![]() The bark is shallowly furrowed with narrow vertical plates. The acorns have caps with loose, fuzzy scales that enclose one-third to one-half of the nut. They typically have five to seven lobes, though occasionally have nine bristle-tipped lobes. Northern pin oak ( Quercus ellipsoidalis) has leaves that are 3-6 inches long, shiny green and widest in the middle, with deeply cut rounded sinuses and a flattish base (Photo 5). The bark is gray and smooth when young, becoming very dark with deep ridges that have horizontal breaks when older. The caps have rounded interiors, unlike the acorns of the northern red oak, which are flattened. The acorn nuts are half-covered by caps with loose scales. Leaves have hairs on the underside that are shed later in the season. They are shinier than the northern red oak and dark green above with a lighter underside. Leaves are 4-10 inches long with mostly five, sometimes seven bristle-tipped lobes. The bark is smooth, dark gray when young, becoming furrowed with flat-topped ridges forming stripes when older.īlack oak ( Quercus velutina) is the second most prevalent red oak in Michigan. The acorn is nearly round with a flat, thick cap reminiscent of a beret that covers one-fourth of the nut. The sinuses reach less than half-way to the midrib. The leaf is typically dull green above and lighter green below with a smooth, reddish petiole measuring about 1-2 inches long. It can be identified by the 5- to 8-inch-long leaf with seven to 11 bristle-tipped lobes. Northern red oak ( Quercus rubra) is the most prevalent oak species in Michigan. Bruce Kirchoff, Greensboro, NC, CC BY 2.0. Familiarize yourself with the terms used to describe leaves with the diagram below. ![]() While this can make identification more complicated, the following guide will help distinguish between the 10 most common species of oaks in Michigan. Oaks readily hybridize with other oaks in their groups, producing oaks with characteristics from both species. White oak, bur oak, swamp white oak, chinkapin oak and chestnut oak all belong to the white oak group. White oaks have rounded lobes or large regular teeth and acorns that mature in one year. Northern red oak, black oak, northern pin oak, pin oak and scarlet oak all belong to the red oak group. Red oaks have leaves with bristle-tipped lobes and acorns that take two years to mature. All oaks belong to the genus Quercus, produce acorns and fall into two groups: red oaks and white oaks. Specific epithet means black.There are 600 species of oaks worldwide, 10 of which are native to Michigan. Genus name comes from the classical Latin name for oak trees. Old leaves tend to drop in late fall to early winter, but may persist on the tree throughout most of the winter in the southern parts of the growing range (particularly within USDA Zones 8-9). Leaves are dull bluish-green above and paler with pubescence beneath. ![]() Narrow, smooth-margined, spatula-shaped, oblong leaves (2-4” long and 1-2” wide) are three-lobed to entire at the tips. Acorns are a source of food for wildlife. Fruits are broad-rounded acorns (to 1/2” long) in short-stalked cups with woolly scales. Insignificant monoecious flowers in separate male and female catkins appear in spring. It is typically found in low woodland areas, floodplains and along streams and rivers. Water oak is native primarily from New Jersey to Florida and Texas, extending northward along the Mississippi River valley to western Kentucky, southern Illinois and the Missouri bootheel. ![]() Brownish gray bark becomes grayish black with age with rough scaly ridging. Quercus nigra, commonly called Water oak or possum oak, is a medium sized deciduous (sometimes semi-evergreen in southern areas) oak of the red oak group that typically grows in a conical form to 50-80’ tall with a broad rounded crown. ![]()
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