FAMILY: FAGACEAE
ALTERNATE COMMON NAME: Texas red oak, striped oak
LEAVES: alternate, simple, deciduous; 5-7 deep, asymmetrical lobes, bristle tipped; lower surface glabrous except for tufts of hairs in leaf vein axils
FLOWER: monoecious, male flowers in catkins, female flowers inconspicuous, solitary or several in short spikes
FRUIT: fruit maturing in the second season; acorn oblong-ellipsoid 1-1.5” long; cap bowl-like, covering one-third to one-half of the acorn, the base of the cap with a thick nipple-like stalk-like portion
TWIGS:
BARK: smooth, medium to dark gray, furrowed with age
FORM: large tree
HABITAT: bottomland hardwood forests
WETLAND DESIGNATION: Facultative Wetland (FACW): Usually occurs in wetlands, but may occur in non-wetlands of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast Plain Region
RANGE: south-central U.S. centered on the Lower Mississippi River Alluvial Valley [USGS Range Map]
USES: frequent ornamental; wood of moderate quality
WILDLIFE: important mast tree dropping acorns over 6-8 week
Best Recognition Features:
- large red oak of very wet forests
- bark smooth, medium to dark gray, furrowed on large trees
- lateral lobes of leaves often alternating
- lower surfaces of leaves glabrous except for tufts of hairs in leaf vein axils
- acorn cap bowl shaped, deep, basally with a thick nipple-like scaly stalk
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