Black oak

Quercus velutina (black oak) is a slow growing, medium sized, upright deciduous tree with a broad irregular canopy of shiny green foliage with sharply pointed lobes. In fall the leaves turn yellow before falling. Green male and female inflorescences bloom in late spring yielding small, sometimes striped, nuts with bowl shaped caps. These acorns are a food source for many birds and small woodland animals. The bark of Q. velutina is dark gray to black and deeply furrowed. The wide irregular crown creates appropriate nesting habitat for many animals. Black oak succeeds as a shade tree or specimen tree in an open landscape or when planted in a naturalized areas.