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WATER OAK
Quercus nigra L.
(KWER-kus NY-gra)
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General:
The common name, Water Oak, indicates this tree is usually found where
there it quite a bit of moisture. Though common in lowlands, it
is adaptable to other locations. The round-topped, symmetrical
crown has mostly spatulate (wedge shaped) leaves that are easy to see
from a distance. It grows to 25 m. (80 ft) tall with a trunk
about1m (3 ft.) in diameter.
Though the acorns take 2 years to mature, they provide food for many
animals in the forests. The wood may be used as a source of
timber, and because it grows quickly it is often used in landscapes.
Flowers / Fruit:
The male flowers in slender catkins, appear when new leaves emerge in spring.
Acorns are solitary or occasionally in pairs. The
light-brown-to-nearly-black nuts are oval to hemispherical in shape and
may be pubescent near the tip. They are about 1/2-inch long with a
pubescent, saucer-shaped, reddish-brown cap. The cap is so
shallow that it barely encloses the base of the nut. One of
the group of red oaks, the acorns require 2 years to mature and have a
much more bitter taste than the white oaks.
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WATER OAK (Quercus nigra)
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WATER OAK (Quercus nigra)
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Leaves / Stems:
Leaves are alternate, simple and from 5-15 cm. (2-6 in.) long.
Margins may be entire, three-lobed near the tip or variously lobed on
both margins. They are generally spatulate (wedge shaped), narrow at
the base and broadly rounded near the tip. Both surfaces of the leaf
are green and smooth except for infrequent axillary hairs below. The
leaves of the water oak are semi-persistent, falling a few at a time
throughout the winter.
The bark is smooth on young trees, grayish brown, turning blackish and scaly ridged on older trees.
Distribution:
This wide spread species may be found in mixed pine-hardwood forests,
along roadsides, in flatwoods, bottomlands or urban settings. Its range
extends along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts to East Texas and south into
central Florida.
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