Shingle Oak

Shingle Oak

Quercus imbricaria

Fagaceae (Beech Family)

▲ mature trees

▲ leaves

▲ trunk and bark

Location on Missouri State University campus: north of Wells dormitory

Quercus imbricaria: Shingle Oak

• leaves alternate, deciduous, simple, lanceolate with entire margins except single spine at leaf tip; 2.5-6" long and 1/3-1/2 as wide; very dark green and glossy above, almost waxy-looking; pale green and pubescent beneath; dried leaves may persist through winter
• stems slender, greenish brown, shiny
• buds less than 1/8" long, egg-shaped, with light brown scales with fringed edges
• bark gray brown with shallow ridges and furrows
• grows 50-60' tall often upright oval with horizontal to descending lower branches and ascending upper branches; can get very large
• acorn is small, rounded about 5/8" long in thin cap covering 1/3 to 2 of nut
• prefers full sun and moist, well-drained, deep, acidic soil, but tolerates high pH and dry soils
• medium growth rate
• native to Missouri (and Springfield)