Missouri Department of Conservation

Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra) - Grows on upland slopes, or in southern Missouri, on moist bottomlands which face north or east and thus stay cooler. The tree can reach 100 feet and is found throughout Missouri except n the southernmost three counties of the Bootheel.

• Leaves: To eight inches long with pointed lobes (which are not divided again at their tips), segmented to the midrib. Middle and upper lobes point diagonally upward and have bristle-pointed teeth. Leaves are yellowish-green above.
• Bark: Dark brown to black; smooth on young trees, eventually wide, flat ridges separated by shallow fissures; on very old trees more narrowly ridged.
• Acorns: One-inch long, oblong in shape. The cup saucerlike, flat, covers about one-third of the nut, and has a fine-hairy fringe.

Rubra, Latin, "red."

Shumard Oak (Quercus shumardii) - A large tree, frequently to 100 feet tall, but taller specimens are known. Prefers moist bottomlands, but does occur also on uplands throughout the southern two-thirds of Missouri' absent from all northern counties.

• Leaves: To eight inches long, deeply lobed, the tops of the lobes again shallowly divided, each tip with a bristle. Characteristically, the central lobes are more or less at right angles to the leaf axil (rather than pointing diagonally upward). Upper leaf surface dark green.
• Bark: Very similar to northern red oak.
• Acorns: Two kinds exist:

1. egg-shaped, to one inch long, cup saucerlike, enclosing one-fourth of nut (var. shumardii)
2. with a deeper, bowl-shaped cup, enclosing at least one-third of nut (var. schneckii).

Blackjack Oak (Quercus marilandica) - (also known as scrub oak). With few exceptions a gnarled, short tree in Missouri found on rocky hillsides in poor and acid soils. The lower branches hang downward. Grows through most of Missouri but rare or absent from northwestern counties.

• Leaves: Large, leathery, dark green and shiny above, wedge-shaped to triangular, spreading toward the top. The top mildly lobed, each lobe carrying one bristle which may disappear with age.
• Bark: Black; very rough, broken into square or rectangular blocks when old.
• Acorns: Normally only one-half-inch in diameter with deep cup covering half the nut.

Marilandica is Latin for the state of Maryland.

Pin Oak (Quercus Palustris) - Under natural conditions a medium-size tree—50- to 70-feet tall—moist valleys, along streams, ponds and swamps, but also sometimes on dry locations. The lower branches spread downward, covering a large area. Pin oak grows faster than other oak species and has become a much planted ornamental. Grows throughout most of Missouri, but absent from the Ozark Plateau and southwestern counties. Many specimens provide good fall coloration.

• Leaves: Mediums size, four-to-six-inches long with five to seven lobes, which are deeply divided. The ends of the lobes have two to three small divisions, each bristle-tipped. Leaves are dark green and shiny.
• Bark: Grayish-brown, smooth for many years.
• Acorns: Rounded, ½-inch diameter, often striped with many dark lines, with a thin, saucer-shaped cup.

Palustris, Latin, "marshy."

Northern Pin Oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis) - Similar to pin oak but the acorns are more elongate. Known only in northern Missouri.

Black Oak (Quercus velutina) - (also known as yellow-bark oak). A medium-sized oak to 70 feet tall with a wide distribution. Tolerates rocky, acid soils but grows also on bottomlands. The inner bark is yellow, rich in tannin. Grows throughout Missouri.

• Leaves: To 12-inches long, the upper half much wider than the lower. The bottom margin of the lowest lobe nearly straight; seven-to-nine inches wide, rather shallow lobes, their ends indented into smaller lobes, each bristle-tipped. Leaves dark green above, pale green below.
• Bark: Black, rough and deeply furrowed. The inner bark is bright orange or yellow and can be used to distinguish black oak from scarlet, northern red and Shumard oaks.
• Acorns: Sharply pointed, to 3/4-inch long, well rounded, the scaly cup with a ragged fringe covers half of the nut. Black oak is considered a reliable producer of acorns.

Velutina, Latin, "velvety,' probably referring to tufts of hair on the underside of the leaves.

Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea) - Scarlet oak is one of the most common oaks of the flat ridgetops of the Eastern Ozarks. It is a medium sized-tree and is valuable for lumber throughout its range.

• Leaves: Seven to nine lobes with wide, nearly circular depressions between the lobes. Smooth and dark green above, paler underneath. The leaves turn a deep scarlet in the fall.
• Bark: Smooth and gray, becoming rough, nearly black, broken up into irregular ridges on old trees.
• Acorns: Up to one-inch in diameter, often with concentric rings around the tip. Acorn is 1/3 to ½ enclosed in a thin, bowl-shaped cup.

Restricted to southeastern Missouri.

Southern Red Oak (Quercus falcata) - Missouri is on the northern edge of southern red oak range. It is found on dry upland sites in southeast Missouri and in counties along the Arkansas border.

• Leaves: Up to nine inches long and found in two forms: 1) shallow 3-lobed; 2) 5 to 7 deep lobes, often sickle-shaped. The base of the leaf is rounded. Surfaces are dark green and shiny above; pale and hairy below.
• Bark: Similar to black oak except the inner bark is only slightly yellow.
• Acorns: Small, about ½-inch long; enclosed one-third or less in a thin, shallow cup.

Restricted to counties along Arkansas border and southeast Missouri.

Cherrybark Oak (Quercus falcata var. pagodifolia)
Cherrybark oak is limited to the bottomland forest of the Bootheel. It is among the largest of the southern oaks and its wood is rated superior to any other oaks in the region.

• Leaves: Five to 11 irregular lobes, with the top of the lobes at nearly right angles to the midrib. Surface is dark green and shiny above, pale and hairy underneath.
• Bark: Nearly black; broken into shallow fissures. The tree was named cherrybark oak because of the resemblance of the bark of older trees to black cherry.
• Acorn: Similar to southern red oak.

Nutall Oak (Quercus texana) - Nutall oak is found on poorly drained clay bottomland sites. In Missouri it is known only from a few southeastern counties. Its leaves and bark are similar to pin oak, a tree it is easily confused with. Nutall oak may be distinguished from pin oak by its acorn. Nutall oak acorns are elongated, up to 1 1/4 inches long, one-fourth to one-half enclosed in a deep, thick cup.

Restricted to four southern counties.

Shingle Oak (Quercus imbricaria)
A large tree, grows to 100 feet, tolerating both dry or moist habitats throughout Missouri except for a few south-central and western counties. Said to be the longest-lived oak under cultivation when used for ornamental purposes.

• Leaves: Broadest above the middle, to two-inches wide, oblong-elliptical, with a shiny upper surface, to six-inches long; the only oak with large, entire leaves in Missouri.
• Bark: Smooth gray when young; becoming nearly black with broad ridges and shallow fissures.
• Acorns: Small, about three-fourths-inch long, but the nut nearly round, the cup with brown, hairy scales, enclosing one-third to one-half the nut.

Shingle oak implies the former use for roof shingles; imbricaria is Latin for "overlapping," like roof shingles. May refer to the acorn scales.

Willow Oak (Quercus phellos)
A medium-size oak, to 75 feet tall, growing on poorly drained soils and swampy woods. Restricted to southeast Missouri. May do well when planted as ornamental throughout Missouri.

• Leaves: Narrow, lance-shaped, willowlike; much narrower than the similar shingle-oak leaves, light green above with a pointed tip.
• Bark: Smooth and gray on young trees; later becoming darker and breaking into thick rough ridges separated by irregular fissures.
• Acorns: Small, only one-half-inch long, pale brownish-yellow, with striped nuts. The bitter nuts are important food for ducks.

Phellos, Greek, means "cork".

Water Oak (Quercus nigra) - A medium-sized tree found in moist bottomland sites with exception of permanent swamps. In Missouri, its range is restricted to the southeast Missouri counties of Ripley, Butler, Dunklin and Pemiscot.

• Leaves: Two to four inches long, broader at the tip than the base. Edges of the leaves are smooth or slightly wavy.
• Bark: Nearly black, with wide scaly ridges.
• Acorns: About ½-inch long, nearly black; with a thin, saucer-shaped cup.

Restricted to four counties in and near the Missouri Bootheel.