Black Oaks are medium to large trees, growing to around 80 feet. Their trunks are usually no more than two and a half feet wide. Black Oak leaves are four to ten inches long, with seven to nine lobes (like fingers). Lobes have a pointy bristle on the end. Leaves are shiny green above, and pale green below. Sometimes they have brown hairs underneath. Black Oak leaves turn red in the fall. The bark of Black Oak is smooth and gray on young trees, but as it gets older the bark turns black and thick with deep furrows (wrinkles). The inner bark of this tree is orangish-yellow.

Courtesy of The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Ardmore, Oklahoma, www.noble.org

Landscape Horticulture at Auburn University

Landscape Horticulture at Auburn University

Black Oak fruit is an acorn, about 3/4 inch long. Acorns are covered half-way by a cap. Black Oak acorns take about two years to mature and grow. Black Oak trees are found with other trees, such as American Elm, Black Walnut, hickories, Southern Red Oak, Red Maple, Yellow Poplar, Virginia Pine, Eastern White Pine, Eastern Red Cedar, Loblolly Pine, Black Cherry, Sassafras, Redbud, and Paw Paw. They are found with shrubs like Spicebush, Witch-hazel, and Sumac. Some vines that grow on Black Oaks are Greenbriar, grape, Poison Ivy, and Virginia Creeper.

OPLIN

Wellesley College

Cavities in Black Oaks are home to many animals, especially woodpeckers. Acorns are eaten by squirrels, mice, voles, White-tailed Deer, and insects. Many birds, such as Bluejays and turkeys, also eat them. Gypsy Moths defoliate (eat all the leaves of) Black Oaks. After a few seasons, this will kill the tree.

Relationships in Nature:

Animals Using as Food Source	Animals Using as Shelter	Associations With Other Plants	OTHER
Eastern Gray Squirrel	Pileated Woodpecker	American Elm	European Gypsy Moth Pa
Meadow Vole	Carolina Chickadee	Willow Oak	Crowded Parchment Pa
White-tailed Deer	Black Rat Snake	Black Cherry	Honey Mushroom Pa
Wild Turkey	Wood Duck	Sassafras	Turkey Tail Pa
Blue Jay	Black Carpenter Ant	Yellow Poplar	Blue Jay D
European Gypsy Moth	Barred Owl	Virginia Pine	Eastern Gray Squirrel D
Red Fox	Wild Turkey	Eastern White Pine	Virginia Opossum D
Common Crow	Big Brown Bat	Pink Lady's Slipper	White-breasted Nuthatch D
Mallard	Eastern Gray Squirrel	White Oak	Mallard D
Wood Duck	Common Crow	Spicebush	Wood Duck D
Common Grackle	Blue Jay	Greenbrier	European Starlling D
White-breasted Nuthatch	Dogday Harvestfly	Poison Ivy	Tufted Titmouse D
Oak Apple Gall Wasp	Oak Apple Gall Wasp	Virginia Creeper	Downy Woodpecker D
Soil Mite	European Gypsy Moth	Eastern Redcedar	Common Crow D
Tufted Titmouse	White-tailed Deer	Red Maple	Jack O'Lantern Pa
Downy Woodpecker	Eastern Bluebird	Mockernut Hickory	Death Cap My
True Katydid	Harvestman	Sweetgum	Artist's Conk Pa
Eastern Chipmunk	True Katydid	White Cushion Moss	Oak Apple Gall Wasp Pa
Virginia Opossum	Downy Woodpecker	Bracken Fern	Common Greenshield SP
Dogwood Borer	Dogwood Borer	Black Locust	Dogwood Borer Pa

Relationship to Humans:

Black Oaks are used by people for furniture, flooring, barrels, railroad ties, fenceposts, and firewood.

They are also very important for the amount of wildlife that use them as a food source and shelter. Much of this wildlife benefits humans as well.

SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION

KINGDOM Plant DIVISION Magnoliophyta CLASS Magnoliopsida ORDER Fagales FAMILY Fagaceae GENUS Quercus SPECIES Quercu velutina

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