Quercus velutina (Black Oak)

Quercus velutina (Black Oak) is a medium-sized to large deciduous tree with an irregularly rounded crown. The large leaves, 10 in. long (25 cm), feature 7-9 deeply incised lobes. Glossy dark green above and paler underneath, they turn brilliant shades of yellow, orange, or brown in the fall. Inconspicuous yellow-green catkins appear in spring before or as the leaves emerge. They give way to solitary or paired elliptic acorns adorned with fringed cups that cover up to 1/2 of the acorn. They are a valuable food source for small mammals and birds, including squirrels, white-tail deer, mice, voles, and turkeys. The young shoots and large terminal buds are covered with a dense, gray pubescence. Deeply furrowed on mature specimens, the tannin-rich, almost black outer bark hides yellow to orange inner bark, producing bright yellow dye. Native to eastern and central North America, Black Oak is quite adaptable and grows on poor, dry, sandy, and heavy clay soils in the wild. Black Oak is not extensively planted as an ornamental, but its fall color contributes greatly to the esthetic value of oak forests. Black Oak makes an excellent shade or lawn tree for large areas.

• Grows up to 50-60 ft. tall and wide (15-18 m).
• Performs best in full sun in deep, fertile, dry to medium moisture, well-drained soil. It grows best on moist, rich, well-drained soils, but it is often found on poor, dry, sandy, or heavy glacial clay hillsides, where it seldom lives for more than 200 years.
• Perfect as a specimen plant.
• Keep an eye out for oak wilt, chestnut blight, shoestring root rot, anthracnose, oak leaf blister, canker, leaf spot, powdery mildew, scale, oak skeletonizer, leafminer, galls, oak lace bugs, borers, caterpillars and nut weevils.
• Toxic to horses.
• Propagate by seed or grafting in mid-autumn or late winter. It is difficult to transplant because of its because of its deep taproot.
• Native and widespread in eastern and central North America.