It's been another hot week in the arboretum, with less rain, but plenty of humidity. We are still very much interested in staying in the shade, and the Nuttall oak (
Quercus texana aka
Quercus nuttallii) is accommodating.The individual under consideration this week is growing in a particularly shady spot, at the top of the arboretum drainage system. There are a number of trees in this area competing for resources, with this Nuttall oak being one of the biggest. Other top players include
Quercus nigra,
Taxodium distichum, and
Fraxinus profunda.
All photos below are of one individual Nuttall oak, purchased in 1994 from Home Depot. It was bought as a large tree and planted during the fall semester by Professor Ed Leuck's botany students. It's growing near the bottom of a clay slope, so it receives a lot of runoff when we have heavy rains. Don't let the Latin name mislead you:
Quercus texana is largely a Mississippi embayment tree, venturing only a little way into east Texas.
 |
| The Nuttall oak is pictured in the center. This is a very shady spot; only a little sunlight reaches the ground. |
 |
| This tree is at minimum 24 years of age, and most likely closer to 30. The Student Union Building is pictured in the background. |
 |
| Looking up, we can see the sun, but as evidenced by the pictures above, not much sun is hitting the ground. |
 |
| Right now, in the heat of summer, the leaves are a dark green, but we expect them to turn red in the fall. |
 |
| The underside of the leaves is mostly smooth, with only a few small reddish-orange tufts. |
 |
| A praying mantis was spotted on a branch. |
 |
| The mantis was there to eat whoever was eating the leaves. |
 |
| There are a few acorns developing, still green. We will look for them to turn brown this fall and see how big they get. The acorns of the Nuttall oak help us distinguish it from the Shumard oak and the pin oak. |
 |
| Acorns take almost two years to ripen. Here we have two distinct stages of development. |
 |
| Furrowed bark of mature Nuttall oak |
Here you can see pictures of another Nuttall Oak in the arboretum collection.
For more information about
Quercus texana consult the following:
USDA Forest Service
United States Department of Agriculture
Louisiana Plant Identification and Interactive Virtual Tours (LSU AgCenter)
University of Arkansas
