Happy Mystery Monday! Can you guess what is pictured in photo below?
The answer to last week’s mystery is water oak, Quercus nigra, pictured in photo below:
Water oak is native to North America, commonly found in the coastal plains and Piedmont areas in bottomland forests. In Maryland, these trees can typically be found in the lower Eastern Shore. Adkins is at the Northern edge of its range.
Water oak is a member of the red oak group. They have oblong, spatula-shaped leaves with rounded lobes. When young, its leaves are nearly evergreen. They offer yellow color in Autumn which can persist into Winter. The water oak fruit is a 1/2″-1″ nearly black acorn.
This tree is of exceptional value to woodworkers, and is used widely in cabinet and furniture making. Water oak is the host plant for the larvae of the imperial moth (Eacles imperialis), as well as numerous
butterflies.
Water oak is a very sensitive tree that is vulnerable to illness and pests. Their numbers are in decline due to negative human interactions, such as row-cropping or extensive clearing. Water oak does not compete well with other species for nutrients required to grow. It is also easily injured by fire and susceptible to butt rot.
Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum.
