Black oak

Quercus velutina

image of black oak leaves from the U. of WI

image of black oak bark from the U. of WI

Foliage Type:

leaf

Arrangement:

simple, alternate

Distinguishing features: leaves - 5" to 7" long and 3" to 5" wide leaves - glossy above, lighter below and somewhat hairy leaf shape - ovate (egg shape with broadest part towards base) to obovate (inverse ovate) leaves - 5 to 7 lobes, often toothed, with sinuses of variable depths acorn cup bowl-shaped and finely gray-hairy bark - thick, nearly black, deeply furrowed vertically with many horizontal breaks; inner bark orange or yellow

Habitats:	dry mesic sites mesic sites wet mesic sites
Often confused with:	Red oak
Ecological Value:	Acorns eaten by many birds and mammals twigs eaten by deer, rabbit, and hare inner bark (cambium) eaten by porcupine
Did You Know?	Black oak can be found in Wisconsin, but Central Wisconsin designates the most northern part of its natural range
Uses / Ethnobotanical uses:	1/2 annual production of hardwood lumber bark contains tannin (used in curing leather) Native Americans used acorns (tannic acid boiled out first) for a staple in many of their foods during Anglo Saxon times in England, used for fattening swine