FAMILY:FAGACEAE
ALTERNATE COMMON NAME: barren oak
LEAVES: alternate, simple, semi-persistent to persistent, 3-7” long by 3-5” wide, blades widest near apex and typically with three apical lobes, these often bearing bristle tips; upper blade surface dark green and glossy, lower surface yellow to rusty
FLOWER: unisexual, plants monoecious, male flowers in catkins, female flowers born singly or several in short axillary spikes
FRUIT: acorn 0.5-0.8” long, light brown, obovate-oblong; cupule rusty brown, covering 30-60% of acorn; inner surface of cupule pubescent
TWIGS: stout, dark brown or grayish brown; buds narrowly conical, scales densely covered in tawny or rusty hairs
BARK: : black, deep fissures, nearly rectangular plates
FORM: small to medium tree, often “scrubby”, branches numerous and often drooping
HABITAT: upland longleaf pine woodlands, shortleaf pine-oak-hickory woodlands, sandstone glades and glade margins, glade-like sodic/alkali flatwoods
WETLAND DESIGNATION: this species does not occur in wetlands anywhere in its range
RANGE: TX, OK, KS eastward [USGS Range Map]
USES: not commercially important, wood is hard and heavy, used for fence posts, railroad ties, and fuel; residual trees serve as ornamentals but this species is not readily available in the nursery trade
WILDLIFE: important hard mast species for mammals and birds on dry infertile soils, preferred mast by fox squirrels
Best Recognition Features:
- evergreen to semi-evergreen scrubby oak of dry infertile sites
- leaves thick, obovate to spatulate with shallow terminal lobes; dark green above, yellow to rusty below
- black blocky bark
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