Kentucky Coffee Tree Gymnocladus dioicus

Black Oak (Quercus velutina Lam.)

Leaf:

	Leaves are simple and positioned alternatively.
	They are deeply to shallowly lobed with each lobe having bristled tips.
	Leaves usually have seven to nine lobes.
	The color of the leaf is dark green.
	They have a very smooth texture on their upper surface.
	The leaves have fine hairs and are only hairy on the lower surface along the veins.
	The leaf structure can often get up to ten inches long and eight inches wide.
	The leaf stalk (petiole) can get up to five inches long and is very stout.
	Leaf stalk can either be smooth or finely hairy.

Stem:

	The stem's structure is thin or rather stout.
	The color usually ranges somewhere between reddish-brown and dark brown.
	The pith (center) is star-shaped in the cross-section.
	Leaf scars are alternate but are clustered close to the tip.
	They are half-rounded, slightly elevated, and have many bundle traces.

Bark:

	The bark is black, and has yellow or orange inner bark.
	It is deeply furrowed.

Flower:

	The staminate (male flower) and pistillate (female flower) are borne disjointedly, but are on the same tree.
	Flowers emerge when the leaves begin to unfold.
	They are very small and don't have any petals.
	The staminate (male flower) is very slim.
	They have drooping clusters.
	The pistallate (female flower) is in groups of one to four.

Fruit:

	Acorns are grown either singly or sometimes even two together.
	They are grown with or without a short stalk.
	The nut is ovoid or ellipsoid (oval shaped).
	They are up to .75 inch long.
	They have a reddish-brown color.
	Fruit is not more than .5 enclosed by the cup.
	The cup has scales and is not appressed at the tip.
	They look very ragged or shabby.

Form:

	The black oak tree is very large and can get up to 80 feet tall.
	The trunk has a diameter of up to 3.5 feet.
	The crown (top) of the tree is generally rounded or oblong.
	It has wide ranging branches.
	The trunk is very straight and vertical.
	It is columnar and barely buttressed at the base.

Distribution:

The black oak tree ranges from Maine across to south-central Minnesota, south to eastern Texas, and east to northern Florida.

Discussion:

	The black oak tree is used for general construction, fuel, fence posts, flooring, and interior finishing.
	Black oak acorns provide food for many different types of wildlife species such as squirrels, mice, voles, white-tailed deer, and wild turkeys.
	The bark of black oak contains enough tannin to make commercial extraction worthwhile. A yellow dye, suitable for coloring natural fibers, can be obtained by boiling the inner bark.


	Pictures labeled left to right starting at the top. Black oak leaf, leaf arrangement, acorns (fruit), length of leaf stem, tree bark, tree branch, buds.

Location: Cumberland High School, 1496 IL Route 121, Toledo, IL 62468

GPS Coordinates:

References:

	Mohlenbrock, Robert H. Forest Trees of Illinois. 8th ed. Springfield: Illinois Department of Natural Resources, nd.
	*Abrams, Marc D. et. al. "Quercus velutina." n.d. 28 Oct. 2004 <http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/quevel/all.html>.*
	MSN Maps and Directions. n.d. 27 Oct. 2004 <www.mapblast.com>.

Contact Information: lstarwalt@cumberland.k12.il.us