Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Oak Quiz



So I'm guessing that if you live north of Columbus, you'll be like, "what the heck is that" while the southerners will be like, oh yeah, that's ______ oak"

Have you seen this species? For me, only a few times. But remember, I'm the Lake Erie watershed botanist. I don't make it down south very much.

Tom

9 comments:

  1. I've never seen that oak, except in books, where a similar leaf is identified as Blackjack Oak (Querqus marilandica), a scientific name that suggests its southerly range. Is that what it is?

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  2. D'oh! I live in southern Ohio and have no idea what type of oak that comes from. I'm so ashamed to confess my ignorance. =sniff= It's a beautiful shape though. I look forward to the revealing of its species by someone!

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  3. Maybe I should have said south of Chillocothe. This species is a real southerner, probably south of where you live Heather.

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  4. Aha! That makes feel a little bit better. Thanks for that bit of info, Tom. So it must live along or near the Ohio River then.... Can't wait to find out what it is!

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  5. I'm leaning towards blackjack oak, too, Quercus marilandica.

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  6. Blackjack Oak comes closest. And, it would be in Ohio. We have it in Virginia too. It's not as big as the red or white oaks--usually only 30 feet tall. It's an indicator of poor soil according to my "Common Native Trees of Virginia" book.

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  7. Ah yes, the odd-shaped foliage of Blackjack Oak, Quercus marilandica. You must have been traipsing through some barren lands prairies in Adams County or some such place, young Tommy.

    Merrit Lyndon Fernald

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  8. Neat! I've never seen that one!

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  9. Wow, I'm impressed, we have some very skilled botanists out there. Yes, this is black jack oak. I've seen it in a few places in southern Ohio, typically on high dry ridgetops. Here in Adams County, we saw several trees rimming Adams Lake Prairie State Nature Preserve, which I'll share more of in a future post.

    Tom

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