Shingle Oak
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| Quercus imbricaria Michx. |
Shingle Oak (Quercus imbricaria) is a deciduous tree in the red oak group of oaks. It is native to eastern North America from southern New York west to southern Wisconsin and eastern Kansas, and south to central Alabama and Arkansas. It is most commonly found growing in uplands with good drainage, less often along lowland streams, at 100-700 m altitude.
It is a medium-sized tree growing to 20 m tall, with a trunk up to 1 m diameter (rarely 1.4 m). It is distinguished from most other oaks by its leaves, which are shaped like laurel leaves, 8-20 cm long and 1.5-7.5 cm broad with an entire margin; they are bright green above, paler and somewhat downy beneath. The fruit is an acorn, 9-18 mm long and wide with a shallow cup; they are mature about 18 months after pollination. They are an important food for squirrels and some birds.
[edit] Cultivation and uses
In the past, the wood was important for making shingles, from which the name derives.
[edit] Hybrids
- Q. × leana Nutt. (Q. velutina x Q. imbricaria) (Lea's Hybrid Oak), a naturally occurring hybrid of the Black Oak and Shingle Oak, growing to 20 m, a native of south-eastern North America, also found in a few European collections.
