Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Blackjack Oak

I wasn't quite sure how to start looking for what this tree might be, what with it's dino-print like leaves. So I began looking for other words to describe it, and the magic word was "bell" they are bell shaped leaves.

Blackjack Oak is a type of Red Oak, and it's known for it's size - it's small size. They seldom ever reach above 45 feet high. It has the distinctive Oak leaf groupings; five clumped at the end of a small branch. The leaves are between 4-10 inches long and are as wide at the end. They are bell shaped, with three bumps on the top edge (they may or may not be very pronounced though) and the main veins look like the inside part of a peace symbol.
The trunk is deeply creviced with the bark protruding in block shapes with orangey-brown valleys between them. The main branches point mostly upwards in sharp contrast to the another common oak, Live Oak.
The other help to identification is if there are acorns. Blackjack Oaks have small acorns, only about 3/4 of an inch long with a width of half that.

These trees are very pretty and are well known for being a dense wood that's great for slow burning, though due to it's tendency toward "popping" is rather risky to burn in a fireplace. They thrive in sandy soil, so they're right at home here.

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