A couple of gusty summer rainstorms blew through town earlier in the week. As well as wetting the thirsty ground, all our trees got their limbs rustled. Naturally, a few branches were knocked loose. Fallen twigs of the older trees are of special interest because they are normally far out of reach for inspection. This week we were afforded the opportunity to examine the seasonal progress of the water oak (
Quercus nigra).
There are seven water oaks in the arboretum collection. All are on-site natives, pre-dating the institution of the arboretum. These are big, mature trees without lower limbs. From the windfall of branchlets we can see that the water oaks growing near Hamilton Hall are having a highly productive year for acorns. The pictures below are of one individual; the photos were taken on a sunny day at noon.
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| Most of the year, this is all we notice of the water oaks -- big, cylindrical, gray trunks. Because all of the water oaks in the arboretum are old trees with no lower branches, there is nothing ro lure the eye. |
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| The bark is dark gray with shallow grooves. |
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| This water oak, pictured center, grows near Hamilton Hall. This is a very shady spot. At noon on a sunny day we only see dappled sunlight under the old oak. |
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| The water oak grows at the top of a gradual, clay slope. |
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| We see lots of immature acorns on the fallen twigs. |
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| Leaves alternate along the twig. |
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| The immature acorns are green and very small, approximately a quarter of an inch in length. |
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| Water oak leaves are small, wedge-shaped, and dark-green. Leaf margins are wavy, but smooth. |
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| Underneath, the leaves are green and smooth with a few (very small) fuzzy spots. |
For more information about this species consult the following:
United States Department of Agriculture -- zoom-in on map!
Virginia Tech Dendrology
Louisiana Plant Identification and Interactive Virtual Tours
