Quercus velutina - Black Oak

General Information Common Name  Black Oak Scientific Name  Quercus velutina Sun Tolerance  Full Sun Height  20-42 m (65-140 ft) Spread  10 -15 m (40 - 50 ft) Growth Rate  Fast Bloom Time  Spring Color  Green, Yellow Flower Color  Yellow Type  Tree Native  America

Classification Kingdom  Plantae – Plants Subkingdom  Tracheobionta – Vascular plants Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants Division  Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants Class  Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons Subclass  Hamamelididae Order  Fagales Family  Fagaceae – Beech family Genus  Quercus L. – Oak Species  Q. velutina

Quercus velutina - Black Oak

Quercus velutina common name is the Eastern Black Oak but mainly known as simply Black Oak. It is an oak in the red oak (Quercus sect. Lobatae). It is native to eastern North America mainly in USA. It is a common tree in the Indiana Dunes and other sandy dual ecosystems along the southern shores of Lake Michigan. It was previously known as yellow oak due to the yellow pigment in its inner bark. It is a deciduous tree.
Q. Velutina grows 20–25 m (65–80 ft) in height and a diameter of 90 cm (35 in), some time it grows up to 42 m (140 ft). Black oak is well known to readily hybridize with other members of the red oak (Quercus sect. Lobatae) group of oaks being one parent in at least a dozen different named hybrids.

The black oak’s leaves are arranged alternately on the twig and are 10–20 cm (4–8 in) long with 5-7 bristle tipped lobes separated by deep U-shaped notches. The upper surface of the leaf is a shiny deep green; the lower is yellowish-brown. There are also satellite hairs on the underside of the leaf that grow in clumps. Black oak is monoecious. The staminate flowers develop from leaf axils of the previous year and the catkins emerge before or at the same time as the current leaves in spring. The pistil-late flowers are borne in the axils of the current year's leaves and may be solitary or occur in two- to many-flowered spikes. 

The fruit, an acorn that occurs singly or in clusters of two to five, is about one-third enclosed in a scaly cup and matures in 2 years. Black oak acorns are brown when mature and ripen from late August to late October, depending on geographic location. In forest stands, black oak begins to produce seeds at about age 20 and reaches optimum production at 40 to 75 years. It is a consistent seed producer with good crops of acorns every 2 to 3 years. In Missouri, the average number of mature acorns per tree was generally higher than for other oaks over a 5-year period, but the number of acorns differed greatly from year to year and from tree to tree within the same stand. The number of seeds that become available for regenerating black oak may be low even in good seed years. Insects, squirrels, deer, turkey, small rodents, and birds consume many acorns. They can eat or damage a high percentage of the acorn crop in most years and essentially all of it in poor seed years. Black oak acorns from a single tree are dispersed over a limited area by squirrels, mice, and gravity. The blue jay may disperse over longer distances.

Quercus velutina - Black Oak Young Plant

The inner bark of the black oak contains a yellow pigment called quercitron, which was sold commercially in Europe.

It is the forest cover type that designates pure stands of the species or those in which it makes up more than 50 percent of the stand basal area. In southern New England, black oak grows on cool, moist soils. Elsewhere it occurs on warm, moist soils. Black oak grows on all aspects and slope positions. It grows best in coves and on middle and lower slopes with northerly and easterly aspects.  Wildfires seriously damage black oak trees by killing the cambium at the base of the trees. This creates an entry point for decay fungi. The end result is loss of volume because of heart rot. Trees up to pole size are easily killed by fire and severe fires may even kill saw timber. Many of the killed trees sprout and form a new stand. However, the economic loss may be large unless at least some of it can be salvaged.

Leaves of Black Oak

Leaves of Black Oak

Flowers of Black Oak

Black Oak Flowers

Black Oak Fruits

Acorn of Black Oak

Bark of Black Oak

Black Oak

Black Oak Buds 

Black Oak

Black Oak

Black Oak

Yellow colored Black Oak

Black Oak in Autumn

Black Oak

Quercus palustris - Pin Oak

General Information Common Name  Pin Oak Scientific Name  Quercus palustris Sun Tolerance  Full Sun Height  18 - 23 m (60 - 75 ft) Spread  8 -14 m (26 - 46 ft) Growth Rate  Fast Bloom Time  Spring Color  Green, Bronze Flower Color  Green Type  Tree Native  United States, Europe

Classification Kingdom  Plantae – Plants Subkingdom  Tracheobionta – Vascular plants Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants Division  Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants Class  Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons Subclass  Hamamelididae Order/  Fagales Family  Fagaceae – Beech family Genus  Quercus L. – Oak Species  Q. palustris

Quercus palustris - Pin Oak

Quercus palustris common name is the Pin oak also known as Swamp Spanish oak. It is mainly native to the eastern United States. The Pin Oak is now also well adapted to life in Australia.

It is a medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 18–23 m (60–75 ft) tall. And Bark grows up to 1 m (3.3 ft) diameter. It has an 8–14 m (26–46 ft) spread. The crown is broad conic when young, with numerous small branches radiating out from a central leader. When older, some upper branches become quite large and the central leader is lost, while the lower branches gradually droop downwards.

The leaves are 5–16 cm (2.0–6.3 in) long and 5–12 cm (2.0–4.7 in) broad. The leaves arranged alternately. Each leaf has five or seven lobes. Each lobe has 5-7 bristle-tipped teeth. The sinuses are typically u-shaped and extremely deep cut. In fact, there is approximately the same amount of sinus area as actual leaf area. The leaf is mostly hairless oily-green. Overall autumn leaf coloration is generally bronze, though individual leaves may be red for a time. 

The fruits of Pin Oak are called the acorns. The acorns, borne in a shallow, thin cap, are hemispherical, 10–16 mm (0.39–0.63 in) long and 9–15 mm (0.35–0.59 in) broad, green maturing pale brown about 18 months after pollination. The acorn is unpalatable because the kernel is very bitter. It blooms in spring and the flowers color is yellowish-green. Pin Oak also plant for landscaping. It is cultivated in parks and large gardens in many countries.The wood is generally marketed as red oak, but is of significantly inferior quality, being somewhat weaker, often with many small knots. The wood is hard and heavy and is used in general construction and for firewood.

Pin Oak : Color Bronze

Pin Oak Young Plants

Pin Oak Leaves

Pin Oak Bronze Color Leaves

Pin Oak Leaves

Pin Oak Flowers

Pin Oak Flowers

Pin Oak Acorns

Pin Oak Fruits

Pin Oak Seeds

Pin Oak Bark

Pin Oak Logs

Pin Oak

Pin Oak as ornamental tree

Pin Oak Plantation side the road

Pin Oak as Ornamental Tree

Quercus rubra - Red Oak

General Information Common Name  Red Oak Scientific Name  Quercus rubra Sun Tolerance  Full Sun Height  27-45 m (90-150 ft) Spread  10 -15 m (40 - 50 ft) Growth Rate  Fast Bloom Time  Spring Color  Green, Red Flower Color  Yellow Type  Tree Native  America, Europe

Classification Kingdom  Plantae – Plants Subkingdom  Tracheobionta – Vascular plants Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants Division  Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants Class  Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons Subclass  Hamamelididae Order  Fagales Family  Fagaceae – Beech family Genus  Quercus L. – Oak Species  Q. rubra

Quercus rubra - Red Oak

Quercus rubra common name is Red Oak. It is graceful round-headed tree with light grey bark, is one of the several North AmericanRed Oaks which have been planted in Europe as a amenity tree on account of the beauty of its autumn foliage. It grows 27-45 m (90-150 ft) in height. More recently it has been planted experimentally for it timber.

The young shoots are rather stout, often five-sided and olive-green to reddish-brown. The brown winter buds are alternately arranged, but towards the tip of the twigs they form clusters. The leaves are larger than those of European native Oaks and have sharply angled lobes. They vary in size and shape and the vein of each lobe projects as a bristle beyond the point. At first the leaves are a pale yellow, later green, and in autumn they turn a dull to rich red-brown.

The flowers of both sexes appear on the same tree in May. The male catkins are yellowish-green, long and sometimes very numerous; the female flowers are shortly stalked. The acorns, which do not mature until the second year, are dumpy and flat-based, standing in shallow cups.

The light grey bark remains smooth for a long time. Only after many years does it develop a slightly rough surface. The wood is open textured, with large pores, and lacks the strength and durability of the native Oaks. It will probably be used for cheaper furniture and flooring. The tree grows fast, even of soils of moderate fertility and plays a small role in European forestry.

Quercus rubra - Red Oak in Fall

Young Plants of Red Oak

Leaves of Red Oak

Red Leaves of Red Oak

Red Oak Leaves in Fall

Red Oak Flowers

Flowers of Red Oak

Red Oak Acrons

Fruits of Red Oak

Red Oak Log

Bark of Red Oak

Red Oak in Fall

Forest of Red Oak

Red Oak

Quercus robur - Pedunculate Oak - English Oak

General Information Common Name  Pedunculate Oak, English Oak Scientific Name  Quercus robur Sun Tolerance  Full Sun Height  15-18 m (50-60 ft) Spread  15 -18 m (50 - 60 ft) Growth Rate  Fast Bloom Time  Spring Color  Green, Bronze Flower Color  Yellow Type  Tree Native  Europe, America

Classification Kingdom  Plantae – Plants Subkingdom  Tracheobionta – Vascular plants Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants Division  Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants Class  Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons Subclass  Hamamelididae Order/  Fagales Family  Fagaceae – Beech family Genus  Quercus L. – Oak Species  Q. robur

Quercus robur - Pedunculate Oak - English Oak

Quercus robur common name is Pedunculate Oak but well known as English Oak. This is national tree of England, being associated with her ship-building and hence with her ‘wooden walls’. Its acorns (‘mast’) provided, with beech nuts, pannage for pigs, and its bark yielded tannin for leather. It has leaves on long stalks, with the acorn cups on long stalks whereas the Durmast Oak has long-stalked leaves and stalk-less acorn cups.

The twigs of Pedunculate Oak are grey-brown and carry light brown winter buds spirally set, with a cluster of them near the tip. The young shoots bear very little down, and the bud-scales are not downy. The leaves are often bronze to khaki when opening and later are sometimes tinged with red – especially the second growth in July. They have a wavy indented outline, vary in size and lobbing and have a short stalk, on either side of which the leaf usually forms two ear-like lobes called auricles.

Both sexes of flower appear on the same tree in spring. The pale green male catkins are slender, the much less conspicuous female flowers, of like color have appreciable stalks – hence the later cup which holds the acorn likewise has a stalk. Both the acorn and the cup are at first green, but become brown by autumn.

At first the bark is smooth and grayish-brown, later becoming rugged; giving a rough fissured grey trunk that is often buttressed and sometimes carries epitomic shoots. In some parts of the county the trunks have in part almost a dull pink to purplish sheen. The sapwood band is white, while the heartwood is rich golden brown, and has great strength and remarkable natural durability. The timber has a wide range of uses, from cleft or sawn fencing and gates to furniture and parts of buildings, also shipbuilding, and particularly Scottish fishing craft; the bark can be used for tanning leather. The tree has a typically widely trees up to about 10 feet retain their spent ones appear in the spring.

The ‘Oak-apple’ (illustrated) is formed by a minute gall wasp.

English Oak

Silviculturists might say that whereas oak has had a glorious past, its economic future is less certain because of its slow growth relative to conifers, yet trees of sixty years can attain 60- feet in height and 8 feet in girth. It is sometimes said of the oak that it is two hundred years growing, two hundred years standing still and two hundred years dying. The silviculturist would usually fell it between one hundred and two hundred years.

The Pedunculate Oak and the Sessile Oak (which it has largely replaced) have sometimes interbred and many Oak wood consist of intermediate forms. Though little attention is given to differentiating between the two timbers, records show that many woodmen have appreciated the difference. Both kinds of tree usually break bud in May, but there is a second period of growth in July or August, when the so-called Lammas shoots are produced.

Young Plant of English Oak

Pedunculate Oak Leaves

Pedunculate Oak Leaves in Fall

Flowers of English Oak

Pedunculate Oak : Flowers

Pedunculate Oak Acorn

Fruits of English Oak

English Oak Bark

English Oak Log

English Oak

English Oak