Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Fagales
Genus: Quercus
Subgenus: Quercus
Section: Lobatae (red oaks)
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Quercus velutina
FAMILY
Fagaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
You may also want to check Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina
Read Edible Wild Plants: Oak from Lytton Musselman and the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society.
Learn more from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina website.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Quercus velutina
FAMILY
Fagaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Quercus velutina
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 055-03-020:
Quercus velutina FAMILY Fagaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Quercus velutina
COMMON NAME:
Black Oak
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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Trees You Want to Know (Peattie, 1934); illustration by F.A. Michaux dcp34_p32a
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JK Marlow jkm191222_2376_q_velutina
Clay County AL
Cheaha State Park
)
Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905) mtna_i_283
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_quve_001_lvd
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_quercus_velutina
January
)
JK Marlow jkm0402c_10
February Rutherford County NC
Chimney Rock Park
Bark of trunk very dark, heavily ridged, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm210309_8887
March Greenville County SC
Blackwell Heritage Preserve
Scurfy pubescence and axillary tomentum below, raised veins on both surfaces, per Field Guide to Native Oak Species of Eastern North America (Stein, Binion, & Acciavatti, 2003).
)
JK Marlow jkm210309_8888
March Greenville County SC
Blackwell Heritage Preserve
Buds grayish to light brown, angled, hairy, 6-12mm long, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
)
JK Marlow jkm0304m_18
April Greenville County SC
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Herbarium of Clemson University h_cu090702_1819
May Oconee County SC
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JK Marlow s000517_c
May Greenville County SC
Leaf blades leathery, upper surfaces shiny, lower w tawny hairs along veins, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
Herbarium of Clemson University h_cu83519
June Pickens County SC
Jocassee Gorges
Leaves vary greatly in shape, the lobes shallow where more shaded, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
JK Marlow jkm120728_057
July Abbeville County SC
Parson's Mountain Recreation Area
Inner bark yellowish to orange or reddish, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm080917_002
September Greenville County SC
Nut often has a brownish pubescence; cup usually covers about 1/2, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_q_velutina_1_cc
September Walker County GA
Scales loose around the perimeter of cup, forming a fringe, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_q_velutina_9_6_05_6_c
September
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_q_velutina_leaves
September
)
JK Marlow jkm0510c_10
October Oconee County SC
Sumter National Forest: Andrew Pickens Ranger District
Nut is 15-22mm long, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
)
JK Marlow s011021_ab
October Greenville County SC
Leaves variously lobed (deeper on higher branches and mature trees), per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).
COMPARE
leaves of Black, Northern Red, Scarlet and Shumard Oaks
)
JK Marlow s011022_ab
October Greenville County SC
Leaves rather thick, hairy along veins below, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).
)
JK Marlow jkm071123_001
November Greenville County SC
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Quercus velutina
FAMILY
Fagaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Quercus velutina
FAMILY
Fagaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Quercus velutina
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 055-03-020:
Quercus velutina
FAMILY
Fagaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Quercus velutina
1202
Tree
Perennial
Monoecious
Habitat: Upland forests and woodlands, especially in fairly xeric and sandy soils, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate, 5-ranked
FLOWER:
Spring
Staminate calyx 2-8 lobed, pistillate calyx 6-lobed
Petals absent
3-12 stamens in staminate flowers
Unisexual
Staminate flowers in clustered drooping catkins
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Acorn
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Wasowski & Wasowski, 1994, 2020) p050
- Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee (Hunter, 2002) p313
- Identifying Trees: An All-Season Guide to Eastern North America (Williams, 2007) p274
- Landscaping with Native Trees (Sternberg & Wilson, 1995) p212
- Field Guide to Native Oak Species of Eastern North America (Stein, Binion, & Acciavatti, 2003) p102
- Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007) p196
- Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988) p283
- Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance) p23
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p282
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