- What Does Blackjack Oak Look Like Look
- What Does Look Like Now
- What Does Look Like Today
- What Does Blackjack Oak Look Like Today
Definition of blackjack oak in the Definitions.net dictionary. Meaning of blackjack oak. What does blackjack oak mean? Information and translations of blackjack oak in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Jun 30, 2016 Texas Oak Wilt – How To Spot This Tree Disease On Your Property. A tree can look like fall is being forced upon it. Fungal symptoms include the development of fungal mats, which infected areas found beneath bark. (aka Spanish) oak, Shumard oak, blackjack oak and water oak are extremely susceptible to oak wilt disease. In fact, these.
Trees Forever Field Coordinator Debbie Fluegel is always looking for new opportunities to learn about the environment. The Illinois native has a passion for unique ecosystems, and this month she shares a hidden treasure of central Illinois: Henry Allan Gleason Nature Preserve, where the blackjack oak flourishes.
“Blackjack oaks thrive in poor soils and manage to survive where many trees perish,” Fluegel said. “It does well in poorly drained soils.”
Thousands of years ago, melting glaciers set the stage for today’s blackjack oaks. The glaciers left a sandy landscape southwest of Peoria, where the nature preserve now resides. The site is a great area to spot the trees, but this species is sprinkled across the southern parts of Iowa and Illinois.
The deciduous trees grow up to 50 feet. The blackjack oak’s bark is cracked into rectangular-like plates. The green leaves are shaped like eight-inch long dinosaur feet. Those leaves flare out, almost as if each cluster of leaves is like a shamrock growing on branches.
Every other year, the tree produces brown, striped acorns, and a slew of animals show up to harvest the nuts.
“Oaks, as a family, support the most numbers of ‘bird food’, caterpillars of butterflies and moths,” Fluegel says as she explains how wildlife feeds off the tree.
She’s spotted a number of turkeys eating the acorns, but it’s not uncommon for jays, woodpeckers, squirrels and deer to join in the feast.
These acorns are just one of the many examples of how trees are part of the foundation of our ecosystems.
However, animals aren’t the only ones to benefit. Besides the obvious benefits every tree provides humanity like oxygen and beauty, humans can use the acorns for cooking and the bark for medicinal purposes.
According to PracticalPlants.org, the acorns can be dried and ground into a powder. This powder is sometimes used as a thickening agent in stews or an ingredient in bread.
The same website also cites using the tree bark “to ease childbirth, remove the afterbirth and ease cramps.”
How much you personally will appreciate the blackjack oak will depend on your comfort level, but no doubt, it’s a fascinating species.
Written by Sarah Moore; Updated December 15, 2018Related Articles
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With their sweeping branches and glossy, thickly growing leaves, oak trees are a staple of many lawns. Two popular specimens are the live oak (Quercus virginiana) and the water oak (Quercus nigra). These two trees have many similarities: both can grow to about 80 feet, both tolerate wet soil conditions and both are used as street trees. However, they also have a number of differences.
Growing Range
The live oak and water oak grow in different environments. Although the live oak grows in the Southeastern United States and Mexico, the water oak is not suitable for climates farther south than its native Southeastern United States. The water oak's U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone range is between 6 and 9. The live oak needs the warmer climes of USDA zones 8 through 10.
Shape
The two oaks have different shapes. Because it is taller than it is wide -- growing to 80 feet in height but a maximum 60 feet in width -- the water oak grows in a conical form and has a rounded crown at the top. The live oak has a much wider-spreading growth habit. It grows to about 80 feet tall as well but can grow as wide as 100 feet. This broad shape gives the live oak its formidable reputation as a landscape shade tree.
Leaves
The water oak has a classic oak leaf shape, with leaves 2 to 4 inches long with three lobes at the tips. The live oak has oblong or oval leaves that may be as long as 5 inches. The live oak is also evergreen and keeps its leaves until they grow old and drop off the tree, while the water oak usually loses its leaves in the fall. In warmer climates, however (usually USDA zones 8 and 9), the water oak may act evergreen like the live oak. In that case, leaves will drop only once, when they are old and dead.
Acorns
Live oak acorns are an elliptical shape about an inch long, with about a third of that length taken up by the acorn caps. Caps are scaly and often remain on the tree after the acorn falls out. Acorns grow in groups of one to five, turn a very dark color when ripe and are valued for attracting wildlife. Water oak acorns are smaller, only about a half inch across. Their caps are woolly rather than scaly.
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About the Author
Sarah Moore has been a writer, editor and blogger since 2006. She holds a master's degree in journalism.
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