Black Oak
Scientific Name: Quercus velutina
— pronounced KWER-kus veh-luh-TEE-nuh
— Quercus, Latin for oak
— velutina from the Latin vellus meaning fleece, wool, or down, referring to the velvety winter buds and young leaves
Beech Family (Fagaceae), which also includes chestnut species
Other Common Names: Yellow Oak, Quercitron Oak, Dyer’s Oak, Yellowbark Oak
The Black Oak’s bark is at first gray and smooth, becoming thick and rough, nearly black, and deeply furrowed vertically with horizontal breaks.
The Black Oak’s acorn is egg-shaped, about 1/2 - 3/4 inch in length, with a bowl-shaped cap covering half of it. The acorn takes two seasons to mature.
— pronounced KWER-kus veh-luh-TEE-nuh
— Quercus, Latin for oak
— velutina from the Latin vellus meaning fleece, wool, or down, referring to the velvety winter buds and young leaves
Beech Family (Fagaceae), which also includes chestnut species
Other Common Names: Yellow Oak, Quercitron Oak, Dyer’s Oak, Yellowbark Oak
The Black Oak’s bark is at first gray and smooth, becoming thick and rough, nearly black, and deeply furrowed vertically with horizontal breaks.
The Black Oak’s acorn is egg-shaped, about 1/2 - 3/4 inch in length, with a bowl-shaped cap covering half of it. The acorn takes two seasons to mature.
Photos by David Rosher
The leaves are 4 to 10 inches long, with 5 (mostly) to 7 bristle-tipped lobes. They are a lustrous shiny green above; the underside is paler and covered with fuzz or "scurf", which is shed in late summer. The Black Oak’s leaf shape is especially variable, with sun leaves having deep sinuses between the lobes and shade leaves having very shallow sinuses.
The leaves are 4 to 10 inches long, with 5 (mostly) to 7 bristle-tipped lobes. They are a lustrous shiny green above; the underside is paler and covered with fuzz or "scurf", which is shed in late summer. The Black Oak’s leaf shape is especially variable, with sun leaves having deep sinuses between the lobes and shade leaves having very shallow sinuses.
The center leaf of three above shows the upper surface, the outer two the lower surface; note also the variable shape. On the right: scurf on the underside.
Photos by Katy Chayka and Peter Dziuk, respectively
More photos and ID help: VA Tech dendrology sheet.
Black oak can adapt to a wide variety of habitats and is more tolerant than most large oak species of dry, nutrient-poor conditions, where it may become a climax species. In nutrient-rich sites it may occupy an intermediate stage in succession, replacing pines or black cherry, but being replaced by more shade-tolerant species including white oak, chestnut oak, hickory, maple, elm, beech, or black gum.
Interesting facts:
Photos by Katy Chayka and Peter Dziuk, respectively
More photos and ID help: VA Tech dendrology sheet.
Black oak can adapt to a wide variety of habitats and is more tolerant than most large oak species of dry, nutrient-poor conditions, where it may become a climax species. In nutrient-rich sites it may occupy an intermediate stage in succession, replacing pines or black cherry, but being replaced by more shade-tolerant species including white oak, chestnut oak, hickory, maple, elm, beech, or black gum.
Interesting facts:
- This species lives for 150 to 200 years.
- Black Oak was previously known as Yellow Oak due to the yellow to deep-orange pigment in its inner bark.