Quercus Phellos
(Willow Oak)
“DSC02327” by geneva_wirth is licensed under CC BY 2.0
“Willow Oak” by Katja Schulz is licensed under CC BY 2.0
A relatively large tree growing often in excess of 80′ tall with a spherical crown.
Leaves: simple, alternate, deciduous, 2″ to 5″ long, 1/2″ to 1″ wide, light green and glabrous above, paler beneath, sometimes wavy, apex, acute, irregularly lobed.
Flowers: Unisexual, hairy catkins, borne on slender stalks, 2″ to 3″, the pistillate flowers, solitary or in pairs, short stalked.
Fruit: An acorn, 1/2″ long, bluntly pointed at the apex, yellowish brown, saucer shaped.
Twigs: Slender, red-brown, glabrous, dark lenticels, terminal buds, about 1/8″ long, acute lateral buds, leaf scars and pith.
Bark: Smooth and gray at first, becoming gray-black and turning rough, scaly ridges separated by irregular fissures.
Comments: An excellent and wide spread ornamental, frequently found in lowlands and along the borders of swamps and rivers, but often on rich sandy uplands.
“Willow Oak” by Matthew Beziat is licensed under CC BY 2.0
“Quercus phellos” by Bruce Kirchoff is licensed under CC BY 2.0