ¼ inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades obovate, pointed at the tip, rounded or tapering to the base, up to 10 inches long and 6 inches broad, coarsely scalloped along the edges, thick, green and sparsely hairy on the upper surface, whitish and densely hairy on the lower surface; leafstalk up to 1½ inches long, hairy.

Flowers: Borne separately but on the same tree, minute, without petals, the staminate crowded into long, slender catkins, the pistillate few in a cluster.

Fruit: Acorns solitary or paired, with or without short stalks, the nut ovoid to ellipsoid, brown, up to 1½ inches long, enclosed about ⅓ its length by the cup, the cup thick, cup-shaped, hairy, short-fringed along the rim.

Wood: Hard, heavy, strong, close-grained, pale brown.

Uses: General construction, fuel, fence posts.

Habitat: Low woods.

Range: New Jersey across to southern Missouri, south to Texas, east to Florida.

Distinguishing Features: The Swamp Chestnut Oak is distinguished from other coarsely toothed oaks by the densely hairy, whitish lower leaf surfaces and its short-stalked acorns.

YELLOW CHESTNUT OAK _Quercus muhlenbergii_ Engelm.

Other Names: Chinquapin; Chinquapin Oak.

Growth Form: Large tree up to 100 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 4 feet; crown oblong or rounded, with many branches; trunk straight, columnar, buttressed at the base.

Bark: Pale gray, with scaly ridges.

Twigs: Slender, yellow-brown or reddish-brown; pith star-shaped in cross-section; leaf scars alternate but clustered near the tip, half-round, with several bundle traces; pith star-shaped in cross-section.

Buds: Pointed, smooth, chestnut-brown, up to ¼ inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades narrowly to broadly lanceolate, pointed at the tip, narrowed or rounded at the base, coarsely toothed along the edges, smooth and yellow-green on the upper surface, paler and usually finely hairy on the lower surface, up to 8 inches long and 5 inches broad; leafstalk up to 1½ inches long, slender, usually smooth.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately, but on the same tree, minute, without petals, the staminate crowded into long, slender catkins, the pistillate few in a group, with red stigmas.

Fruit: Acorns borne in groups of 1 or 2, usually on a short stalk, the nut ovoid, chestnut-colored, up to ¾ inch long, the cup covering about ½ the nut, the scales of the cup hairy and usually with a short fringe.

Wood: Heavy, strong, durable, close-grained.

Uses: Fence posts, fuel, railroad ties.

Habitat: Low rich slopes; wooded hillsides; dry cliffs.

Range: Vermont across to southern Minnesota, south to eastern Nebraska and eastern Texas, east to northern Florida.

Distinguishing Features: The Yellow Chestnut Oak is distinguished from the other coarsely toothed oaks by its usually sharper pointed teeth and by the size and shape of its acorns.

CHERRYBARK OAK _Quercus pagodaefolia_ Ell.

Other Name: Swamp Spanish Oak.

Growth Form: Large tree up to 100 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 4 feet; crown broadly rounded; trunk straight, columnar.

Bark: Dark gray, broken by narrow ridges into small scales.

Twigs: Rather stout, reddish-brown or gray, usually hairy when young, becoming smooth; pith star-shaped in cross-section; leaf scars alternate but clustered near tip of the twigs, half-round, slightly elevated, with several bundle traces.

Buds: Ovoid, pointed, angular, hairy, chestnut-brown, up to ¼ inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades divided into 5-11 pointed lobes, the sinuses cut about half-way to the midvein, up to 10 inches long, up to 7 inches wide, dark green, smooth and shiny on the upper surface, pale and hairy on the lower surface; leafstalks up to 2 inches long, stout, hairy.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately, but on the same plant, appearing when the leaves begin to unfold, minute, without petals, the staminate in slender, drooping catkins, the pistillate few together.

Fruit: Acorns solitary or 2 together, with or without a stalk, the nut ellipsoid, about ½ inch long, brown, enclosed for less than ⅓ its length by the cup, the cup finely hairy.

Wood: Strong, hard, coarse-grained, light reddish-brown.

Uses: Interior finishing, furniture, cabinets.

Habitat: Bottomlands and river banks.

Range: Southeastern Virginia to southeastern Missouri, south to Texas, east to Florida.

Distinguishing Features: The shape of the leaf is distinctive for this oak.

PIN OAK _Quercus palustris_ Muench.

Growth Form: Medium tree up to 75 feet tall; trunk diameter usually less than 3 feet; crown narrowly rounded or oblong, but with the lower branches drooping; trunk straight, with pin-like stubs developing rather low on the trunk.

Bark: Light brown or dark brown, scarcely furrowed.

Twigs: Slender, smooth, reddish-brown to dark gray; pith star-shaped in cross-section; leaf scars alternate but crowded near the tip, half-round, usually slightly elevated, with several bundle traces.

Buds: Pointed, reddish-brown or dark gray, smooth, up to ⅛ inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades divided more than half-way to the middle into 5-7 bristle-tipped lobes, dark green, shiny and more or less smooth on the upper surface, paler and with tufts of hairs along the veins on the lower surface, up to 7 inches long and 4 inches broad; leafstalk up to 2 inches long, slender, usually smooth.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately, but on the same tree, appearing when the leaves begin to unfold, minute, without petals, the staminate in slender, drooping catkins, the pistillate in groups of 1-3.

Fruit: Acorns 1-4 together, with or without stalks, the nut hemispherical, up to ½ inch across, pale brown, frequently with darker lines, enclosed less than ¼ by the cup, the cup thin, saucer-shaped, reddish-brown, finely hairy.

Wood: Hard, heavy, coarse-grained, pale brown.

Uses: General construction, fuel, fence posts, ornamental.

Habitat: Moist soil; in floodplain woods; along streams; edges of swamps and ponds.

Range: Massachusetts across to southeastern Iowa, south to northeastern Oklahoma, east to northern Virginia.

Distinguishing Features: Pin Oak is recognized by its drooping lower branches and its small acorns.

WILLOW OAK _Quercus phellos_ L.

Growth Form: Medium tree to 75 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 3 feet; crown narrowly round-topped.

Bark: Reddish-brown, smooth at first, becoming irregularly and shallowly furrowed with age.

Twigs: Slender, smooth, reddish-brown; pith star-shaped in cross-section; leaf scars alternate but crowded near the tip of the twigs, half-round, slightly elevated, with several bundle traces.

Buds: Ovoid, pointed, smooth, up to ⅛ inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades without lobes or teeth, narrowly lanceolate to narrowly oblong, with a bristle tip, narrowed to the base, up to 5 inches long, up to 1 inch broad, light green and smooth on the upper surface, usually smooth and paler on the lower surface; leafstalks up to ½ inch long, smooth or slightly hairy.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately, but on the same tree, appearing as the leaves begin to unfold, minute, without petals, the staminate in slender, drooping catkins, the pistillate few in a cluster.

Fruit: Acorns solitary or 2 together, with or without a short stalk, the nut more or less spherical, pale yellow-brown, enclosed less than ¼ its length by the cup, the cup reddish-brown, finely hairy.

Wood: Heavy, rather soft, strong, coarse-grained, pale reddish-brown.

Use: General construction.

Habitat: Swampy woods.

Range: New York across to southern Illinois and eastern Oklahoma, south to Texas, east to Florida.

Distinguishing Features: This and the Shingle Oak are the only oaks in Illinois with unlobed, untoothed leaves. The leaves of the Willow Oak are usually much narrower than those of the Shingle Oak.

ROCK CHESTNUT OAK _Quercus prinus_ L.

Other Name: Chestnut Oak.

Growth Form: Medium tree up to 55 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 2½ feet; crown broad but irregular.

Bark: Dark brown, with conspicuous furrows between the rounded ridges.

Twigs: Rather stout, reddish-brown, smooth or nearly so; leaf scars alternate, but clustered near the tip of the twig, half-round, with several bundle traces; pith star-shaped in cross-section.

Buds: Pointed, brown, somewhat hairy, up to ½ inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades obovate to broadly lanceolate, pointed at the tip, narrowed to the base, thick and leathery, coarsely round-toothed along the edges, smooth, shiny, and yellow-green on the upper surface, finely hairy over all the lower surface, up to 9 inches long and up to 4 inches broad; leafstalk up to 1 inch long, smooth or slightly hairy.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately, but on the same tree, minute, without petals, the staminate crowded into long, slender catkins, the pistillate few in a group.

Fruit: Acorns borne in groups of 1 or 2, usually on a short stalk, the nut ovoid to ellipsoid, chestnut-colored, up to 1½ inches long, the cup covering about ½ the nut or less, the scales of the cup reddish-brown and warty.

Wood: Hard, heavy, strong, close-grained.

Uses: Fence posts, railroad ties, fuel.

Habitat: Dry, rocky, wooded slopes.

Range: Maine across to southern Illinois, south to Mississippi and Georgia.

Distinguishing Features: The acorns of the Rock Chestnut Oak are about twice the size as those of the Yellow Chestnut Oak. The teeth of the leaves of the Rock Chestnut Oak tend to be more rounded than the pointed teeth of the Yellow Chestnut Oak.

NORTHERN RED OAK _Quercus rubra_ L.

Other Name: Red Oak.

Growth Form: Medium to tall tree to 80 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 3 feet; crown broadly rounded, with large spreading branches; trunk straight, columnar, often buttressed at the base.

Bark: Grayish-brown, reddish-brown, blackish, or gray, with dark stripes.

Twigs: Slender, smooth, reddish-brown; pith star-shaped in cross-section; leaf scars alternate, but clustered near the tip of the twig, half-round, slightly elevated, with several bundle traces.

Buds: Pointed, smooth, reddish-brown, shiny, up to ¼ inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades rather shallowly 7- to 11-lobed, the lobes bristle-tipped, dark green and smooth or somewhat hairy on the upper surface, paler and smooth or often with hairs along the veins on the lower surface, up to 10 inches long, up to 6 inches broad; leafstalks up to 2 inches long, stout, usually smooth.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately, but on the same tree, appearing as the leaves begin to unfold, minute, without petals, the staminate in slender, drooping catkins, the pistillate in groups of 1-3.

Fruit: Acorns solitary or 2 together, with or without stalks, the nut ovoid, up to 1½ inches long, pale brown, covered less than ¼ by the cup, the cup reddish-brown, with tight scales.

Wood: Hard, heavy, close-grained, light brown.

Uses: Interior finishing, furniture, fuel, fence posts.

Habitat: Rich, upland woods; along river banks; on well-drained slopes.

Range: New Brunswick, across southern Quebec and Ontario, to northcentral Minnesota, south to eastern Kansas, east across Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and in the mountains of eastern Tennessee and northeastern Georgia.

Distinguishing Features: The acorn with its very shallow, saucer-shaped cap is the best identifying characteristic for the Red Oak. The leaves are generally more shallowly lobed than those of the Black Oak, Southern Red Oak, and Scarlet Oak.

SHUMARD’S OAK _Quercus shumardii_ Buckl.

Other Names: Southern Red Oak; Schneck’s Oak.

Growth Form: Up to 120 feet tall; trunk up to 5 feet in diameter; crown broad and open, with wide-spreading branches.

Bark: Firmly ridged and dark brownish-black.

Twigs: Generally stouter than those of the Red Oak, smooth; pith star-shaped in cross-section; leaf scars alternate, but clustered near the tip of the twig, half-round, slightly elevated, with several bundle traces.

Buds: Smooth, red-brown, about one-third inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades up to 8 inches long, straight across or somewhat wedge-shaped at the base, with 2-4 pairs of lobes divided over ⅔’s the way to the mid-nerve, each lobe toothed and bristle-pointed at the tips, the sinuses broadly rounded, dark green and shiny above, with white tufts of hair in the vein axils beneath; leafstalks slender, smooth, up to 2½ inches long.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate on the same tree, appearing as the leaves unfold, inconspicuous, the staminate crowded in a catkin, the pistillate solitary or 2-3 together.

Fruit: Ripening in October of the second year, on stalks less than ¼ inch long, usually produced singly; acorns broadly egg-shaped, short-pointed at the base and flat at the top, up to 1¼ inches long and about ¾ as broad, light brown; cup shallow, about ¼-⅓ covering the acorn, with closely appressed, densely short-woolly scales.

Wood: Light, strong, durable; not distinguished commercially from Red Oak.

Uses: Interior finishing and furniture.

Habitat: Bottomland woods and stream banks.

Range: Most abundant in the Mississippi basin, but known from Florida and Texas, north to Maryland, Pennsylvania, eastcentral Kentucky, Indiana, central Illinois, the eastern half of Iowa, and southeastern Kansas. The largest known Shumard’s Oak in the country occurs at Beall Woods in Wabash County, Illinois.

Distinguishing Features: Deeply lobed, shiny leaves with broadly rounded sinuses.

POST OAK _Quercus stellata_ Wang.

Growth Form: Small to medium tree up to 60 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 3 feet; crown rounded or obovoid, with rather stout branches; trunk gnarled or straight, usually not buttressed.

Bark: Gray or light brown, divided into flat, sometimes squarish, plates.

Twigs: Stout, brownish, covered when young by a tawny-colored fuzziness; pith star-shaped in cross-section; leaf scars alternate but densely clustered toward the tip, half-round, usually slightly elevated, with several bundle traces.

Buds: Spherical but often short-pointed, reddish-brown, up to ⅛ inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades thick, 5-lobed, the upper three lobes squarish, separated from the lowest pair of lobes by a deep sinus, up to 6 inches long, up to 4½ inches wide, dark green and hairy on the upper surface, paler and hairy on the lower surface; leafstalks up to 1 inch long, stout, hairy.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately, but on the same tree, appearing when the leaves begin to unfold, minute, without petals, the staminate in slender, yellow, drooping catkins, the pistillate few in a cluster.

Fruit: Acorns solitary or 2 together, with or without a short stalk, the nut oval to oblong, up to 1 inch long, pale brown, less than half enclosed by the cup, the cup reddish-brown, hairy.

Wood: Hard, heavy, close-grained, brown.

Uses: Fence posts, fuel, general construction.

Habitat: Dry woods; dry bluffs.

Range: Massachusetts across to Kansas, south to Texas, east to Florida.

Distinguishing Features: The 3 squarish lobes at the upper end of the thick leaves distinguish the Post Oak.

BLACK OAK _Quercus velutina_ Lam.

Other Name: Yellow-bark Oak.

Growth Form: Large tree up to 80 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 3½ feet; crown broadly rounded or oblong, with spreading branches; trunk straight, columnar, scarcely buttressed at the base.

Bark: Black, with a yellow or orange inner bark, deeply furrowed.

Twigs: Slender or rather stout, reddish-brown to dark brown; pith star-shaped in cross-section; leaf scars alternate but clustered near the tip, half-round, slightly elevated, with several bundle traces.

Buds: Pointed, angular, gray or reddish-brown, hairy, up to ½ inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades deeply to shallowly 7- to 9-lobed, the lobes bristle-tipped, dark green, shiny and usually smooth on the upper surface, smooth, finely hairy, or hairy only along the veins on the lower surface, up to 10 inches long and 8 inches wide; leaf stalk up to 5 inches long, stout, smooth or finely hairy.