Centenary College Arboretum: Tree of the Week: Blackjack Oak (Quercus marilandica)

Monday, April 9, 2018

Tree of the Week: Blackjack Oak (Quercus marilandica)

After a two-week-hiatus the 'tree of the week' feature returns. If you've been in the arboretum recently, you've probably been overwhelmed with new growth and rampant activity. Plants, animals, and people are all appreciating the change in season. This week we are focusing on an adolescent oak tree, a blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica). Its catkins caught our attention. This small, young blackjack oak is already participating in the pollen game, which has been going steady for the past several weeks, covering all creation with a fine yellow dust.

Our young blackjack oak looks good today, but it had a difficult beginning in the arboretum. This oak was purchased from Woodlanders Nursery (Aiken, South Carolina) in 1997, and it was planted in November of the same year. Initially, it was planted between Rotary Hall and Cline Hall, outside of the arboretum proper. A sordid act of vandalism broke the tree at the ground. Unusually for an oak, the tree vigorously resprouted and was subsequently transplanted to its current location, the grassy slope on the northside of Cline Hall.

Of the two blackjack oaks in the collection, this one is the youngest, a little over 20 years old. It's growing in full sun, on a grassy slope with other young trees.

This blackjack oak has plenty of room to grow. In the background stands an aging white oak (Quercus alba).

Blackjack oaks have simple leaves with shallow lobes. The new leaves are thick, glossy, and green.

Underneath, the new leaves are smooth and light-green.

The twigs are covered in fine, light, golden particles. Leaves occur alternately along the twig.

This young tree caught our attention because of its grown-up activity. The male flowers are catkins that dangle from the new growth. These flowers have been releasing pollen into the vicinity over the past two weeks, and now, thankfully, they appear to be finished.